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This 1976 album would prove to be the last with the classic Camel lineup and (after the epic, song-cycle suite The Snow Goose (1975)) returns to the format on Mirage (1974). Musically, Moonmadness continues Camels brand of progressive rock with a dash of jazz rock, yet is more synth-heavy than previous albums. The overall feel is a bit softer too, especially in contrast with the hard rocking 1973 debut and Mirage. My guess is that the softness is a holdover from the mellow Snow Goose album.
The lineup on Moonmadness includes Andrew Latimer (electric and acoustic guitars, flute, and vocals); Pete Bardens (Hammond organ, electric piano, acoustic piano, mini-moog, ARP Odyssey, and vocals); Doug Ferguson (electric bass and lead vocal on Song within a Song); and Andy Ward (drums, percussion and voice on Aristillus). All of the musicians are very good and I especially like Pete's Hammond organ and especially his synthesizer work on this album - he gets some great synth sounds. The ensemble work is very good too - this is especially surprising given that Doug was on his way out of the band at this point. With respect to the vocal department, they are not necessarily Camel's strong suit but it does not ruin anything for me at all. Come to think of it, they seem to try and get around the vocal problem by subjecting the vocals to various electronic effects on a few tracks.
The seven tracks on the album range in length from 1'56" to 9'07". Musically, Moonmadness presents an excellent mixture of sprightly prog/jazz rock instrumentals; vocal tracks; softer more pastoral tracks (Spirit of the Water; Air Born) and longish proggy tracks including the synth-heavy Lunar Sea. There is not much of a hard feel to any of the tracks and everything is very "warm" sounding. There is also good use of melodies and harmonies on this album - they really spent a lot of time on them. Oh one last thing - it seems that the emphasis on repeated riffs (ostinatos) has been lessened somewhat and ensemble work/counterpoint is favored more.
This remastered album by Decca is excellent and features great sound quality, restored cover art, and loads of liner notes and photos of the band. The bonus tracks include a mix of singles, demos, and live recordings of Song within a Song, Lunar Sea, and Preparation/Dunkirk (from The Snow Goose). The live recordings were taken from a concert held at the Hammersmith Odeon on April 14, 1976. The sound quality is just OK although the performances are very good.
Moonmadness is a fantastic album and one of my favorites from the group and is very highly recommended along with the debut, The Snow Goose, and Rain Dances (1977).
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