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Camel — Gods of Light '73-'75
(Camel Productions CP-010CD, 1975/2000, CD)

by Jeff Melton, Published 2003-02-01

Gods of Light '73-'75 Cover art

Also known as the popular bootleg Famous Rock Dreams and the rarer Needles in the Camel s Eye, Gods of Light: 73-75 provides a deep view of the early live workings of the band. Updated sound sources for the official release reportedly come from Camel s own archives so the sound quality is vastly improved over the other discs. What you really get here are a few alternate versions of live tracks that were not previously available until the last few years. For example, “God of Light Revisited” also appeared on the live On the Road archive from 1972, but with a more subdued performance. The song itself was an early showcase for the band, with Bardens’ organ playing at the center stage that gave the group a chance to stretch out (in particular for Latimer’s guitar work on this version). Plus live versions of “White Rider” and “Lady Fantasy” from Mirage and a nearly 30-minute excerpt from The Snow Goose are included that are all strong, well-played performances. The live Snow Goose medley is particularly brilliant in that it proves the band could undertake the vast scope of the concept album within a live context without the orchestra — that appears on disc two of A Live Record. Better versions of all these recordings exist legitimately, but that doesn’t mean this collection has little value. Overall this an excellent representation of the original quartet s work together as they mined the U.K. college and club circuit opening for various acts and refined their sound and identity. Highly recommended.

Filed under: New releases, Issue 26, 2000 releases, 1975 recordings

Related artist(s): Camel, Peter Bardens

 

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