Camel album #4 – into the classic era with what could be their magnum opus.

Release Date: 28th February 2025

Label: Esoteric / Cherry Red Records

Format: 2CD / Bluray

The fourth Camel album appeared off the back of the success of The Snow Goose and marks what might be viewed as being well into their classic period. A band on the move towards being mentioned in the same breath as their prog Rock peers. Moonmadness (you can check out the literal interpretation for the album art within) now gets another dose of the Stephen W Tayler treatment in 5.1 and new stereo versions.

A BAND IN ASCENDANCE

It’s 1976 so we’re primed for a concept album! Each of the band member’s personalities provide the overarching theme. Or at least informed four of the tracks. The top 20 loomed too. Definitely a band in ascendance.

Aristillus is a great little opening fanfare and entry point. A strident piece in the same vein as Another Night where Andy Latimer shows off some of his rock guitar chops to add to those melodic lead lines he’s become famous for and inspired the likes of Marillion’s Steve Rothery. Passing on the baton.

CLASSICS

And as for classics, Song Within A Song – a song of two halves with the fragility of the first half giving way to a personal favorite four minutes of Camel ensemble playing. Nothing too flashy or extravagant. Camel were never a flash band who were into self indulgence, but a keyboard lead that’s as catchy and as much of an ear worm as you’d find in Prog. A contrast to the following Chord Change that’s ever shifting in true unpredictably progressive fashion. Too jazzy? Maybe but tempered with one of those pastoral flute led pieces in Air Born, Andy Latimer’s ‘personal’ piece and very much indicative of the relaxed nature of Moonmadness, especially with the Floyd-y vocal part near the close.

BIGGIES

Lunar Sea is the biggie. In parts reminiscent of Brand X fusion (particularly And So To F) within the first third. The middle section with the bass line always reminds me of a Blue Oyster Cult piece before heading into the breezy guitar led workout. Perhaps also accountable for its role in seeing Moonmadness included in the MOJO top 40 ‘Cosmic Rock’ albums.

A handful of demos, where some detective work may reveal some intricacies, and the single mix of Another Night fill in a few gaps. The set includes footage of the band onstage at Hammersmith in ’76 (not available for testing out) and another nice little essay that sums up the period, setting the scene for the imminent Rain Dances.

And with more of the Camel catalogue up for the same remaster, re-polish treatment, a good time for a re-evaluation of one of Prog Rock’s most enduring bands.

Here’s A Song Within A Song:

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