Presenting the reissue of CAMEL’s iconic 1976 album, this edition features a remastered version of the original record along with four additional tracks sourced from the demo sessions of that same year. The second disc offers the original album reimagined through a 2023 remix. Additionally, there’s a third Blu-ray disc that includes the original album in high-resolution stereo sound and captures performances from their Hammersmith Odeon concert held in April of that year.
Initially conceived as a concept album, Moonmadness revolves around the distinct personalities of its four band members. Andy Latimer (guitar) likens himself to a gliding bird in ‘Air Born,’ while Doug Ferguson (bass) reflects on ‘dark times’ in ‘Another Night.’ Meanwhile, Peter Bardens (keyboards) contributes with the instrumental piece ‘Chord Change,’ and Andy Ward (drums) offers his own instrumental work titled ‘Lunar Sea.’ These latter tracks, however, are best left to the listener’s imagination.
In their mid-seventies pomp, CAMEL released two sparkling albums, The Snow Goose and Moonmadness, though the latter would be their final release with the ‘classic’ line, as Doug Ferguson left the band soon after this, and their next album would feature the cherry wine vocals of ex-Caravan bass man, Richard Sinclair. It’s ironic, while the music was always good, there was no natural vocalist in the band and when they finally get someone who can sing, the best vocalist CAMEL ever had in its ranks. The band’s star was slightly on the wane as the musical landscape wasn’t exactly conducive to bands like CAMEL in 1978.
Moonmadness is CAMEL’s most acclaimed work and the album where they came of age, when the promise shown on their earlier albums finally came to fruition. There’re seven tracks and they’re a distillation of soft prog, which incorporates the usage of recorders and flutes on the gentle pastoral track ‘Spirit of the Water,’ as well as forays into more jazzy runs, on the ambient and spacy atmospheric ‘Lunar Sea,’ with little of the hard edged symph rock on their 1973 release Mirage, and it’s perhaps a perfect follow-up to Snow Goose.
Disc one comes with four bonus demo tracks from the album sessions and, for this reviewer, they’re all superior to the versions on the album. ‘Chord Change’ features a greater usage of keys and a super guitar break from Andy Latimer. There’s a longer version of ‘Lunar Sea’ with Bardens using a different keyboard sound. ‘Another Night’ is the single version, half the album length and more rocky, while ‘Spirit of the Water’ dispenses with flutes and features only Bardens on piano. Just a pity there were no demos of the other three tracks. Â
Moonmadness is a very melodic and thoughtful piece of work, complex and accessible and, with its pastoral feel, almost a distant relative of the ‘Canterbury Scene.’ It’s also been included in Prog Magazine’s list of top prog albums, and Andy Latimer’s guitar work was cited as a major influence by Steven Wilson and also Opeth guitar man Michael Akerfelt. However, bringing in Mel Collins to play Flute and Sax initially in a ‘live’ setting, before joining permanently, would eventually see Doug Ferguson leave and, even with the mighty Richard Sinclair on bass and vocals, Camel never again came close to achieving the kudos accorded to this album.
