"The first time I sat down to listen to this album in its entirety, I had Paul Gallico’s short story, The Snow Goose, to read while the music played. I must admit, the atmosphere created by the music is special. “The Great Marsh” is a fantastic opening to this story/album. As I read the story and allowed the music to enhance the story, my thoughts were transported from the comfort of my home in suburban America to that marsh in England where man is a stranger and the ecological chain is alive and on full display. Well..there is one man there – the hermit-like painter named Rhayader. Rhayader’s theme as interpreted by Camel can be listened to on this site and is an interesting tune with a couple of moods, which actually foreshadow the type of character Rhayader will turn out to be in this story. I actually found this to be an enjoyable experience and found myself enjoying both the story and Camel’s “soundtrack” of the story. Believe it or not, I actually finished reading the story before the music ended.
Camel is a unique group that certainly creates a strong mood with their music, whether it be with the sound of the flute or one of the see-saw sounds that emanate from Andrew Latimer’s guitar. I enjoy this album, but only listen to it when I want to listen to the whole thing. The songs individually do not stand well on their own, in my opinion. That fact along with the absence of vocals/lyrics keep me from giving this album a higher rating. I love the music, but I’m also a sucker for one of the most fascinating musical instruments: the human voice. Other than those two criticisms, I think this is a strong album and one that I enthusiastically recommend."
