Camel & Caravan

I have all the released (and some unreleased) music from both bands and have been a fan since their first releases. My particular favorites are Pressure Points and For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night.

 

Camel’s Snow Goose and Caravan’s Girls Who Grow Plump In The Night are my favorites from those bands but most of their LPs are great prog rock.

 

Someone played me Caravan's first and I really fell hard for Love Song with Flute and its jazzy overtones. I've heard most of their other stuff and nothing's ever reached the way I like the first lp.

 

From what I've heard of Caravan... much of the band's material comes off a bit too twee for my tastes. However, I recently picked up For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night, and it is an awesome record. Bassist/vocalist John G. Perry really added a wonderful element to the band... shame that lineup was so short-lived. The album is exciting, diverse and cinematic... with gorgeous, lush production.

I'm a big fan of Camel through 1979 (admittedly, I haven't given their 80s stuff a chance yet). Moonmadness is one of the best 70s prog albums ever released... wonderfully moody album with incredible guitar throughout. "Airborn" is such a lovely ballad.

Their late 70s albums are somewhat maligned... and I will admit they can be a bit inconsistent... but some of my favorite Camel tunes come this era... such as "Unevensong" (the live version features killer sax from Mel Collins), the fascinating disco-prog hybrid "Summer Lightning" (featuring one of Latimer's all-time mind-blowing guitar solos), and the epic Latimer feature "Ice".

 

Camel's Rain Dances is a great thing...

 

The dog, the dog, he’s at it again!

As I always was back then.

 

Hmm.....Two excellent albums. Overall I'd have to go with Camel on this one and in general I like Camel better.

 

Camel remain one of my very favourite bands and I play their CDs a lot. As others have posted their 70s output is almost peerless but that is to take nothing away from the writing and playing on the more occasional later releases. I saw them live a couple of years ago and they were fantastic.

 

'For me the one album from each band (if I can only have one each) would be Moonmadness and "For Girls..."

As far as which band I prefer - definitely Caravan. More vocal/song oriented and Caravan just suits more of my moods than Camel does. I can generally enjoy Caravan almost no matter my mood. OTOH when I'm not in the mood for Camel - I'm REALLY not in the mood for Camel. When I am in the mood for Camel then they hit the spot/scratch the itch like no other, however when I'm not in the mood for Camel they just bore me and I need to listen to something else instead.

 

Both Camel and Caravan belong to the cornerstones of my musical existence, so to speak. There aren't many groups I listen to as much and as regularly as I do listen to Camel and Caravan. Within the last week or so I have listened to both Mirage and In the Land of Grey and Pink, the latter one only yesterday, in fact.

 

in fav albums of the groups:

1) Moonmadness
2) Mirage
3) If I could do it again…
4) Rain Dances
5) For girls that grow plump in the night
6) In the land of the Grey and Pink
6) Breathless (echoes is probably my favourite Camel track)
7) The Snow Goose
8) Waterloo Lily
9) Camel
10) Caravan

So a vote for Camel - the Latimer and Bardens partnership was such a fruitful one. Despite liking a lot of Camel material after Moonmadness, I did enjoy Doug Ferguson's efforts on the "classic" Camel Albums.

But Caravan are only just behind. They wrote some really memorable epics - Nine feet underground, For Richard & Dabsong Conshirtoe.

Two great bands….

 

I have a couple of LPs by each group. I know I have Moonmadness, Snow Goose and Nude by Camel. I know I have Cunning Stunts by Caravan. I'm no sure what else I have.

Favourite songs: La Princesse Perdue by Camel, The Show of Our Lives by Caravan. I might give a slight edge to Camel there but I think the next one would be Lover / No Backstage Pass ...

 

No, he's lived in the UK during his illness and since. It seems to be the familiar visa/money problems that keep Camel from playing here.

By the way, my favorite album from either band is....Waterloo Lily. Not the most beloved Caravan album, but a perfect mix of sublime pop and loopier jazz elements.

 

I play the first Caravan album the most for some reason, people mostly seem to pick Do It All Over or Land Of Pink And Grey as their best though. Waterloo Lily would be my runner-up.

Peter Bardens has had an interesting career. Camel I haven't been able to get as excited about, I feel like I keep what i have because of the cover art as much as anything.

 

Was there ever talk of remixing more albums in their catalog?

 

Lovely to hear Waterloo Lily receive some deserved appreciation; such a splendid album indeed!

 

Not that I have heard.

 

Two great bands I discovered years after their heydays. Richard Sinclair was my favorite vocalist for both bands.

 

I can't say that I'm surprised to hear that - nor sorry about it, for that matter. In the Land of Grey and Pink has been the only Steven Wilson remix I have heard that has felt somehow redundant to me; of course, I have only ever listened to the stereo version, so my comment applies only to the stereo remix.

 

Yep both along with moon madness are unstoppable pieces of music that need to be talked about more. Ear candy prog that melts in your ears creating a listening experience that is both smooth and challenging...the best of both worlds.

 

GREAT BANDS!! Why have i not got a copy of Mirage!!

 

Which reissue of Mirage should i opt for? All advice gratefully received!

 

Two band I like but have been a much longer fan of Caravan than of Camel. I think Nine feet underground is probably my most listened to track ever, although it is over 20 minutes long , absolutely faultless pice of music and not a single second too long.(the same goes for For Richard and The love in your eye) .
I have always liked Breathless and Rain dances by Camel, simply because this is when they had Richard Hastings in the band, but have come to like their first four albums over recent years as well (the debut is probably my favourite)
I also like Caravan's later , more song-based albums and was lucky enough to see them in concert about ten years ago (and also to talk to Pye Hastings on the phone for a short interview) . One album,however, that gets a lot of praise here, I never really warmed to is For girls who grow..., not because I dislike the songs , but because I find the production very "claustrophobic" for lack of a better word. So I was surpruised that someone called it a lush and gorgeous-sounding album, I think I either had the German or UK Deram album on vinyl , and wasn't impressed with the sound at all.
Any recommendations ?

 

I'd advise all who haven't got it / haven't heard it to get ahold of Camel - In From The Cold DVD. Andy's rendition of For Today is absolutely superb, just like there rest of the DVD, but For Today is something else.