STATIONARY TRAVELLER
Camel
•Symphonic Prog
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3.45
| 812 ratings | 48 reviews | 20% 5 stars
Good, but non-essential |
Studio Album, released in 1984 Songs / Tracks Listing 1. Pressure Points (instrumental) (2:10) - Andy Latimer / guitars (electric, classical, 12-string), flute, piano (2,3), bass (2,5,6), drum machine (3), synthesizers (Yamaha CS-80, Juno 60, PPG), Panpipes, vocals (2,3), producer
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CAMEL Stationary Traveller ratings distribution
(812 ratings)
Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music(20%)Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection(37%)Good, but non-essential (32%)Collectors/fans only (9%)Poor. Only for completionists (2%)
CAMEL Stationary Traveller reviews
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Collaborators/Experts Reviews
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin
By the time this album was released, Camel were very much Andy Latimer's band. They (he) attempted to answer the perennial criticism of previous albums (other than "Snowgoose"!) that their vocals were their Achilles heel by getting Chris Rainbow (who here remembers "Glasgow Boy"?) to take lead vocals on a couple of the tracks. The result is an excellent album by any standards. Once again, we have one of Camel's striking opening themes, with a brief but dramatic lead guitar piece instantly grabbing the listeners attention and setting the mood for the rest of album.
Latimer uses his position as de facto leader to showcase his guitar prowess, particularly on the beautifully crafted title track and the stunning closer "Long goodbyes". The latter track is a real classic prog ballad, with a soaring guitar solo to finish. As a whole, the album is generally lighter than the early albums of Camel, leaning more towards Art Rock and even at times AOR. The wartime concept contributes to the continuity and completeness of the album, with tracks such as "Refugee" and "West Berlin" reflecting the generally slightly depressed atmosphere.
A video. "Pressure points" which includes most of the tracks and mixes live footage with atmospheric war years scenes was made around the same time. It was recently re-released in DVD format.
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
PROG REVIEWER
PROG REVIEWER
Some keyboard parts of Vopos are really cool and demonstrates a will to please the ears, but staying apart of the herd. That's my Camel. A more relaxed Camel but with heavy and effecient beats. Some keyboard lines are almost 'dance floor' crafted like in Cloak and Dagger. Also, the mood is appropriate for night driving or just listening with very little lighting in the room such with Missing or Fingertips.
I cannot recommend this to people under 28-30 years old. The kids would totally laugh at your face at the 'plastic' keyboard sound or the big guitar licks. Having a fondness for 80's rock will help put things in perspective. But I rank this little bomb in the same leagues as Rush's Grace Under Pressure.
A good record, even closer to very good. But do not start here for understanding Camel.
Underrated, yes. But listen before buying.
PROG REVIEWER
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
This album was made in 1984 and you can really tell. Songs like Refugee, Vopos, West Berlin and Cloak And Dagger Man (perhaps the rockiest moment on the album, but also one of my least favourite) sound like the work of The Romantics (remember Talking In Your Sleep?), OMD, Ultravox or any synth-pop band of that ilk. While Latimer is actually a stronger songwriter than almost any member of the 80s pop brigade (and I suspect I actually would have enjoyed this album a lot had I heard it 20 years ago) the moments that will appeal to prog fans are few and far between. That's despite a guest list that includes Kayak keyboardist Tom Scherpenzeel, multi-reed maestro Mel Collins and Alan Parsons Project bassist David Paton.
The last song Long Goodbyes is the song that reminds me most of the old Camel (and I'm talking Breathless-era Camel here) although that's probably just because of the lovely organic sounding intro featuring Latimer on flute, as well as the vintage guitar solo that rounds the song off. Fingertips is another decent piece that starts off sounding organic and has a nice saxophone solo from Collins. It's also helped by Latimer's pleasing, yet mournful melody. The title track has a nice acoustic guitar intro, and a flute (probably a synth flute, actually) solo over an ominious yet enticing synth bass vamp, before Latimer takes over the last half of the sound with some fiery guitar work. West Berlin has some nice fluttering synth work on its outro.
But let's be honest ... I had to look hard to find all the good creative music on this album, whereas Camel's best work leaves me gasping. This certainly isn't a prog-rock album, and come to think of it, it's barely a Camel album. ... 20% on the MPV scale
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
"Pressure Points" establishes the album's contrasting elements immediately: a pulsing synth rhythm and digital synth pads cushion a slick and searing guitar lead. Gilmour fans should have little trouble appreciating Latimer's tone and approach, but a harsher critic might observe that the track does little more than establish a theme and then provide a brief occasion to showcase Latimer's skills.
"Refugee" is full of classic 80's pop sounds, somewhere between ALAN PARSONS PROJECT and BILLY JOEL's less retro moments during the period. It's catchy, and reasonably intelligent, but it fails to light my fire in any single respect. "Vopos" delves deeper into the synth-pop textures, and almost suggests "Black Celebration"/ "Music for the Masses" era DEPECHE MODE (with the addition of some bluesy guitar, of course). Undoubtedly, Latimer's guitar is really the star of the album. Liquid-smooth overdrive with just a hint of soulful rasp, the solos sing much more effectively than any of the vocal tracks. He's rarely been as aggressive as on "Cloak and Dagger Man"...though it doesn't redeem an ultimately lackluster song.
The title track is the kind of moody instrumental that nobody does quite like CAMEL. The synths are understated, the drums much more natural, the changes are romantic and melodramatic in the best possible way, and the guitar comes in crying just as you need it. After this highlight it's back to the album's formula with "West Berlin", which is a mixed-bag of soaring chorus and plodding verse, all framed by completely typical 80's tones. "Fingertips" is a mellow, decent song- enjoyable for the Mel Collins cameo but not especially outstanding in any other area. The missing background song for a reflective Miami Vice montage? Then there's "Missing", which could appear on the soundtrack of any 80s blockbuster (though it has more interesting movements than most Jan Hammer or Harold Faltermeyer compositions). And "After Words" approaches heartbreaking, with the sad piano and accordion-like backing, but there's just not enough of a song there. And it's mixed so low that it almost disappears if you listen to the album at low volumes.
"Long Goodbyes" is a sentimental climax to the disc. I imagine those GENESIS fans who felt "Follow You Follow Me" was too sentimental or otherwise out-of-place will feel much the same with this track, but to me it's more like "Afterglow"; it has a genuine and heartfelt quality and sonically stands the test of time much better than most of the tracks. The verse and chorus seem a little mismatched, but the narrative brings them together.
CAMEL fans get what they want: undemanding and comfortable music with an interesting narrative foundation and a few moments of real musical bliss. For non-fans, all I can say is that "Stationary Traveller" won't be the disc that changes your mind- unless your tastes run to ALAN PARSONS PROJECT's "Ammonia Avenue" and post-Waters PINK FLOYD. "Stationary Traveller" is generally well-done but not particularly inspired, enjoyable but not very memorable.
PROG REVIEWER
PROG REVIEWER
By this time, Latimer was the sole remaining member of the original line up and had things mostly his own way. He was able to recruit a fine bunch of musicians to back him and the album is played to a very high standard. The vocals, so often a Camel Achilles heel, are superbly dealt with by Chris Rainbow (actually Scot Chris Harley, later to engineer Celt rockers Runrig so successfully). David Paton (ex Pilot and Alan Parsons Project) Ton Scherpenzeel (Kayak) Mel Collins (ex everybody worth listening to) and Paul Burgess (ex 10cc) make up a band with no weak links.
The weak link is, however, the material. The album is a concept about life in the former Eastern bloc and some songs are relevant to the concept at the expense of quality. Despite some fine keyboard work, Refugee, Vopos, Cloak and Dagger Man are not really up to the usual Camel standard and the instrumental tracks, whilst all good and showing Latimer's guitar virtuosity to good effect, don't ignite. Long Goodbyes and West Berlin are undoubtedly first class with a wonderful guitar solo at the end of Long Goodbyes to close the album, but the real gem is Fingertips. Ironically, it's not a guitar based track but is a beautiful slow song containing some sublime sax work, excellent fretless bass playing and is sung beautifully - one of my favourite Camel tracks. Susan Hoover's lyrics are thought provoking throughout.
Overall, it's no Snow Goose - the style is more 80s and more commercial - but it is well worth buying. A good 3* album.
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
This album sounds just like an The Alan Parsons Project album. It has the same style, taste, structure, and quality. With Chris Rainbow on vocals on "Cloak and Dagger" which became my favorite (I almost not aware that this is Camel!) and it sounds like The Alan Parsons Project's "Eye In The Sky". All tracks featured are not bad at all unless the impression of being an APP album. And like all Camel albums, there are some stunning guitar segments from Andy Lattimer. This is like a solo effort from Andy Lattimer. He plays most of the instruments on the album with Mel Collins does add in some nice sax parts. Keep on proggin' ..!
Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW
PROG REVIEWER
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
For this is an evolved Camel - pared back and stripped down, but, thanks to the ever- present constant of Andy Latimer's magical guitar tones, still Camel.
There was much to dislike about "the '80's sound", but a few bands managed to produce great synth-washed sounds - Gary Numan's Tubeway Army, Cabaret Voltaire, Visage and John Foxx to name a few.
The sound of "Stationary Traveller" is not as stark as those synth-based bands - and, being Camel, far more melodically oriented rather than avante-garde like Cabaret Voltaire. It may have the glossy sheen of an AOR rock album along the lines of Dire Straits, and it may be lacking in the experimental department, but something about it still says Prog Rock to me.
I really hate to award it anything less than 5 stars, as it had a real impact on me the first time I heard it - but, since emotional impact is an important factor of Neo-Prog, and this album was released at the right time, I'm going to say that this is an Excellent addition to any prog music collection - but have to admit that it's not really an essential pick.
Even if it's not mind-blowing prog, the emotional intensity is mind-blowing, and any fan of Neo-Prog - and closet AOR listeners too - should invest in this album, which pays bonus dividends on every listen. I'd also recommend the "Pressure Points" video to anyone who can handle 1980's hairstyles - particularly as it mixes in parts of "Snow Goose" with this album.
The album opens with "Pressure Points", which gives a clear indication of the rather minimalist approach that is to follow. A pulsating low synth gives way to percussion stabs that sound like something out of Dire Straits "Private Investigations" (released 2 years later). Latimer immediately pounces on the opportunity to give a crash course in how to wring maximum emotion out of a single note - a wondrous feat that he is simply THE master of. This is wrought into a fine, strong, thread of melody, backed by synth, with sliding modulations. Gaffer tape for the neck hairs, please!
Pressure Points feeds into Refugee which is a great rock song with no outstanding Prog features - and yet somehow has Prog written all over it. The keyboard backing is like a kind of low Roger Hodgson electric piano "bounce", the bass obviously has a low B- string, and feels fat and solid, and Latimer's subtle rhythm picking and Mark Knopfler soundalike vocals make for a satisfying mix that sounds as if it ought to be on Rock Radio on the hour every hour.
Things pick up on the Prog front with the sinister entry to Vopos, which has one of my favourite 80's sounding build-ups of all time. The fretless bass absolutely snarls, and the menacing lyrics bring the nightmare to life. This is a showcase example of how "less is more" can be a profound Progressive feature, as the song slowly builds over time, then drops back expertly around 3:30.
A wondrously toned guitar solo carries the piece into Cloak and Dagger Man, an urgently charged rock song with tremulous synths and magnificent but subtle guitar work from Latimer. A firey guitar solo is followed by an equally charged keyboard solo using a particularly edgy sound. Guitar and keyboard finally team up for a sensuous ending.
The instrumental title track is the standout- as well as the centerpiece, and even closer to "Private Investigations" than "Pressure Points". The guitar melodies, as we come to expect from Latimer, are spine-tinglingly beautiful in themselves as well as in tone - and then we are treated to some wooden flute playing giving a nice "Incantation" touch. The whole is an ambient treat that drops into rock ballad territory around 3:30, and works material found later in "Long Goodbyes" with "Comfortably Numb" and "Hotel California" flavours.
"West Berlin" has flavours of "The Wall", with that big snappy '80's snare sound that I'm really not keen on, but fine textures otherwise, with very careful Alan Parsons standard attention to detail in the production. It's a reasonable enough song, with a good, if derivative instrumental passage around 2:30 that returns around 3:45, but otherwise the second lowest point on the album, showing how "less is more" can turn into "not enough" if you're not careful.
"Fingertips" is another ballad, with that softly flanged and farty-sounding fretless bass that you either love or hate. The lyrics are poignant, but I find the presentation until Mel Collins wonderful sax solo to be rather syrupy. This is the real low point for me.
Fortunately it picks up with the instrumental "Missing", which is surprisingly uptempo for Camel, and reminds me a lot of Twelfth Night on their "Live at the Target" album (1979). This is more firmly in Prog territory, with satisfying changes - although in reality these are from one jam riff to another. Latimer's solo around 2:10 is especially cool, displaying a good mixture of speedy and balladic melodies. There are also touches in here that put me in mind of Ed Wynne (Ozric Tentacles) style compositions with the slightly odd reggae feel. All good stuff!
"After Words" is really a mellophonium driven intro to the epic ballad "Long Goodbyes", another song of soul-stirring beauty and magnificence - and a fitting end to one of the best Prog Rock albums of the 1980s (and there weren't many, let's be honest!). A Hackett-style entry feeds into some flute playing that is remarkably Gabriel in feel. But that chorus is simply epic - and my repetition of the word should serve to underscore just how huge this is. A little REO Speedwagon, maybe, but hey - I like some REO Speedwagon ;o)
A really, really, good album. But it'll never make it into the Prog top 100.
PROG REVIEWER
It is a product of its time, but one of the better albums from the first half of the 80's (like Certif1ed, I associate it with Love Over Gold by DIRE STRAITS). There are two annoying songs, 'Vopos' and 'Cloak & Dagger Man', in which CAMEL's spirit gets totally lost in the harsh commercial approach. Maybe none of the songs is *very* special individually ('Long Goodbyes' is gorgeous but just a little oversentimental) but I like the album as a coherent, well produced whole. Not that I really get the concept - divided Berlin? - from the lyrics. CAMEL has always made its statements better thru the music itself, emotionally rather than rationally, and this album makes no exception.
Both LP sides have two instrumentals, all top class. 'Pressure Points' has a soaring electric guitar over a heavy synth beat, really powerful opener. The title track starts delicately with a Pan flute and develops into the same guitar heroism - perhaps a bit too self- poignant and calculated. Dramatic 'Missing' and moody 'After Words' give the lead role to Scherpenzeel and really grab the listener's emotions. Were the whole album in that (instrumental) style, it would be a true CAMEL classic and a rare beauty of its time.
PROG REVIEWER
In those difficult times, I guess that it was not easy to concentrate on music. This is another concept album from Camel. Well, I should say from Latimer. He almost does everything here. There are some good tracks on this album : but too few to make this effort memorable.
The opener is quite good : Latimer makes his guitar cry (or shout?). This track will take its full dimension while played live. A bit too short to my taste here. The problem with this album is that too many tracks are just average ("Refugee", "Vopos", "Cloak and Dagger Man", "West Berlin", "Missing", "After Words").
The beautiful title track is brilliant. Fantastic guitar with lots of feelings : Latimer produced another "Ice" oriented track. The first real highlight. Just too short (again).
"Fingertips" is a pleasant song : melancholic, with a great Mel on sax. A very nice melody as well. In one word : Camel like I have always liked. It has the mood of the album "Rajaz" already.
"Long Goodbyes" is a good poppy song and a decent closing number. This inspired melody should hold everything a Camel fan is waiting for : subtle and melodious vocals (a bit mellowish and na�ve), and a very good guitar solo at the end.
Five out of ten, but I can hardly rate it as a three star piece. So, I will downgrade it to two.
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
CAMEL, although never in the "big league", also fell into the trap. And in their case it was called "The Single Factor". Worse than that they could hardly get, so Latimer (until now the only remaining original member) decided try something new. Well, nothing really new could you expect from the band who was largely recycling and repeating the sound of the first four CARAVAN-influenced albums, never bothering to break into the unknown, but one always hope...
Alas, the post-New Wave and synth-pop took their tolls and it is more than evident when listening to "Stationery Traveller". For some reason, Latimer and CAMEL continued to make "conceptual" albums and I fail to understand the point. As mostly instrumental band, CAMEL at this point could not offer any fresh and interesting ideas so as to hold a listener's attention. This album is overall a sort of "themed" collection of mediocre-to-awful techno-pop songs, occasionally interrupted with listenable instrumentals. Latimer is very capable guitarist, no doubt, but his playing is often burdened with mannerism and predictability.
The best moments on this album (which in no way I would recommend to any decent compilation of CAMEL) are two instrumentals, the opening "Pressure Points" and "Missing", and the highly untypical song called "Vopos". The latter is a remarkable dark techno pop that would nicely fit on a DEPECHE MODE or ULTRAVOX album and it contains even hints of what the celebrated ex Yugoslavian champions of alternative/post-punk/neo-psych rock EKATARINA VELIKA would make in the mid 1980s. Yes, you understood me right - the best track on "Stationery Traveller" is a synth-pop with techno drum machines, silky keyboards and synthetic bass! Enough?
Personal rating: 1,5/5 PA rating: 2/5
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Prog-Folk Team
The loose concept surrounding the Berlin wall and the iron curtain of the time is held tightly together by the subtle changes between and within tracks; this is an album where the sequencing of material was carefully thought out and impeccably ordained. Moreover, all the material is of uniformly high quality. While the instrumentals are special highlights, in particular the emotive title tune that features Latimer on pan flute and on stellar solo, the vocals are strong and diverse. Chris Rainbow and Dave Paton lend their talents to the Camel sound without overruling it, as was sometimes the case on "Single Factor". "Cloak and Dagger Man" is a genuine rocker and "Vopos" has a nightmarish quality that should appeal to those who like their prog at its most sinister. "West Berlin" and "Fingertips" represent the best of latter day Camel - strong melodies, a variety of well arranged breaks with sax, double bass, and synthesizers, and, in the case of "Fingertips", unabashed sensuality.
This album received a decent amount of play in its day, and "Long Goodbyes" was a highly regarded closer, again a real high point for Camel thanks to excellent songwriting, vocals and a closing lead guitar section that rung out this phase of the band in style. No more studio albums would appear for almost 7 years, and in the pre-internet age, this was an eternity. I know I am in the minority, but far from alone, in saying that "Stationary Traveller" is probably Camel's most fully realized project. Even though I wouldn't recommend it first to prog fans, for anyone who appreciates the efforts, risks, and rewards involved in moving out of a stationary orbit, this one, this band, is a winner, hands down.
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Symphonic Team
Andy Latimer clearly has a thing for albums with a storyline told through music. First, The Snow Goose in the 70's, then Nude in the early 80's and now Stationary Traveller. And, of course, later on, in the 90's, there would be a further two story-based concept albums in the brilliant Dust And Dreams and Harbour Of Tears albums. That is five such albums throughout Camel's history!
In my view these story-based Camel albums are all very good, culminating in the excellent Celtic-flavoured Harbour Of Tears. This leaves Stationary Traveller somewhere in the middle both chronologically and in terms of greatness. It is not quite as good as Nude, but it is an album that has grown on me a lot since I first heard it.
All these story-based albums (perhaps with the exception of The Snow Goose of which I don't really know what it is about) are based on rather sad stories and events, and this is, of course, reflected in the music. Stationary Traveller is no exception; this is a rather melancholic and almost depressive affair. I will let you discover the concept for yourself.
Compared to Camel's previous, non-conceptual albums like Raindances, Breathless, I Can See You House From Here and The Single Factor, Stationary Traveller certainly is an improvement and a return to form. I would say that together with Nude, Stationary Traveller is the best Camel album of the 80's. However, as I said above, Dust And Dreams from the early 90's would be the true return to the form of their glory days of the first half of the 70's.
Like on Nude and some other Camel albums, the instrumental material on Stationary Traveller is the best. The opener Pressure Points, the title track and Missing are three great instrumentals with dazzling guitar work and lovely flutes. The first of these instrumentals was considerably extended and improved for the live performance on the tour in support of this album. And the extended version is available on the live album called just that - Pressure Points. This very good live album was recorded during this tour and was released shortly after.
The vocal material, partly handled by Chris Rainbow and partly by Andy himself, is good but a bit on the Pop side of things for my taste. Particularly Refugee, Cloak And Dagger Man and Long Goodbyes bring this album down a bit, in my opinion. However, the vocal material on this album is mostly not quite the kind of cheerful and light-weight Pop that is present on some songs from Raindances, I Can See Your House From Here and The Single Factor. It is, at least partly, a more melancholic and "serious" Pop Rock material that we find here. Chris Rainbow's vocals fit the material well, but I think that Andy should have handled all the vocals himself. That would have given this album a bit more Camel identity. As it stands, you could easily believe that you were listening to (a very good album by) The Alan Parsons Project!
Overall, this is a very emotional album just like Dust And Dreams and Harbour Of Tears would be. In that sense Stationary Traveller is forward-looking. But it is also backward-looking in a different sense. This is, after all, from the mid 80's with all what that involves in terms of sound and production. It was also the last Camel album for several years. Not until the 90's when Andy started his own label and found new creative freedom would Camel once again be an active band.
It is interesting to note that the best Camel-eras are those of the first four albums (the self-titled debut, Mirage, The Snow Goose and Moonmadness) as well as that of the most recent four albums (Dust And Dreams, Harbour Of Tears, Rajaz and A Nod And A Wink). What they did in between was of varying quality, but you can definitely find some gems from these in-between-years and Stationary Traveller is definitely one of them! Nude being the other worthy of special note.
Recommended for sure, but not quite excellent all the way
PROG REVIEWER
Aside from the vocal contributions of Chris Rainbow and some excellent sax work from Mel Collins on Fingertips, Latimer's backing band are largely here to provide a backdrop for Latimer's work on guitar, flute, and synthesiser. (in particular, Paul Burgess's work on drums seems a little lacking in vigour, although the 80's production values don't help there).
Initially, I didn't enjoy this album, having first heard it after enjoying the likes of Mirage, The Snow Goose, and Moonmadness. But having digested Breathless and Rain Dances, I'd become more accepting of the idea of Camel performing shorter, more commercially-oriented tunes, and now Stationary Traveller seems like a logical descendant of those albums, combined with some cool, crisp influences from 80s New Wave (though not as much as some reviews of this album imply - this is still Andy Latimer and Camel, not Gary Numan and the Tubeway Army!).
In particular, Andy's guitar work on this album is a real treat, as always, and the later tracks - including the title track with its ethereal flute work, the gentle Fingertips, and the closing Long Goodbyes - show elements of Camel's earlier work, and indeed the title track wouldn't be completely out of place gracing one of the groups '70s albums. I get the impression that the coldness of many of the earlier tracks was entirely intentional - after all, with the songs I mention the lineup prove that they *can* sound like the Camel of former days, they just chose not to for some parts of the album.
It's important to remember that this is a concept album about the difficulties faced by East German refugees trying to escape into West Berlin, and I believe that the music is intended to reflect this. The colder, harsher, more emotionless tracks are intended to represent the East - economically deprived, politically oppressed, with free speech and free consciences strictly curtailed. The more warm and organic numbers, conversely, are associated with the West, and come to the fore in the latter part of the album as the protagonist manages to escape from beyond the Wall; their bittersweet tone is a reminder that the refugees have had to abandon plenty of friends and loved ones in order to gain their own freedom, and that the injustice of the situation continues (as of the recording of the album).
So, with that in mind, it's easy to see why many Camel fans found the album off-putting, especially since the more cold and less Camel-like tracks tended to be at the start - no better way to make a bad impression on someone looking for another Snow Goose or Nude!
Ultimately, the album is enough of a departure from the usual Camel fare that I think it is worth exploring, but at the same time for many fans it simply won't resonate. Sad to say, the combination of New Wave and Old Prog doesn't quite work here, which is a shame: a decent fusion of Gary Numan-esque synth rock and virtuoso prog musicianship would be a fascinating experiment to try. At the same time, I feel that the merits of Andy's musicianship (as well as that of some of his guest musicians) manages to save the album and turn it into a rather unique entry in the mid-1980s prog world.
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
The music on "Stationary Traveller" is very much in the eighties synth pop/rock style with AOR type vocals/harmonies/choirs. Very easily accessible and almost completely lacking any form of edge or innovation. This is generally very soft and not especially challenging. The musicianship on the album and especially the really great guitar solos by Andy Latimer or on a high level but the tracks are generally not up to par with their earlier material. As on most Camel albums "Stationary Traveller" features both instrumental tracks and tracks featuring vocals. Chris Rainbow is a pretty generic sounding vocalist without much distinct sounding character to his delivery, so the instrumental tracks are definitely the most interesting on the album. "Stationary Traveller" is a concept album centered around the stories of East German refugees attempting to cross the Berlin Wall into West Berlin. As such an interesting concept, that could have worked well with more insteresing music to accompany the concept.
Upon conclusion "Stationary Traveller" is to my ears, along with "The Single Factor (1982)", probably the weakest album in Camel�s discography. Their transition from organic and analogue sounding seventies progressive rock act to more mainstream/AOR tinged and synth heavy eighties rock band really isn�t that successful to my ears and a 2.5 star (50%) rating is warranted.
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
The opening Waltz is a short waltz that sets the mood for Camel's most gloomy album in their entire career. Refugee is an excellent sample of the concise song writing with focus on lyrical content that Camel has opted for here. Next on is the high point, Vopos finds Camel doing a dark and almost new wave interpretation of their sound. My favorite Camel moment next to The White Rider and Air Born.
Cloak & Dagger Man is the main reason why this album hasn't got 5 stars from me. In the days of vinyl albums, this AOR moment spoiled the album for me. Luckily we have 'next' buttons and remote controls now!
The title track is a shortened take on a song like Ice, a lyrical guitar solo that Latimer and Gilmour had a patent right on back in the days. With West Berlin and Fingertips Latimer adds two more examples of poignant song writing to his canon. These songs have been with me ever since I heard the Pressure Points live album when I was 13 and I still love them as much as back then. In fact they serve as landmark songs setting the boundary for seemingly simple but effective song writing.
Missing and After Words are ok but rather forgettable instrumentals. Long Goodbyes is not as bad as Cloak & Dagger Man but it comes close with its sentimental chorus. Sometimes I like it though, depends a bit of my mood. Whatever way I feel about it, the reissue will rinse any sour taste left by it by closing the album with an extended version of the astounding instrumental Pressure Points, just the way Latimer had wanted the album to end originally.
Unfortunately, this album wasn't the start of something beautiful but turned out to be Camel's last album to capture my interest for ages. There's no guarantee you will love it if you liked Camel's vintage years but if you're not an 80's-basher you might give it a try.
PROG REVIEWER
If you like good pop/new wave/techno stuff, you�ll love this album from start to finish. The songwriting here is everything that The Single Factor collection lacks: good melodies, good hooks, interesting lyrics. Vapors for exemple is a very dark and powerful track that would fit nice on any of the best Depeche Mode LPs. The rocking Cloak And dagger (with APP�s Chris Rainbow on vocals) would make a strong Alan Parsons Project tune. And so it goes: Fingerprints and West Berlin are also very good.
On the other hand, if you�re looking for prog stuff, then you�ll find at least 3 fine instrumentals like the excellent title track (the CD�s best, IMO), Pressure Points and, in a lesser extent, Missing. The ending solo of The Long Goodbye is also very good, but I found the tune itself a bit too mellow (again the shadow of the Alan Parsons Project is quite obvious).
Stationary Traveller would be Camel�s final studio album for the rest of the 80�s. Latimer would be fighting a bitter legal battle against the band�s former manager( which, fortunatly, he won) and could not concentrate enough into his music. But eventually he came back with a string of very good albums in the next decade. But this album hinted some of the fine stuff that would appear in future releases. My rating? this is definitly a good album, charming, but a bit uncharacteristic. Unlike some of CAmel�s late 70�s/early 80�s output. Stationary Traveller has no bad tracks. Even if the majority is more pop than prog, they are still very good songs. Maybe not enough to make it essential, but still above average. 3,5 stars.
PROG REVIEWER
"In The Arms Of Waltzing Frauleins" is a short depressing track with reserved vocals, piano and synths. "Refugee" is more upbeat with Latimer on vocals. A catchy tune. "Vopos" has this melancholic intro. Latimer comes in vocally before 1 1/2 minutes. A good rhythm to this one. Guitar before 4 minutes. I like the synths. "Cloak And Dagger Man" is very 80's sounding with guest vocalist Chris Rainbow singing. A catchy tune with lots of synths and guitar.
"Stationary Traveller" is the first of three instrumentals. Some pan-pipe (say what ?) in this one, and I like the guitar 3 minutes in as the drums join in to create a full sound. "West Berlin" is another 80's sounding tune with the vocals and drums standing out. "Fingertips" is a relaxed tune with fretless bass, a beat and vocals standing out. Sax from Collins after 2 minutes. "Missing" is uptempo with lots of keyboards. A guitar solo after 2 minutes. "After Words" is piano and synths throughout. "Long Goodbyes" features synths and flute early. Bass joins in then vocals. It kicks in after a minute. Contrasts continue. Nice guitar 4 minutes in.
For me this is barely a 3 star album, probably 2 stars in reality.
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR RIO/Avant/Zeuhl,Neo & Post/Math Teams
First of all this is an excellent album under all the possible points of view. It's in my personal top 50 list and I really loved it at the first spin.
This could be considered the first Andy Latimer's solo work, as also Andy Ward had to resign during the recording of the previous "Single Factor". The lineup sees Ton Scherpenzeel (Kayak) at keyboards, Chris Rainbow (Alan Parsons Project) at the vocals other than the usual Mel Collins at sax.
This is the third Camel's concept album after "The snow goose" (quite unusual for an instrumental album being considered a concept) and Nude. It's about the Berlin Wall and it's the story of a person who decides to leave everything he has on the East to try to escape to the West, as many people did in the real world, some losing their lives since when the "door was closed" until the fall of the wall.
"Pressure point" is an introductive instrumental written for Andy's guitar. The live version on the omonimous live album is longer and features a long section of fretless bass. Nothing special.
with "Refugee" we are already in the masterpiece. The bad is that with this album Andy tried to renew the Camel's sound and make it more conformant with the standards ot the early 80s, so electronic drums and fairlight are almost everywhere in the album. The good is that this change in the sound is counter-balanced by Andy's musical skill, so at the end this is not disturbing. The guitar on the solo sounds a bit "Dire Straits", but it's well inserted in the song's structure and it's exactly how it has to sound here.
"Vopos" opens with about one minute of Fairlight and starts effectively when the electronic drum gave the rhythm. the lyrics are highly dramatic: the Vopos are around "As if a dream has come to life". One of the best songs of the album.
"Cloak And the Dagger Man" is another electronic song. I have the impression that the sequence of the songs on the album is the same on which they have been written.This songs clsoes a sort of trilogy with the previous two so now the story plot is clear.
Now we are at the last track of the first sife of the vinyl. the title track is an instrumental on which Andy's guitar can freely express. I remember the first listening made me think to Hotel California, but it hasn't anything to do with that song apart some similarities in the main sequence of chords. The guitar solo is probably one of the best ever played by Andy.
The B side of the vinyl starts with "West Berlin" I don't know if a single has been released from this album, but if one, this song would have been perfect for the A sdie. I think it can represent the whole album.
"Fingertips" is a love song, probably the most commercial, but is a great love song which features a fantastic sax solo over a fretless bass. The same year George Michael had a big success with Careless Whisper. I don't want to compare the two songs but the two sax solos have similar purposes. I think the singer is Andy himself, as the live version sung by Chris Rainbow is not as good as the studio one.
"Missing" and "After Words" are two instrumentals, still based on electronic drumming, Fairlight and the great Andy's guitar. They lead into the closure of the story.
"Long goodbyes" is what its title says: "Long goodbyes make me so sad, forgive my leaving now...." Another love song with a nice guitar solo at the end.
This album doesn't feature epic tracks: the longest is less than 6 minutes, but is not just a collection of songs. It's deeply into the 80s, also because of the concept. The fall of the wall closed that decade and after this album began the lawsuite which temporarily stopped Camel's activity. Without the attempt to sound mainstream it would have been an absolute masterpiece, now it sounds a bit dated.
4.5 stars
COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
Stationary Traveller (1984) is their 10th album in 11 years of career, nothing bad I would say.
The album itself isn't that bad, is actually good. If you're able to completely separate this album from their 70's and albums like Mirage (1974).
But one thing bothers me a lot, the vocals. They are dead, not a single drop of emotion on it, in none of all the ten tracks. And that pretty much kills the overall sound in Stationary Traveller (1984).
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Crossover & JR/F/Canterbury Teams
The album begins with Pressure Points, a slightly Pink Floyd-ish but all to short instrumental piece. With a nice Andrew Latimer guitar solo, this track is the only one on the album that I can bear listening to repeatedly.
The rest is a pile of eighties synth-pop, that most closely reminds me of Roger Hodgson's post Supertamp work. You know. Fairly well crafted, but immediately forgettable pop songs.
If there was more than a faint hint of prog here (and no, slightly weird eighties synth sounds don't qualify), I might have rated this better. But no. This is what was wrong with 80's music.
PROG REVIEWER
'Stationary Traveller' is the tenth studio album of Camel and was released in 1984. Like many of Camel's studio albums, this is another conceptual album. This time is about the Cold War and the story is centred on the trials of East German refugees attempting to cross the famous and shameful Berlin Wall who divided the city between East and West. I'm perfectly convinced this was a matter very nostalgic for Latimer that made him to release this album. The nostalgia is present all over the album, and the cover itself invokes a very desolate, desperate and despondent post war Germany, a solitary young woman amidst the aging architecture of a city scarred by the war and its numerous effects.
By this time, and as happened with their previous studio album 'The Single Factor', Camel was essentially an Andrew Latimer's band. The line up of this album is Andrew Latimer (lead vocals, electric, acoustic and 12 string guitars, bass, piano, flute and drum synthesizer), Ton Scherpenzeel (organ, grand piano, Prophet synthesizer, Yamaha CS80, Juno 60, Korg, PPg and accordion), Chris Rainbow (lead vocals), David Paton (backing vocals, bass and fretless bass), Paul Burgess (drums), Mel Collins (saxophone) and Haydn Bendall (Fairlight synthesizer and PPg synthesizer).
'Stationary Traveller' has ten tracks. The first track 'Pressure Points' written by Latimer is an instrumental short song that introduces us into the album and also establishes immediately the atmosphere of what will be the music on the album. This is a very beautiful way to open the album. The second track 'Refugee' written by Latimer and Susan Hoover is a good and melodious rock song. It's a very solid track with a modern sound with electronic drums but where the presence of Latimer's guitar is constant. So, the final result is a very well balanced track. The third track 'Vopos' written by Latimer and Hoover is a very good and interesting song. It's a very dark song where the lyrics are highly dramatic but very melodious too. This is, in my humble opinion, a song in the new wave style that sounds modern and where the electronic drumming gives the rhythm. The fourth track 'Cloak And Dagger Man' written by Latimer and Hoover is another electronic song that sounds in the new wave pop style with a very fast and frenetic rhythm. This is a song written in a more commercial style that reminds us so many other bands of those times. The fifth track 'Stationary Traveller' is the title track and was written by Latimer. This is another instrumental song that represents the return to the typical sound of Camel. Here we have the guitar sound that reminds me the sound of Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits, the beautiful sound of pan pipes and the typical and unique Latimer's sound, probably featuring one of the best guitar solos performed by him. Until now, this is the best song on the album where we can see Latimer at his best. This is without any doubt one of the high moments of this album too. The sixth track 'West Berlin' written by Latimer and Hoover is a very interesting song with a nice rhythm and also with good musical passages. This is another song clearly influenced by the new wave style, with fine textures and also very well produced. I think we can feel here the presence of Alan Parsons' hand. The seventh track 'Fingertips' written by Latimer and Hoover is a very beautiful, melodic and cool ballad. This is a love song, one of the most commercial songs of the album, and despite has the return of the nice sound of the saxophone of Collins, doesn't represent one of highest points of the album. The eighth track 'Missing' written by Latimer is another instrumental song based on electronic drumming. This is a very beautiful song with very satisfactory melodic changes that remains in our ears. I think this is a song more in the neo-prog vein. The ninth track 'After Words' written by Scherpenzeel is again an instrumental song, very short, and is a kind of an introduction to the last song on the album. This is one of the nice moments of the album, only performed by piano and accordion. The tenth and last track 'Long Goodbyes' written by Latimer and Hoover is a very epic and mellow ballad, probably too much mellow, but it's, in anyway, a very nice way to ending this curious and interesting musical work, from the 80's.
Conclusion: Like our colleague greenback, I also like Camel's sound of the 80's and I also agree with him when he says that Camel knew how to cope and introduce the new technology into their music. Probably only Camel and Genesis, of the greatest progressive bands of the 70's, were capable of doing that. 'Stationary Traveller' is an album with a very modern sound, for those times, clearly influenced by pop and new wave music with a touch of the traditional Camel's sound. So, this is a nice album of the 80's with some very good songs. 'Stationary Traveller' is undoubtedly their best second studio album from the 80's, after 'Nude'. 'Stationary Traveller' is also their last studio work of the 80's and we may say that Camel passed with certain elegance, by those terrible years for the progressive rock music. But fortunately, great things would happen in the following years, for Camel and for the progressive rock music in general. Their four next studio albums are all great and represent the returning of Camel to their classic musical roots.
Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)
Latest members reviews
REVIEW #11 - "Stationary Traveller" by Camel, (1984) Following 1982's "The Single Factor" and its critical failure, it's more than likely that record label Decca gave guitarist Andrew Latimer and "his band" Camel more creative control over their next album. With drummer Andy Ward now effectiv ... (read more)
Report this review (#2490301) | Posted by PacificProghead | Sunday, January 3, 2021 | Review Permanlink
An improvement over poppy Alan Parsons-like output but still remaining distant from bold "Nude" or previous prog- rock work. With this release, Camel stands closer to New-Wave than Prog-Rock. On one hand, we have decent instrumentals like "Pressure Points" or title track with distinctive guitar ... (read more)
Report this review (#2406642) | Posted by sgtpepper | Monday, May 25, 2020 | Review Permanlink
I absolutely adore two of the songs off this album, the title track featuring a beautiful guitar solo from Andy Latimer and
the closing track, Long Goodbyes. While the other songs on the album aren't quite as strong, this is a vast improvement
over their previous effort, The Single Factor.
Report this review (#2375668) | Posted by iluvmarillion | Wednesday, April 29, 2020 | Review Permanlink
As I go forward in time with my personal discovery of Camel I have arrived to Stationary Traveller, and have become more and more convinced (I knew it before, but now I'm convinced) that this was not the decade for prog rock. And my realization of the ups and downs in this band's discography a ... (read more)
Report this review (#2138760) | Posted by judahbenkenobi | Friday, February 22, 2019 | Review Permanlink
After the somewhat failure of The Single Factor, an album I genuinely enjoy, Camel returned to the concept album, after having success with it with Nude, Latimer wrote another semi-rock opera based again on a true and compelling story. While most would find the Berlin wall and the division and op ... (read more)
Report this review (#753058) | Posted by Mr Faust | Monday, May 14, 2012 | Review Permanlink
"Stationary Traveller" is a very good 80's album. It wasn't love at first listen for me but I initially at least thought it was good and better than it's predecessor "The Single Factor". Its theme is about the trials of East German refugees attempting to cross the Berlin Wall into West Berlin, s ... (read more)
Report this review (#385047) | Posted by Frankie Flowers | Saturday, January 22, 2011 | Review Permanlink
The beginning of the album begins with an instrumental high-flying, guitar tart and perfect sound. It then waits for the second title is from the outset of a high quality album of Camel is very sophisticated, quiet and facing hard fm while respecting his Camel. The album shortly be considered by ... (read more)
Report this review (#314036) | Posted by Discographia | Thursday, November 11, 2010 | Review Permanlink
This is my 4th review of a Camel album as I work my way randomly through them all, or at least all of them I am familiar with. Stationary Traveler was an album I really enjoyed when it first appeared but over time, my appreciation has lessened some. Maybe I have come to discover that it is som ... (read more)
Report this review (#273558) | Posted by mohaveman | Monday, March 22, 2010 | Review Permanlink
Unless you love poorly written 80's synth pop, this is the Camel album that should be only purchased at bargin bin prices. This is the Camel Studio recording to avoid. Maybe it was record company pressure to put out something more accessible in order to keep their recording contract. Maybe ... (read more)
Report this review (#221348) | Posted by SMSM | Monday, June 15, 2009 | Review Permanlink
Another excellent album from Camel. Underrate great work of Camel. This disc is succesful attempt to combine beatiful pop melodies with art rock music. Instrumentals like Missing and Stationary Traveller which with Ice from I can you can see you from here are the best instrumental works of 80-x. ... (read more)
Report this review (#176239) | Posted by Aqualung83 | Sunday, July 6, 2008 | Review Permanlink
Stationary Traveller is a second helping of Camel (their first four albums being the main course). The music is, however, completely and utterly different, mainly because of the loss of the other half of Camel's creative force (impersonated by keyboardist Peter Bardens), but also because of Andy ... (read more)
Report this review (#95491) | Posted by Lakesfield | Monday, October 23, 2006 | Review Permanlink
Another concept album and a clear improvement after The Single Factor. The music is still pretty poppy, but considerably better, and there's some very beautiful instrumentals here. And there is Cloak and Dagger Man, which is a great rock song and actually one of my favourite Camel tracks. I lo ... (read more)
Report this review (#87410) | Posted by Pekka | Wednesday, August 16, 2006 | Review Permanlink
3.4 Camel really started to lose their sound with this record, and it is not to my taste. The music is dark and the recording sound is poor. The keyboards are tinny and the drums sound like wet mushrooms. However, some of the music is very good, such as the title track where the sound seem ... (read more)
Report this review (#75956) | Posted by ProgHappy | Sunday, April 23, 2006 | Review Permanlink
The only Camel album I can find no redeeming qualities in. I grew up in the 80's, and I don't need a band I normally like and enjoy reminding me of all the bad things about popular music from that time. I realise that this is not hit material, but it's also not particularly good material. I ... (read more)
Report this review (#70350) | Posted by | Thursday, February 23, 2006 | Review Permanlink
While the preceding Camel album, "A Single Factor", was an attempt to produce a hit single, Stationary Traveller is Camel's last studio album of the 80's, a concept album, about the social and physical division of Berlin. The songs relate to refugees, loss of freedom, struggle and escapade. Th ... (read more)
Report this review (#54833) | Posted by Marqu�s_Pr�g | Saturday, November 5, 2005 | Review Permanlink
I do think that this is maybe the best camel recording ever.I bought this album before 3 years at my first steps to prog rock music.Those days i was listening to metal music mostly,and as a result when i first listened to it i was actually suprised!This album sounded to pop,or could i say sof ... (read more)
Report this review (#48160) | Posted by suachili | Saturday, September 24, 2005 | Review Permanlink
The 11th work announced in 1984 "Stationary Traveller". It is a fine work of the concept album that makes the Berlin Wall a theme. It is a content that should be called the solo work of the old-timer British rocker in 1980's rather than CAMEL. (example: The sixth tune "West Berlin" and the sev ... (read more)
Report this review (#48140) | Posted by braindamage | Saturday, September 24, 2005 | Review Permanlink
Well it is not progressive rock but its an excellent addition to any music collection. Few other bands of progressive rock genre managed to produce such a modern and melodic album and without losing the fundamental elements that characterized their music during the 80's. Excellent production,very go ... (read more)
Report this review (#38728) | Posted by | Thursday, July 7, 2005 | Review Permanlink
Stationary Traveller is a concept album around the story of split Berlin and what feelings spur from this situation. Fair enough, this album is Camel really trying to find it's own writing pop music. However, the songs that actually have vocals tend to be the weakest thematically due to emotion ... (read more)
Report this review (#38721) | Posted by | Wednesday, July 6, 2005 | Review Permanlink
When the progressive rock was in a big crisis. When the Yes and Genesis was in pop territory without magic and beauty, Camel (Andy Latimer) made a great album!! With a new band with Kayal wizard, Ton, Alan Parson's Chris Raiwbow and the return of Colin Bass, Camel move in another direction. I ... (read more)
Report this review (#2424) | Posted by | Friday, February 18, 2005 | Review Permanlink
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