Camel's 1978 release Breathless featured a pop disco sound of mellow synth lines and funky guitars, very smooth with only the slightest hint of the classical, rock and jazz textures of old. The album cover features another iconic image of their namesnake, head tilted to the sky, eyes closed in a pensive moment looking serene and relaxed and maybe breathless. The background is fade from a Maths workbook's chequed page to a desert night sky, the use of yellow particularly in the stylish font and rainbow coloured text are a nice touch. The title track is a mix of Prog Rock's relentless note based, busy drumming, as Andy Latimer's sweetly soaring guitar plays melodic rock parts over Barden's analogue electronica. Barden's keyboards range from pastoral flower power lines to Townshend like programmed soundscapes and everything in between loping and swooping like a restless tide alongside Latimer's guitar. The syncopated drums can be a little too intrusive but keep this in a Rush' like territory of Neo -Prog, the lyrics do not enter till 4 and a half minutes in with a New Wave accent and Hippie folk rock clarity. Wing and a Prayer is a different story altogether with a 80s RnB stunted bass intro before a spellbinding keyboard fill drowns the mix with a harpsichord quality; this needle-y fill also makes up the chorus as the song takes on a very 80s synth pop melody full of overlapping, droll nasal vocals. The chirpy electric piano riffs and jangly synth patch along with the melodious vocals make this a memorable tune; the flute and piccolo like melodies of the end are excellent additions.
Down on the Farm is harder fare with idiosyncratic rap like vocals set to a slinky blues guitar lick and soul piano; the vocals are so English and matter of factly in Latimer's limited semi-speaking voice. It's augmented by the standard elements of funky Disco guitar, synth electronica cycles and flute lines. The best flute playing is on the twinkly electric piano track Starlight Ride, Latimer's caressing vocals arrives crisply and angelic on some guitar arpeggios in a very melodic manner, while another guitar wails bluesilly... ok thats not a word..yet. You Make Me Smile is an incredibly funky synth bass track with very trebly, 8 bit Moogs and very delicate English harmonies set incongruously to a disco rhythm guitar as per many tracks on this oddity of an album. Rainbow's End is a gentle melancholic ballad to end the album with glistening fuzz synthesizer beds, confessional piano chords and heartfelt vocals from Latimer.
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