*** Camel -- Rain Dances
Personnel changes often affect bands, and this album is a good example. The departure of Doug Ferguson on bass brought in Richard Sinclair, formerly of Caravan and Hatfield and the North. While Camel had previously been a symphonic progressive band, those elements are lessened here, as Sinclair and saxophonist Mel Collins bring in a real jazz feel. This isn't a bad album, but it doesn't come close to the brilliance of Moonmadness or some of the later stuff. This re-release includes a "single mix" of "Highways of the Sun", a very accessible track that should leave no doubt in anyone's mind that Camel and the Alan Parsons Project are two fairly interchangeable bands. The fact that APP had the hits and Camel did not probably isn't due to the quality of the music.
Reviews by A. D. Jensen
