Camel-Harbours Of Tears (1996)

With their twelfth album, “Harbour of Tears”, Camel (and consequently, their frontman Andy Latimer) continued their commitment to creating concept albums, this time focusing on the experiences of Irish immigrants to North America in the mid-nineteenth century, during the dark period known as the Great Famine. Following the narrative thread of a story centered on an Irish family, the album's title refers to the deep-water port located in the town of Cobh, on the south coast of Ireland. While virtually all the lyrics were written by Susan Hoover, Latimer's wife, drawing inspiration from the experiences of her ancestors a detail that adds an emotional dimension to the work the music is clearly influenced by Irish folk and Celtic sounds, which, blended with the band's unmistakable progressive rock style, create hypnotic and emotive atmospheres. The band that recorded this album consisted of Andy Latimer (guitars, vocals, flutes, and keyboards), Colin Bass (bass), David Patton (bass), Mae MacKenna (vocals), John Xepoleas (drums), and string and wind instrumentalists Anita Stoneham, Karen Bentley, Barry Phillips, John Burton, and Neil Panton. Celtic influences permeate most of the album's tracks, from the opening "Irish Air" to the emotive "Harbours of Tears", passing through the idyllic "Eyes of Ireland", the nostalgic "End of the Day", and the exquisite "Running From Paradise". On the more progressive side are the vibrant "Send Home The Slates", the complex "Watching The Bobbins", the orchestral "Coming Of Age", and the extraordinary and exuberant "The Hour Candle (A Song For My Father)". With "Harbours Of Tears", Camel not only pays homage to a fundamental part of human history, but also vindicates the human capacity to endure in the face of enormous difficulties, a powerful reminder that in the most terrible moments, there is always a glimmer of hope for better times to come.