Rain Dances (Expanded Edition)

Editors’ Notes Five albums into their recording career, Camel made their first personnel shift on Rain Dances, as Richard Sinclair (formerly of fellow Canterbury scenemates Caravan) replaced bassist Doug Ferguson, and the band gained a saxophonist for the first time in erstwhile King Crimson member Mel Collins. The album featured the first hints of the more accessible, pop-friendly direction Camel would take on their next couple of albums, and perhaps not coincidentally, marked the Brits' first appearance on the U.S. album charts. But Rain Dances is pretty evenly split between complexity and commerciality -- opening instrumental "First Light" recalls the prog glories of Camel's earlier albums, and the rather ambient instrumental piece "Elke" includes guest keyboards by ambient godfather Brian Eno himself. Still, the undeniably poppy "Highways of the Sun" proved mainstream enough to be released as a single, and "One of These Days I'll Get an Early Night" is a venture into funky jazz fusion, with Collins' sax coming to the fore. Call it the arrival of Camel Mk II.