Camel (1973)

To travel into the progressive landscape of the musical world is by some a step down, others mean it’s at least three leaps upward. Personally I think that progressive music can range from fantastic to too difficult. This album does not belong to the difficult but is in fact an example of a relatively accessible creation from the 70's progressive scene.

Camel is one of many great bands that emerged from the so-called Canterbury scene. This LP is their first, the group was formed the year before and consisted at the time of the recording of Andrew Latimer, Andy Ward, Doug Ferguson and Peter Bardens. Andrew Latimer has been in the band from its beginnings until today, apart from him, quite a few members have come and gone throughout the years. The album was released by MCA Records, it’s the only album the band recorded under that company.

Honestly I don’t remember how I discovered Camel, but this album was not the first one I bought with them. I had a number of CDs with them before I found this LP in a store for used records. An opportunity I of course couldn’t resist. The songs are a mix of both instrumentals and with vocals, and as said above, I find the album quite accessible. I think that Camel in general makes accessible progressive music which is probably one of the reasons that I hold them as one of my favorites in this genre.

Many of the songs with vocals have, as it should in this genre, long instrumental sections where both the guitar and keyboards play the lead role. Some prog lovers may miss the strange time signatures, time changes, unusual instruments and generally strange (and difficult) songs or parts of songs. The album has instead a fairly straightforward music, which I like. So why is it called progressive, you might ask yourself. A reasonable question. Definitions are a difficult area and I'm not going to dwell deeper on this issue, but I think since Camel is regarded as a progressive band, this album also automatically is put into this genre. Right or wrong, I don’t know. The last song Arubaluba is probably the one which is closest to what we generally consider classic progressive music. What the listener do get, though, is a bunch of great musicians!

The album is OK, I don’t think it's the best one Camel has done but I recommend it anyway. People who are frowning at progressive music and think it’s only music for other musicians should listen to the album. I think most people can appreciate this LP and enjoy what comes out of the stereo's speakers, even those who normally would never buy an album with King Crimson, Gentle Giant, or by all means Camel.

Lastly I can mention that Andrew Latimer in recent years has been incapable of playing music due to undergoing chemotherapy and bone marrow transplantation which has had some physical consequences. His health is now much better and the recording has started (or is about to start) of a new Camel album in 2010.

 

Favourite tracks

Mystic Queen

Arubaluba

 

Tracklist

Side A

1. "Slow Yourself Down" 4:47
2. "Mystic Queen"  5:40
3. "Six Ate"  6:06
4. "Separation"  3:57

Side B

1. "Never Let Go"  6:26
2. "Curiosity"  5:55
3. "Arubaluba" – 6:28

 

Beatles - “Yellow Submarine” (1969)

With a warm heart I remember the time in my life when bands like the Beatles were still unexplored worlds. Each new album you laid your hands on was a new adventure. It was that time of life when you had time to explore an album in depth, ponder on the texts or meditate on the symbolism of the cover art. A lot could be seen, of which probably 97% were one's own mind's inventions. You created a deeper personal relationship with each LP compared with today, when music is so easily accessible. If the old times were better times I leave unsaid, though.

Since this album with the Beatles is a bit more neglected than their other creations, I was even more curious about it. I got it for Christmas, I think I was 18 years old. The music is a soundtrack for the film of the same name and the album contains four previously unreleased Beatles songs, two previously released, and a B-side which is an orchestral work by George Martin. This explains why this record has been overlooked and hardly counts as a "real" Beatles album.

Personally, I skip the B side when I listen to the album, George Martin's symphonic film music is not very interesting and sounds like soundtrack to animated films often do (I imagine). What I like with the A-side is that it includes some less familiar songs by the Beatles,songs I find really good. It starts with "Yellow Submarine", a song originally on the album Revolver. Everyone knows this tune and personally I liked it better before. Now I’ve heard it too much and it gives me the vibes of children’s music. Above that, the sing-a-long chorus is completely worn out.

Then it gets more interesting with George Harrison's creation, "Only A Northern Song". This song was a leftover from the recording of Sgt Pepper and is a song with an unusual amount of keyboards (for being the Beatles). The song title is apparently a reference relating to Harrison's dissatisfaction to be related to the company Northern Songs regarding his musical creations, a company of which John and Paul owned the largest part. It is certainly a nice psychedelic gem, quite dark in its tone.

The LP continues with "All Together Now", a McCartney song that don’t need to be heard. In the past I liked it, but not today. Typical McCartney sing-a-long like "Yellow Submarine".

Then we hear, "Hey Bulldog", a Lennon song with a bit more punch in it. The song is not wellknown but sounds typical Lennon, a bit bitterness, a bit nasty and a bit critical.

"All Too Much" follows next and is the highlight of the album. Again a Harrison song, with both mellotron and lots of guitar feedback. This is a really fine example of psychedelic music, a music teacher who lectures on this kind of music should be forced to play "All Too Much". It is unusually long and stops at 6:25.

The A-side ends with "All You Need Is Love". A classic (previously released as a single) which we have heard too much. I’m really tired of it, but to be honest, I actually have never liked it. Are you allowed to dislike this song?

Favorite tracks

“Only A Northern Song”

“All Too Much”

 

Tracklist

Side A

1. Yellow Submarine

2. Only A Northern Song

3. All Together Now

4. Hey Bulldog

5. All Too Much

6. All You Need Is Love

 

Side B

1. Pepperland

2. Sea Of Time

3. Sea Of Holes

4. Sea Of Monsters

5. March Of The Meanies

6. Pepperland Laid Waste

7. Yellow Submarine In Pepperland

 

 

Roger Waters - “The Pros And Cons Of Hitch Hiking” (1984)

Quite often, I and many others have purchased an album because of the cover, without knowing the music. Maybe the cover is really cool, beautiful, mysterious or attracts you in some other way. The cover on Roger Waters first solo album was not the kind that gave you confidence in the music hidden inside. Not that I have anything against naked ladies, rather the contrary, but the image of a nude girl with a backpack and high heels who stands and hitchhikes in a mostly purple world doesn’t give me the association with good music.

But before I continue with the album, I must mention that today is Blog Action Day. This is when bloggers around the world join forces and write about a common theme. This year's theme is water and I have promised to participate. Writing a few words about a record with Roger Waters probably won’t do, therefore, I initially will give you some facts about our water situation on Earth.

1. Unsafe drinking water and lack of sanitation kills more people every year than all forms of violence, including war. Unclean drinking water can incubate some pretty scary diseases, like E. coli, salmonella, cholera and hepatitis A. Given that bouquet of bacteria, it's no surprise that water, or rather lack thereof, causes 42,000 deaths each week (38,000 of those are children).
2. More people have access to a cell phone than to a toilet. Today, 2.5 billion people lack access to toilets. This means that sewage spills into rivers and streams, contaminating drinking water and causing disease.
3. Every day, women and children in Africa walk a combined total of 109 million hours to get water. They do this while carrying cisterns weighing around 40 pounds when filled in order to gather water that, in many cases, is still polluted. Aside from putting a great deal of strain on their bodies, walking such long distances keeps children out of school and women away from other endeavors that can help improve the quality of life in their communities.
4. It takes 6.3 gallons of water to produce just one hamburger. That 6.3 gallons covers everything from watering the wheat for the bun and providing water for the cow to cooking the patty and baking the bun. And that's just one meal! It would take over 184 billion gallons of water to make just one hamburger for every person in the United States.
5. That cotton t-shirt you're wearing right now took 1,514 liters of water to produce, and your jeans required an extra 6,813 liters.
6. Many scholars attribute the conflict in Darfur at least in part to lack of access to water. A report commissioned by the UN found that in the 21st century, water scarcity will become one of the leading causes of conflict in Africa.
7. Death and disease caused by polluted coastal waters costs the global economy $12.8 billion a year.
8. Today, 40% of America's rivers and 46% of America's lakes are too polluted for fishing, swimming, or aquatic life.

Well, hopefully we all can learn something. So, back to Mr. Waters and his first solo album. Perhaps I should mention that Roger Waters was one of the founding members of Pink Floyd, its main singer and songwriter after Syd Barrett left the band. The music on this album had been around for a while before it was recorded. Roger played a demo of Pros and Cons ... and The Wall for the other members in Pink Floyd, they thought The Wall was better and the band chose to record that album. Pros And Cons ... was saved for future use.

I first heard this album in the mid-90s at the home of a friend. It was with some surprise I held it, I had one or two of Roger Waters solo albums but I had missed this one. I also found the cover quite strange, it was not the sort of cover I immediately associated with Roger Waters. As I liked the music on the album, I bought it a while later when I found it in a store for used records.

The LP is a concept album about a man's midlife crisis and the songs have names based on the time of day (early morning). Each song is a dream the main character dreams at that particular time. I think what you hear differs from the prior understanding the girl on the cover gives you (though I’m not really sure what kind of music to expect from a cover like this). The album sounds very Roger Waters and the Pink Floyd albums The Wall and The Final Cut (which can be considered Roger Waters creations). Overall the album is leaning towards the quieter side with some little rockier elements, just as Mr. Waters records usually do. The theme is perhaps not the most joyful and the album is somewhat dark, but I would not call it depressing.

As concept albums often do one song flows into the next without a silence in between. This is something I like, the album becomes more one unit - “a whole” – rather than a set of individual songs. But on the Pros and Cons ... it’s sometimes difficult to distinguish one song from the other, especially as a musical theme often recurs throughout the album. To be critical, it doesn’t feel like each song is especially unique in comparison to the others, and after a while you feel that you have already heard what you’re hearing. Yes, I can even get a little bored if I’m honest. At the same time it’s the Roger Waters solo album I like the most, so it is a good album. This might sound a bit ambivalent, but if the album had been 25 minutes long it had suited me perfectly. I guess it’s like a big bag of candy, it’s good in the beginning but after half the bag you’ve had enough. But you still like candy.

I can also mention that Eric Clapton contributes on the album and tear off a few solos.
I find it hard to pick out any favorite songs as the album feels more like one (or two) long song.

Tracklist

Side A

1. "4.30 A.M. (Apparently They Were Travelling Abroad)" – 3:12
2. "4.33 A.M. (Running Shoes)" – 4:08
3. "4.37 A.M. (Arabs With Knives and West German Skies)" – 2:17
4. "4.39 A.M. (For the First Time Today, Pt. 2)" – 2:02
5. "4.41 A.M. (Sexual Revolution)" – 4:49
6. "4.47 A.M. (The Remains of Our Love)" – 3:09

Side B

1. "4.50 A.M. (Go Fishing)" – 6:59
2. "4.56 A.M. (For the First Time Today, Pt. 1)" – 1:38
3. "4.58 A.M. (Dunroamin, Duncarin, Dunlivin)" – 3:03
4. "5.01 A.M. (The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking, Pt. 10)" – 4:36
5. "5.06 A.M. (Every Strangers' Eyes)" – 4:48
6. "5.11 A.M. (The Moment of Clarity)" – 1:28

 

 

Pink Floyd - “More” (1969)

At the risk of being repetitive, but again it was my older brother's albums which led me to Pink Floyd. As a child, his records The Final Cut and The Wall were heard on the stereo in the living room regurlarly. I found them really good but as a 10-year-old I had no idea about who Pink Floyd were or the music they had created earlier. I remember the feeling of surprise when I, as a 14-year-old on Rhodes (vacation with my parents), found a tape with Pink Floyd and a recording called More. I had never heard of it but took a chance and bought it, especially as it was quite cheap. Looking back, I understand that the countless tapes that were for sale almost certainly were pirated versions. But I was blissfully unaware of this at the time, even if the knowledge problably wouldn’t have made any difference.

With a feeling of excitement, I listened to the tape at our return home and found something completely different than The Final Cut or The Wall, it was druggy and psychedelic, it was different and not least, it was good. I got an insight that a new world was waiting to be discovered. What or how many titles Pink Floyd had created I did not know, but I understood that there was likely a lot more to find. Exciting! This world is still one I often find myself in as I hold Pink Floyd as one of my favorite groups.

More, PF's third album, is a soundtrack to a French film with the same name, directed by Barbet Shroeder. I am a bit suspicious towards soundtracks as they often consist of unfocused mood music, and without the images the music can be rather formless and lacking in character. More offers a pretty wild mix of music. The opening song, and one of my favorites - Cirrus Minor, starts with birdsong which I find creats a harmonious but a bit melancholy mood. A guitar slowly fades in and then Roger Water’s singing continues the theme of melancholy. The song ends with a few minutes of beautiful, floating keyboard chords that I found as a teenager incredibly beautiful. And the birdsong returnes into the song. Nice! When I lied down on the floor, closed my eyes, it felt almost as I lifted off the ground. I still think it's a very beautiful part of the record.

But this album also offers some songs that have to be defined as hard rock or Heavy Metal (The Nile Song and Ibiza Bar). These two tracks are according to me and many others the 'heaviest' songs PF did. In addition, we also have some beautiful songs of the quieter type, more or less acoustic, which actually belongs to some of PF:s better songs, for example Green Is The Colour. Then there are also a number of songs that might fit better in a film than on a record. Instrumental tunes that are relatively close to the more psychedelic music excursions PF did in their first years (Careful With That Axe, Instellar Overdrive). Personally I have always had a hard time with these songs, frankly. I think some moderation is called for concering the lust of musical experimentation! An exception on More concerning the instrumental songs is Main Theme, a really cool song that was/is so suggestive that it for some reason made me suspect that the band members used drugs (psychedelic music used to make me think like that. Maybe I still do).

Well, despite a diverse album with some lows (but equally high peaks) I give this album an ‘OK’. The great thing about the wild mixture of styles is that the records doesn’t get boring. It can also be mentioned that this was the first album PF recorded without Syd Barrett. After a few years I bought the album on vinyl.

Finally, I may also mention that the album made me extremely curious about the film, rumors said that among other things it contained heroin addiction and LSD trips! Irresistible themes. At this time, the 80s and then the first half of the 90s, it was often a challenge to get hold of obscure movies. Actually, it was not before Internet's entry into my life I finally found it and ordered it from a movie site. The film was actually not very good even if it contained those erlier mentioned themes. The album is better.

Favorite Songs

Cirrus Minor

Green Is The Colour

Main Theme

 

Tracklist

Side A

1. "Cirrus Minor"  5:18

2. "The Nile Song"  3:26

3. "Crying Song"  3:33

4. "Up the Khyber"  2:12

5. "Green Is the Colour"  2:58

6. "Cymbaline"  4:50

7. "Party Sequence"  1:07

 

Side B

1. "Main Theme"  5:27

2. "Ibiza Bar"  3:19

3. "More Blues"  2:12

4. "Quicksilver"  7:13

5. "A Spanish Piece"  1:05

6. "Dramatic Theme"  2:15