“An already fabulous performance feels even more vital… sudden twists and turns are thrillingly kinetic”: Camel’s 3-disc reissues of Mirage and Moonmadness

Camel never quite made it into prog’s top flight – but they remain hugely influential, and no progressive rock collection is complete without Mirage and Moonmadness.

Originally available on 2023’s retrospective Air Born box set, these remastered and remixed versions of arguably their best two albums have now been released as standalone items for the discerning consumer.

Both are presented here as two-CD plus Blu-ray boxes, including plenty of unreleased extra tracks, plus new stereo and 5.1 mixes from Stephen W Tayler, who’s surely mounting a serious challenge to Steven Wilson as the hardest working remixer in prog. Tayler has already done exemplary work for the likes of Van der Graaf Generator and Hawkwind, and these mixes continue that trend, bringing out new dynamics in the music while staying true to its spirit.

In contrast to the fuggy post-psych of Camel’s debut LP, 1974’s Mirage grabs attention from the off, with the chopped metallic chords of Freefall crisp and explosive in Tayler’s mix. An already fabulous performance feels even more vital, its sudden ascents, twists and turns thrillingly kinetic.

The Tolkien-referencing The White Rider is now a widescreen production as Peter Bardens’ synth solo fizzes with furious energy while Andy Ward sounds like he’s grown an extra set of limbs behind the drum kit. The epic Lady Fantasy is a showcase for Andy Latimer’s lyrical guitar playing – in many ways the real ‘voice’ of Camel.

Tayler’s mix emphasises the lushness of the arrangements

Of the previously unheard tracks, Autumn is a reflective ballad while The Traveller is a terrific slice of prog boogie. The latter also forms part of an alternative demo version of Mirage which feels more live and less dry than the final product.

After the commercial breakthrough of 1975’s The Snow Goose, Moonmadness was Camel’s most successful album, their deeply melodic instincts combining with an increasingly prominent jazz rock vibe. Tayler’s mix emphasises the lushness of the arrangements, with the complex but seemingly effortless Chord Change polished to a translucent sheen.

The haunting Spirit Of The Water plugs into Britain’s rich seam of bucolic mysticism, while Another Night is a taut, propulsive rocker with a crunching outro. But it’s Lunar Sea that remains the album’s dazzling highlight – Tayler has some fun with its tripped-out, spacey opening, before Latimer’s piercingly pure lead cuts loose over Doug Ferguson’s throbbing bass.

A team-playing band rather than grandstanding individualists, Camel’s music bypasses the brain and goes straight for the heart.

The box set editions of Mirage and Moonmadness are on sale now via Esoteric Records.

Joe is a regular contributor to Prog. He also writes for Electronic Sound, The Quietus, and Shindig!, specialising in leftfield psych/prog/rock, retro futurism, and the underground sounds of the 1970s. His work has also appeared in The Guardian, MOJO, and Rock & Folk. Joe is the author of the acclaimed Hawkwind biographyDays Of The Underground (2020). He’s on Twitter and Facebook, and his website is https://www.daysoftheunderground.com/.