Customer Reviews
Camel gone commercial
It was a way for me to sell Progressive rock to commercial music listenners and it worked. OK, so it's not the classic Camel sound, but it is still better than the stuff you heard on the radio back then. They can understand it, and it has some great licks that are a part of the Camel sound. Then they buy a more progressive album like Nudes, and now are into progressive rock or they just like it. With this album you can play it at parties were you have diverse groups of music lovers.
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Shockingly bad
This is Camel's tenth studio album. The first 2 songs on this album are so bad it made my jaw drop. The original LP was about 38 minutes long. There is one bonus track bringing the total time up to 41 minutes. Sound quality is very clear and bright.
This is called the Single Factor because only Andy Lattimer from the original group remains. There is a note that says drummer Andy Ward is not on the album because of a severe hand injury. Rumor is that is not the real reason.
This album has a mumber of prominent progressive rock guest stars: Anthony Phillips (original guitarist of Genesis), Francis Monkman, Dave Mattacks and a couple of guys from the one of the Alan Parsons Project albums. Except for some nice twelve string playing from Philips, a nice sax part from Mel Collins and bad, corporate rock vocals from the guys from Alan Parsons, the guest stars have very little impact on this album.
This album is Camel's attempt to get in on the progressive, corporate rock style of music of the time. This type of music was becoming very popular, and groups and record companies were looking to cash in. It is similar to what Alan Parson and Asia were doing at the time. If you like Asia or Parson's Eye In the Sky, you will probably like this CD.
Most of the vocal tracks on this album are pretty bad. There are a couple, like Hero, that have some good parts.
The only thing that keeps this album from being a complete waste is the two instrumental tracks. Sasquatch is one of the most interesting things Camel has done. Selva is OK, but sounds like a low rent copy of the Snow Goose.
There is a 30 second track called Lullaby. He didn't to write a specific lullaby. Camel's previous album, Nude, was pretty much a snooze.
Pete Bardens had left Camel three albums ago, over artistic differences. He went on to do some decent New Age music. In the nineties, he formed a band called Mirage, with Ward and members of Caravan. They went on tour performing Caravan and Camel songs. He reformed Mirage with studio musicians, toured and released a concert album called Speed of Light Live or Mirage, Germany 1996. He died in 2002.
Lattimer's Camel would put out one more studio CD in the eighties (plus live CD). He would then move to California and form a new Camel. Some of those albums, like Rajaz are great.
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Best Camel album ever
Heroes is a fantastic song: lead vocal by David Paton is excellent and backing vocals by one of the greatest voices ever, Chris Rainbow. The Single Factor is in my opinion Camel's best album. Both have also been part of the Alan Parsons Project. Another highlight is 'You Are The One'. Except for bass and drums, Andrew Lattimer does it all on this song. Furthermore I especially like 'Camelogue', 'Today's Goodbye' and 'A Heart's Desire'. Maybe old-fashioned Camel fans prefer other albums, but I like this one because there is more singing on this one than on other Camel albums.
. You can see a complete list of all Camel discography, or go back to the Camel tabs
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