review by thomas

The sophomore album from Camel is a real classic album. From the starter “Freefall” to the closing “Lady Fantasy” it’s top-notch music. The mix between melodic mellowness and the harder assaults of music continues, just like the mix between instrumental and singing. “Supertwister” and “Earthrise” are instrumentals, the latter a typical Camel melodic and soft song at first but it eventually bursts into a rockier style, whilst the former is a short flute leaden track.

Most attention is and will be drawn to the two longer songs “The White Rider” and “Lady Fantasy”; here it’s Camel at their finest and they are maybe their most beloved songs. They feature many instrumental outbreaks as well as some fine singing and flute playing from Andy Latimer, and Peter Bardens delivers musical background and foreground sounds of fantastic quality from behind his keyboards. I also find Andy Ward’s drum playing – and especially his energetic use of the cymbals – very appealing. “Earthrise” can at times be a little too serious in that way that it becomes dull or threatens to become the same, it’s the song that says the least to me on “Mirage”.

Camel continues in the same style that they explored on their first album, everything herein is however better done. It’s better played, written and arranged and to my ears “Mirage” comes through as a major highlight in Camel’s career.