Search - Sopwith Camel :: Sopwith Camel

This is the REAL Sopwith Camel

Anthony Spadaro | Chapel Hill N.C. | 02/21/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Yeah it's pop, but it's pop with more than a trace of acid. Their later album was simply acid with less than a trace of originality. At the time this was recorded the A&R men thought they had another Lovin' Spoonful on thier hands. They might have been right but when "Hello, Hello" went to the top of the charts the band simply dissolved under the shower of money. I can recall seeing the Camel as a two or three man group or seeing the name on the poster but with a substitute group showing up at the dance. Eventually they stopped getting any bookings.

Sopwith Camel pretty much proved that some people just aren't built for success.

I don't recommend shelling out over thirty bucks on the album though. Wait for it to come back into print. It does so fairly regularly."

Classic for mid-sixties hip

04/22/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Sadly...I can't find a copy anywhere of this CD: It must be out of circulation (imagine that?) however, I still have my vinyl! This band stole many shows in the SF Bay Area back in 1966/67. I also happen to know that singer Peter Kramer is alive and well...out west. If anyone knows where to get a copy of the CD, or can tell me more about THE HUMP, post it here and I'll check in. Tommy G"

The two sides of Sopwith Camel

Annie Van Auken | Planet Earth | 02/14/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There was a lot of heavy music coming out of San Francisco in the late Sixties. And then, there was SOPWITH CAMEL.



At first glance, Camel was a bubble gum pseudo-British rock & roll band. Their TOP 40 song, "Hello Hello" gives this impression, while the goofy "Little Orphan Annie," "Walk In The Park" and "Things I Could Do With You" add to such a conclusion. But that's only their whimsical side. There's a LOT more to this group than pre-teen froth.



The subject of "You Always Tell Me Baby" is the angry frustration of being controlled and made to feel "not good enough."

"Frantic Desolation" succinctly describes the withdrawal and confusion one experiences when a lover is gone.

"Cellophane Woman" seems to complete the cycle. It's a seething, lashing and dismissive song.



But it's not all bleak. "Postcard From Jamaica" is a written invitation to join a special someone on that island. "The Great Morpheum" is the finest theater where "one can see a show." "Maybe In A Dream" is an overlooked gem-- gorgeous. "Saga Of The Lowdown Letdown" clearly should have been the group's next 'A' side-- Contrary to the title, it's a jolly song that really rocks in the bridge.



To flesh out SOPWITH CAMEL, one bonus track is included. There's not a bad tune in the bunch. One of the best KAMA SUTRA label albums of all time.



Highest recommendation."