Moonmadness (album)
Encyclopedia
Moonmadness is an album released in March 1976 by English progressive rock
band Camel
. It was their 4th album and the last to feature the original line-up (Latimer, Bardens, Ferguson, Ward). After the success of the tightly structured, instrumental The Snow Goose
in 1975, the band added vocals to their music again.
The album has an overall theme, just as their previous one did, but doesn't follow a storyline since it's mostly based on the band members themselves. As written in the CD Booklet: Overall, the tracks comprising the album were conceived as a loose concept based on the individual personalities that made up Camel; "Air Born" about Andrew Latimer, "Lunar Sea" about Andy Ward, "Chord Change" about Peter Bardens and "Another Night" about Doug Ferguson.
The cover was designed by Field.
The last song on the album, "Lunar Sea", ends with a minute-long wind-blowing effect. When played on an LP, the record arm would skip during the end of this part and naturally return to the beginning of the effect, playing it endlessly.
In the Q
& Mojo
Classic Special Edition Pink Floyd & The Story of Prog Rock, the album came number 23 in its list of "40 Cosmic Rock Albums".
Side two
Bonus tracks on 2002 remaster
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 their 4th album and the last to feature the original line-up (Latimer, Bardens, Ferguson, Ward). After the success of the tightly structured, instrumental The Snow Goose
The Snow Goose (album)
The Snow Goose is the third album by the band Camel. released in 1975. The success of "The White Rider" suite , inspired the group to write more novel-inspired conceptual suites. The band considered several novels on which to base their next album...
in 1975, the band added vocals to their music again.
The album has an overall theme, just as their previous one did, but doesn't follow a storyline since it's mostly based on the band members themselves. As written in the CD Booklet: Overall, the tracks comprising the album were conceived as a loose concept based on the individual personalities that made up Camel; "Air Born" about Andrew Latimer, "Lunar Sea" about Andy Ward, "Chord Change" about Peter Bardens and "Another Night" about Doug Ferguson.
The cover was designed by Field.
The last song on the album, "Lunar Sea", ends with a minute-long wind-blowing effect. When played on an LP, the record arm would skip during the end of this part and naturally return to the beginning of the effect, playing it endlessly.
In the Q
Q (magazine)
Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
& Mojo
Mojo (magazine)
MOJO is a popular music magazine published initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer, monthly in the United Kingdom. Following the success of the magazine Q, publishers Emap were looking for a title which would cater for the burgeoning interest in classic rock music...
Classic Special Edition Pink Floyd & The Story of Prog Rock, the album came number 23 in its list of "40 Cosmic Rock Albums".
Track listing
Side one- "Aristillus" (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....
) – 1:56 - "Song Within a Song" (Latimer, 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...
) – 7:16 - "Chord Change" (Latimer, Bardens) – 6:45
- "Spirit of the Water" (Bardens) – 2:07
Side two
- "Another Night" (Latimer, Bardens, Andy Ward, Doug Ferguson) – 6:58
- "Air Born" (Latimer, Bardens) – 5:02
- "Lunar Sea" (Latimer, Bardens) – 9:11
Bonus tracks on 2002 remaster
- "Another Night" (Single Version, A-Side of Decca F-R 13656) – 3:22
- "Spirit of the Water" (Demo, recorded at Basing Street Studios 26 January 1976 and is previously unreleased) – 2:13
- "Song Within a Song" (Recorded Live at Hammersmith Odeon 14 April 1976) – 7:11
- "Lunar Sea" (Recorded Live at Hammersmith Odeon 14 April 1976) – 9:51
- "Preparation/Dunkirk" (Recorded Live at Hammersmith Odeon 14 April 1976) - 9:32
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....
– guitars, flute, vocals on "Another Night" and "Air Born" - 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...
– keyboards, vocals on "Spirit of the Water" - Doug Ferguson – bass, vocals on "Song Within a Song"
- Andy Ward – drums, percussion, voice on "Aristillus"
- Engineered by Rhett DaviesRhett DaviesRhett Davies is an English record producer and engineer.Rhett Davies' father was trumpet player Ray Davies; they are no relation to Ray Davies of The Kinks. Davies became a studio engineer at Island Records studios in the early 1970s, and his first session was the recording process for Brian Eno's...
- Original LP Cover Design by Field
Release details
- 1976, UK, Deram Records TXS-R 115, Release Date March 1976, LP
- 2002, UK, London 8829292, Release Date 3 June 2002, CD (remastered edition)