Camel "Rajaz" (1999)

Camel "Echoes" (1993)

Camel "A compact compilation" (1985)

Camel "A live record" (1978)

Camel "Mirage" (1974)

Camel

The embryonic origin of CAMEL was conceived circa 1964 when brothers Andrew and Ian Latimer got together with their respective friends Alan Butcher and Richard Over to form THE PHANTOM FOUR.

Gigging extensively in their UK hometown of Guildford, The Phantom Four quickly achieved local notoriety. Rhythm guitarist, Graham Cooper soon replaced Richard Over and the band's name changed to STRANGE BREW. The group performed mainly cover tunes until mid-1968 when Ian Latimer quit to get married. Graham Cooper left the band soon after with wedding plans of his own.

Andrew Latimer and Alan Butcher placed an ad in the Surrey Advertiser for a bass player to which Doug Ferguson responded. On 13th November 1968 Ferguson arrived for an audition and promptly impressed the duo with his confidence, a 'fat' bass sound, excellent gear (Fender jazz bass, 2 Vox T-60 cabs with amps) and his own roadie! He was offered the gig on the spot. The new blues orientated trio was called... THE BREW.

Shortly after joining THE BREW, Ferguson told Latimer about an exciting drummer he knew. Despite having not seen his drums for more than 3 months, the new percussive prospect more than proved his mettle and on 15th January 1969, Andy Ward joined THE BREW at the tender age of 14 and the heart of CAMEL had begun to take shape.

Ferguson rapidly proved himself to be a great asset with his talent for getting the band attention and gigs. He was also very good at coaxing the promised fees out of promoters, who often protested they didn't have the money on hand. As a result, THE BREW enjoyed a steady stream of performance dates and recorded their first demo, 'Crossroads' in which DJM Records seemed to show interest but the trio were disappointed to learn that it was only in using them as a backing band for another of their artists, Philip Goodhand-Tait.

In 1971, they recorded an album with Goodhand-Tait, called 'I Think I'll Write A Song', but the success was minimal and the trio were dropped. The experience, however, was enlightening. Phil Tait was a piano player. The three musicians agreed a keyboard player would broaden the sound of the band and they promptly placed an ad in The Melody Maker.

On 20th September 1971, Peter Bardens responded to the ad with an extensive resume (Shotgun Express [Rod Stewart & Beryl Marsden], Them [Van Morrison], Peter B's Looners [Peter Green & Mick Fleetwood] to name but a few) as well as two solo albums under his own name. The four hit it off instantly. Bardens, who had been planning to depart England for what he thought to be "the more promising shores of the USA", had previously arranged a few gigs in Ireland. Thus, on 8th October 1971, the group performed their first gig in Belfast under the name of "Peter Bardens On".

Not long after they would collectively agree on a new name... CAMEL.

CAMEL played their first gig at Waltham Forest Technical College supporting Wishbone Ash on 4th Dec 1971.

By August of '72, CAMEL were signed to MCA Records. They quickly entered the studio to record their first self-titled album, 'CAMEL'. A collection of individual songs, chiefly from Latimer and Bardens, the album was greeted with muted success and MCA did not take an option for a second album. By now, the group had acquired management, Geoff Jukes and Max Hole of Gemini Artists (later to become GAMA Records), and moved to Decca Records where they would remain for 10 years. The push & pull relationship between Latimer and Bardens brought out the best from their compositional skills. They inspired one another with their individual solo work both in the studio and on stage. Energies were high. CAMEL gigged 9 months of the year and firmly established a reputation for their excellent live sound.

Their second album, 'MIRAGE', heightened their profile and the album sleeve attracted the unwanted attention of the USA branch of Camel cigarettes who demanded the band change the cover or face legal action. The USA record company quickly fashioned a new sleeve to avoid legal hassles. The original sleeve remained unchanged throughout the rest of the world as Geoff Jukes had already struck a deal with the European branch of the cigarette company to release tiny packets of cigarettes (5 cigarettes to a packet) using the CAMEL artwork, including track-listing. So enamoured were the executives in Europe, they visited the band in the studio trying to talk CAMEL into renaming the songs on 'MIRAGE' (e.g., "Twenty To The Pack"). They also wanted CAMEL to cover their amps with camel skins, allow advertisements and give away cigarettes at all the performances. The latter was successful as Jukes had struck a deal the band were never privy to. The band were getting 'belligerent' and a sarcastically amusing Peter Bardens suggested an album song-title of "Twenty Sticks Of Cancer".

Thus ended the association twixt the beast and the leaf.

In 1975, CAMEL 'concept' album came about. For 'MIRAGE' Latimer had written 'White Rider' (inspired by Tolkein's 'Lord Of The Rings') and Ferguson suggested doing a an entire album based on a book. All band members were fond of reading at the time so each set out in search of a good story. Bardens suggested 'Siddhartha' and 'Steppenwolf' but when Ferguson suggested Paul Gallico's 'THE SNOW GOOSE' the emotional appeal was strong. 'THE SNOW GOOSE' took fans by surprise. Entirely instrumental, 'THE SNOW GOOSE' earned them Melody Maker's "Brightest Hope" award and firmly established the band with a strong and loyal fan base. It also took author Paul Gallico by surprise. Gallico, a fierce opponent of cigarette smoking, hated the name of the band believing it to be connected to the cigarette company and threatened to sue if the title was not changed. Legalities observed, the album title had the additional words "inspired by" and the threat was subdued. This behind-the-scene drama had no effect on the appeal of the album. On 17th October 1975, accompanied by the London Symphony Orchestra, CAMEL performed 'THE SNOW GOOSE' at The Royal Albert Hall to a sold-out crowd.

The lamentable brevity of this lineup is illustrated by the lack of recording output.

In early '76, 'MOONMADNESS' brought greater critical acclaim in the USA. Producer Rhett Davies created an open, intimate sound for'MOONMADNESS', and the 'concept' was more ethereal with inspiration derived from the individual musician's characters. Yet'MOONMADNESS' would become the swansong for some. A jazzy influence had impressed itself upon CAMEL and, during the European tour, the dynamic sound of saxophonist Mel Collins marked the first change in the sound of Camel after Ferguson had encouraged Collins' inclusion in the band.

Not long after Andy Ward was pushing for a more complicated rhythm section, a style that matched neither Feguson's ability nor interest. This would be the first major change CAMEL would see. In the early days of 1977, bassist Doug Ferguson left CAMEL never to appear with them again. The loss of Ferguson's quiet strength would prove, in years beyond, to have the greatest impact on the band...

The first major shift in CAMEL's lineup created 'RAIN DANCES'. Although not an "official member" of CAMEL, Mel Collins would spend much of his time in the studio and on the road with the band. Preferring to maintain his independent status as a session player, Mel would continue to appear with CAMEL on and off until 1985.

Richard Sinclair, formerly from Canterbury's Caravan, possessed the jazzier style Andy Ward had hoped for but the mix of personalities did not posses the balance of earlier days. Inevitable change began to gather momentum. Pressure for a hit single was brought to bear from the management and Decca Records.

Latimer and Bardens struggled with their opposing styles of writing, complicating instead of complimenting their relationship. Camel's sound was further affected by a new producer, Mick Glossop. Upon release, 'BREATHLESS' proved a bit of a shock to fans with its unusual combination of pop, jazz and progressive. It was loved by some, hated by others.

'BREATHLESS' entered the charts and quickly exited shortly thereafter. But chart success was not the last change CAMEL would encounter in '78. On 30th July, just before Camel's tour and amidst a storm of disagreements, keyboardist Peter Bardens left the band...

The split with Peter Bardens had been acrimonious but unavoidable. Bardens went straight into rehearsals with former bandmate Van Morrison for an album, "Wavelength", and tour. Bardens also promptly signed a lucrative solo deal with Arista Records and soon released 'Heart To Heart'.

But Andy Ward and Andrew Latimer decided to embrace the opportunity to expand the band. Two keyboard players would create an interplay CAMEL had not been able to experiment with previously. They contacted Richard Sinclair's cousin Dave Sinclair, and his former bandmate Jan Schelhaas for the '78 tour to promote 'BREATHLESS'. Although this lineup had no recorded output, Dave Sinclair had made a quiet appearance on 'BREATHLESS', performing keyboards on "You Make Me Smile" and "Rainbows End", a song Latimer had written for Bardens.

The 'BREATHLESS' tour lasted 3 months. The pressures of live performing took toll. By tours end, Dave Sinclair would return to Canterbury and Richard Sinclair would be asked to leave CAMEL...

Upon hearing an album by a group called "Happy The Man" in 1979, Andrew Latimer and Andy Ward immediately agreed Kit Watkins was a keyboardist they wanted in CAMEL. Bassist Colin Bass had been highly recommended and became Camel's lasting bassist. Jan Schelhaas had remained with CAMEL after the 'BREATHLESS' tour both for his playing skills and his easygoing temperament. Watkins and Bass arrived during rehearsals at Wood Farm, Suffolk, in early '79. A remarkable technician, Kit impressed all who heard him; Colin's solid, earthy sound melded with Ward in a seemingly perfect harmony.

For awhile, it appeared CAMEL would settle but, again, unavoidable circumstance would prevail. CAMEL worked nearly 12 months of '79, enjoying only short breaks in-between recording and touring. Originally titled 'Endangered Species', this title would be changed at the last minute to 'I CAN SEE YOUR HOUSE FROM HERE' a poor attempt at humour that would give the band problems, not only from their advertisers. The intensive schedule would create conflict and misunderstandings between the musicians. Watkins left the band shortly before CAMEL entered the studio to record 'NUDE' in 1981, but he would return for the tour and leave again immediately after.

The recording of 'NUDE' and the subsequent promotional tour would be the most devastating for CAMEL. In mid-1981, as he would tell 'Q' Magazine some 10 years later, Andy Ward succumbed to alcohol and drug abuse and attempted suicide, unsuccessfully to the relief of all. But it rendered Ward unable to play drums in the foreseeable future. In shock, the band dissolved, the remainder of the tour was canceled and recording for the next album was postponed in the hope that Ward would recover...

Internal problems of the band were not the concern of Decca Records to which CAMEL were contractually bound for a specific recorded output. Decca refused to be put off any longer and upped the pressure for a hit single. With delays no longer possible, Latimer had to accept that his friend and drummer would not recover and thus, with Andrew Latimer the sole surviving member of CAMEL, 'THE SINGLE FACTOR' was recorded and duly released in April 1982. Writing on demand had produced an odd mix of songs but entering the studio provided an unexpected bright spot. During the recording of NUDE in studio 3 at Abbey Road Studios, the Alan Parsons Project were recording just down the hall in studio 2. Curious by nature, singer Chris Rainbow and bassist/singer David Paton popped in on the CAMEL sessions and new friendships were forged. Unbeknownst to all at the time, this laid the groundwork for a new lineup. Eventually, 'THE SINGLE FACTOR' would see a whole new line of artists including Rainbow and Paton aswell as Anthony Phillips (former Genesis), Francis Monkmon (Sky), and guest drummers Simon Phillips (The Who, Jeff Beck, Toto), Dave Mattacks (Fairport Convention) and Graham Jarvis (Cliff Richard). Time had healed the rift between Latimer and Bardens and although their opposing musical styles would not see eye-to-eye again, Bardens made a guest appearance on the album, forging new friendships himself that would later become 'Keats'. But Ward was unable to appear on the album and hoping to keep the matter private, CAMEL naively included a simple footnote in the liner notes that Andy Ward did not appear due to an injury to his hand.

The promotional tour for 'THE SINGLE FACTOR' turned out to be just the breath of fresh air Latimer needed. The mix of personalities was magical with a ceaseless, positive energy from Chris Rainbow who, with Paton and Tosh (Scotsmen, all three) maintained a flow of laughter from start to finish of the tour. Kit Watkins had returned for his third CAMEL tour and the level of musicianship delighted audiences. Latimer would call it "the funniest tour I've ever been on".

It would be a temporary respite, however, for soon after in late October, manager Max Hole, unexpectedly announced his departure for a position with a major record company, leaving CAMEL effectively without management. Then, as 1983 dawned, the inevitable came to be. Unable to stop abusing alcohol, Ward could not continue with CAMEL. On a sad January day at the offices of Fleet Street lawyers, Ward's association with CAMEL ended. Nearly 13 years to the day he had joined Ferguson and Latimer, Andy Ward formally left CAMEL never to perform with them again. 

The loss of Ward left Latimer in limbo and musical pursuits, for the most part, were overshadowed by the need to concentrate on sorting out legal problems that had plagued the band for years. Former manager Geoff Jukes had filed a lawsuit against CAMEL claiming past commissions from CAMEL's earlier days. Having literally abandoned the band in 1978 at the point of Bardens' departure and upon the eve of a world tour, Jukes' lawsuit would ultimately prove futile. The legal battle began to heat up by 1983. Latimer battled the suit alone despite all members being named and it would take 5 stressful years at great expense, both spiritually and financially, before settlement in Camel's favour. In this year of change, Latimer fought hard. CAMEL was worth the battle.

There were musical bright spots in 1983 including a new contract with Decca Records which had just been taken over by PolyGram. In preparation for the new recording committment, Latimer had gotten in touch with Dutch keyboardist, Ton Scherpenzeel (KAYAK) whose playing he had always admired. Ton visited London and the two musicians quickly made plans to record Camel's new studio album 'STATIONARY TRAVELLER'. 

'STATIONARY TRAVELLER' was released in April of '84. Flush with critical acclaim of the album, CAMEL were once again on the road. Former CAMEL bassist Colin Bass returned to the UK, after having moved abroad in 1981. Bass got in touch with Latimer and the former bandmates patched up past differences. Chris Rainbow joined the tour and Paul Burgess (Jethro Tull, 10cc) who had approached Latimer prior to recording 'STATIONARY TRAVELLER' did so again for the tour. Although not fond of touring, Ton Scherpenzeel never let it show. Ton made a superb addition to CAMEL that thrilled KAYAK and CAMEL fans, though his fear of flying would severely limit his time with CAMEL to the disappointment of fans and musicians alike.

Meanwhile, producer Mike Mansfield had heard the band and wanted to include CAMEL in his upcoming television series, "Mirror Image", for the UK's Channel 4. Video recording plans mingled with tour production and an atmosphere of excitement followed throughout the tour and carried on into post-production for the live album and video that was to follow. CAMEL participated in the video recording of extra visuals for the broadcast and the pleasure of this experience concluded the year on a high note.

The live performance video and CD of the 'STATIONARY TRAVELLER' tour was appropriately called 'PRESSURE POINTS' . CAMEL wanted to include the entire concert but due to lighting problems on the night of recording, the first half was too dark for Mansfield's approval so only the second half of the performance made it to broadcast and a video cassette. Astonishingly, the earlier portion of the concert would actually be erased by PolyGram and lost forever! Decca Records (now owned by PolyGram) flexed their muscles and insisted on dividing the concert material so that both recordings had different track listings, under the auspicious assertion that it created more diversity for the buying public. There was an added pleasure for many fans when Richie Close joined the tour at the 11th hour on backup keyboards. Sadly, Richie died just a few years later from Legionnaire's disease. He will be forever young on Camel's video.

The lawsuit with Jukes reached fever pitch by 1985. Latimer divided his time between lawyer's offices and record companies as he sought an outlet for Camel's new material titled ''DUST AND DREAMS''. Each pursuit was filled with roadblocks but the lawsuit would finally take a sudden turn for the better. As Latimer scrutinized old contracts it came to light that CAMEL were owed royalties that had never been paid by Camel's management/production company, GAMA Records. Highly charged by this discovery, Latimer gathered support from Bardens, Ward and Ferguson to file a suit against GAMA. This lawsuit, by comparison, would be brief and glorious. On 25th March 1985, long overdue, they finally reaped the benefits of their past work together. Reunited in the same attorney's office that had accepted Ward's resignation from CAMEL just two years earlier, happier times now prevailed. The former bandmates settled their lawsuit with GAMA and received their first of many royalty payment to come. Formalities completed, they celebrated at a local pub until closing time. Old wounds healed, memories flourished and, though they no longer had interest in playing together, all parted as friends.

Geoff Jukes would finally accept the futility of his lawsuit and offer settlement. After lawyer's fees, court costs and general expenses were paid, CAMEL received "...just enough money to buy dinner for one (in a Bistro)". But it was a moral victory of momentous proportions and the end of a long haul for CAMEL.

Since the PolyGram takeover, the changes at Decca had reached the extreme and Latimer could see that CAMEL needed to get out of their contract. After a 10 year association, Decca and CAMEL would mutually and amicably agree to go their separate ways on 10th April 1985. CAMEL was free to search for a more like-minded record company, yet this newly found freedom also brought a shock to Latimer when he would later remark he "couldn't get arrested with new CAMEL material". That material would evolve to become ''DUST AND DREAMS''.

When not a lawyer's office, Latimer had hawked CAMEL for a deal. In late 1987, he began negotiating with EG Records, on a seemingly successful course. A small label, EG hosted such names as Brian Eno, Robert Fripp, Brian Ferry to name a few, and a CAMEL/EG marriage seemed a promising step. But negotiations dragged on for 6 months only to come to an abrupt end when Latimer was asked why Peter Frampton wasn't in the band any longer...

Disillusioned, Latimer made a drastic change. In mid-1988, he sold his London home and moved to America. He would take a 1-year sabbatical and during this time, he realised the "slap in the face" EG Records had given him was the sign of the future for CAMEL. He decided the second half of 'DUST AND DREAMS' "wasn't quite right", and rewrote it in 1990. He used the proceeds from the sale of his London home to finance construction of a small studio where he recorded and produced 'DUST AND DREAMS'. He then set out, once again, to find a deal but this time around, 'DUST AND DREAMS' was a finished product and things would be different. Or so he thought...

Latimer would look back on his experiences and eventually laugh. With 'DUST AND DREAMS' completed and ready for release, finding a record company seemed a mere matter of formality. But the same attitudes greeted him and time dragged on without success. After a lengthy and unproductive meeting with a Virgin Records A&R rep, Latimer, along with partner Susan Hoover, decided to use the remaining finances from the sale of the London home to set up their own production company, Camel Productions (CP). They would release 'DUST AND DREAMS' themselves.

'DUST AND DREAMS' would give Latimer yet another shock only this time it was the shock of unprecedented success. Dealing directly with distributors who knew of CAMEL, sales took off. The high energy output was intoxicating. CP soon began organising a world tour and set about licensing Camel's first album for release on compact disc. Thus began the resurgence of CAMEL with the two recordings most poignant... the first, 'CAMEL' and the newest, 'DUST AND DREAMS'.

During the move to set up the studio, Latimer stumbled upon some old reel-to-reel tapes. These rare gems would launch the hugely successful 'Offical Bootleg' series. Latimer was disgusted by the poor sound quality and extortionate prices bootleggers charged for such recordings. Soon, 'WARNING: CAMEL ON THE ROAD 1972' would become the flagship for this series, the artwork inspired by a bumper sticker a fan had sent to Latimer years before which proved amusingly appropriate. It was lovingly mastered and fairly priced. By August, CAMEL were ready to hit the road after a 7 year absence. Paul Burgess resumed his drum stool and keyboardist Mickey Simmonds (FISH, Mike Oldfield) was drafted in. Colin Bass and Andrew Latimer were now the mainstays of CAMEL and fans greeted CAMEL with open arms. So emotional would this tour become, it would find some bandmembers fighting to hold back tears on-stage.

The tour ended at London's Town & Country Theatre (now defunct). At the hotel afterwards, there would be a celebration that lasted long into the night.

In early '93 as Latimer was preparing to produce 'NEVER LET GO', a live recording from the '92 tour, sadness loomed on the horizon. By March, instead of working in the studio, Latimer would see his father die and begin a new learning process in life. A musician himself, Stan Latimer had been the one to recognise young Andrew's talent and send him to lessons. The experience stunned Latimer and delayed production of 'NEVER LET GO' until August '93. Afterwards, he spent personal time with his family. As they shared stories and recollections of Stan Latimer and their mutual past, Latimer discovered his fraternal roots. In 1994, he returned to the studio seeking solace in music and began work on the album that would become 'HARBOUR OF TEARS'. Latimer would pour his heart into the album and end it with a track titled 'The Hour Candle (A song for my father)' which had been inspired by a hymn sung at the funeral. Fans would write to share their experiences of loss and recovery. Latimer's grief would gradually ease and CAMEL began to prepare for another tour.

CAMEL prepared to set out on the road once again. On the '92 tour, fans proved that absence does indeed make the heart grow fonder and turned out in droves. The '97 tour was even more successful, reaching new territories in a now opened Eastern Block including the Czech Republic and Poland. CAMEL would see the customary changes in their makeup, with Paul Burgess and Mickey Simmonds struggling to balance time with their young children and life on the road. Dave Stewart would take Burgess' place and Foss Patterson would replace Simmonds. Thus, another live performance was captured on tape and video recorded for posterity.

In 1998, joining the highly successful collection of live recordings, 'COMING OF AGE' was released on both video and compact disc. Recorded in Los Angeles, California, the performance was attended by fans and friends alike including original keyboardist, Peter Bardens whose appearance was announced to the audience when Latimer dedicated 'Never Let Go' to "Me old mate, Pete". By evening's end, an impromptu party ensued and the two musicians privately reminisced until the early hours while the rest of the entourage danced the night away.

'COMING OF AGE',would prove a superb visual and audio testament to the enduring strength of CAMEL. The appearance of the Hale-Bopp comet in the heavens added an allure to the tour, seeming to follow the band around the world. This tour would be as emotional as the '92 tour. The affection for CAMEL was tangible.

As the 20th Century wound towards the 21st (metaphorically speaking), CAMEL would reach a quiet turning point. No longer bound by the shackles of record company whims and pressures, CAMEL has attained a level of acceptance and maturity. Independence is hard work, but ultimately satisfying, and artistic freedom a price worth paying. CAMEL prepared for the final release of the century. Bass, long since involved in the world music scene, had given Latimer a gift of a book entitled 'World Music - A Rough Guide'. In the section on Arabic music, Latimer read about a form of musical poetry called 'rajaz'. Sung in ancient times, 'rajaz' was a spontaneous composition inspired by the rhythm of the camels footsteps to help the weary travelers reach their destination. Latimer was smitten with the idea that the rhythm of the camel would help people reach their journey's end. Returning to his musical roots, Latimer composed chiefly on the guitar and in October 1999, 'RAJAZ' was released. A beautiful collection of songs, hypnotically interwoven, 'RAJAZ' also welcomed the return of Ton Scherpenzeel on keyboards (courtesy of CD-ROM). Sending files electronically and communicating directly, the two former bandmates plan future projects together including a guest appearance by Latimer on a Y2K Kayak album.

For more than 27 years, CAMEL have been and endearing, enduring musical force. Players have come and gone; some have returned. Some albums have been better than others but this is always an assertion for the beholder. Few agree on which album is their best. But there is no doubt that the single, most durable force behind CAMEL has been and always will be Andrew Latimer. Latimer has guided CAMEL through the highs and lows of musical tastes, trends and fashions. He has, from time to time, stumbled beneath the pressures of outside forces and these times are left to the listener to decipher. But all will agree that Latimer has never compromised the sound, feel and integrity of CAMEL. Latimer has stayed true to himself and it is his 'sound' that transports you back or holds you in the present. Like good friends getting together after a long break, you pick up right where you left off, as if you'd never parted.

Life's what happens when you're busy making plans...no sooner did the dust seem to settle than a storm blew up that surpassed everyone's worst nightmares. It began in late 1999...

As Camel arranged the early preparations for their Y2K tour to tour with 'Rajaz', the clouds began to gather. At first, things proceeded smoothly with Latimer, Bass and Stewart eagerly anticipating their reunion and rehearsals for Y2K. Camel's UK agent, Paul Boswell, was dilligently booking performance dates and it was shaping up to be a more extensive tour for the band, with opportunities to perform in new countires. With the lineup of the trio seemingly solid, all thought it a straight-forward matter to arrange a keyboardist. A message from East coast promoter Rob La Duca reached CP in early 2000, with a simple suggestion to check out a French-Canadian keyboardist named Guy LeBlanc. Good ol' technology. LeBlanc, also an independent recording artist, had his own internet presence so it was merely a matter of visiting his site and listening to a few sound bites. Latimer promptly arranged to meet Guy LeBlanc.

In mid-March, Guy LeBlanc officially joined Camel for tour Y2K. It was smooth sailing for a whole 2 weeks when Camel Productions received an unexpected e-mail from drummer Dave Stewart saying he had accepted a position as manager of an Edinburgh drum shop and would not keep his commitment to the tour. Momentarily stunned by the news, Latimer, Bass and Hoover tried unsuccessfully to negotiate with Stewart, eventually accepting the need to replace him, albeit with great reluctance.

Bass suggested his former band-mate Clive Bunker who had once played with Jethro Tull. Bunker accepted the gig and arrived at Little Barn Studios for rehearsals on 4th August. Spirits were momentarily high but years of alternative playing styles hampered Bunker's ability to perform the difficult time-sequences demanded by Camel music and spirits quickly crashed. This, it would transpire, would be little more than a mere blip on the artistic landscape. Only 48 hours later a virtual tidal wave struck when manager Susan Hoover was seriously injured in a horse-riding accident. As the Life Flight Rescue heliopter lifted her skyward, it seemed tour plans would vanish into the clouds along with her.

Hoover would later quip "I wasn't about to take the hit for cancelling the tour". Insisting the band was made of sterner stuff, she refused to cancel the tour and promptly began working from her hospital bed. But there was still the problem of a drummer. Fortunately, LeBlanc had an ace up his sleeve. 10 days from the first performance, LeBlanc's compatriot, Denis Clement (pronounced Den-ee Clahmah) arrived at Little Barn studios. Despite being a completely unknown entity, it was clear after 10 minutes into their first 'jam' that he was the man they needed.

High energy replaced the tension and rehearsals began in earnest. On 21st September, Hoover left hospital in a wheel chair and 3 days later attended Camel's full scale rehearsal to hear Camel Y2K for the first time. 26th August saw the first official performance of the band where, at concerts end, Hoover received a standing ovation.

But of course it just wouldn't be interesting if it suddenly all went smoothly. Performing to sell-out crowds that were blown backward by the power and force of this lineup, events would catch Latimer up. Finally relaxed and his guard down, a cold virus firmly took hold after as many days as Clement had before the first performance. He would suffer throughout the tour, eventually losing his voice altogether in Holland. Upon reaching the UK in early October, Latimer chipped a bone in his knee, which was eventually nicknamed 'chip', but his cold would claim the Dublin performance at the 11th hour when doctors ordered him to rest or risk damaging his vocal chords. During the interim, Hoover recovered adequately to travel to the UK by 4th October and triumphantly walk, unaided, into the Cambridge gig. By the time the band hit Greece, Latimer was sufficiently recovered and Camel's Tour Y2K ended on the high note of a 'Lady Fantasy' sing-along as the Greeks gave the band a sendoff that would erase any thought of the previous drama, replacing it with a sense tremendous accomplishment and satisfaction.

In spring of 2001, Camel completed a much-anticipated tour of South and Central America. This segment of Y2K had been postponed from November 2000 due to prior committments of other band members and due to Latimer's need to return home not only to recover fully from the cold that had plagued him but also for knee surgery to remove 'Chip'. By Easter of 2001, Camel were enjoying the warm welcome of fans throughout the southern hemisphere.

On the 3rd March, Camel were included in the UK's Channel 4 television series 'Top Ten' (on Progressive Rock) which included interviews with Camel's original band members. Much was said about change, the good the bad and the ugly of it, but mostly the good. Andrew Latimer is keenly aware of his responsibility to the 'sound' that is Camel. Whatever changes the future may bring, Latimer will guide Camel carefully, always maintaining contact with the roots of Camel. As original drummer Andy Ward said in his interview 'change is a good thing and it's been good for Camel'.

Source: Camel Productions.com.

Bruford Levin, Upper Extremities "Blue nights" (2000)

Tony Levin

Famed for his work with Peter Gabriel and King Crimson, bass virtuoso Tony Levin was born in Boston on June 6, 1946. At age ten, he began studying upright bass, also playing tuba in his high-school marching band and even forming his own barbershop quartet; as a member of a local youth orchestra, Levin additionally performed at the White House for President John F. Kennedy. After attending the Eastman School of Music, he appeared with the Rochester Philharmonic, but over time turned away from classical music to play rock and jazz, relocating to New York City in 1970 to join Aha!, ex-Mothers of Invention keyboardist Don Preston's band.
A busy session career followed, with fluid, expressive work on classic LPs, including Lou Reed's Berlin, Kate & Anna McGarrigle's self-titled debut, and Paul Simon's Still Crazy After All These Years. After collaborating with Peter Gabriel on his eponymous 1977 debut, Levin joined the ex-Genesis frontman's touring unit, during which time he honed his skills on the Chapman Stick, a unique 10-stringed instrument in which the strings are not plucked but tapped, a process allowing the individual to play notes with both hands and create complete multi-part arrangements.
In 1978, Levin settled in Woodstock, NY, serving in the short-lived L'Image; a year later, he played on Robert Fripp's solo effort Exposure, soon thereafter agreeing to join the guitarist in new a incarnation of his groundbreaking progressive unit King Crimson, and remaining a member of the group for over two decades. (His tour experiences subsequently yielded a 1984 book of photographs, Road Photos.) While working on Gabriel's 1986 smash So, Levin developed Funk Fingers, essentially chopped-off drumsticks designed to hammer on the bass strings; he later sold Funk Fingers through his own Papa Bear Records label as well. Sessions with everyone from Robbie Robertson (his 1987 self-titled solo debut) to Laurie Anderson (1989's Strange Angels) to Yes (1991's Union) followed, and in 1996, Levin finally made his solo debut with World Diary. From the Caves of the Iron Mountain, recorded with bamboo flute master Steve Gorn and drummer Jerry Marotta, appeared a year later and in 1998, he formed Bruford Levin Upper Extremities (B.L.U.E.) with longtime King Crimson drummer Bill Bruford, guitarist David Torn, and trumpeter Chris Botti.
Waters of Eden, Levin's Narada label debut, followed in the spring of 2000. Pieces of the Sun was released in 2001 (an expanded edition came out a year later on Pony Canyon), with many of the same tracks also included on his 2002 record, Double Espresso. Prime Cuts, a compilation of his work on sessions led by other artists on the Magna Carta label during the '90s, was issued in 2005. A bona fide new solo effort, Resonator, followed the next year, for the first time featuring Levin as a singer/songwriter as well as a bassist.

Source: All Music.com.

Bill Brufford

Bill Bruford's career is like his drumming sound -- inimitable. Known for his ringing metal snare drum, crisp cymbal work, and knack for complex time signatures, a young Bruford came to prominence in the late '60s with Yes. The drummer completed his British art rock trilogy by briefly joining Genesis in the 1970s and spending a quarter-century with King Crimson through the late '90s. In between King Crimson dates, Bruford led a dazzling self-titled jazz fusion solo band from 1978 to 1980 that featured guitarist Allan Holdsworth, bassist Jeff Berlin, and keyboardist Dave Stewart. And even as he leads his visionary jazz band, Bill Bruford's Earthworks, he maintains a career as a session drummer (with artists like guitarists Al DiMeola and David Torn, bassist Jamaaladeen Tacuma, and keyboardist Patrick Moraz).
During one of King Crimson leader Robert Fripp's several lineup-shifting hiatuses in Bruford's 1972-1997 tenure, the drummer formed his self-titled Earthworks band in 1986. On its 1987 Earthworks debut album, Bruford often used electric Simmons drums to contrast acoustic horn players Iain Ballamy and Django Bates and upright bassist Mick Hutton, achieving the opposite of the standard lineup where drums are the only acoustic instrument. Subsequent releases like 1989's Dig? and 1991's All Heaven Broke Loose continued this forward-thinking trend, blending acoustic and electric instrumentation and jazz ideology with classical undertones. But by 1993's live Stamping Ground, Bruford had replaced Hutton with electric/acoustic bassist Tim Harries and was using keyboard-pitched electric chordal drums, the combined result being a more muscular and fuller sound.
Bruford continued recording and touring with King Crimson through 1997, releasing the Earthworks compilation Heavenly Bodies just as he quit the venerable rock band with which he'd had his longest tenure. It would prove to be a transitional year, as Bruford recorded a jazz chamber trio solo CD called If Summer Had Its Ghosts with legendary jazz figures Ralph Towner (guitar/piano) and Eddie Gomez (acoustic bass). Between explorative electric recordings with bassist and fellow King Crimson alum Tony Levin, Bruford kept Earthworks closer to the chamber jazz mode on the 1999 CD A Part and Yet Apart. Likewise, the lineup of Bruford, saxophonist Patrick Clahar, pianist Steve Hamilton, and bassist Mark Hodgson started the new millennium with the 2001 CD The Sound of Surprise, an outstanding blend of jazz tradition and forward-thinking transition.

Source: All Music.com.

Fripp & Eno "Evening star" (1975)

Robert Fripp

Throughout his career, guitarist Robert Fripp has continually pushed the boundaries of pop music, as well as pursuing many avant-garde and experimental musical ideas. Fripp began playing professionally with the League of Gentlemen in the mid-'60s, providing instrumental support to many American singers who were touring England. During this time he began Giles, Giles and Fripp with Pete and Mike Giles. The trio only released one album, 1968's The Cheerful Insanity of Giles, Giles and Fripp, yet the group soon evolved into King Crimson.
Following the release of their 1969 debut album, In the Court of the Crimson King, King Crimson became one of the most respected progressive rock acts of its era. From 1969 to 1974, Fripp was the one mainstay in the group, leading it through its various musical incarnations.
During this time, he pursued several side projects away from King Crimson. Fripp recorded two albums with Brian Eno: No Pussyfooting (1972) and Evening Star (1974). Both of the albums featured the musicians experimenting with avant-garde techniques, including Fripp's "Frippertronics." Frippertronics featured layers of guitars and tape loops, producing a harmonically rich, humming sound; it became a familiar sound on his records. Fripp also produced a handful of albums, mainly records by experimental jazz outfits.
In 1974, Fripp disbanded King Crimson and retired from music. Three years later, he returned to the business, playing on David Bowie's "Heroes." Soon afterward, he produced and played on Peter Gabriel's second self-titled album, as well as Daryl Hall's Sacred Songs. Fripp released his first solo album, Exposure, in 1979. God Save the Queen/Under Heavy Manner appeared the following year and in 1981, he assembled a new lineup of King Crimson. While that band recorded and performed, he also led a new band which borrowed its name from his first group, the League of Gentlemen. After releasing three albums, the new version of King Crimson broke up in 1984; The League of Gentlemen split soon afterward.
Fripp released God Save the King in 1985 and began teaching guitar, dubbing his students and school the League of Crafty Guitarists; he released an album recorded with his Crafty Guitarists in 1986, the same year he released the first of two collaborations with his wife, Toyah Wilcox. Fripp re-formed the '80s lineup of King Crimson in late 1994, releasing Thrak in 1995. He returned to recording solo in 1997, releasing That Which Passes.

Source: All Music.com.

Proggressive rock

Progressive rock (also referred to as prog rock or prog) is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of "a mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of the 1960s as much as take its rightful place beside the modern classical music of Stravinsky and Bartók." Progressive rock bands pushed "rock's technical and compositional boundaries" by going beyond the standard rock or popular verse-chorus-based song structures. The Oxford Companion to Music states that progressive rock bands "...explored extended musical structures which involved intricate instrumental patterns and textures and often esoteric subject matter." Additionally, the arrangements often incorporated elements drawn from classical, jazz, and later world music. Instrumentals were common, while songs with lyrics were sometimes conceptual, abstract, or based in fantasy. Progressive rock bands sometimes used "concept albums that made unified statements, usually telling an epic story or tackling a grand overarching theme." Progressive rock developed from late 1960s psychedelic rock, as part of a wide-ranging tendency in rock music of this era to draw inspiration from ever more diverse influences. The term was initially applied to the music of bands such as Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Yes, Genesis, Jethro Tull, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer, reaching its peak of popularity in the mid 1970s.

PRECURSORS

Allmusic cites Bob Dylan's poetry, The Mothers of Invention's Freak Out! (1966) and The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) as the "earliest rumblings of progressive and art rock", while progressiverock.com cites the latter as its "starting point". The Beach Boys' concept album Pet Sounds (1966) and Jefferson Airplane's second album Surrealistic Pillow (1967) were both big influences for many progressive rock bands.
From the mid-1960s The Left Banke, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Beach Boys had pioneered the inclusion of harpsichords, wind and string sections on their recordings to produce a form of Baroque rock and can be heard in singles like Procol Harum's "A Whiter Shade of Pale" (1967), with its Bach inspired introduction. Freak Out!, released in 1966, had been a mixture of progressive rock, garage rock and avant-garde layered sounds. In the same year, the band "1-2-3", later renamed Clouds, began experimenting with song structure, improvisation, and multi-layered arrangements. In March of that year, The Byrds released "Eight Miles High", a pioneering psychedelic rock single with lead guitar heavily influenced by the jazz soloing style of John Coltrane. Later that year, The Who released "A Quick One While He's Away", the first example of the rock opera form, and considered by some to have been the first prog epic.
In 1967, Jeff Beck released the single "Beck's Bolero", inspired by Maurice Ravel's Bolero, and, later that year, Procol Harum released the Bach-influenced single "A Whiter Shade of Pale". Also in 1967, the Moody Blues released Days of Future Passed, combining classical-inspired orchestral music with traditional rock instrumentation and song structures. Pink Floyd's first album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, contained the nearly ten-minute improvisational psychedelic instrumental "Interstellar Overdrive".
By the late 1960s, many rock bands had begun incorporating instruments from classical and Eastern music, as well as experimenting with improvisation and lengthier compositions. East of Eden, for example, used Eastern harmonics and instruments such as a sumerian saxophone on the album Mercator Projected in 1969. Some, such as the UK's Soft Machine, began to experiment with blends of rock and jazz. By the end of the decade, other bands, such as Deep Purple and The Nice, had also recorded classical-influenced albums with full orchestras: Concerto for Group and Orchestra and Five Bridges. This use of classical music would crystallise in the '70s with Amon Düül's orchestral score on Made in Germany (1975), Pink Floyd's Atom Heart Mother (1970), and several works of Frank Zappa.

EARLY BANDS

Bands formed by the end of the 1960s included The Moody Blues (1964), Pink Floyd (1965), Soft Machine (1966), Barclay James Harvest (1966), Gong (1967), Genesis (1967), Jethro Tull (1967), The Nice (1967), The United States of America (1967), Van der Graaf Generator (1967), Yes (1968), Caravan (1968), King Crimson (1969), Supertramp (1969) and Gentle Giant (1969).
Although many of these bands were from the UK, the genre was growing popular elsewhere in continental Europe. Triumvirat led Germany's significant progressive rock movement, while Tangerine Dream, Faust, Can and Neu! led the related Berlin School and Krautrock movements. Italian progressive rock is an important sub-genre led by PFM, Le Orme, and Banco, all of which gained significant international recognition. Other notable Italian bands include New Trolls, Area, Goblin, Museo Rosenbach, Il Balletto di Bronzo, Maxophone and Locanda Delle Fate.
Focus and Trace formed in the Netherlands, France produced Ange, Gong, and Magma, the Quebec-based Harmonium were one of the first significant North American progressive bands, and Greece saw the debut of Aphrodite's Child led by electronic music pioneer Vangelis. Spain produced numerous prog groups, including Triana. Scandinavia was represented by Norwegian band Popol Vuh, Swedish band Kaipa, and Finnish band Wigwam.

PEAK IN POPULARITY AND DECLINE

Progressive rock's popularity peaked in the mid-1970s, when prog artists regularly topped reader polls in mainstream popular music magazines in Britain and America, and albums like Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells topped the charts.
By this time, several North American progressive rock bands had been formed. Kansas, which had actually existed in one form or another since 1971, became one of the most commercially successful of all progressive rock bands. Pop star Todd Rundgren moved into prog with his new band, Utopia. Toronto's Rush, who formed in 1968, became a major band, with a string of hit albums beginning in the mid-1970s. In Japan, Osamu Kitajima's 1974 progressive rock album Benzaiten, featuring Haruomi Hosono, utilized electronic music instruments such as a synthesizer and drum machine. Back in Britain, Electric Light Orchestra, who formed in 1970 as a progressive offshoot of "The Beatles sound", saw their greatest success during the mid-1970s.
Bruce Eder claims that "the rot" in progressive rock "started to set in during 1976, the year Emerson, Lake & Palmer (ELP) released their live album Welcome Back My Friends". Eder claims that this album was "suffering from poor sound and uninspired playing" which "stretched the devotion of fans and critics even thinner." He claims that "the end [of progressive rock] came quickly: by 1977, the new generation of listeners was even more interested in a good time than the audiences of the early 1970s, and they had no patience for 30 minute prog-rock suites or concept albums based on Tolkienesque stories." He asserts that by the late 1970s and early 1980s, "ELP was barely functioning as a unit, and not producing music with any energy; Genesis was redefining themselves ... as a pop-rock band; and Yes was back to doing songs running four minutes ... and even releasing singles."
In 1974, four of progressive rock's biggest bands – Yes, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Genesis and King Crimson – all went on indefinite hiatus or experienced personnel changes. Members of Yes and ELP left to pursue solo work, as did Genesis lead singer Peter Gabriel, who left his band (though Genesis would continue with Phil Collins as lead vocalist), and Robert Fripp announced the end of King Crimson after the release of their Red album. When, in 1977, Yes and ELP reformed, they had some success, but were unable to capture their previous dominance.
The 1975 and 1976 period saw progressive rock bands using more and more elaborate stage shows, thus moving away from its original "music first" ethos.
In the late 1970s Great Britain was going through difficult times due to a poor economy, frequent strikes and shortages. Progressive rock with its exotic, literary topics had nothing to say to British youth growing up in that era. Punk rock, a simpler and more aggressive style of rock that emerged in this era, and disco, which also emerged during this period, helped move critical opinion and popular support in the UK away from progressive rock, ending the genre's reign as a leading style there. However, established progressive bands still had a strong fan base; Rush, Genesis, ELP, Supertramp, Yes, Queen, and Pink Floyd all regularly scored Top Ten albums with massive accompanying tours, the largest yet for some of them. By the end of the 1970s and 1980s, progressive rock had fallen into disrepute. It was dismissed as overblown, pretentious and elitist. Fans were embarrassed to publicly admit they liked an act associated with the genre and record stores stocked progressive rock acts in the back of the store sans labels.
Despite this supposed opposition between the two styles, bands which emerged in the aftermath of punk, such as Siouxsie and the Banshees, Japan, Cabaret Voltaire, Ultravox, Oingo Boingo, Simple Minds, and Wire, all showed the influence of prog, as well as their more usually recognised punk influences.

PROGGRESSIVE ROCK FANS
The genre had a period of great popularity in the United States during the 1970s. The vast majority of progressive rock concert attendees were male. Audiences were reserved in their behavior tending to sit and intently concentrate on the performance. This contrasted with more overt and emotional reactions of audiences of other rock music genres.

1980s REVIVAL

The early 1980s saw a revival of the genre, led by artists such as Marillion, UK, Twelfth Night, IQ, Pendragon, Quasar, and Pallas. The groups of this period are sometimes referred to as neo-progressive rock, influenced by 1970s progressive rock groups like Genesis and Yes, but incorporating elements of New Wave and other rock elements found in the 1980s. The digital synthesiser became a prominent instrument in the style. Neo-prog continued to remain viable into the 1990s and beyond with bands like Arena and Jadis.
Some progressive rock stalwarts changed musical direction, simplifying their music and making it more commercially viable. In 1981, King Crimson regrouped with a more techno-rhythmic sound and Asia, a new supergroup composed of members of some of the major prog acts of the 1970s, released a mainstream rock-oriented debut album. This demonstrated a market for more commercialised British progressive rock – combining progressive rock with hard rock elements, in a style similar to that played by North American Top 40 stalwarts such as Styx, Journey, and to a lesser extent Rush. Genesis changed to a more commercial direction during the 1980s, as did Yes with a comeback album entitled 90125, featuring their only US number one single, "Owner of a Lonely Heart".

1990s AND 2000s

The progressive rock genre enjoyed another revival in the 1990s. A notable impetus to this revival was the 1991 foundation of the Swedish Art Rock Society, an association created to rescue the values of classic progressive rock, with Pär Lindh as chairman. This society was a catalyst for new Swedish bands such as Anekdoten, Änglagård, Landberk and Pär Lindh Project, which joined the scene between 1992 and 1994. These bands became part of progressive rock's "Third Wave", spearheaded by Sweden's The Flower Kings, the UK's Porcupine Tree, Norway's White Willow, and from the United States, Dream Theater, Spock's Beard, Echolyn, Proto-Kaw (a reincarnation of an early lineup of Kansas), and Glass Hammer. Arjen Anthony Lucassen's Ayreon project, featuring the backing of an array of talent from the progressive rock genre, produced a series of innovative prog-metal concept albums starting from 1995.
Several of the bands in the prog-metal genre – U.S. bands Queensrÿche, Fates Warning, and Dream Theater, as well as Sweden's Opeth – cite pioneer progressive hard-rockers Rush as a primary influence, although their music also exhibits influences from more traditional metal bands such as Black Sabbath and Deep Purple. Tool (U.S.) have cited pioneers King Crimson as an influence on their work. King Crimson opened for Tool on their 2001 tour and expressed admiration for the group while continuing to deny the "prog" label.
Progressive rock has also served as a key inspiration for genres such as post-rock, avant-garde metal, power metal, neo-classical metal and symphonic metal. Former Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy has acknowledged that the prominent use of progressive elements and qualities in metal is not confined to bands conventionally classified as "progressive metal". Many underground metal styles (especially extreme metal styles, which are characterised by extremely fast or slow speed, high levels of distortion, a technical or atmospheric, epic orientation and often highly unusual melodies, scales, vocal styles, song structures and, especially in death metal, abrupt tempo, key and time signature changes; folk metal is known for often employing uncommon instruments and other unusual elements) and some seminal bands such as Watchtower, Death, Celtic Frost (a band having pioneered several styles) or The 3rd and the Mortal remain poorly known even to genre fans.
Former members of the pioneering post-hardcore band At the Drive-In, Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez went on to form The Mars Volta, a successful progressive band that incorporates jazz, funk, punk rock, Latin music, and ambient noise into songs that range in length from a few minutes to more than thirty. They achieved some crossover success with their 2005 album Frances the Mute, which reached number 4 on the Billboard 200 chart after the single "The Widow" became a hit on modern rock radio. Coheed and Cambria are another band known for their lengthy solos and off-the-beaten-path songwriting direction, in which each song corresponds to an important event in the graphic novel and novel series, The Amory Wars, which was written by lead singer/guitarist Claudio Sanchez. Other successful mainstream rock bands, including Radiohead, Muse and 30 Seconds to Mars, have been cited in the mainstream press as inheritors of the progressive rock mantle, along with Pure Reason Revolution, The Mystery Jets, Nude and Mew.
The first decade of the 2000s saw progressive rock gain popularity in eastern Europe, especially in Russia, where the InProg festival was founded in 2001 and bands like Little Tragedies, EXIT project, Kostarev Group and Disen Gage achieved relative success in the Russian rock scene and were also noted outside Russia. Other notable north and eastern European bands are the Danish band Prime Time, the Turkish band Nemrud and Latvian band Olive Mess and the Polish band Riverside. In Asia, some progressive rock bands such as the Uzbek band FromUz were also founded.

FESTIVALS

Renewed interest in progressive rock in the 1990s led to the development of festivals. ProgFest, organized by Greg Walker and David Overstreet in 1993, was first held in UCLA's Royce Hall, and featured Sweden's Änglagård, the UK's IQ, Quill and Citadel. A festival called CalProg is held every year at Whittier, California in Los Angeles. NEARfest held its first event in 1999 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and has held annual concerts ever since.
Since 2003, many artists from the progressive scene have appeared at Gouveia Art Rock in Portugal: Van der Graaf Generator, Peter Hammill, Robert Fripp, Tony Levin, Premiata Forneria Marconi (PFM), Richard Sinclair, Amon Düül II, Present, Univers Zero, Daevid Allen, Mike Keneally, Isildurs Bane, California Guitar Trio, and Miriodor.
Other festivals include the annual Rites of Spring Festival (RoSfest) in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, The Rogue Independent Music Festival in Atlanta, Georgia, Baja Prog in Mexicali, Mexico, and ProgPower USA in Atlanta, Georgia. Progressive Nation was held in 2008, featuring progressive metal bands Dream Theater, Opeth, Between the Buried and Me, and Three. Progressive Nation 2009 was held the following year featuring Zappa Plays Zappa, Bigelf, and Scale the Summit touring across the United States and Canada, as well as an additional international tour.

Source: Wikipedia.

Acintya "La cité des dieux oubliés" (1978)

No bio availabe at the time of the research.