Review: Camel – A Live Record (1978)

A Live Record is Camel’s first live album.

By the late ’70s, double live albums had become routine for rock bands of any significant size, and Camel—a British prog rock band formed in 1971—finally got to release one as well. Most live albums are based on material performed during a single tour, but A Live Record brings together the band’s history spanning several years, and the album features two different lineups of the band.

On the original vinyl release, the first side is dedicated primarily to the band’s lineup at the time, which had just finished touring in support of their 1977 album Rain Dances. The four tracks recorded during the Rain Dances tour featured Camel’s original members Andrew Latimer (guitar, vocals), Pete Bardens (keyboards), Andy Ward (drums), as well as new members who had recently joined the band: bassist/vocalist Richard Sinclair—who had previously played in Caravan and Hatfield And The North—and former King Crimson member Mel Collins on horns.

Mustavalkoinen valokuva viidestä miehestä, jotka poseeraavat yhdessä, jokaisella omanlaisensa tyyli ja asusteet.
Camel in 1977.

On Side B, we hear one more song from the Rain Dances tour, “Skyline,” as well as two songs recorded in 1974: “Ligging At Louis’” (a song composed by Bardens during the Mirage era, but for which no studio version exists) and the epic, over 14-minute-long “Lad Fantasy.” The latter two, of course, are performed by Camel’s original lineup, featuring bassist Doug Ferguson.

The entire second vinyl record is dedicated to Camel’s most successful album, the 1975 The Snow Goose, which the band’s original quartet performed in its entirety in October at the Royal Albert Hall alongside the London Symphony Orchestra. The orchestra was conducted by avant-garde composer David Bedford, who had originally arranged the music for The Snow Goose and who occasionally dabbled in prog on his own recordings as well.

The Snow Goosen’s instrumental music works well in a live setting, and its rather subdued compositions take on a whole new energy and power when performed live—qualities that, in my opinion, were somewhat lacking in the studio version. In particular, Latimer’s guitar sounds sharper, and Ward’s drums thud with greater impact; it also feels like he’s playing more and more complex fills than in the cautious studio version. Although the live version of The Snow Goose is elevated in particular by the band’s edgier performance, the symphony orchestra also comes through more clearly at times than on the studio version, and it appears that the orchestral arrangements have been slightly revised and even expanded for this version.

The live version of The Snow Goose may not be quite as polished in terms of sound and arrangement as the studio version, but I personally enjoy its raw energy and consider it the definitive version of this piece. Live, the goose finally really takes flight!

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In my opinion, however, the most interesting part of A Live Record—as opposed to the magnificent The Snow Goose—is the four tracks from the first album featuring the band’s new lineup. That lineup was probably the most technically proficient in Camel’s history.

The brightest star on this track is Mel Collins, who plays the flute and saxophones. Here and there, Collins plays wild and energetic solos that add some edge to Camel’s music, which can sometimes be a bit too polished. He particularly shines on “Lunar Sea,” perhaps Camel’s most complex song, which is one of the album’s highlights.

Another highlight is the version of the empowering anthem “Never Let Go” from their debut album. Generally speaking, the interpretations of the songs on A Live Record are relatively conservative and faithful to the originals, but on “Never Let Go,” the band really lets loose with long solo sections. The soloing on the track does veer into the excessive, though, especially when bassist Richard Sinclair also jumps in with a solo. Not that his bass solo is bad per se, but it does slightly derail the song’s momentum. Otherwise, I have to say that Sinclair’s bass playing on this track is a joy to listen to, and he provides strong backing support for the other soloists with his active playing. His bass is also, delightfully, mixed very clearly to the forefront. Despite the unnecessary bass solo, the live version of “Never Let Go” blows the original studio version out of the water.

With the latest lineup performing, everything sounds much better, largely because the main responsibility for vocals has been handed over to Sinclair, who already charmed audiences with his vocals back in the Caravan days. This was a smart move, as Sinclair is clearly a better singer than any of Camel’s original members, who mostly sang out of necessity. Overall, it’s fascinating to see just how much the new members, Sinclair and Collins, elevate the entire band’s level. As exceptional musicians, they certainly inspire the old guard to give their best. Of course, even without the new additions, Camel would have been a strong band in 1977 after years of touring—a year when they were still a cohesive and inspired unit, with the exception of Ferguson’s departure.

In terms of sound, A Live Record is by no means a prime example of a superbly recorded live album, but even though the sound is at times a bit thin and lackluster, it never detracts too much from the atmosphere.

The remastered and expanded CD edition of A Live Record, released in 2002, adds as many as 7 tracks to the album. Most of these are songs from the Rain Dances album, performed by the band’s 1977 lineup. These tracks weren’t originally left out because there was anything wrong with their performances or sound, but because they were considered too new to be released, since Rain Dances had only recently hit store shelves. On the other hand, space constraints likely played a role here as well. After all, it’s not worth cramming much more than 97 minutes (the running time of the original A Live Record) of music onto a double vinyl set. The expanded 138-minute A Live Record is an absolutely worthwhile purchase, even if it further adds to the album’s somewhat hodgepodge feel.

A Live Record is a great overview of Camel’s history up to 1977 (though it focuses mainly on albums from 1975–1977). Because it features songs from different lineups and different years, it feels a bit more like a “best-of” album than a truly cohesive live album, but despite that, it at least effectively demonstrates just how talented Camel was as a live band during its prime.

Best tracks: ”First Light”, ”Unevensong”, ”Lunar Sea”, ”Never Let Go”, ”Rhyader Goes To Town”, ”The Snow Goose”, ”Migration”, ”Dunkirk”

Rating: 4 out of 5.
Author: JANNE YLIRUUSI

Tracks

Side A

  1. Never Let Go (7:21)
  2. Song Within A Song (7:01)
  3. Lunar Sea (8:56)

Side B

  1. Skylines (5:38)
  2. Ligging At Louis’ (6:34)
  3. Lady Fantasy (14:15)

Side C

  1. The Great Marsh (1:45)
  2. Rhayader (3:07)
  3. Rhayader Goes To Town (5:13)
  4. Sanctuary (1:09)
  5. Fritha (1:23)
  6. The Snow Goose (3:02)
  7. Friendship (1:35)
  8. Migration (3:52)
  9. Rhayader Alone (1:47)

Side B

  1. Flight Of The Snow Goose (2:59)
  2. Preparation (4:10)
  3. Dunkirk (5:26)
  4. Epitaph (2:35)
  5. Fritha Alone (1:22)
  6. La Princesse Perdue (4:46)
  7. The Great Marsh (1:50)

Bonus tracks from the 2002 CD release:

  • First Light (5:27)
  • Metrognome (4:23)
  • Unevensong (5:36)
  • Raindances (2:33)
  • Chord Change (6:52)
  • The White Rider (8:48)
  • Another Night (6:35)

Musicians:

Andrew Latimer: guitar, flute, vocals Peter Bardens: keyboards Doug Ferguson: bass guitar Richard Sinclair: bass guitar, vocals Andy Ward: drums, percussion Mel Collins: saxophones, flute

Producer: Rhett Davies & Camel
Label: Decca

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