Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Camel
Label: Camel Productions
Release: 1999
Rating: 5/5
A quick glance at the cover is enough to tell you that on “Rajaz” Camel have revived the original “desert” spirit of their early work, led by “Mirage” (1974), where individual compositions took priority over interlinked concept pieces. That approach caught the attention of even those who never believed that the concept masterpieces “Dust And Dreams” (1991) and “Harbour Of Tears” (1996) had brought them back to something close to the level of their best days. With “Rajaz,” Camel proved that nothing is out of reach for them anymore, and that they can not only match some of their early work, at least in terms of atmosphere and intensity, but even surpass it, which hardly any of their contemporaries managed at the time. Andy Latimer, the guitar maestro and longtime leader of the band, has pulled off every musical and poetic vision he had tied to the group’s original legacy.
This time around, “Rajaz” isn’t set up as a concept album, but the individual pieces are held together throughout by an incredibly mysterious oriental atmosphere, steeped in fascinating poetry that instantly conjures images of endless desert dunes, camel caravans, Arabian legends, and, at the very end of the album, brings the spirit of the legendary Lawrence of Arabia to life. The main source of this unbelievable oriental mood, which carries the listener far away toward vast open spaces, is that most of the music is inspired by the tracks and movement of camel caravans, whose riders constantly dictated a precisely synchronized rhythm as they travelled through endless deserts. So most of the metric patterns on the album match the rhythm of a caravan on the move. It’s a rhythm that was supposed to help travelers find their way out of the desert and reach their well-earned destination. And that’s exactly what the music and mood of this “adventurously” spiced album is like: through symphonic waves that are by turns calm and dreamy, dramatic and melancholic, and drenched in oriental scales, it holds the listener spellbound from start to finish. Andy and his crew have once again outdone even the wildest expectations, since this is another album that “grows” with every new listen and radiates an extraordinary level of maturity.
The individual tracks are, as usual, superbly structured and arranged, full of unpredictable twists and at the same time soaked in melody. Anyone who found “Harbour Of Tears” a touch too melancholic and poetic will get more of the dramatic, unpredictable instrumental passages typical of classic Camel on “Rajaz” than they could have imagined. This version of Camel, which besides Latimer and bassist Colin Bass also featured returnee Ton Scherpenzeel (Kayak) on keyboards, Dave Stewart (ex-Fish) on drums, and Barry Phillips on cello, created an album steeped in an authentic oriental atmosphere, generated above all by Andy’s subtle gliding over pentatonic scales, often backed by excellent symphonic keyboard arrangements and an intense rhythm. Most of the pieces are also enriched by Latimer’s excellent vocals, which by then had reached a new level of confidence. Believe it or not, the production is better than ever, and this time we can pick out the individual instruments with crystal clarity, especially the rich tones of Colin’s bass guitar.
The album opens with the excellent instrumental “Three Wishes,” which features a slow, building intro on broad soundscapes, interwoven with Andy’s slide guitar coaxing out his trademark weeping sound. Then the fragile opening melody, through mighty guitar passages and keyboards, especially in the interplay between the Moog and the Hammond, tips over into dreamy harmonies between the two instruments. Lots of keyboard effects over a tense, jazz-tinged rhythm keep ramping up the authentic oriental mood, which peaks with magical, pentatonic passages on Andy’s guitar.
This superb composition flows straight into the dramatic “Lost And Found,” where we get one of the best moments on the album. You can feel that Andy’s vocals have reached a new level of intensity, and although his timbre is once again incredibly similar to David Gilmour’s (the two also share a kindred approach to the guitar), he has his own distinctive style too. Once again the mood of the piece keeps building through his epic-tinged guitar passages, which are artfully intertwined with excellent keyboard work. The rhythm almost perfectly matches the feel of a camel caravan discovering a long-forgotten treasure in the sand. Andy makes extensive use of the slide effect again, taking the track to its final climax.
That’s followed by the tense “The Final Encore,” whose opening, building rhythm, interwoven with numerous sound effects and dramatic choir-like vocal backing, creates a rather creepy atmosphere that personally reminds me a bit of the one near the end of the film Raiders of the Lost Ark. This mysterious, eerie swell suddenly tips over into an authentic oriental mood, where Andy’s use of pentatonic scales, woven together with a host of keyboard arrangements, drags the “camel caravan” rhythm along behind it. When his melancholic vocals come in, the overall mood turns extraordinarily sad. Lots of keyboard effects and percussion keep the tempo at a steady mid-pace until the middle section, where an abrupt symphonic transition kicks in, bringing a cataclysm of tasteful arrangements and a few dreamy guitar solos.
The title track “Rajaz” opens with a calm, ballad-like intro on acoustic guitar, with Andy’s vocals, full of melancholic pathos, once again in the foreground. In the background, orchestral arrangements intertwine beautifully, further enriched by a clever addition of cello. After an artful passage on acoustic guitar and lovely arrangements on flute, keyboards, and cello, the piece shifts into a dramatic, dreamy tempo dictated by the rhythm of “camel steps,” especially via Colin’s bass guitar. Andy’s slide guitar wizardry keeps lifting the mood from unspeakable melancholy to majestic revelations of authentic oriental magic. The best part comes after the almost dreamlike entrance of an artful guitar solo, which the maestro weaves wonderfully into the central melody, turning an excellent piece into a masterpiece.
“Shout” is the most tranquil and probably also the most melancholic piece on the album. At its core it’s a relatively simple acoustic ballad with plenty of lovely orchestral arrangements in the background, a simple rhythm, and Andy’s emotionally charged vocals. Camel once again show nicely here that they’re excellent even on tracks with less complex structures, which they can lift to a higher level through great atmosphere and the indescribable beauty of the individual arrangements.
“Straight To My Heart” is another very melancholic piece, in which Andy describes his childhood in the lyrics. The composition is calm and full of the maestro’s melancholic, blues-tinged, intricately built guitar passages. Pure nirvana arrives in its second half, where he drops in yet another excellent guitar solo, which is only the overture to the real symphonic dream, as that solo gets built upon and spacey keyboard textures crash in, which is one of the band’s trademark strengths and yet never fails to thrill and give you goosebumps.
Next comes “Sahara,” one of the best instrumentals they’ve ever made, and one that all fans of jazzy improvisation will enjoy too. Here Camel, with rich oriental waves, carry us into the arms of the mighty dunes of the queen of deserts. The intro dazzles with artful percussion, rich keyboard soundscapes, and an incredibly fragile, melodic line from Andy’s guitar, which he plays with unbelievable softness. The dreamy guitar passages that follow are finger-licking good, while a majestic layer of keyboards keeps building the mood toward a dramatic climax, followed by a dreamy oriental section that’s one of the most magnificent instrumental sections of their entire career. Through a small sea of guitar passages and glides over pentatonic scales, Andy keeps bringing the desert dunes to life, while orchestral arrangements and a tense rhythm create pure adventurous fantasy that doesn’t let up for a second in building an unforgettable atmosphere.
The grand finale and the best piece on the album, which brings us to the end of the adventure, is without a doubt the epic masterpiece “Lawrence,” dedicated to the legendary Lawrence of Arabia and his spirit, which (as Andy poetically puts it in the lyrics) remained “buried in the desert sand.” Dramatic soundscapes and keyboard effects in the intro create a mysterious mood before the final “revelation” arrives in an extraordinarily melancholic section that once again revives the “spirit of a never-forgotten legend.” Andy’s melancholic vocals are backed by spacey keyboards and a series of magical guitar passages that will enchant every lover of the instrument. His solo in the second half is played with such fire and heart that it can’t be described in mere words. The closing section, where weeping guitar solos and mighty layers of keyboards intertwine, conjures up one of the most beautiful and majestic endings of any of their albums. Despite the unspeakable melancholy that pervades the whole composition, it’s also infused with grandeur and radiates the triumph of the human spirit over every obstacle; in this case, over the desert, which it finally managed to beat to reach its desired destination.
“Rajaz” is yet another epic masterpiece of stunning magic with which Camel convinced even the biggest doubters that in the late ’90s they had finally returned to where they once were – the very top of symphonic prog rock, taking an emptied throne that not even the new generation of bands, most of whom grew up listening to this legendary group, could convincingly fill. What’s most incredible about “Rajaz” is that it’s one of their best albums, fully on par with the classics, where they reached yet another new level of maturity without giving up their unmistakable sound. “Rajaz” invites you on an unforgettable musical journey, and if you want to experience a genuine desert adventure on the back of a camel, this album is the right pick for you, because what other band is better suited for the feat than the one that shares its name with your riding animal?
Lineup
Andy Latimer – vocals, guitar, flute, keyboards, percussion
Colin Bass – bass guitar
Ton Scherpenzeel – keyboards
Dave Stewart – drums, percussion
Barry Phillips – cello
Production
Andrew Latimer
Track list
1. Three Wishes (6:58)
2. Lost And Found (5:38)
3. The Final Encore (8:07)
4. Rajaz (8:15)
5. Shout (5:15)
6. Straight To My Heart (6:23)
7. Sahara (6:44)
8. Lawrence (10:46)
Album length: 58:06
