Moonmadness＜Black Vinyl＞

キャメル『Moonmadness』の180g重量盤ブラック・ヴァイナルが発売!
デッカ・レコード90周年アニヴァーサリー・シリーズ

ロック、ポップ、ジャズ、ブルース、フォーク、クラシック、エレクトロニカ等々の幅広い音楽要素を融合させ、今なおカルト的な人気を集めるプログレッシヴ・ロック・バンド、キャメル。シンフォニック・ロックを展開した1975年のインストゥルメンタル・アルバム『The Snow Goose』に続いて発表したアルバムで、トラッド/フォーク、ジャズ/フュージョンをベースにした英国プログレッシヴ・ロックの王道へと回帰した作品。
180g重量盤ブラック・ヴァイナル。見開きジャケット。

Abandoning the lovely soundscapes of Snow Goose, Camel delved into layered guitar and synthesizers similar to those of Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here on the impressive Moonmadness. Part of the reason behind the shift in musical direction was the label's insistence that Camel venture into more commercial territory after the experimental Snow Goose, and it is true that the music on Moonmadness is more akin to traditional English progressive rock, even though it does occasionally dip into jazz-fusion territory with syncopated rhythms and shimmering keyboards. Furthermore, the songs are a little more concise and accessible than those of its predecessor. That doesn't mean Camel has abandoned art. Moonmadness is indeed a concept album, based loosely on the personalities of each member -- "Chord Change" is Peter Bardens, "Air Born" is Andy Latimer, "Lunar Sea" is Andy Ward and "Another Night" is Doug Ferguson. Certainly, it's a concept that is considerably less defined than that of Snow Goose, and the music isn't quite as challenging, yet that doesn't mean that Moonmadness is devoid of pleasure. In fact, with its long stretches of atmospheric instrumentals and spacy solos, it's quite rewarding. ~ Daevid Jehnzen