camel stationary traveller meaning

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Swathed in shadows and Cold War intrigue, Camel’s ‘Stationary Traveller’ tapped into the paranoia of the mid-80s and is well worthy of reappraisal.

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Having held their ground during the tornado of punk, Surrey prog-rock stalwarts Camel began the 80s in style with Nude : an ambitious concept LP based on the true story of Japanese soldier Hiroo Onoda, who believed World War II was still ongoing when he was rescued from a remote Philippine island in 1974. It would not be the last time Camel tackled political and emotional turmoil in the 80s, as 1984’s Stationary Traveller would go on to show.

Listen to Stationary Traveller now .

Nude broached the UK Top 40, but Camel’s original drummer, Andy Ward, quit in its wake and the band duly splintered. Under pressure from Decca Records for a hit single, Camel’s prime mover, Andy Latimer, responded by recording the atypically pop-oriented The Single Factor with an array of talented sessioneers including ex- Genesis guitarist Anthony Phillips and Kenny Everett/Alan Parsons Project collaborator Chris Rainbow. The album entered the lower reaches of the UK charts and Camel embarked on a successful 10th-anniversary tour with a line-up including vocalist Rainbow, bassist David Paton, drummer Stuart Tosh and returning late 70s keyboard player Kit Watkins.

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‘the single factor’: a camel classic that wears its years lightly, ‘fish rising’: the maiden solo voyage of steve hillage.

Released on April 13, 1984, the band’s tenth LP, Stationary Traveller , was also recorded in a state of flux, with the nucleus of Latimer and Paton joined by versatile keyboardist Ton Scherpenzeel (ex-Dutch progsters Kayak) and a new full-time drummer, Paul Burgess. However, while the album broadly continued in the same vein as its predecessor, delivering concisely structured, four- or five-minute pop songs, Stationary Traveller was a tad more adventurous and certainly the more fully realized of the two.

If not a “concept” LP in the strictest sense, Stationary Traveller ’s 10 tracks shared a common theme in that they all related to the trauma that East German citizens faced when leaving their families and attempting to cross the notorious Berlin Wall to the “freedom” of democratic Western society. With the Iron Curtain still dividing Europe, the Wall remained an oppressive physical (and psychological) presence in the mid-80s and, as late as January ’89, GDR leader Erich Honecker warned it could still be standing for another 50 years.

Swathed in shadows and Cold War intrigue, Stationary Traveller adroitly tapped into the paranoia of the time, not least on the yearning, evocative “West Berlin” and the dense, synth-led noir of “Vopos.” Elsewhere, however, a radio-friendly balance was redressed by accessible, guitar-driven tracks such as the Supertramp -like “Refugee” and the edgy, New Wave-esque “Cloak & Dagger Man,” while the swooning ballad “Long Goodbyes” (“Though I hate to go, I know it’s for the better”) provided a dignified, but suitably emotional, finale.

Chiming with The Single Factor ’s commercial performance, Stationary Traveller proved a minor UK chart hit and the band’s subsequent tour bequeathed an equally decent live LP, Pressure Points . Both remain releases worthy of reappraisal, though by the time Camel returned with 1991’s John Steinbeck-inspired Dust And Dreams , the fall of the Berlin Wall and the break-up of the old USSR had already consigned Stationary Traveller ’s lyrical concerns to the four winds of history.

Stationary Traveller can be bought here .

David Isner

April 17, 2020 at 2:36 pm

Stationary Traveler is still my favorite Camel Album. There’s been criticism that there’s too much drum machines and the like. That may be so, but I think even that was masterly done. I do wonder what it would sound like if humans played all of the instruments.

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Review: Camel – Stationary Traveller (1984)

Stationary Traveller is Camel’s 10th studio album.

The 70s and 80s were a difficult time for many progressive bands, and so it was for Camel, founded in 1973. The band lost two of its founding members in the late 70s, which at least to some extent contributed to a decline in the quality of the music. First bassist Doug Ferguson left in 1977 and the very next year keyboard player Peter Bardens made the same decision. Breathless (1978) and I Can See Your House from Here (1979) were, at best, uneven albums groping for a lost direction and the subsequent concept album Nude (1981) was not much better. The real collapse in standards came with 1982’s The Single Factor . At this point, drummer Andy Ward was also out of the picture with substance abuse and mental health problems, and lone guitarist/vocalist Andrew Latimer , left on his own, tried desperately to keep the camel on the trail and, under pressure from the label, took the band in a more commercial direction. With little success. Built with studio musicians, The Single Factor sounded more like b-grade The Alan Parsons Project than Camel and sold no better than the band’s previous albums.

The Single Factor was an experiment in which success was sought by making an album consisting solely of songs with single potential. When this failed, Latimer decided to take Camel in a slightly more ambitious direction and Stationary Traveller was, like many of the band’s earlier albums, built as a concept album. The album’s theme evokes the loss of freedom caused by the Berlin Wall and the paranoia of authoritarian East Germany during the Cold War. The lyrics are mainly written by Susan Hoover , girlfriend of guitarist Latimer, the only original member of the band at this stage.

Like The Single Factory (1982), Stationary Traveller is for the most part a pure pop record that only occasionally veers towards progressive rock, but this time the song material is of higher quality and the pop influences blend more naturally with the familiar Camel style. The theme that unites the songs also adds a certain poise and a certain common thread.

Read also: Review: Rush – Grace Under Pressure (1984)

The songs on The Single Factor were made with varying combinations of studio musicians, but for Stationary Traveller Latimer assembled a real band with a few guests . Haydn Bendall (operating Fairlight CMI, borrowed from Kate Bush ) and Ton Scherpenzeel , formerly of Dutch prog band Kayak , were responsible for the synthesizers. The rhythm section is led by bassist David Paton and drummer Paul Burgess . Officially, the band at this point included only Scherpenzeel and Burgess, along with Latimer.

Stationary Traveller will also feature guests Mel Collins on saxophone and vocalist Chris Rainbow . Rainbow sings the few songs that Latimer himself couldn’t quite manage.

Stationary Traveller has a rather sombre and melancholic atmosphere, in keeping with its subject matter, but it cannot be described as dark. A significant part of the songs are quite upbeat and the very 80’s sounds bring an upbeat lightness. There’s humour in there too. Mostly unintentional. If you suffer from a severe allergy to 80’s sounds Stationary Traveller can be a bit of a shock, but I think the sounds work surprisingly well in context. The mood is sometimes cheesy, but almost always entertainingly so. The sound is generally dominated by Scherpenzeel’s synthesizers, Latimer’s melodic guitar, dryly declarative vocals, and drums with a steady rhythm and a bit lifeless sound. The description may not sound particularly appealing, but somehow the combination works in the case of Stationary Traveller and the atmosphere of the album is quite unique, even if it is partly made up of rather clichéd 80s production techniques.

Stationary Traveller successfully balances somewhere between progressive rock and synth-pop, but leaning more towards the latter. The most successful moments of the album are the songs that move on the side of straight pop.

Of the pop songs, ”Refugee”, ”Clock And Dagger Man” and ”West Berlin” are particularly successful.

”Refugee” is an elegant mid-tempo song that sounds a bit like Dire Straits with its guitar picking. This impression is not diminished by Latimer’s laconic vocal style.

”Cloak And Dagger Man”, on the other hand, is the most raucous track on the album. It’s a really entertaining synthesizer-driven romp where Scherpenzeel’s wild synthesizer runs towards the end of the song are absolutely amazing to listen to in all their irreverence. Chris Rainbow’s wider vocal range on ”Cloak And Dagger Man” brings a nice change of pace from Latimer’s declarative style that largely dominates the rest of the album.

”West Berlin” is an absolute highlight of Stationary Traveller . This excellent song manages to capture the story of the protagonist’s defiant and wistful dream of freedom that comes when he finally manages to defect to the other side of the wall in West Berlin. Pounding along with steadily synthesised drums, the song features a truly stirring chorus. Latimer again sings in a passionlessly declarative way, which you might think would be the wrong approach for this story, but somehow the result works. There’s a strange charm to ”West Berlin” that I can’t explain because for all its simplicity, this kind of music doesn’t usually appeal to me.

And I’m looking out over West Berlin Feeling freer now than I’ve ever been When the sun sets over West Berlin I’ll be leaving, I can’t come back again And I’m looking out over West Berlin West Berlin

The track ”Fingertrips”, which follows ”West Berlin”, is also an excellent case, despite its really anemic rhythm track. However, the song’s wistful melody and Paton’s tasty fretless bass compensate sufficiently and the chorus of this song is also great. Collins’ skilful saxophone solo is a little lacklustre, yet remains just on the right side of good taste.

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The album also features four instrumental songs interspersed between the sung tracks. The most delicious of these is the delicate and slightly new age title track, which features Latimer’s acoustic guitar strumming over a synthesizer backdrop, a subtle waft of panpipes and a determined electric guitar solo at the end. The album-opening, airy and airy ”Pressure Points” serves as a stylish intro to all that is to come, but the album-closing ”Missing” and ”After Words” remain somewhat uninteresting background music.

Not all the songs on Stationary Traveller are really hits, but sometimes the atmosphere is a bit stilted. The biggest weakness of the album is its extremely simplistic drum tracks, which work in some songs, but sometimes make the music seem stale and monotonous. Despite this, the album is quite pleasant to listen to throughout its duration. In fact, Stationary Traveller is easily the best Camel album since 1976’s Moonmadness , in my opinion.

Wrapped in stylish sepia-toned covers, the Stationary Traveller , despite its pop spirit, was not commercially successful. Latimer was more or less forced to put the band on ice until the 90s. Having lost their record deal, the band returned as a home-grown, self-run project with rather anaemic results.

Best tracks: ”Refugee”, ”Vopos”, ”West Berlin”, ”Stationary Traveller”, ”Cloak And Dagger Man”, ”Fingertips”

Author: JANNE YLIRUUSI

Read also: review: u.k. – danger money (1979).

• Pressure Points 2:09
• Refugee 3:47
• Cloak and Dagger Man 3:55
• Stationary Traveller 5:34
• West Berlin 5:10
• Fingertips 4:29
• Missing 4:22
• After Words 2:01
• Long Goodbyes 5:14

Andy Latimer: electric guitar, acoustic guitar, 12-string guitar, bass guitar, synthesizers, piano, drum synthesizer, pan flute, vocals Ton Scherpenzeel : organ, grand piano, Prophet synthesizer, Yamaha CS-80, Juno 60, Korg, PPG, accordion Paul Burgess: drums

David Paton: bass guitar (3, 4), untaped bass guitar (7, 10), backing vocals Chris Rainbow: vocals (A 4, 10) Mel Collins: saxophone (7) Haydn Bendall: Fairlight CMI (1, 3), PPG synthesizer (8)

Producer: Andrew Latimer

Label: decca.

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Stationary Traveller

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Originally Posted by Rarebird Well of course, that's why I like Camel, I'm female. I also like Gentle Giant, Caravan, Van Der Graaf Generator, Genesis, Yes, Rush, Renaissance, Hoelderlin, Eloy, Novalis, Triumvirat and many others, so I suppose they all score low on the progness-meter. Oooops... Gentle Giant, Van Der Graaf ? something wrong in my analysis. OK, back to the drawing board right now to perfect my progness-factor meter . And maybe you're ready now to try Henry Cow: I would suggest starting with "In Praise of..." because it has some (horror!) "hummable vocal parts" which makes it the "poppiest H.C record", though Dagmar's voice/singing is not for everybody and more like an acquired taste.

Last edited by Mr.Krautman; 09-12-2017 at 03:09 PM .

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I've always loved this album, probably because I was about 17 when it came out. The album cover perfectly conveys the sound of the music within, and, as a concept album, I always loved the atmosphere of this one....

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Originally Posted by Mr.Krautman And maybe you're ready now to try Henry Cow: I would suggest starting with "In Praise of..." because it has some (horror!) "hummable vocal parts" which makes it the "poppiest H.C record", though Dagmar's voice/singing is not for everybody and more like an acquired taste. And don't worry -- once you have mastered Henry Cow, there will be a still more outre band and someone to condescendingly suggest that you should broaden your horizons further. World without end.

... “there’s a million ways to learn” (which there are, by the way), but ironically, there’s a million things to eat, I’m just not sure I want to eat them all. -- Jeff Berlin

Originally Posted by Tom And don't worry -- once you have mastered Henry Cow, there will be a still more outre band and someone to condescendingly suggest that you should broaden your horizons further. World without end. My horizon is broad enough, thank you. I like a whole lot of music and I don't care wether it's prog or not. I leave that discussion to others. And while one considers a melody hummable, like I think of my own music, others, like my father, who loves traditional jazz and baroque music, don't.

http://methofer.home.xs4all.nl/ http://www.rarebirdproductions.bandcamp.com

I was not offended by this. I do not agree that Camel is 85% pop. Maybe the ST era skewed more pop but their '70 output I would quantify as >85% Prog.

Originally Posted by rcarlberg Geez people. You're offended by THIS??? I only meant Camel is 85% pop, 15% progressive, hence on the shallow end where Univers Zero and Henry Cow are the deep end. Yes, Latimer's solos are most expressive. Like Gilmour he wrings a lot of emotion out of not-so-many notes. But his songs are hummable, vocal, structured conventionally and using standard instrumentation. Mostly. Sometimes I wonder if I have autism. I cannot understand why some people take offense at some seemingly-innocuous things (but not others which I find really horrific). Sorry. above was in reference to this...

Originally Posted by Progbear Never cared for it, too pop, too 80s. “Pressure Points” is fantastic, but it’s all downhill after that. “Long Goodbyes” is dire, one of the worst songs ever released under the Camel moniker. Still haven’t heard The Single Factor , if it’s actually worse than this ... ^^^ what he said and Mike TSF is indeed worse but if you can get a copy for $3, Sasquatch is the saving piece on that one 3 bad Camel albums (all others are at least very good): 2nd runner up: Stationary Traveller 1st runner up: ICSYHFH worst of the worst: TSF I love Nude... perhaps even more than the 90s-00s albums

Last edited by MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER; 09-14-2017 at 03:19 AM .

Why is it whenever someone mentions an artist that was clearly progressive (yet not the Symph weenie definition of Prog) do certain people feel compelled to snort "thats not Prog" like a whiny 5th grader?

Originally Posted by Sean I'm just asking, because his comment is a prime example of the kind of remarks people bring up when I find them licking their wounds in the hall, talking about how they haven't come to this place in years because we allow people to talk that way. So sometime I wonder "what if" we would have approached things differently? Would it have given us a better rep? Personally, I think running a forum like this is a thankless job at times and even one censored into being a Utopian, pro-band forum would have it's detractors and "wound lickers". Do you agree? yup

I don't think "The Single Factor" is the unmitigated disaster often described. There are two segments totalling a 3rd of the album that I think most Camel fans would enjoy : 1) "Selva" (a short, atmospheric instrumental with some great Latimer guitar) - "Lullabye" (a short piano ballad in the style of Nude's "Please Come Home") - "Sasquatch" (a cool instrumental with Peter Bardens, Anthony Phillips and Simon Phillips - not a bad line-up !) - that's nearly 10 minutes of pretty good stuff. 2) Then the closing pair of "A Heart's Desire" (a ballad sung by Chris Rainbow) and "End Peace" (an instrumental with a gorgeous Latimer solo over Anthony Phillips' keyboards. Another very fine 4 minutes. Sure, I don't have much time for practically any of the actual songs on the album, but a solid 15 minutes of good music on a 1982 isn't all that bad.

Calyx (Canterbury Scene) - http://www.calyx-canterbury.fr Legends In Their Own Lunchtime (blog) - https://canterburyscene.wordpress.com/ My latest books : "Yes" (2017) - https://lemotetlereste.com/musiques/yes/ + "L'Ecole de Canterbury" (2016) - http://lemotetlereste.com/musiques/lecoledecanterbury/ + "King Crimson" (2012/updated 2018) - http://lemotetlereste.com/musiques/kingcrimson/ Canterbury & prog interviews - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdf...IUPxUMA/videos

Like Camel, but not Stationary.

Originally Posted by Tom And don't worry -- once you have mastered Henry Cow, there will be a still more outre band and someone to condescendingly suggest that you should broaden your horizons further. World without end. Yeah, that would be truly condescending. One should always feel and/or know that one knows and feels adequately already and is ultimately on top of everything. Then there's preciously little left to be aware of or discover, so as to make passionately rightful claim to universal truths on behalf of this self-limitation - a kind of "fact as * I * see it! Me!" Thereby, I can for instance allow myself to respond to a thread titled "Why wasn't there much prog in the 80s?" by justifying how this 'truth' luckily complies with what I myself know or, alternately, don't know - although other folks have proved the very premise wrongful. Because I'm a prog fan, meaning I like prog - yet I don't/won't like those names that were unknown to me. So they can't possibly have been prog. And all this is ultimately about me. Only me. M-m-me. Camel were good during the 70s, got significantly weaker in the 80s and finally improved substantially with their latest string of records. Stationary Traveller isn't bad because "it's pop" but because the songs are uninspired and the identity of the band itself is practically eradicated from the music.

"Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith "[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM

Originally Posted by Tom Camel and National Health are more accessible than Gentle Giant or Soft Machine It's relative and subjective. I could never understand why anyone would find anything by GGiant an even remotely difficult listen - but that's just me. I don't find Camel "shallow" either, and I doubt if hardboiled Milli Vanilli fanatics would deem NHealth particularly accessible.

Originally Posted by Scrotum Scissor Thereby, I can for instance allow myself to respond to a thread titled "Why wasn't there much prog in the 80s?" by justifying how this 'truth' luckily complies with what I myself know or, alternately, don't know - although other folks have proved the very premise wrongful. Because I'm a prog fan, meaning I like prog - yet I don't/won't like those names that were unknown to me. So they can't possibly have been prog. And all this is ultimately about me. Only me. M-m-me. So kind of you, to think of me .

Originally Posted by Tom So kind of you, to think of me . No, not me but, b-but... Me .

Originally Posted by Scrotum Scissor Stationary Traveller isn't bad because "it's pop" but because the songs are uninspired and the identity of the band itself is practically eradicated from the music. You kind of have to put yourself back into the mindset musicians had in the 80s. A lot of people kind of roll their eyes at the term “corporate rock” nowadays (with nostalgic cries of “Hey! I like Toto!”) but this was the period where the suits took over the music industry, turning pop music into assembly-line product. The success of albums like Thriller and Born in the U.S.A. put the pressure on artists everywhere to write songs that were potential hit singles (or rather, record execs were pressuring artists on their roster to come up with hit singles). But Thriller and Born in the U.S.A. were made by artists who believed in the type of music they were making. Which is why they are heralded as classics, and all those albums by prog bands making half-assed attempts to appeal to a mass 80s audience suck so bad.

Confirmed Bachelors : the dramedy hit of 1883...

It's a pity that they didn't include an additional track called "In the arms of waltzing Frauleins" on the original release ( I only discovered it recently on Itunes) since it gives a pretty distinct atmosphere to the whole (although it's something that seems much more related to Berlin/Weimar/WWII than to the post WWII period). I don't know if it was composed/included some time after the original LP release for touring purposes Ed

Originally Posted by Progbear You kind of have to put yourself back into the mindset musicians had in the 80s. A lot of people kind of roll their eyes at the term “corporate rock” nowadays (with nostalgic cries of “Hey! I like Toto!”) but this was the period where the suits took over the music industry, turning pop music into assembly-line product. The success of albums like Thriller and Born in the U.S.A. put the pressure on artists everywhere to write songs that were potential hit singles (or rather, record execs were pressuring artists on their roster to come up with hit singles). But Thriller and Born in the U.S.A. were made by artists who believed in the type of music they were making. Which is why they are heralded as classics, and all those albums by prog bands making half-assed attempts to appeal to a mass 80s audience suck so bad. Utterly true. Which is the main reason why 80s progressive rock of much credit was squarely created by underground, independent artists. You can't hold commercial efforts or aspirations against bands who were accustomed to a wholly other cultural logistic and existed on the mercy of corporate moguls, seeing as none of those 'dinos' would have survived in the alternative market of pop/rock - where interest in anything 'progressive' was down to cult-like affections. In other words; thank the almighty for the ventures of art-punk and avant-progressive.

Originally Posted by Scrotum Scissor Utterly true. Which is the main reason why 80s progressive rock of much credit was squarely created by underground, independent artists. You can't hold commercial efforts or aspirations against bands who were accustomed to a wholly other cultural logistic and existed on the mercy of corporate moguls, seeing as none of those 'dinos' would have survived in the alternative market of pop/rock - where interest in anything 'progressive' was down to cult-like affections. In other words; thank the almighty for the ventures of art-punk and avant-progressive. Well said. But the heinous "suits" performed one valuable purpose, what today's internet marketers call "curation". They pruned a vast population of aspiring musicians to a manageable number of bands, most with a comprehensible identity. One substantial difficulty in exploring avant-progressive, particularly in its early period, is the absence of such curation. Many albums from that era are laudably experimental; but not all experiments succeed. The situation improved in the 2000s, as the avant-rock community grew more unified and began promoting its own champions.

Originally Posted by Tom Many albums from that era are laudably experimental; but not all experiments succeed. The situation improved in the 2000s, as the avant-rock community grew more unified and began promoting its own champions. While partly true, one has to consider how 'laudably experimental' was to some extent the standard of the day back then; after the endeavour of punk, there were essentially very few places to move next in rock - without appearing reactionary and heading for New Romantics or NWoBHM. As a result, much 80s post-punk remains overtly radical and transgressive, even by today's standards. And that was their intent - to explore extremities (as in no-wave or industrial music from the European continent). If you seek to move along, then breaking free is often necessary. This being said, I don't hear much 'laudable experimentalism' in any desperate need of curation with the music of Orthotonics or Débile Menthol or Holy Toy or Expander des Fortschritts or Zut Un Feu Rouge. They didn't adhere to previously conscripted rules or regulations, and weren't supposed to. This was one of the obsessive freedoms awarded and allowed them by the paradigm of DIY.

Originally Posted by rickmoraz It's a pity that they didn't include an additional track called "In the arms of waltzing Frauleins" on the original release ( I only discovered it recently on Itunes) since it gives a pretty distinct atmosphere to the whole (although it's something that seems much more related to Berlin/Weimar/WWII than to the post WWII period). I don't know if it was composed/included some time after the original LP release for touring purposes Ed As you might know it's the opening-track on the 2004-rerelease on Camel Productions, which also includes an extended mix of Pressure Points as a bonustrack. Although I like a lot of 80s music, the sound of this Camel didn't age as well as albums from the likes of Nik Kersaw, at least in my ears. But it's still a nice album

Stationary Traveller turns 40! Nice combination of pop and some progressive tendencies. I wrote a review of the album: https://pienemmatpurot.com/review-ca...raveller-1984/

My progressive music site: https://pienemmatpurot.com/ Reviews in English: https://pienemmatpurot.com/in-english/

Originally Posted by Kcrimso Stationary Traveller turns 40! Nice combination of pop and some progressive tendencies. I wrote a review of the album: https://pienemmatpurot.com/review-ca...raveller-1984/ The Dutch prog-band Kayakis? The group was named Kayak. But nonetheless, a nice review.

Originally Posted by Rarebird The Dutch prog-band Kayakis? The group was named Kayak. But nonetheless, a nice review. It was a typing error. Sorry. It happens sometimes.

Originally Posted by Kcrimso It was a typing error. Sorry. It happens sometimes. I thought so. Things like that can happen.

Nice review, I enjoyed it just like I did the first time I listened to this album. Very underrated but still one of the 80's Camel standouts. (the other typo is Factor, not Factory but just a minor one) ;-)

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Stationary Traveller (Expanded Edition)

1 January 1984 12 Songs, 50 minutes This Compilation ℗ 2009 Decca Music Group Limited

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• الولايات المتحدة
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