01	Breathless						04:20
	02	Echoes						07:20
	03	Wing And A Prayer						04:46
	04	Down On The Farm						04:25
	05	Starlight Ride						03:26
	06	Summer Lightning						06:10
	07	You Make Me Smile						04:18
	08	The Sleeper						07:08
	09	Rainbow's End						03:00

Released in September 22nd, 1978. (p) 1978 The Decca Record Co.

Andrew Latimer: Guitar, CS80/50, Vocals
Peter Bardens: Keyboards
Andy Ward: Drums, Percussion
Richard Sinclair: Bass, Vocals
Mel Collins: Flute, Saxes

The most arguable Camel album. Some fans rank it number one, yet some can't stand it. Given the previous album's feeling of "songs for rainy days", this is Camel's first album since 1974 without a real concept. Although many songs are short and poppy, there are some typically complex and jazzy tracks, (Echoes, The sleeper). Sinclair's influence is more evident here, in a 'spiritual' manner - his vocals, his tongue-in-cheek lyrics and his bass work are all prominent.
The album's inner sleeve has pictures of the members (Collins included).
Beware of One Way Records release which is poorly designed, and has no sleeve notes like the Deram one, although the sound quality is OK. The Deram CD cover has been retouched, the Camel logo and the Breathless title lacking the 'smokiness' featured in the original LP. The Israeli LP release has a different song order printed on the cover, though the record is the same.

- Sinclair wrote Down on the Farm, featuring belches and other strange voices, typical of his days with Caravan and Hatfield and the North.
- Latimer and Bardens wrote the songs in Cornwall.
- While making the album Bardens decided to quit the band, leaving shortly before the recordings were over. He has since then collaborated with Camel on two albums as a guest musician, and maybe played on some unreleased live gigs.
- Mel Collins has become a formal member of the band.
- David Sinclair, Richard's cousin, played keyboards on Rainbow's End, although uncreditted on the album. David then joined Camel on their Breathless tour.
- The intro to The Sleeper was inspired by the seagulls soaring above Golant, Cornwall.

Deram CD version includes notes by John Tracy.
Decca TXS-R 132, Arista 4206, Arista 0798, Decca 6376126, Released in September 22nd, 1978.
Deram 820-726-2, Deram pocd-1827 (Japanese), One Way Records OW 29130 (Canadian)
Total Playing Time: 44:56
Breathless reached Billboard #134

Consumers Alert: A problem has been reported on the Deram CD release of Breathless, as described by Dave of Studio Seventeen:

From: Studio Seventeen
Date: Sat, 17 Nov 1996
The problem occurs during track 6, "Summer Lightning". from 2:47 through to about 3:00 (one of the nicest parts of the song BTW) the speed of the master tape audibly SLOWS in a most horrifying way. First slightly, from 2:47 to about 2:52, and then a REALLY sickening lurch at moment 2:54. It starts to sound "normal" again after minute 3:00, but the pitch variations (for my ears anyway) destroy the musical integrity of the track.
Other than that, the disc seems OK.

This error has been reported to happen on the Deram 820-726-2 (UK, printed in Germany). It's been reported that the One Way Records and the Deram Japanese version are fine. Jim Preston reported that his copy of the same Deram release does not carry this defect. I've personally checked the Deram 820-726-2, made in Germany, which didn't have this defect. The One Way Records was ok too.

An alternative set of lyrics was provided by Stanley Rosenthal. Stan transcribed the lyrics based on his own listening and the proposals given in the Camel Mailing list. Stan's transcription provides an alternative to some muddy lyrics.
The lyrics were submitted by Aymeric Leroy, maintainer of the excellent Calyx - The Canterbury Web Page
Various Corrections submitted by Rene Baltus, Stanely Rosenthal and Steve Howarth.
HTML revision: Ofir Zwebner
Some info is missing and lyrics may be wrong. Your contribution is welcome.




Breathless Liner Notes

Still proclaiming at identical personnel to that which had placed their first long-player, Rain Dances, on the map in September 1977 and then constructed the in-concert potted musical-history-to-date double set, A Live Record (April 1978), Camel had been undertaking the initial spadework for a new studio album during the early months of that latter year.

Original members Messrs. Latimer, Bardens and Ward were these days fleshed-out by ex-Caravan bassist Richard Sinclair, while the ever-dependable reed blower Mel Collins - never a full time participant, but always available for recording and touring duties in between his numerous 'session' activities - had readily agreed to arrive as necessary in full cry.

However, the melodic interface between Andy Latimer and Peter Bardens had been progressively taking a turn for the worse, in that both saw Camel's future venturing along differing paths, and whilst in the past this 'rivalry' had contributed positively to the band's sound evolution, during the recording of this latest project - to be billed as Breathless - the undercurrent of friction first apparent during the creation of Rain Dances surfaced more fully. In 1981 Andy Latimer recalled events of the period: 'Peter and I always got on well when creating, but the problems started when we came to the actual execution of ideas. In the studio we were just stifling each other. I wouldn't let him get any of his ideas out, and he wouldn't let me get any of mine out, so it became pretty heavy going. We mutually agreed to part company on the creative level. Richard and Andy wanted to stay with me, so Peter went. I think it was a good move for both of us.'

This having been agreed, Bardens completed the forthcoming set with his erstwhile collegues, again their handiwork being a bundle of individual songs rather than following the concept framework which had already featured primarily in their rise to fame thus-far.

In disagreements there were, few outside the soundproofed booths of a triumvirate of establishments which played host to Breathless's recording could have guessed. A superbly accomplished result ensued, with one of Camels most delightful oddities, Richard's whimsical sound effect laden Down on the Farm, sitting comfortably among their more usual demonstrations of instrument virtuosity.

Scheduled for United Kingdome release on 22nd September '78 as Decca TXS-R 132, it bounded into our then Top 60 on October 14th at No. 26, but exited seven days later and failed to return. No seven-inch spin-offs were envisaged from within, although a special version of Rainbow's End did surface on the maxi-single issued to support the long player I Can See Your House From Here the next year, as F-R 13879 (Rel.: 26th October, U.K. Only), Remote Romance and Tell Me were its accomplices.

While he had fulfilled recording obligations on Breathless, all involved knew Peter would not now be joining the tour bus for an already-booked accompanying lengthy international road promotion. There was never any intention to draft in a Bardens clone, so when Mr. Sinclair suggested the employment of two former Caravan roommates adept on the 'eighty-eights', his cousin Dave and Liverpudlian Jan Schelhaas, the Andy's saw bright new horizons opening up and readily agreed. Happily, so did those approached.

Their nightly crusade was due to begin on September 10th at Croydon's Fairfield Hall with singer/songwriter Michael Chapman as special guest - they were actually performing in Ipswich Suffolk's Gaumont Cinema on the night of Breathless's unveiling a few days later - and ended its U.K. leg at York University come October 14th, after which mainland Europe was in for a treat right through to December. Next stop, a first taste of Japan, which was such a triumph they were provisionally logging 1980 replay dates before departing, and then off to North America.

Signed to Decca/Deram for the world except U.S.A. and Canada in those days, their previous agreements with the Janus company for those last-named territories had run its course and this latest event was already pacted to a new major. With the boys able to support its appearance via live dates, Arista 4206 moved in on Billboard's Top 200 come 10th February 1979 and thereafter galloped northward to 134 during a 10 week stopover. There were smiles all round.

Once home though Dave Sinclair, who had only signed on for the duration, waved adieu, but, more importantly, Richard also called time owing to pressure of touring. Jan was staying put; all wished to pursue the twin-keyboards idea further, so in the summer ex-Clancy, Steve Hillage and Carol Grimes four-stringer Colin Bass came in along with America's own Kit Watkins, once of Happy The Man, who brought his numerous electric descendants of the harpsichord to complete a dream quintet.

They set about penning new material immediately, and after only a few weeks together way-back-when Andy Latimer stated ecstatically: 'It's better now musically than it ever was. We've got the capability, both for more complicated pieces and the power for straight-down-the-line things. The level of enthusiasm has brought the new numbers along very quickly. Recording is fun rather than an effort. The new rhythm section's so tight. It's a joy to play over. We're proud of the stuff we've done in the past and will continue to play it live. We're still distinctly English and like to take chances. The new material sounds more commercial but we only do what we want to do.'

Going the whole hog the boys employed producer Rupert Hine to undertake the role in which they'd recently employed themselves and Mick Glossop, and in October '79 listeners around the globe would be able to share the magic password to Camel's next Aladdin's Cave of crotchets, quavers, vowels and consonants by uttering, "I Can See Your House From Here..."

c John Tracy London, 1992





Tentative Review #143
Camel
Breathless
(released 1978)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Track: Rating:
1. Breathless
2. Echoes
3. Wing And A Prayer
4. Down On The Farm
5. Starlight Ride
6. Summer Lightning
7. You Make Me Smile
8. The Sleeper
9. Rainbow's End

Personnel:
Pete Bardens: keyboards
Mel Collins: flute, saxophone
Andy Latimer: flute, guitar, vocals
Richard Sinclair: bass, vocals
Andy Ward: percussion, drums


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Comments:
Like many other progressive bands, Camel went through a period of artistic decline in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Breathless, as such, appears as a transitional point in this process.

Before going any further, I should note that I am not an expert on Camel's mid-period history. I do not own Rain Dances (1977) or I Can See Your House From Here (1979), the albums which precede and follow Breathless in the band's catalogue. For this reason, I am unable to speculate as to whether or not the album was the first stage in the band's decline, or whether it continued a process that was already set in motion.

I know enough about Camel, however, to realize that there was a clear process of decline from the peaks of their early work (eg. "Freefall", on Mirage) to the nadirs of their tragic end (eg. "Cloak And Dagger Man", on Stationary Traveler). If Breathless wasn't the first stage in this transition, it was nevertheless a part. The album contains some strongly progressive moments (which are generally pretty good) and some strongly poppish moments (which, even measured by pop standards, are generally pretty bad). It would not be unfair for me to speculate that this album is, in effect, a meeting point of their two stylistic approaches -- and a fair image of the band's decline-in-progress.

To be fair, Breathless doesn't stand out as a terribly poor work when compared to the 1978 releases by the more famous progressive artists: better than Love Beach, Tormato and Giant For A Day, the album also rates about evenly with And Then There Were Three. There is clearly enough good material here to satisfy serious progressive fans, and at its best (ie. the first half of "Echoes") the album compares well against the band's best output. Despite all of this, however, it's hard not to see the album as a step in the wrong direction.

The album begins with the title track, one of the better pop tracks on the release. The song's value is essentially carried by its lead guitar hook (does "Alan Parsons meets Johnny Marr" sound frightening to you?), with some assistance from Mel Collins. The lyrical "bridge" section is decent enough as well; ultimately, though, this isn't that notable of a song.

"Echoes", on the other hand, begins in an extremely impressive manner, with Bardens and Latimer performing impressive leads over a 6/4 rhythm (Sinclair gets in a few decent lines as well). A somewhat surprising vocal section appears after the first 4-5 minutes -- while its fairly good as well, it's a small step down in quality from the instrumental section. This could have been a bit better, but still qualifies as the best track on the album.

"Wing And A Prayer" is another inoffensive pop number, with decent arrangements and good vocal harmonies (not to mention a nice saxophone bit in the middle section) -- as with "Breathless", though, it doesn't really lend itself to extensive consideration.

This is followed by a rather curious number entitled "Down On The Farm". Beginning with an absurd (and obviously parodic) heavy, stadium- progressive introduction, the track soon lurches into an equally absurd (and quite deadpan) folk-prog narrative of the joys of rural life. The manner in which Richard Sinclair (I assume) pulls off the vocals is fairly impressive, and Collins, as always, adds something to the value of the piece ... perhaps I'd be willing to give the track a higher rating if a few of the bawdy jokes and sound-effects were eliminated. This track is like nothing else on the album, and perhaps nothing else in the band's career.

"Starlight Ride" is a brief, fairly forgettable space-oriented track, with fairly conventional sound effects (and a few half-decent guitar fills). This track isn't really substantial enough to take full notice of.

"Summer Lightning" is another odd number. After a fairly good poppish introduction, the band makes use of (good heavens!) a disco beat as a means of driving home a lyrical joke. The beat (which, again, seems fairly parodic) continues through the rest of the track, which soon evolves into an instrumental section over which Latimer spins an impressive guitar solo. If nothing else, this band deserves credit for appropriately popular music in a more ironic manner than most other progressive acts ...

Like "Echoes", "You Make Me Smile" begins in 6/4; however, the similarities don't go much further than this. The impressive vocal harmonies aside, this track simply sounds like debased pop -- certainly less than what the band was capable of.

"The Sleeper" is another highlight of the album, a progressive track which features a decent work from all of the musicians involved (not to mention quite a few interesting time shifts, noticeable even to the casual listener). Latimer and Bardens once again take the lion's share of the melodic leads, as would be expected (though Collins's saxophone part is pretty good too). On an uneven release, this track showcases the band at a point fairly close to the peak of their skills.

Unfortunately, "The Sleeper" isn't the last track on the album. That honour rather goes to "Rainbow's End", a dreary pop ballad that stands as the greatest failure on the release (mitigated only by Mel Collins's flute overlays). The Gibb-esque vocals are particularly regrettable. As a harbinger of troubles to come, this track seems especially ominous in retrospect.

Those curious in Camel would be advised to start with Mirage or The Snow Goose.

The Christopher Currie
(review originally posted to alt.music.yes on 10 Feb 1999)





Camel - Breathless

Member: Reginod
Date: 12/2/2003
Format: CD (Album)

Wotta load o'crap, right? Camel goes pop. Wimpy and weak. The downfall of a once-great band.

Those are some attitudes that you might get from die-hard proggers about Breathless, Camel's sixth studio album. Released on the Arista label in 1978, it was the last Camel album which featured the late Peter Bardens as a full-time band member. The previous album Raindances boasted the same lineup (with Canterbury luminary Richard Sinclair on bass and vocals and the ubiquitous Mel Collins on flute and saxes) but Breathless took an obvious turn away from the sharp and succinct instrumentals that permeated its precursor.

"Light and airy" better describes the approach taken on the balance of the cuts on Breathless. There wasn't as much scorching guitar from Andy Latimer as compared to albums like Moonmadness or Mirage, and Bardens' keyboard work hints at the dreamlike (some might say soporific) nature of his later solo albums such as Seen One Earth and Water Colors.

Perhaps the members of Camel (or more likely the execs at Arista) were indeed hoping to broaden the band's appeal with Breathless, but a closer listen reveals a wealth of musical subtlety. The title cut at first seems like a simple pop love tune, but it contains some shimmering guitar from Latimer, and it throws in a somewhat unexpected slow section which separates it from the average commercial radio fare. "Wing And A Prayer" is a showcase for Bardens' chordal approach; Sinclair's whimsical "Down On The Farm" is a Camel oddity, throwing a humorous curve into the proceedings. One can make a game of identifying the various farm sounds -tractors, cows, roosters, a shotgun blast, and the like- which were embedded into the mix.

The lullabye-like "Starlight Ride" and the ending ballad "Rainbow's End" feature some wonderful melody-weaving from Collins (as does much of this album), and "You Make Me Smile" has a delicious, all-too-brief solo from Bardens, the timbre of which was sadly left behind as the 70's came to a close. Guilty as charged, "Summer Lightning" does feature a disco rhythm typical of that era, but Camel's treatment again set it far apart from Donna Summer, with a rather lengthy and excellent solo from Latimer.

The real reason that Breathless belongs in any self-respecting prog collection, however, is the inclusion of two truly incredible cuts. "Echoes" is a soaring, poignant, brilliantly composed piece, 7-plus minutes in length, 2/3 instrumental, and simply dripping with all of the emotion and exemplary musicianship that has characterized all of Camel's best work. "The Sleeper" is another "grand slam", also checking in at 7-plus perfect, all instrumental minutes. It is a keyboard extravaganza for Bardens, but it features dazzling work from Collins and a blazing solo from Latimer. Drummer Andy Ward delivers an important statement on "The Sleeper"; a hand injury would later shorten his career, but he had a uniquely nimble style which fit magically with Camel and should not be overlooked.

Different but by no means bad, Breathless nonetheless signaled the end of an era for Camel. Although Latimer has continued to release excellent albums bearing the Camel moniker, it's too bad that he and Bardens were full-fledged partners for such a relatively brief period. They created some truly great music together.


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