Moonmadness [Original recording remastered] [Import]

1. Aristillus

2. Song Within a Song

3. Chord Change

4. Spirit of the Water

5. Another Night

6. Air Born

7. Lunar Sea

8. Another Night [Single Version][*]

9. Spirit of the Water [#][*][Demo Version]

10. Song Within a Song [#][*]

11. Lunar Sea [*]

12. Preparation/Dunkirk [#][*]

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
UK reissue of 1976 album, remastered from the original tapes & includes 5 bonus tracks 'Another Night' (single version), 'Spirit Of The Water' (demo), 'Song Within A Song' (recorded live at Hammersmith Odeon, London 14th April 1976), 'Lunar Sea' (recorded live at Hammersmith Odeon, London 14th April 1976) & 'Preparation/Dunkirk' (recorded live at Hammersmith Odeon, London 14th April 1976). 2002.

Moonmadness,Camel,Universal Int'l,Britain,Pop,Prog-Rock/Art Rock,Rock,Rock/Pop

Moonmadness [Original recording remastered] [Import]

Average customer rating:

what an amazing experience
A great buy for any lover of this band
A very warm and final album from the original lineup
Beautiful, melodic listening music
Awesome- Camel's best

Moonmadness
Camel
Manufacturer: Umvd Import
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

The Snow Goose
Mirage
Rain Dances
Camel
Breathless

ASIN: B00005V1B3
Release Date: 2002-06-10

Tracks:

Aristillus
Song Within a Song
Chord Change
Spirit of the Water
Another Night
Air Born
Lunar Sea
Another Night [Single Version][*]
Spirit of the Water [#][*][Demo Version]
Song Within a Song [#][*]
Lunar Sea [*]
Preparation/Dunkirk [#][*]

Album Description

UK reissue of 1976 album, remastered from the original tapes & includes 5 bonus tracks 'Another Night' (single version), 'Spirit Of The Water' (demo), 'Song Within A Song' (recorded live at Hammersmith Odeon, London 14th April 1976), 'Lunar Sea' (recorded live at Hammersmith Odeon, London 14th April 1976) & 'Preparation/Dunkirk' (recorded live at Hammersmith Odeon, London 14th April 1976). 2002.

Album Details

Reissue and Remastered with Previously Unreleased Bonus Tracks. Includes New Liner Notes, Prevoiusly Unseen Photos and Memorabilia.

Customer Reviews:

what an amazing experience.......2007-07-08

I have something important to say. Many times you've probably heard people say "If everyone heard such-and-such album, the world would be a better place". Camel seem to have been created to help make people better. I'm serious. These guys are good at writing music that's pleasantly soothing while at the same time extremely interesting for progressive rock fans, and because of this I have no choice but to declare Camel one of the best rock bands ever. They really deserve to be known as one of the best and I think you'll agree with me once you hear how incredible their songwriting skills are.

I also have another thing that urgently needs to be said, and this is also important- I'm an American who was born in the early 80's. I wasn't around when these 70's masterpieces were created and released to the public. I find it extraordinary that these musicians were able to write music that connects with me on a very personal level.

You know, people like to think "People from other countries have different traditions, and aren't really like me in any way" but that's completely NOT true because Camel manages to put creative images in my head that *very* few musicians seem to be able to do. Every time I listen to a Camel album and get caught up in the keyboards, guitar work or synth jams, a dream I had many years ago all of a sudden enters my head that I thought had been forgotten forever. Dreams that I had forgotten for years suddenly return and become the center of my thoughts.

It's amazing how these musicians who were writing music years before I was born were able to really glue me into their sound and style like it was completely natural. This music is just extremely *right* in every way. Sometimes I even think the band members feel like brothers to me.

When human beings write honest music, sometimes it works on a level that I believe they never thought was even possible, because the feeling of connection can be unbelievably strong sometimes. It's amazing, and goes to show how much alike people are. People like to say "Everyone's different" but not in this case. It's totally amazing to me how the dreams I have every night are very similar to the visions and the creations from this band. That will probably fascinate me until the end of time.

So yeah, Moonmadness is a great album, but so is everything else from Camel. You must look into this band. Put it on your "Must Do" list.

I know Camel didn't have as much success in the States that they probably wanted to, but I hope the surviving members are aware that the music they created back in the day really holds up well today, and that it's really a great experience listening to their music and getting caught up in their peaceful and honest dream world. I plan on keeping Camel's music alive forever. If I ever have kids, they will know this band.

A great buy for any lover of this band.......2007-06-13

A great buy for any lover of this band

A very warm and final album from the original lineup.......2007-03-18

This 1976 album would prove to be the last with the classic Camel lineup and (after the epic, song-cycle suite The Snow Goose (1975)) returns to the format on Mirage (1974). Musically, Moonmadness continues Camels brand of progressive rock with a dash of jazz rock, yet is more synth-heavy than previous albums. The overall feel is a bit softer too, especially in contrast with the hard rocking 1973 debut and Mirage. My guess is that the softness is a holdover from the mellow Snow Goose album.

The lineup on Moonmadness includes Andrew Latimer (electric and acoustic guitars, flute, and vocals); Pete Bardens (Hammond organ, electric piano, acoustic piano, mini-moog, ARP Odyssey, and vocals); Doug Ferguson (electric bass and lead vocal on Song within a Song); and Andy Ward (drums, percussion and voice on Aristillus). All of the musicians are very good and I especially like Pete's Hammond organ and especially his synthesizer work on this album - he gets some great synth sounds. The ensemble work is very good too - this is especially surprising given that Doug was on his way out of the band at this point. With respect to the vocal department, they are not necessarily Camel's strong suit but it does not ruin anything for me at all. Come to think of it, they seem to try and get around the vocal problem by subjecting the vocals to various electronic effects on a few tracks.

The seven tracks on the album range in length from 1'56" to 9'07". Musically, Moonmadness presents an excellent mixture of sprightly prog/jazz rock instrumentals; vocal tracks; softer more pastoral tracks (Spirit of the Water; Air Born) and longish proggy tracks including the synth-heavy Lunar Sea. There is not much of a hard feel to any of the tracks and everything is very "warm" sounding. There is also good use of melodies and harmonies on this album - they really spent a lot of time on them. Oh one last thing - it seems that the emphasis on repeated riffs (ostinatos) has been lessened somewhat and ensemble work/counterpoint is favored more.

This remastered album by Decca is excellent and features great sound quality, restored cover art, and loads of liner notes and photos of the band. The bonus tracks include a mix of singles, demos, and live recordings of Song within a Song, Lunar Sea, and Preparation/Dunkirk (from The Snow Goose). The live recordings were taken from a concert held at the Hammersmith Odeon on April 14, 1976. The sound quality is just OK although the performances are very good.

Moonmadness is a fantastic album and one of my favorites from the group and is very highly recommended along with the debut, The Snow Goose, and Rain Dances (1977).

Beautiful, melodic listening music.......2007-02-04

This is a CD full of rather mellow, but lovely music. Although in a 70's rock context, it's mostly just great, melodic music. It's almost like an instrumental album - the vocals are very non-obtrusive (they remind me of some of the mellower Pink Floyd vocals) and not really the main focus (at least not when I listen to it). Overall, I find this very reminiscent of mellow early Genesis, but without the vocal emphasis and the guitar playing isn't as "weird" as Genesis's Steve Hackett. I would like to emphasize that although more "relaxing" than "rocking", it's not at all boring and there are times the music picks up some speed, but it's still a great CD to chill out to. This was my first Camel CD, I've sinced picked up the excellent "Snow Goose" and plan to buy more.

Awesome- Camel's best.......2005-12-14

Moonmadness is the creative peak in Camel's career and one of the definitive progressive rock records of the 70s. The album's success can be attributed to a number of factors; fantastic songwriting, inspired production with Rhett Davies stripping down Camel's sound to just the basic instruments rather than building up complex orchestral layers like Genesis. This approach really works, creating a smooth, slightly ambient sound. Typically there are no hits to speak of (although Another Night was released as a single). The quality is high throughout, however, and there are no fillers. The highlights are numerous but Camel really soar on their instrumental outings like Lunar Sea and Chord Change, where Andy Latimer really lets rip on some dazzling solo guitar work, and showstopping ballads like Spirit of the Water. The artwork too is sublime with a beautifully designed album cover, graphics and band photo. The remastered CD has some extra toons thrown in including a corking live performance of Lunar Sea, a wonderful demo version of Spirit of the Water, and an alternate version of Another Night. This is an album to love. I remember the radio commercial for this on Capital Radio when it first came out in 1976, to the strains of Aristillus a woman's voice saying: "Moonmadness, the dreamy new album from Camel..." Amen to that.

Average customer rating:

BUYER BEWARE: NO EXTRA TRAX, DIFFERENT MASTER
Sounds real good
MASTERPIECE
One of the finest
Another Album at the Peak

Moonmadness
Camel
Manufacturer: Polygram Int'l
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music

Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

The Snow Goose
Mirage
Larks Tongues in Aspic - 30th Anniversary Edition Remastered

ASIN: B000005S08
Release Date: 1999-01-12

Tracks:

Aristillus
Song Within A Song
Chord Change
Spirit Of The Water
Another Night
Air Born
Lunar Sea

Album Description

1983 reissue on Decca of their 1976 album for Gama. Seven tracks, including 'Aristillus', 'Song Within In A Song' and 'Chord Change'.

Album Details

1976 Release on the Janus Label is Supposedly More "Commercial" Than Its Three Predecessors ("Camel", "Mirage" and "Snow Goose"). Includes "Song Within a Song", "Spirit of the Water" and Five More. Last Camel Recording featuring the Original Lineup of Andrew Latimer, Andy Ward, Peter Bardens and Bill Ferguson, who Exited Shortly after the Record's Release.

Customer Reviews:

BUYER BEWARE: NO EXTRA TRAX, DIFFERENT MASTER.......2006-04-12

In 2002, the first four Camel albums were reissued with remastered sound and extra tracks in regular jewel case versions.

Later, followed LP-mini-sleeve versions of those four titles. "Moonmadness" & "Snow Goose" were issued in mini-sleeve format in 2001; "Camel", "Mirage" & "Live Record" in 2002.

The first two titles, "Camel" and "Mirage", in their mini-sleeve incarnations, are the same exact remasters/extra trax versions as their jewel-cased counterparts.

HOWEVER:

"Moonmadness" is not. It has no extra tracks, and sports a remaster that is quite a bit louder than the remasters on the first two titles.

The same is true for the "Snow Goose" jewel-case & mini-sleeve versions; the MS has a different (louder) master and no extra tracks.

It's unfortunate that JVC did not avail themselves of the expanded versions of "Moonmadness" & "Snow Goose", and anyone who buys these mini-sleeve versions should be aware of the difference.

Sounds real good.......2005-10-11

I'ma fan of progressive rock- Yes, Rennaissance, King Crimson, ELP, ETC. Listened to clips of this one and got me hooked. I would say if you are fan of other progressive rock bands, you'll probabaly like this too.

MASTERPIECE.......2003-01-01

SURE IT IS IN A LIST OF TEN BEST PROGRESSIVE RECORDS OF ALL TIME. MUSICIANS PLAYING REAL MUSIC, LIKE BRAZIL SHOW I SAW .
MOONMADNESS IS FULL OF GOOD SONGS , THAT YOUNG AND OLD FANS
LOVE IT,EVEN 3O YEARS AFTER BOUGHT VINYL .

One of the finest.......2002-01-03

If you are a fan of "progressive" 70s rock music, this is an album you do not want to miss. Aside from the vocal efforts it is a fantastic musical performance. (A note to all drummers out there: Andy Ward is probably the most underrated drummer ever. His hi-hat work is unrivaled).

Another Album at the Peak.......2001-12-26

Camel is the best surprise I've discovered lately (yeah, I know I'm about 30 years late but I was SOOO young back then ;-) ... Moonmadness, along with The Snow Goose, represents a peak period for this group. If you like 70s progressive music (Pink Floyd, Yes, Jethro Tull, KANSAS, etc.) I don't see how you could possibly not like Camel ... give it a shot ...