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Review Summary: This was the real Camel’s breakthrough album. It definitely defined Camel’s musical style in the next years to came. “The Snow Goose” is the third studio album of Camel and was released in 1975. The line up on the album is Andrew Latimer, Peter Bardens, Doug Ferguson and Andy Ward.
The critical success of “The White Rider” suite, that appears on their second studio album “Mirage” released in the previous year and which was based on the Tolkien’s novel “The Lord Of The Rings”, inspired the band to write more novels inspired in conceptual pieces. However, when the group has retired to start working on their new album, they hadn’t decided yet, what concept to use on their next work. The band had considered several novels on which to base the album. In the end, the group hesitated between two of them. Bardens wanted to adapt the Hermann Hesse’s “Steppenwolf” and Ferguson and Ward favoured the Paul Gallico's novella, “The Snow Goose”. Latimer, who didn’t had a clear favourite, convinced Bardens that the Gallico’s novel would be a better option.
The album’s name, originally “The Snow Goose” was altered to “Music Inspired By The Snow Goose” to accommodate legal protests of Paul Gallico due to copyright infringements. The work was originally thought, to feature lyrics based around the Paul Gallico’s book, but due to his objections, they decided to make of the album only an instrumental piece. The music was mostly written during an intensive fortnight in a cottage in Devon. “The Snow Goose” became the first and unique Camel’s album, without lyrics. It became also a truly landmark into their musical career.
“The Snow Goose” or “Music Inspired By The Snow Goose”, is a conceptual album based on the very sentimental short novella written by Paul Gallico and named “The Snow Goose: A Story Of Dunkirk”. The entire story happens in the World War II when the British troops retreat from Dunkirk under the fire of the German army. In short, one day Rhayader, a disabled painter who lives in the marshes in a lonely lighthouse, finds a wounded Snow Goose brought by a girl, Fritha. Rhayader and Fritha, who is also concerned about the goose, taking care of him. Rhayader and Fritha become close friends. By the season’s end the goose heals and is set free. Rhayader stays alone again. Fritha doesn’t come to visit him anymore. Rhayader helps saving British soldiers at the battle of Dunkirk, and during the battle, the Snow Goose comes back to give some help. Rhayader is killed during the battle when a German pilot destroys the Rhayader’s lighthouse and all his work, except one portrait of Fritha painted by him. The painting shows a girl with a wild snow goose in her arms, which was the way that Rhayader first saw her. After the death of Rhayader, the Goose was named “La Princesse Perdue”. This symbolizes that the hope can still survive even during the evil of the war.
The music on the album tells the story of the book. It can be a soundtrack and a storyline at the same time. However, if you’re expecting fifteen minutes of epic compositions, you’ll quickly find out that this isn’t the case. No song is longer than 6 minutes, and many of them are really quite short. The album consists of 16 tracks and is around 45 minutes long, which is unfortunately quite short. Despite the album has 16 tracks, it’s like one long song with shorter parts connecting the longer songs. As a conceptual piece, the music flows gracefully all over the album, since the beginning till the end. While there are a few songs you might listen to over and over again, the majority are too short to be listened individually. The album does what it was intended to do, and feels like an adventure, moving, changing, but connected enough to seem like the same adventure all the way through the album, accompanying perfectly all the story of it. All songs are filled with lots of amazing ideas and amazing melodies that are well brought out and full of interesting and always changing instrumentation that should be enjoyable to listen to. The album is fairly accessible and simple, and even when it’s doing something like a strange signature, you won't even notice that, because it blends so flawlessly. Overall, the songs themselves are great, and vary from orchestral to bluesy to rock to just chill, laid back songs.
Conclusion: “The Snow Goose” is a great easy going album and which will probably stick with you for some time. If you’re new to Camel or progressive rock in general and you are looking for something to get you going, this is really a great starting point. In a certain way, “The Snow Goose” proved to be Camel’s breakthrough album. It definitely defined Camel’s style. Musically, on the subsequent albums, Camel wrote short songs with a very strong sense of melody, with solos that support perfectly the melody. Conceptually, the model will be used again several times in the later years, in albums like “Nude”, “Dust And Dreams” and “Harbour Of Tears”. Camel isn’t really a very famous band, like their contemporary colleagues, Genesis and Yes, for instance. But it’s an amazing and a very well known band and very well respected in the progressive circles. Hopefully this review might bring a bit more light to a very often overlooked band.
Music was my first love.
John Miles (Rebel)
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Album Rating: 5.0
Continuing in the classic era, here it is a true classic album. And as usual, your comments are very well received.
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The Snow Goose holds a special place in my heart, since it's the very first Camel album I bought. There are so much to enjoy with this album. Sometimes I think it's even my favorite album of theirs. I have Mirage and Moonmadness at a 5 too, but they don't have the sentimental value I give to this one.
Review was well written enough, but you don't talk enough about the music itself imo. It would have been cool if you took some highlights and describe them to us.
Also, I noticed couple of repetitiveness into your review;
The music was mostly written during an intensive fortnight in a cottage in Devon.
You already mentioned it at the beginning of the review.
“The Snow Goose” or “Music Inspired By The Snow Goose”, is a conceptual album based on the very sentimental short novella written by Paul Gallico
You also told us about it before. Maybe just try to make it less redundant. It's only my 2 cents.
Apart from that, great work, mate. And it's cool to see a 5'd review for this.
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Best camel album imo
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Thanks man, I haven't noticed that. I'm going to change the text, right now.
About the album, it's the same with me. "The Snow Goose" was my second vinyl record, the first was "Selling England By The Pound", and I bought it in the 70's. Right now, it's my oldest album in my collection, because I dont have the Genesis' album anymore.
My favourite albums of Camel are also the same as you, perhaps with this order: Moonmadness", "The Snow Goose" and "Mirage".
"you don't talk enough about the music of the album"
Probably you are right. But we mustn't forget this is a concept album, and for me the concept albums are one entire piece of music. So, in general, I don't like to highlight the individual pieces. As I wrote, "Despite the album has 16 tracks, it’s like one long song with shorter parts connecting the longer songs.". So, I'm not sure if I'm right, but this is really what I feel about concept albums.
Yeah. Finally we have a review of 5 for it.
Once more thanks for your help.
| | | Album Rating: 5.0 | Sound Off
I couldn't disagree, undertakerpt. And it's nice to see you again, it's been a while.
Your good idea/bad idea things are missing to me ;)
| | | Album Rating: 5.0
Thanks, undertakerpart. We have almost the same opinion as you can see.
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supreme band
think moonmadness is my fav tho
pos'd
| | | Album Rating: 5.0
Thanks parksungjoon. I'm glad to see people appearing to a review of a Camel's album, especially in this case.
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About your comment you directed to me, fair enough, e21. As for the ranking, I really don't know which one would be my favorite between this and Moonmadness. But I think I have more pleasure to listen to The Snow Goose as a whole, and it's the one I easily played more often. It's simply delightful from start to finish. Moodmadness is pretty much perfect too. Let say both are equally amazing.
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Yeah, I agree Jethro. I even can say more. Camel is perhaps the band of the 70's that I listen to with more pleasure and emotion in these days.
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also jethro coming out of his slumber m/
| | | Album Rating: 5.0 | Sound Off
Yeah park, it takes me a little spark of progressive rock to wake me up p/
Gotcha e21.
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been on a 70s binge myself lately, i'm probably gonna spin this one again tonight haha
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Good idea! You guys have to try out The Snow Goose re-recording (2013) if you haven't. It's pretty faithful to the original one with some interesting extensions/variations here and there.
https://musicmp3.ru/artist_camel__album_the-snow-goose-2013-re-record.html#.V3LLFmBTG1s
Cheers!
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interesting, i'll give it a try
thanks!
| | | Album Rating: 5.0 | Sound Off
I'm listening to the re-recording atm, and it's probably less timid than the original one. It gives an extra energy and adds punch. It can even sound heavy at places. It still has a vintage sounding with a modern touch, and like I said, it contains some pleasant variations. I miss the drummer Andy Ward, though. I also think the original is unbeatable. I gave the re-recorded one a 4.5, so yes...
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This one is probably the weakest of the first four for me but is still an amazing album. Dunkirk kicks ass
Great review m8, pos'd
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I can see what you mean, but I disagree SirLord. The album is very simple in musical terms but it I can't see any weak moment on it. Anyway, this is a very sentimental album for me.
Thanks for your comment and pos.
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@ parksungjoon
I agree with Jethro about the re-recording version. Even my youngest son, who loves the album, prefer the new version. Probably it sounds more modern to him.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
Another great review man. I agree with all of you. Camel's first four albums are great. This is perhaps the band's most beautiful album. It's great to see another review of it. Especially a review of 5, despite I only gave to the album 4.5. Pos.
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