Listening to more recent Camel CDs is like taking a journey: you encounter different landscapes along the way, each with their own merits and while not all the music encountered is great, there are moments of sheer brilliance and bliss that it makes it all worthwhile. As always, the guitar playing of Andy Latimer is excellent and the final cut "For Today" makes this CD, in my opinion, well worth buying for this alone. To hear the sound of the last extended guitar solo is just a treat and brings back memories of earlier guitar songs such as "Ice". Another standout track with shimmering musical passages is "A Boy's Life" - again, you just enter into the song, let it lead you where it chooses and enjoy the journey.
Just as prior Camel CDs such as Rajaz and Harbour of Tears had their own distinct flavor and influence (Middle Eastern and Irish respectively), this one has a decidedly English folky sound to it. A refreshing cariation on the Camel sound.
Compliments are also in order for Mr. Latimer for his vocal work which is particularly strong and passionate on several of these cuts.
If you enjoy music that rewards the listener, rather than just tries to please on first hearing, and if you appreciate tasteful guitar work, I would highly recommend this CD."
Guitar Gods Smile Down
NEOPROG RAN | EL PASO TX | 11/03/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Joe John Santafripponi's seal of approval. Absolute great guitar work and breathtaking instrumental passages make this CD worth looking into. Weak vocals bog down some of the songs but all is forgiven when the guitar takes over. I would love Camel to do another all instrumental album. These guys are symphonic masters."
Good One
Steven Sly | Kalamazoo, MI United States | 11/22/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Celebrating Camel's 30th year in the business "A Nod And A Wink" would serve as the final album in which the band would tour as a live unit. The lineup is basically the same as on "The Paris Collection" live album with Guy Leblanc on keys and Denis Clement on drums. Overall I don't think this one is quite as strong as the previous album "Rajaz", but there is a lot to like here. As with "Rajaz" the choice of keyboardist has a huge effect on the overall sound. Leblanc's keys are more symphonic than some of his predecessors and he adds a significant amount of his own style to the proceedings. For those of you familiar with his main band Nathan Mahl Leblanc's contributions to this album we be apparent from the get go. Not everything on this album works that well for me though. "Fox Hill" and "A Boys Life" are both ok, but not really highlights of the Camel catalogue. The main attraction of this album is the closing track "For Today". The song was inspired by a person who fell to their death during the World Trade Center disaster of Sept 11. The song actually gave me Goosebumps the first time I heard it, and is one of the strongest works Latimer has written in the entire career of Camel. The soaring guitar solo at the end rivals some of the best in the genre reminding me of David Gilmour's classic "Comfortably Numb" solo from "The Wall". Of the studio albums that I own "Nod" this is probably my least favorite, but it is still a worthwhile purchase for fans of the band."
One of Camel's best 3 albums
kireviewer | Sunnyvale, Ca United States | 05/05/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Released in 2002, this is probably the last Camel album, ever (especially since Latimer said so). It is about 54 minutes long and the sound quality is excellent.
The band is Andy Latimer on guitar and flute (and he plays a lot more flute than usual and it is all beautiful). The back up muscians are Colin Bass on bass (who has been with Latimer for about 25 years) plus relatively new people on drums and keyboards.
This album goes back to the great progressive music of the early 1970's. It is beautiful and artistic but interesting and emotional music. Some of it sounds like classic Camel. Other part sound like early Genesis, back when Peter Gabriel would play the flute. Other parts remind of the best of Focus's long flowing movements.
The ablum isn't perfect (but close). Some of it might be a little bit too whimsical (especially the title and cover). The three minute instrumental, The Miller's Tale, really adds nothing and could have been left off of the CD. But those are minor quibbles.
Camel was a progressive English quartet that formed in the 1972. The only musician in the band with any kind of track record was Peter Bardens who played on Them (Van Morrison's old band). They put out 4 great progressive albums before imploding for the usual drug problems, artistic differences and the public's changing musical tastes. Eventually, only Latimer was left and he carried on the band name (although he picked up Colin Bass in 1978, who has been with Camel ever since). In 1990 "Camel" moved to the US in the South Bay Area (Mountain View, near San Jose). Peter Bardens had a nice solo career but died in 2001.
There is a very rare live recordng floating about from tour done by a band consisting of Bardens and some of his solo band members and member of Caravan."