I've been thinking about the idea that I just posted on the last entry, I still need to get some things together though. While I'm on it, I would like to introduce to you a band, one that is not that commercial or known to most of people, but still, they've had a successful career around the world for the last (or so) 30-ish years. The band is called 'Camel', yeah like the animal and they are aaaaaweesomee!!.
For my introduction, I need to be really honest with it, because Camel is a relatively new discovery to me, so for my -short one paragraph chronicle- I'll do it like this.
On my extended music hours spent listening to Zepp or Rush, someone just mentioned that, if I was so into the progressive music of the 70's, then I should have listened to this Camel-band at least once (who the f&*% are these guys?) well I said yes!! (just to strengthen my prog-listener pride); however, the truth was (as you've already noticed) that I really hadn't heard of them.... Curses!!, dear oh God! what have I been missing!!! (>_<)
Camel is to England what Rush is to Canada (Although I'm not pretty sure if people still listen or worship them), weirdos playing horrific music, endless and strenuous pieces which only a few select could withstand to hear. Still the thing was, and for sure remains the same on these days, no one cares about progressive music. Of course! because it is a thing of taste, but when you really appreciate the complexity and composition of good music and not the thing they play at the nightclubs, then you will know what I'm talking about. In addition to that, imagine that you have 'clever' lyrics and not shitty lyrics like most of the new things that have come out these past years.
Coming back to Camel, the song that I would like you to listen to, is from the album 'Rajaz', the song is called 'Lawrence' and it is a fricking masterpiece of some sort which takes you to an ancient distant land. It makes you feel like you are walking through the sand dunes of some desert-like place. You hear the sound of a guitar, a soothing and mellowing guitar which pumps serenity into your ears, but still gives you the thrill of a good ol' guitar solo.
After a series of albums that took away the spirit and the core essence of the Camel of the 70's, they came up with this jewel of the desert and amazed us in the year 1999. Rajaz took back the prog style of the band to the fans (by the time, we have to remember that the music was dominated by Britney Spears or N'Sync's kind of music... I feel sick just to mention those two, yiuuuck!!). Too bad for me that I wasn't aware on that time of this kind of music, I would've loved to hear this record brand new, just taken out of the oven!...
Give it a try and listen to the song, it is almost 11 min long, but at the end I assure you it will be worth it. A pleasant gift from this underrated band of the progressive industry.
Hope you like this small hint about different music. See you next time for the next lesson!
