Camel's classic period started with The Snow Goose, an instrumental concept album based on a novella by Paul Gallico.
Although there are no lyrics on the album -- two songs feature wordless vocals -- the music follows the emotional arc of the novella's story, which is about a lonely man named Rhayader who helps nurse a wounded snow goose back to health with the help of a young girl called Fritha he recently befriended.
Once the goose is healed, it is set free, but Fritha no longer visits the man because the goose is gone. Later, Rhayader is killed in battle during the evacuation of Dunkirk.
The goose returned during the battle, and it is then named La Princesse Perdue, symbolizing the hopes that can still survive even during the evils of war. With such a complex fable to tell, it is no surprise that Camel keep their improvisational tendencies reined in, deciding to concentrate on surging, intricate soundscapes that telegraph the emotion of the piece without a single word. And even though The Snow Goose is an instrumental album, it is far more accessible than some of Camel's later work, since it relies on beautiful sonic textures instead of musical experimentation.
CD1
01. The Great Marsh
02. Rhayader
03. Rhayader Goes To Town
04. Sanctuary
05. Fritha
06. The Snow Goose
07. Friendship
08. Migration
09. Rhayader Alone
10. Flight Of The Snow Goose
11. Preparation [Instrumental Album Version]
12. Dunkirk [Instrumental Album Version]
13. Epitaph [Instrumental Album Version]
14. Fritha Alone [Instrumental Album Version]
15. La Princesse Perdue [Instrumental Album Version]
16. The Great Marsh [Instrumental Reprise Version]
17. Flight Of The Snow Goose [Instrumental Single Edit]
18. Rhayader [Instrumental Single Edit]
19. Rhayader Goes To Town ["Live At The Marquee" Instrumental Version]
20. The Snow Goose/Freefall ["Live At The Marquee" Instrumental Version]
CD2
01. Rhayader Goes To Town [BBC Radio One "In Concert"] - (live)
02. Sanctuary [BBC Radio One "In Concert"] - (live)
03. Snow Goose [BBC Radio One "In Concert"], The - (live)
04. Migration [BBC Radio One "In Concert"] - (live)
05. Rhayader Alone [BBC Radio One "In Concert"] - (live)
06. Flight Of The Snow Goose [BBC Radio One "In Concert"] - (live)
07. Preparation [BBC Radio One "In Concert"] - (live)
08. Dunkirk [BBC Radio One "In Concert"] - (live)
09. Epitaph [BBC Radio One "In Concert"] - (live)
10. La Princesse Perdue [BBC Radio One "In Concert"] - (live)
11. The Great Marsh [BBC Radio One "In Concert"] - (live)
12. Selections from The Snow Goose [BBC TV "Old Grey Whistle Test"] - (live)
*2009 Univeral Japan | UICY-94132-33 {2009 Japan Mini LP SHM-CD Remaster}
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