Nights To Remember
In the prog world, Camel are so synonymous with the Royal Albert Hall it might as well have their faces carved into its outer wall, Mount Rushmore-style. Andrew Latimer recalls the ups and downs of the two nights – 43 years apart – when Camel rode into its hallowed space.
“I could tell my mum and dad we were playing there, and it would impress them, rather than have them ask when I was going to get a proper job!”
It’s strange how a band can be associated with one venue. Sometimes this can be down to the number of times they’ve appeared. On other occasions, it’s simply because of the enormous impact the shows have made in the artist’s career. For Camel, their two appearances at the Royal Albert Hall definitely fall into the latter category.
“I suppose these were landmark shows for us,” agrees Andrew Latimer. “Back in 1975, when we first did the Albert Hall, it was seen as a sign that the band had reached a certain level of recognition. I could actually tell my mum and dad we were playing there, and it would impress them, rather than have them ask when I was going to get a proper job! [Laughs]”
The first Camel gig at the Albert Hall was on October 17, 1975, and it wasn’t an isolated show. At the time, the band were out on a major UK tour on the back of The Snow Goose album. As they were playing a date at the Leith Theatre in Edinburgh on October 12, it didn’t leave much time for rehearsals with the London Symphony Orchestra prior to the Albert Hall performance.
“Actually, we did only one rehearsal with the orchestra,” reveals the band’s founder, guitarist, flautist and vocalist. “It didn’t go very well. In fact, working with the LSO was very interesting…”
We’ll get to exactly why Latimer recalls the orchestra in this way a little later. But before that, it is worth noting that playing at the Albert Hall was the band’s idea.
“We wanted to do one performance of The Snow Goose with an orchestra, so that the fans would get the opportunity to hear the music in all its glory. We appreciated that there was no way we could afford to take an orchestra out on tour with us, but the idea was to do the show at a top London venue in this manner, and to make it a very prestigious occasion.”
While Camel were keen to follow this path, they came up against opposition.
“Our management were not at all keen on the idea. They pointed out that, financially, even if we sold out the Albert Hall, using a full orchestra would mean we’d lose £5,000. But that sort of logic made no difference to us. As far as we were concerned, our label, Decca, would put up the money to cover the loss. Little did we realise that, in the end, the band would be paying for this anyway.”
Ticket prices back then varied from £2.25 for the most expensive seats, right down to 50p for those standing in the nether reaches of the auditorium. It’s a long way from the prices being charged 43 years later, on September 17, 2018, when a ticket at the back of the circle would have set you back £65.
For Latimer, walking onto the Royal Albert Hall stage for the first time was something of an eye opener.
“It looks such a massive venue. But it is a lot more intimate than you might expect. Being on that stage and looking out, the audience does seem to be much closer to the band than seems to be the case when you look at photos. I have always preferred to be able to see the fans. And that happens there.
“I had been to the hall a couple of times previously as a fan. I went with Susan [Hoover, Latimer’s long-time partner] and it was probably for folk shows such as Joan Baez or Peter, Paul and Mary; Susan was a big fan of both. But sitting in the Albert Hall made a big impression on me. The atmosphere was engaging.”
Returning to the London Symphony Orchestra, Latimer admits that not all of the musicians were exactly thrilled to be working with Camel.
“About half of them were into the project. But the other half… well, they really didn’t care at all. As a result, they were rather unruly. This wouldn’t have been a problem had we had a strong-minded conductor to keep them in check. But it was David Bedford who took this role. As an arranger, he was brilliant. First class at getting things worked out. But as a conductor, he didn’t have what it took to make sure everyone was kept in line. It can be like dealing with children when you have orchestra musicians who aren’t bothered, and David struggled to keep order.”
This problem actually spilled over into the gig itself, with the recording of it making it obvious that certain members of the orchestra were not exactly committed to the event.
“I remember we had big problems when it came to mixing the tapes. You hear lots of talking from the brass section. They were asking one another what time the concert finished, and also arranging to go straight to the pub afterwards. That type of thing made it very obvious what sort of excitement they had about it all – not a lot.”
There were also technical issues on the night, which were caused by microphone placements.
“It was a very hard task to get the whole orchestra miked up properly, and we had real difficulties when it came to the French horn section. So what we had to do was get their parts re-recorded in the studio at a later date.”
The entire performance had been recorded, but nothing was actually
released until 1978, when Camel put out the double album A Live Record. This featured recordings from three different tours: Mirage (1974), Rain Dances (1977) and also the Royal Albert Hall show. The latter named took up the whole of the original second LP.
But while this has the entire presentation of The Snow Goose itself, it does miss out the encore of Nimrodel, Supertwister and Lady Fantasy, all tracks from the Mirage album. So why were they left off?
“I’m not sure what happened,” Latimer says. “I assume it was down to the space available, and these songs had to be cut to make sure that The Snow Goose music all fitted on.
“I also now have no clue why it took until 1978 for the Albert Hall recording to come out. That would have been down to our management.”
The Albert Hall show in ’75 emphasised just how close the original members of Camel were. He, Peter Bardens (keyboards), Doug Ferguson (bass) plus Andy Ward (drums) had by then been together four years and had a shared vision.
“This was a fantastic time for Camel,” says Latimer. “There was an unbreakable bond between us. We were all supportive of one another and the sense of camaraderie and shared humour was really positive.
“But when Doug left [in 1977] and we got in Richard Sinclair, things changed. I soon found myself reluctantly taking on a different role in the band as more of the guys left. I had to become a leader, and the whole relationship between members altered and was a lot less cohesive. Until now. For me, the present line-up [featuring Peter Jones on keyboards, saxophone and vocals, Colin Bass on bass and vocals and Denis Clement on drums] has got back that sense of belonging we’ve not had since those early days. It feels again like it did back in those early days. And I know this comes through on the new DVD.”
Camel Live At The Royal Albert Hall was shot at their triumphant return to the Albert Hall on September 17, 2018, when the band celebrated the 1976 Moonmadness album and proved they were still a major force in the progressive world. However, Latimer only reluctantly agreed to do the show.
“I wanted to play at the Roundhouse in London. This was a smaller venue, and it held special memories for me. But I was convinced by our management and booking agent to go for a return to the Albert Hall.
“In 1975, I was very nervous before we went on stage. I suppose there was a lot of pressure on us because we were doing such a prestigious hall. But last year, I never had that feeling. I was quite relaxed about it all, and it was so much fun to do that gig.”
Whereas back in ’75, Camel’s star was in the ascendant, in 2018, they were battling against years of struggling.
“I was suffering from health problems and we’d had a lot of problems getting ourselves back on track. The Royal Albert Hall date was the final one on a European tour. And for the first half of it, fate seemed to be against us. I got a hernia and had to do a few gigs sitting down. Then when we were in Holland, I went down with pneumonia, and I did wonder whether our luck would change for the better. But I had an operation to clear up the hernia, and got over the pneumonia, and the second half of the tour really picked up.”
While there was a plan to film the 2018 Albert Hall concert, this was very nearly scuppered.
“We had a company lined up to take care of the camerawork. But two days before the event, they suddenly pulled out, and that left us high and dry. That was a crisis. And it appeared we could never find anyone to step in at such short notice. But in the end we did manage it.”
The new arrangement came at an artistic cost to the filming.
“If you’re filming at the Albert Hall, then the venue reserves certain seats for the cameras, so all the angles are covered,” Latimer explains. “When the original company withdrew, we allowed the Albert Hall to sell some of these production seats. We all believed there was no way to find new people in the short time available, so saw no objection to them selling those seats.
“We are getting a lot more women now than we used to. It was wonderful to be at the Albert Hall last year and see so many women.”
But what this meant was that while we did have eight cameras at the gig, some of the angles couldn’t be covered.
“When we came to looking at the footage, there were glaring holes,” he continues. “For instance, when Pete did a solo, there should have been a camera trained on him. But because there was now no room available, we couldn’t get the necessary shots. That was very frustrating. It meant getting a convincing visual representation of the night was more of a challenge than it should have been.”
If there’s one big difference between the Royal Albert Hall shows, it’s in the audiences.
“We are getting a lot more women to shows now than we used to,” Latimer says, enthusiastically. “It was wonderful to be at the Albert Hall last year and see so many women. We’re just not used to it. Back in ’75, the only women at the venue were those dragged along by husbands or boyfriends, and I bet they hated every minute of what they had to endure.
It’s great now to look out and see… women! Not only that, but they come along for the right reason: because they enjoy the music!”
Looking back now, Latimer believes those two performances at one of the UK’s most iconic halls were invaluable to him and the band.
“The two times we have been there have been very special. I’d go so far as to say they were among the most important highlights we’ve ever had. In 1975, the fact we could sell out the Albert Hall meant that Camel were suddenly seen as a big name. It gave us a profile.
“We didn’t know what to expect last year,” he says. “But as soon as we came on, the reaction from the fans was overwhelming. We could feel the warmth and affection coming from everyone, and that was a very emotional moment.”
Camel At The Royal Albert Hall is out now. See www.camelproductions.com for more information.