Customer Reviews

Rain Dances

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Camel over the course of their history came to define progressive melodic rock . Starting out of a band called 'The Brew' who were more of a straight forward rock trio, upon the addition of Peter Bardens on Keyboards the trio from 'Brew' Andy Latimer, guitars ,and flute, Doug Ferguson, bass and vocals, and Andy Ward ,drums ,became the mighty beast that is 'Camel' with their first gig as support to 'Wishbone Ash' in 1971.
But it was not until 1973 that there first self titled album was released , and although attracting a little critical attention ,did little else , listening to it now it is hardly surprising as it is a little twee. The second album got them all the publicity they wanted, but mostly not for musical reasons. Mirage ( 1974) came in an album cover replicating a packet of Camel cigarettes, which got them sued by Camel cigarettes in America , and their then turned the tables and got an endorsement from Camel cigarettes Europe , giving away free packets of five Camels to all the audience members at all their European gigs of that tour , so they ended up with enormous hassles in the States and had to change their album covers, and in Europe were hated by the Anti-smoking league for ever. Because of this their next album the all instrumental album based on Paul Gallico's Snow Goose, had to be called 'Music inspired by the Snow Goose' due to the authors abhorrence to all things nicotine. Never the less Snow Goose was Camel's breakthrough album opening up the world market to the band . Due to the record companies ( Decca) horror at having put out an all instrumental album last time the bands next effort was a bit of a compromise between band and record executives with all the songs having actual words, chorus's and verses ' Moonmadness'(1975).
By now the sound of the Camel had moved far away from the rock'n'roll roots of 'The Brew', and after the tour too promote ' Moonmadness' Doug Ferguson decided to hang up his camel saddle and move on. Famed session saxophonist Mel Collins had toured with the band on the last tour , and was now keen to carry on his association with the band and was to be an unofficial member of the band for all further albums and tours for the next decade. But a new bass player and vocalist had to be found. Top of the list was original founding member of both ' Caravan ' and 'Hatfield and The North' Richard Sinclair,who just happened to be arriving back from his holidays that had helped him recuperate after the termination of his last band ' Hatfield and The North' . One telephone call was all it took and Richard Sinclair packed up his bags in Canterbury and joined the dromedary cause.This gave Camel so much more artillery under it's hump. Richard Sinclair was blessed with very distinctive vocal chords , far superior to anything the band had in their armoury before , Mel Collins being full time available to the band meant much more space to stretch out in the long instrumental sections of the Camel material ( Does that make Camelhair?) . Whilst Andy Ward on the drums was much more comfortable with Richard Sinclair's more jazzy bass style than the straight ahead rock style of the previous incumbent .
The new album ' Raindances ' ( 1977) was waited for with great anticipation by the massed ranks of Camel fans. They were not disappointed ,the album opens up with a bright instrumental titled 'First Light' which would of been far more aptly titled ' Introducing Mel and Richard' the first three minutes of the song are taken up by some pretty impressive musical jousting between, the keyboard work of Peter Bardens , and Andy Latimer's guitar, as they quieten down it is left to the nifty bass work of Richard Sinclair to take the next section of the song onwards before handing over to Mel Collins who brings this musical section to a rousing conclusion with a rasping saxophone solo . A very satisfying beginning.
After this the album is split into two halves the next four songs having vocals , whilst the remaining four are instrumentals . ( This copy has got the single version of 'Highways of the Sun ' tagged onto the end , completely unnecessary as it is only the original version with a thirty second section chopped out of the middle.) ' Metrgnome' is a good Camel song where you feel that the new band are getting acquainted ,'Tell Me ' is an emotional ballad written by Latimer and Bardens ,but giving full reign to the voice and bass work of Richard Sinclair.On ' Highway Of The Sun' Camel almost get carried away with themselves , with its driving marching keyboard driven beat , and chirpy vocals , why this was not a hit single at the time is beyond me . "Unevensong' follows in equally upbeat mood, showing why Camel were such a class act crammed into its five minutes thirty three seconds are well sung verses, crystal clear solo's from each member of the band , giving you a complete saga in its allotted time .
The instrumentals are all extremely well executed each with it's own distinctive flavour .The wonderfully titled ' One Of These Days I'll Get An Early Night' the only title credited to every member of the band is a vicious slab of fusion jazz/rock , with each soloist elbowing his way to the front of the instrumental stage to have his share of the limelight , grabbing on literally with two hands , and giving their instruments a real shake .
'Elke' is a slowly burning piece written by Andy Latimer reminding you of his Scottish heritage , and featuring Andy's haunting flute work, underpinned by some sympathetic keyboards from Peter Bardens . ' Skylines shakes you out of your reverie with it's funky beat,and jaunty attitude , Richard Sinclair's bass work again excels. The album closes with the title track which lulls you along to its conclusion on a very comfortable cushion of sound.
Camel found themselves with another huge hit on their hands and soon set out on another world tour to promote the album , recording a lot of the concerts along the way for their next album a double live vinyl affair , wittily titled 'A Live Record'. Which has recently been re-released with lots of bonus material on it bringing the total playing time up to over two and a half hours.
The success of these albums by Camel is all the more remarkable by the fact that these songs of grace and dignity were released whilst punk rock was sweeping all before them . Most bands of Camel's ilk were never stood a chance and were blown away, but the Camel is a sturdy animal, and made great commercial progress , filling concert halls and selling albums wherever it went.
Unfortunately 1976, 1977, and 1978, were to be the Camels finest years , disaster was only just around the corner, but for now sit back and enjoy the beast at it's best.
Mott The Dog.

This is another fantastic album from Camel for many of the same reasons that made "The Snow Goose" great. Longer pieces are de-emphasized, song structures are reasonably complex, and melodic counterpoint remains the focus. Moreover, extended guitar and keyboard soloing over a bass ostinato is set aside to make room for integrated ensemble work. Pete Bardens contributes some very nice synthesizer work (Elke, Rain Dances), and the quality of both the vocals and bass playing increase dramatically with the addition of Richard Sinclair (Caravan, Hatfield and the North etc.). This is a moody and atmospheric album created in the Camel tradition of classically influenced jazz-rock and is the last of Camel's "progressive" recordings. Highly recommended along with the debut (1973) and The Snow Goose (1975).

With Doug Ferguson being replaced by Richard Sinclair and saxophone player Mel Collins joining the band, the line-up on "Rain dances" was the most virtuous one in Camel's history. Contrary to popular belief, Camel has never been underappreciated; many of their '70s albums made the top-30 album charts in the UK and other European countries and also charted stateside, albeit lower. Similar to other prog-rock bands in the late-'70s, Camel were experimenting with a new general accessibility, deciding to abandon the sometimes over-pretty soundscapes of previous albums like "Moonmadness" in favor of shorter but equally adventurous songs. "Rain dances" also shows a jazzy flavor, with arpeggiated bass notes and complex song construction, which fits in perfectly. All the musicians are right-on-target with "First light" and the aptly titled "Unevensong", two tracks which shift a number of times during their length, sometimes playing around with straightforward rhythms and at other points serving dream-like soundscapes with muffled vocals and rather low-key arrangements. However, the album struggles to maintain this level - there are a few lightweight pop tracks waiting to be discovered, namely "Tell me" and two nearly identical versions of "Highways of the sun". Perhaps Camel should have listened to their own words on "Highways.." and avoided their destiny of "sailing in a ship that's got no sails" in favor of a more experimental path. "One of.." sounds a bit like "new age disco", a relaxing piece with several interesting keyboard textures, and "Skylines" is a very jazzy but also slightly unfocused number. Honorable mentions also go to the ambient instrumental "Elke" (featuring Brian Eno) and to the title track, the latter being an almost operatic piece with lush synthesizer/string arrangements. With this great variety of melodies and approaches, "Rain dances" is one of Camel's most rewarding albums, offering a strong sense of playfulness and obscurity which is largely absent from other late-'70s prog-rock records. In my opinion, this is Camel's last great release before they went down into a somewhat obvious space-pop sound.

I've been waiting years for Rain Dances to receive the remaster treatment that the 1st four Camel LPs and the Live Record enjoyed. I am pleased to report a job wonderfully executed. This version has a punch the original Decca cd lacked...to keep it short it sounds fresh, bright and clean w/ some volume added...it's been in my car since I received it last week...The bonus tracks to me don't really add much, I actually wish they were left off: the single version of Highways of the Sun and 6 live audio tracks from the '77 Sight and Sound footage found on the Camel Footage dvds (which are beyond essential) .
Now I am crossing my fingers for Breathless, I Can See Your House From Here, Nude, The Single Factor and Pressure Points to see remasters (Stationary Traveller was remastered by Andrew Latimer and can be found at Camel's website). Overall a wonderful new updated package w/ great liner notes and killer sound...Enjoy this great LP by a criminally overlooked band.

I've always thought that Camel's best albums were Mirage and the Snow Goose. I've bought this album like 7 years ago and when I first listened to it I almost threw it into the basket. Camel is a unique band, they can make fabulous things like no one on earth and follow that song with senseless tracks. After listening instead of hearing it, Rain Dances is now my favourite Camel album. It is one of the best rythm bases I've ever heard Sinclair and Ward were a marvelous team. First Light, Unevensong, One of these days..., Skylines and Rain Dances are excellent songs. Andy Ward's work on Unevensong its simply amazing, it makes me believe this guy was born in a cymbal store, incredible. He deserves 10 stars. Mel Collins too. However, as Camel use to be, the rest of the songs are only to fill in the space or to register some filthy track for more possible royalties. That's the reason I kept not to make this one a five stars album even though its one of my top ten.

Ok, here we have the long awaited remaster of one of the best Camel album, wonderfully played and beautifully sung (thanks to Richard Sinclair from Caravan...) And the good news is that it is excellent ! A must have for every fan and the one to start with if you don't know the band... RAIN DANCES offers the perfect balance between instrumental sections and songs, that defines Camel music.
On the "downside" (but only for perfectionist): 1) the live tracks are not of the same quality as the ones on A Live Record and the set is incomplete (but you can get the entire concert on the dvd MOONDANCES); 2) we have 3 versions of the weekest song of the album, which is imho HIGHWAYS OF THE SUN (regular, single edit and live !)

Nevermind... It's good to have all this stuff with an exccellent sound and you won't be disappointed by the music !

Rain Dances is fantastic- the spiritual beauty of the instrumental playing, along with the bands *incredible* ability to create emotional guitar jams and back it up with BRILLIANT songwriting. Not to mention that special atmosphere that's hard to forget.

Camel is about as good as it gets. For some reason, a band going by the name Camel will probably make you think about hot, desert places from around the world, but the truth is, the music these guys play is perfect for COLD climates. Not TOO cold- just cold enough to make taking a walk a fun treat while admiring the snow banks and white setting.

It's impossible to believe just how good this band is, and you know, I've mentioned it before but it needs to be said again- this band just has something extra special about them that puts beautiful and adventurous pictures in your head while you hear their music. I don't know exactly what it is that's triggering those reactions out of me.

In todays world, with economic problems, heating oil costs, and high gas prices, it's hard to appreciate the way the world works. But whenever I sit in a dark room and blast an early Camel album, all the worlds problems go away temporarily so my mind feels like it's free from worry and fear, and turns to comfort and relaxation. To me, that makes early Camel albums a perfect experience.

I still don't know if there's some kind of spiritual feeling I'm getting out of these early Camel albums, or maybe the band is just so GOOD at writing incredibly moving and powerful (and melodic) music that everything in my mind is just telling me Camel is the perfect band for me.

This is progressive rock played in such a way that ANYONE can enjoy it. That's the honest truth. I think Santana and Allman Brothers Band fans would love these guys honestly, because those are two other artists capable of moving me with their instrumental playing that only a few other artists are capable of doing. Please, give Camel a chance, especially their 70's albums. Absolutely brilliant stuff.

This is Camel's fifth album. Originally, it was 41 minutes long, but with the bonus track, it is now 45 minutes.

This album is good throughout. It doesn't have any weak tracks. Overall, I think it is a better album than the previous Moon Madness. The only thing is that this album does not have a monster track, like Lunar Sea from Moon Madness, or Lady Fantasy from Mirage or Never Let Go from the first album.

This is the first album to include Richard Sinclair on bass and vocals. Sinclair was in Caravan, Hatfield and the North and other groups. He has a very distinctive voice and style of playing bass. Fortunately, he does not have much impact on Camel's sound on this album. On the next album, Breathless, he has a much greater presence and that album suffers. It is not that I don't like Sinclair. I really enjoy much of his stuff. But, at times he can be overbearing and his attempts at whimsey can fall flat.

MaX-Jeff .... I have owned this album for over 20 years and it is a fantastic mix of rock/jazz/prog music. Easily the best product put out by Camel in the 70's. Note-Eno helps out on sounds and some of the production.. Definite must for serious proj rock collectors!!

One of the top 3 Camel CD's, Raindances is a masterpiece. Mel Collins adds sax and flute to an already killer band, and the results are wonderful. This is one of those albums that seem to tell a story, in that it works so well from start to finish. No dogs on this record!Metrognome, Skylines are my favorites.