Camel - "Nude" (1981)

The British band Camel has always been one of my favorite bands from the progressive genre. Their music is relatively easy to access, not too complex and complicated compared to some other bands from the genre. But still something of a challenge for the listener, at just the right level. But when I first put Nude on the turntable, I was horrified. The record opens with a song that sounded like a really cheesy 80's pop song. And the next one sounded about the same. Then I turned off the turntable, put the LP in the shelf and left it there unplayed for many years. That's how disappointed I was. Did the 80's even succeed in corrupting Camel?

When I later on read a few reviews online concerning the album, I was surprised that it got so high grades, often 4s or 5s (on five-grade scales). I decided to give it another chance. Nude is a concept album about the Japanese soldier who remained on an island for many years, believing that WWII was still going on. The soldier was Hiro Onoda, and "Nude" derives from his family name. This was the eighth record from the band and the last one where the drummer Andy Ward participated, he later left the group due to a serious hand injury. It's unclear to me who were members in the band at the time, and who participated as studio musicians on the album, but on saxophone Mel Collins, a giant in the prog genre, is heard.

When I gave the album a second chance, I realized that it actually contained some qualities. Most songs are instrumental, luckily enough, as the few tracks with song are not good at all. OK, Drafted is actually nice, but it's more of an ordinary pop ballad than prog, the other tracks with song are the horrific cheesy 80's pop mentioned in the beginning. Lionel Richie class. The instrumental songs are, however, a bit more as one is used to hear Camel, guitars in harmonies, lots of flute and lots of saxophone. Some odd time signatures. But it's far from the quality the band had on the earlier albums from the 70's. It's as though the music was recorded through an easy-listening filter. The sound is soft and polished, the synthesizers are smooth and the really challenging parts are missing. Easy-listening prog.

So I would rather recommend the band's previous LPs instead of Nude. Much better and more fun. But if you considering buying an album with Lionel Richie, choose Nude instead.


Tracklist

Side A
1 City Life 5:02
2 Nude 0:22
3 Drafted 4:18
4 Docks 3:50
5 Beached 3:32
6 Landscapes 2:36

Side B
1 Changing Places 4:10
2 Pump & Circumstance 2:03
3 Please Come Home 1:12
4 Reflections 2:45
5 Captured 3:13
6 The Homecoming 2:40
7 Lies 4:57
8 The Last Farewell: The Birthday Cake / Nude's Return 4:05