Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A enjoyable record from mid-period Camel, but not their best, January 28, 2002
I had not listened to Camel's "I Can See Your House From Here" in a few years, and being a Camel/prog rock enthusiast, I decided recently to give it another few spins. Well, there is some fine music to be found here, and this album successfully straddles the fence between pop/AOR (check out tracks like "Your Love Is Stranger Than Mine", and Neon Magic") and the more progressive fare that Camel is renowned for (check out "Who We Are", the classic guitar-driven instrumental "Ice", the melencholy orchestral piece "Survival", and the opening track "Wait", with it's quirky rhythmic changes.) One disappointment here is the awful new wave-ish track "Remote Romance", which sounds far too simplistic and mechanical for Camel, and was probably a falied attempt at a hit single (this embarrassing song brough my rating down from four stars, to only three!). As with most Camel albums, it is Andy Latimer's guitar work that really adds color to the songs and drives the music along. Although Andy's solos throughout much of the album are not very long, the 10 minute plus guitar showcase at the end ("Ice") more than makes up for it. Drummer Andy Ward is solid as usual, and the keyboard duo of Jan Schelhaas and Kit Watkins more than covers for the absence of original memeber Pete Bardens (who left the band shortly before the recording of this album). Most of the lead vocals are aptly handled by bassist Colin Bass (this was his first album as a member of Camel), while Mr. Latimer puts his deep & husky voice center stage for only "Neon Magic" and "Who We Are". There is much to appreciate here if you are a fan of Camel, or even a fan of other bands such as The Moody Blues, Barclay James Harvest, or The Alan Parsons Project, who often walk that musical line between progressive rock and Beatle-esque pop. To hear Camel at their absolute best, check out the live albums "Never Let Go" (1993) or "Coming Of Age" (1998), which feature superior production & sound quality, as well as a good cross-section of Camel's best material over the years.
|
|
|
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
I CAN SEE YOUR HOUSE FROM HERE is a mixed grill, March 27, 2000
I CAN SEE YOUR HOUSE FROM HERE is not Camel's best album. Some of the songs are too pop for camel. The playing is, as always, excellent but some of the songs are lacking. However, this album has 10 minute instrumental, ICE, that makes the whole thing worth owning. Other good songs include HYMN TO HER and EYE OF THE STORM.
|
|
|
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Between the 70's and the 80's, April 1, 2006
This album is Camel's fourth five star album in a row. Previous three being Breathless, Raindances and Moonmadness. There are many new wawe influences and some traditional Camel instrumentals too.The album is almost flawless. They should have left over Remote romance that is absolutely Camel's worst song ever. It certainly is the idiotic song. I think this album is very soft, catchy and less poppy than Breathless. Ice is definately the centerpiece of the album. It contains the most emotional and hair bristling guitar solo ever. Well some of you might disagree, but it is definately compareable to any guitarist's work. The second best song is Hymn to her. It contains some emotional guitar work and vocals. It is the very moody and subtle song.
This album falls somewhere between the 70's and the 80's Camel. Wait opens this album nicely and there are some nice instrumentals like Survival, Ice and The eye of the storm through out the album. In the nutshell this is very entertaining Camel album that is still loyal to its roots and it has couple definitive classic tracks too. So sooner or later you must buy this album. It isn't as good as Mirage or Moonmadness but it is still a solid album.
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
Interact With Your Music: Discover, listen to, and buy new music, all from the pages of SPIN's digital edition, free to Amazon customers.
by Camel 
