Camel (album)
Encyclopedia
Camel is the first studio album by English
progressive rock
band Camel
. It was released in 1973. Although most fans agree the best was yet to come (e.g. Mirage
, The Snow Goose
and Moonmadness), Camel's debut album contains some of their most beloved songs, including "Never Let Go," "Slow Yourself Down," and the instrumental "Arubaluba" which, along with "Mystic Queen," perhaps most anticipates the sound the band would refine on their classic albums The Snow Goose and Moonmadness.
Opeth
's frontman, Mikael Åkerfeldt
, has stated many times that Camel is one of his major influences in music. The song "Benighted" from Opeth's 1999 album Still Life
, bears some resemblance to Camel's Never Let Go.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
band Camel
Camel (band)
Camel are an English progressive rock band formed in 1971. An important group in the Canterbury scene, they have been releasing studio and live recordings steadily, with considerable success, since their formation.-1970s:...
. It was released in 1973. Although most fans agree the best was yet to come (e.g. Mirage
Mirage
A mirage is a naturally occurring optical phenomenon in which light rays are bent to produce a displaced image of distant objects or the sky. The word comes to English via the French mirage, from the Latin mirare, meaning "to look at, to wonder at"...
, The Snow Goose
The Snow Goose
The Snow Goose: A Story of Dunkirk is a short novella by the American author Paul Gallico. It was first published in 1940 as a short story in The Saturday Evening Post, then he expanded it to create a short novella which was first published on April 7, 1941.The Snow Goose was one of the O. Henry...
and Moonmadness), Camel's debut album contains some of their most beloved songs, including "Never Let Go," "Slow Yourself Down," and the instrumental "Arubaluba" which, along with "Mystic Queen," perhaps most anticipates the sound the band would refine on their classic albums The Snow Goose and Moonmadness.
Opeth
Opeth
Opeth is a Swedish heavy metal band from Stockholm, formed in 1990. Though the group has been through several personnel changes, singer, guitarist, and songwriter Mikael Åkerfeldt has remained Opeth's driving force throughout the years...
's frontman, Mikael Åkerfeldt
Mikael Åkerfeldt
Lars Mikael Åkerfeldt is a Swedish musician who achieved fame as the lead vocalist, guitarist and songwriter of progressive death metal band Opeth as well as the lead vocalist of death metal band Bloodbath. He was the vocalist and guitarist for the band Sörskogen and the guitarist of the band Steel...
, has stated many times that Camel is one of his major influences in music. The song "Benighted" from Opeth's 1999 album Still Life
Still Life (Opeth album)
Still Life is the fourth studio album from Swedish progressive death metal band Opeth. The album was produced and engineered by Opeth "under the watchful eye" of Fredrik Nordström.-Style:...
, bears some resemblance to Camel's Never Let Go.
Side One
- "Slow Yourself Down" (Andrew LatimerAndrew LatimerAndrew Latimer is an English musician and one of the original members of the progressive rock band Camel. He is mainly a guitarist and singer, but also a flautist and keyboardist....
, Andy Ward) – 4:47 - "Mystic Queen" (Peter BardensPeter BardensPeter Bardens was a keyboardist and a founding member of the British progressive rock group Camel. He played organ, piano, synthesizers and mellotron and wrote songs with Andrew Latimer...
) – 5:40 - "Six Ate" (Latimer) – 6:06
- "Separation" (Latimer) – 3:57
Side Two
- "Never Let Go" (Latimer) – 6:26
- "Curiosity" (Bardens) – 5:55
- "Arubaluba" (Bardens) – 6:28
- "Never Let Go" (Latimer) (Single Version, Previously unreleased on CD) – 3:36
- "Homage to the God of Light" (Bardens) (Recorded Live at The Marquee Club - 29 October 1974, Previously unreleased) – 19:01
Personnel
- Andrew LatimerAndrew LatimerAndrew Latimer is an English musician and one of the original members of the progressive rock band Camel. He is mainly a guitarist and singer, but also a flautist and keyboardist....
: guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, vocals (A 1, 4) - Peter BardensPeter BardensPeter Bardens was a keyboardist and a founding member of the British progressive rock group Camel. He played organ, piano, synthesizers and mellotron and wrote songs with Andrew Latimer...
: organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, mellotronMellotronThe Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music...
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, VCS 3 synthesizer, vocals (B 1) - Doug Ferguson: bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, vocals (A 2, B 2) - Andy Ward: drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
Release details
- 1973, US, MCA MUPS 473, Release Date February 1973, LP
- 1973, UK, Decca ?, Release Date February 1973, LP
- 2002, UK, London 8829252, Release Date 3 June 2002, CD (remastered edition)