As we mention in several other posts about Camel, the band's history was marked by frequent personnel changes and disputes over content. Following The Single Factor (1982), Andrew Latimer and Susan Hoover appeared to avoid past conflicts within the band by creating albums around specific stories.
Nude (1981) laid the groundwork for themed future works. Nude was about a soldier who disappeared before his war ended and was found years later ("Tell me no lies, has peace arrived, or is this some kind of joke?"). The Single Factor (1982) went back to the "let's write some clever singles" approach, but Stationary Traveller (1984) resumed the storytelling with a romantic saga set in post-war Germany. From there, Dust and Dreams (1991) followed Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath narrative charting the western migration in America during the dust bowl years, and Harbour of Tears (1996) chronicled Irish emigration to America. Hoover's skilled songwriting with its "heart-on-sleeve" lyrics turned each of these albums into fan favorites, and no one bothered trying to write hit singles anymore.
Rajaz is the first album by Camel to exploit the allegory of life in the desert. The title track refers specifically to the nomadic experience:
The souls of heaven
Are stars at night
They will guide us on our way
Until we meet again
Another day
When the dawn has come
Sing the song
All day long
But most songs are about everyday struggles analogous to nomadic life. "Lost and Found" is about finding one's way; "The Final Encore" could be about the end of a journey or the end of a concert performance by the band:
Camel concerts often ended with "Lady Fantasy" as a finale or encore, but more generally the song refers to the end of anybody's day.
"Shout" is a powerfully expressive song about wanting to help a friend in despair. "Straight to My Heart" is a touching reminiscence about Latimer's early engagement with music and the sound of his favorite red guitar which still "takes my breath away." The two instrumentals - the opening "Three Wishes" and "Sahara" - make Rajaz a perfect album, in my opinion. They're strategically placed to keep the wistful songs from dominating the album.
The final cut, "Lawrence," is a specific tribute to the legendary Lawrence of Arabia, who was "swallowed by the sand" but who continues to haunt the desert. "Lawrence" is the pièce de résistance of the album, stretching out almost 11 minutes and featuring one of Latimer's most heartfelt guitar solos (among many others).
Steve:
In the early 1990s, nearly 10 years after Camel released what I assumed was their final album, Stationary Traveler, I was surprised by a new Camel album whilst CD shopping. That CD was Dust and Dreams, released on Camel's newly incorporated Camel Productions label, which initiated a new phase in the band's career. Although I failed to follow this next phase as closely as Dan has, revisiting their third album after this rebirth, Rajaz, has been a welcome reminder as to how potent the band's creativity remained at this point.
Andy Latimer's guitar playing seems especially inspired on this album, with the two instrumentals ("Three Wishes" and "Sahara") taking their usual roles on a Camel album, showcasing Latimer's most fanciful musical ideas while the vocal pieces generally follow a more narrative focus. Even on the vocal pieces, however, such as "The Final Encore", there are surprising musical turns. The first 3 minutes of this 8-minute number uses guitar effects and an E-bow (a device held near the guitar strings to vibrate them without being struck, giving a sound like that of a bowed string instrument) to create a distinctly "desert" atmosphere. Immediately following this captivating track, the title track spends its first few minutes in a fully acoustic mode, augmented by the return of Latimer's flute playing, making for a lovely musical passage.
True to Dan's word, "Lawrence" puts Latimer's best foot forward in terms of the emotional guitar soloing that he has always been known for. Being the longest track on an album full of lengthy tracks, and being the closing track to boot, raises expectations pretty high, and it does not disappoint. Many fans rank Rajaz as the finest Camel album post-1990, and often quite high overall, and I feel it deserves this high regard.
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