Track Listing

1. Slow Yourself Down
2. Mystic Queen
3. Six Ate
4. Separation
5. Never Let Go
6. Curiosity
7. Arubaluba
8. Never Let Go
9. Homage To The God Of Light

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #26636 in Music
• Released on: 2002-06-03
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Original recording remastered, Extra tracks
• Dimensions: .21 pounds
• Running time: 61 minutes

Customer Reviews

A Diamond Of A First Album
A fine debut, and my personal favourite of all their output, from one of the great 70s rock bands, blending elements of blues, soul and jazz into a rich prog rock tapestry.
Peter Bardens' keyboard work provides the band's musical foundation, alternately driving the material along (Slow Yourself Down, Separation, Arubaluba) and offering a lush backdrop for Andy Latimer's melodic guitar (Six Ate, Curiosity, Mystic Queen, Never Let Go). The re-mastered edition also features a crackling rendition of live favourite Homage To The God Of Light, recorded at the Marquee.
A few influences are clearly discernable, with touches of Santana, Genesis, Moody Blues and Caravan/Hatfield&the North echoing through here and there, but the music herein is definitely their own. Don't look for vocal performances, they were never the band's strong point, but if you like great tunes and great playing, you'll more than likely enjoy this album.

TAKE A RIDE!!!
No gimmicks, no over extravagance, no pomp and no pretentiousness. There is something a bit more cool and chilled out to Camel than their contemporaries. In fact, it's safe to say that a lot of Camel's early work wouldn't be scoffed at in todays music world.
Their debut really is something special. Ok, vocally, they were never that great, but musically, the fusion of jazz and swirling prog is smooth and accessible. Why were they never more popular???
Slow Yourself Down, Mystic Queen, Never Let Go and the excellent Arubaluba are certainly the highlights here. The songs are still fresh after 30 odd years, and the remastered sound is good. I've only just recently discovered Camel, after being a Yes/Genesis/Pink Floyd fan for many years. However, I feel that this album, and the next four they recorded are as good as if not better than the masterworks of those other luminaries. In fact, I would probably take the debut and 'Mirage' over 'Close To The Edge', 'Dark Side Of The Moon' and 'The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway' any day. Old fossils? Go dig 'em up!!!

Seven-humped monster
Camel's debut album sounds at first like archetypal prog, but is so stylishly jazzy that at times it almost swings. 'Slow Yourself Down,' bolstered by Peter Bardens organ flourishes, exemplifies this. 'Mystic Queen' slows the pace, allowing the band some more dramatic touches, including some beautiful guitar work from Andy Latimer. 'Six Ate' skips airily along, while 'Separation' is more of a hard-driven track. It also features a more prominent vocal, an aspect Camel struggle with, though to little concern. The haunting 'Never Let Go' is the most instant track. I first heard this on 'A Live Record' and, perhaps because of that, prefer that version. 'Curiosity' drips in gradually under a ticking hi-hat and allows some inspired guitar and keyboard soloing. 'Arubaluba' benefits from a portentous, plodding combination of organ and guitar to introduce it, but breaks out into a thunderous rhythm.
The bonuses include a 19-minute live version of an old Bardens composition, a bonus indeed, but the regular album tracks are the stars of the show.