Harbour of Tears
Harbour of Tears
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This album is similar in sound to Dust and Dreams
but, in my opinion, better. It has more . . . I don't know, character,
or style or bite or something. The songs flow together well, there
is a nice balance of lyrics and instrumentals, and there is some really nice
guitar work, some of it refreshingly acoustic (not enough of Andrew's flute,
though). Not surprisingly, a few of the songs have a noticable Irish sound
to them, but I think Andrew did a great job of blending that with a modern
rock and roll sound.
The last two songs, "Coming of Age" and "The Hour Candle", are nice (and fairly long) instrumental pieces. The former is jazzy and upbeat and even a little reminiscent of Camel's early days; the latter has some wonderful guitar in the spirit of "Ice" from I Can See Your House From Here. Oh, and speaking of the last song, don't hit the "stop" button on your CD player right away when it seems to end; there's a nice little bonus afterwards. |
From Brendan Newport:
Hm. Not quite certain yet. I've played it a few times now, and I still reckon Dust & Dreams is better overall. "Watching the Bobbins" though is terrific, I'm sure that will be well worth the ticket price to see that live, (well, not entirely, but yes if they included "Echoes").
I like the first two thirds of the album, but the last 2 instrumentals seem to lose their way a bit, ("The Hour Candle" particularly). Perhaps they'll be re-arranged when Latimer starts touring.
From Jos Leenknegt:
Yesterday, I finally could purchase a copy of Harbour of Tears. I had great expectations, but my God ... what a disappointment! Nobody has to share my opinion, but in my eyes, this isn't a worthy follow-up for Dust and Dreams. I didn't hear one well-found chorus theme, one riff that runs the shivers down the spine, one melody that keep lingering in the ears, one inspired guitar solo. This is a real bore. Or do I've got to get excited by 15 minutes of seasounds?
From Chris Winkley:
In my case I was intrigued by the Celtic sound, the use of strings and some great guitar work. Overall (in my opinion), "HoT" is not as strong as many previous albums. However, it's better than nothing. I certainly could live without the ocean at the end, it may be intended to finish the image, but comes off as filler. Queen just did the same with "Made in Heaven"...the last two tracks are long and recorded at such a low volume it's difficult to tell there's anything recorded. When I complain about short CDs, I didn't mean I wanted to see 79 minutes of filler (a general complaint, not specific to Camel).
From Jeff Gebhardt:
Like you, I have "cooled" a little bit on HoT. But only a little bit. It's still in heavy rotation in my home and car. I think HoT might put off some long-time fans because it is closer to a "conventional rock" work than Dust and Dreams. I say, if someone wants to hear Dust & Dreams again, then they should go listen to it. Camel has never really pigeon-holed themselves into a "niche." That's one of the many things I enjoy about Latimer's body of work--different material for different moods. Let's just roll with it and enjoy the CD for what it is.Harbour of Tears is not inferior to Dust & Dreams, just different. It is leaner, more muscular and made to be played louder.
The description of "Coming of Age" as "unfocused" might be warranted, but I think there is some method to the madness. I hear images and styles from much of the old Camel stuff in this piece. I hear rolling drums like Andy Ward's signature sound, a little spot of spacey synthesizer like Bardens, some of that comfortable (but plodding) bass-line like Doug Ferguson used to play, and a variety of guitar riffs. What I hear in this tune is a little mini-history of Camel's style changes over the years. Unfocused? Maybe not.
"Watching the Bobbins" is the most aggressive of the tunes, but the entire CD exudes the same feeling of confidence. Confidence has been missing from Camel's sound for awhile. Even Dust & Dreams, which should be classified as a masterwork, sounds timid and reserved by comparison. HoT is bold and authoritive, great stuff for a summer day. I'm going to go listen to it now!
From Rodney Sims:
The early songs do a good job telling the story, but musically the last two numbers lift the album into the realms of greatness. Coming of Age is a glorious recap on the classic Camel style, with synth sounds and tempo changes that cut across their entire history, topped by the most emotionally gruelling blues- flattened piece of guitar work Andy's done, since the title track on Stationary Traveller.
From Michael McCluskey:
I actually disliked Dust and Dreams on first listening. It took me a few listenings to really understand and enjoy it. And once I got over that "hump", I found the album enjoyable for quite some time. Harbor of Tears was quite the opposite for me. I took to it quite well initially, but grew a little bit bored with the first 10 tracks. However, I still am mesmerized by the last 3.
This is the fifth concept album. From the Autmn 1995 issue of The Nature of the Beast:
An album of concept, Harbour of Tears is a collection of stories drawn together in a common theme. After the death of his father, Andrew Latimer realised he had no details of his paternal family history. With only one surviving relative, an 86 year-old Uncle, Andrew discovered a heritage rich in diversity and mystery. His grandfather worked in Liverpool's shipyards; his Irish grandmother was a seamstress from a large family that had left Ireland in the late 1800's, scattering to England, Canada, Australia, and America. But this journey of discovery ended as soon as it began. No one had maintained a family record. No one knew where the relatives had gone and the new generation had no idea where they had come from. Andrew quickly found that virtually everyone he knew had the same story of a lost past.But what seemed a disappointment at first, turned into an outlet for music as a lilt of Ireland floated through recanted memories. Andrew learned that the last sight of Ireland his grandmother's family would have seen was Cóbh Harbour. A beautiful deep-water harbour, Cóbh (pronounced cove) had witnessed literally hundreds upon thousands of fractured familys who passed through this Irish harbour making Cóbh the last eyes of Ireland they would every see. So great was this human tragedy, Cóbh was dubbed the 'Harbour of Tears'. For 1,200 souls on the Lusitania, Cóbh was the last sight of life as she sank just off the Old Head of Kinsale, just shy of docking at Cóbh. The angel above stands in tribute.
Andrew Latimer: guitars, flutes, keyboards, vocals, penny whistles
Colin Bass: bass guitar, vocals
Mickey Simmonds: keyboards
David Paton: bass, vocals
Mae KcKenna: a capella vocal
John Xepoleas: drums
Neil Panton: oboe, saprano sax, harmonium
John Burton: french horn
Barry Phillips: cello
Karen Bentley: violin
Anita Stoneham: violin
Produced by Andrew Latimer
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