Stationary Traveller
Encyclopedia
Stationary Traveller is the 10th studio album by English progressive rock
band Camel
. Like much of Camel's output, it is a concept album
, in this case centering around the trials of East German refugees attempting to cross the Berlin Wall
into West Berlin.
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:...
. Like much of Camel's output, it is a concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
, in this case centering around the trials of East German refugees attempting to cross the Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
into West Berlin.
Side One
- "Pressure Points (instrumental)" (Latimer) – 2:10
- "Refugee" – 3:47
- "Vopos" – 5:32
- "Cloak and Dagger Man" – 3:55
- "Stationary Traveller (instrumental)" (Latimer) – 5:34
Side Two
- "West Berlin" – 5:10
- "Fingertips" – 4:29
- "Missing (instrumental)" (Latimer) – 4:22
- "After Words (instrumental)" (Ton ScherpenzeelTon ScherpenzeelTon Scherpenzeel is a keyboardist and a founding member of the Dutch rock band Kayak, together with Pim Koopman and Max Werner whom he met whilst at the Hilversum Muziek Lyceum ....
) – 2:01 - "Long Goodbyes" – 5:14
Camel Productions Digital Remaster (2004)
- "In the Arms of Waltzing Frauleins"
- "Refugee"
- "Vopos"
- "Cloak and Dagger Man"
- "Stationary Traveller"
- "West Berlin"
- "Fingertips"
- "Missing"
- "After Words"
- "Long Goodbyes"
- "Pressure Points (bonus track, extended mix)"
Cherry Red Records reissue (2009)
- "Pressure Points"
- "Refugee"
- "Vopos"
- "Cloak and Dagger Man"
- "Stationary Traveller"
- "West Berlin"
- "Fingertips"
- "Missing"
- "After Words"
- "Long Goodbyes"
- "In the Arms of Waltzing Frauleins" (bonus track)
- "Pressure Points" (bonus track, extended 12" single version)
Personnel
- Andy 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....
– electricElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, acousticAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
& 12 string guitars, bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, 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...
, drum synthesiser, fluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, lead vocals - Ton ScherpenzeelTon ScherpenzeelTon Scherpenzeel is a keyboardist and a founding member of the Dutch rock band Kayak, together with Pim Koopman and Max Werner whom he met whilst at the Hilversum Muziek Lyceum ....
– organElectronic organAn electronic organ is an electronic keyboard instrument which was derived from the harmonium, pipe organ and theatre organ. Originally, it was designed to imitate the sound of pipe organs, theatre organs, band sounds, or orchestral sounds....
, grand piano, Prophet synthesizer, Yamaha CS80, Juno 60, KorgKorg WavestationThe Korg Wavestation is a vector synthesis synthesizer first produced in the early 1990s and later re-released as a software synthesizer in 2004. Its primary innovation was Wave Sequencing, a method of multi-timbral sound generation in which different PCM waveform data are played successively,...
, PPg, accordionAccordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist.... - Paul Burgess – drums
- David PatonDavid PatonDavid Paton is a Scottish bass and guitar player, most notably with three different bands: Pilot, The Alan Parsons Project, and Camel. He has also worked as a solo artist, session musician, and sometime vocalist...
– bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(A 3, 4), fretless bass (B 2, 5), back vocals - Chris RainbowChris RainbowChris Rainbow is a Scottish rock singer and musician who had two minor hit songs, "Give Me What I Cry For" and "Solid State Brain" in the 1970s....
– lead vocals (A 4, B 5)
- Mel CollinsMel CollinsMel Collins is a British saxophonist and flautist and session musician.He has worked in a wide variety of contexts ranging from R&B and blues rock to jazz, but is perhaps known for his work in progressive rock, as with King Crimson, Camel and the Alan Parsons Project.-Career:Collins has worked...
– sax (B 2) - Haydn BendallHaydn BendallHaydn Bendall is a British music record producer, engineer and mixer. He was Chief Engineer at Abbey Road Studios for ten years and was awarded the Audio Pro Industry Excellence Award for Best Studio Engineer in 2009.-Career:...
– Fairlight synthesizerFairlight CMIThe Fairlight CMI is a digital sampling synthesizer. It was designed in 1979 by the founders of Fairlight, Peter Vogel and Kim Ryrie, and based on a dual-6800 microprocessor computer designed by Tony Furse in Sydney, Australia...
(A 1, 3), PPg synthesizerPalm Products GmbHPalm Products GmbH was a highly-regarded manufacturer of audio synthesizers. Founded and owned by Wolfgang Palm, PPG was located in Hamburg, Germany and, for 12 years from around 1975 to 1987, manufactured an acclaimed and eclectic range of electronic musical instruments, all designed by Palm.-...
(B 3)
Other credits
- Engineered by Dave Hutchins
- Mixed by Greg LadanyiGreg LadanyiGreg Ladanyi was an American record producer and recording engineer, known for his work with many musicians, including Jackson Browne, Warren Zevon, Type O Negative, The Church, Anna Vissi, Toto, Fleetwood Mac, Hollywood Undead, Don Henley and Jeff Healey.-Biography:Ladanyi co-produced the Behind...
, Haydn BendallHaydn BendallHaydn Bendall is a British music record producer, engineer and mixer. He was Chief Engineer at Abbey Road Studios for ten years and was awarded the Audio Pro Industry Excellence Award for Best Studio Engineer in 2009.-Career:...
and Andy Latimer - Artwork by Artifex Studio, LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...