Camel is a progressive rock group from Guildford, Surrey, England. They formed circa 1964 when brothers Andrew and Ian Latimer got together with their respective friends Alan Butcher and Richard Over to form The Phantom Four. The band played extensively around their hometown of Guildford, Surrey before changing their name to Strange Brew. The group performed mainly cover tunes until mid-1968 when Ian Latimer quit to get married. Andrew Latimer and Alan Butcher placed an ad in the Surrey Advertiser for a bass player to which Doug Ferguson responded. On 13th November 1968 Ferguson arrived for an audition and promptly impressed the duo with his confidence, a ‘fat’ bass sound, excellent gear (Fender jazz bass, 2 Vox T-60 cabs with amps) and his own roadie! He was offered the gig on the spot. The new blues orientated trio was called… THE BREW. Shortly after joining The Brew, Ferguson told Latimer about an exciting drummer he knew. Andy Ward joined THE BREW at the tender age of 14 and the heart of Camel had begun to take shape.
Ferguson rapidly proved himself to be a great asset with his talent for getting the band attention and gigs. He was also very good at coaxing the promised fees out of promoters, who often protested they didn’t have the money on hand. As a result, THE BREW enjoyed a steady stream of performance dates and recorded their first demo, ‘Crossroads’ in which DJM Records seemed to show interest but the trio were disappointed to learn that it was only in using them as a backing band for another of their artists, Philip Goodhand-Tait.
it was great to see Andy Latimer in great shape. One of the most amazing guitar players ever. Snow Goose live was precious and songs like Never Let Go and Lady Fantasy are unforgettable.
Worth the Wait
Warrington, Parr Hall, 13/03/2014
Was at Camels gig at Parr Hall, Warrington, as this was the furthest north band came on this tour. No Scotland again !
If you were at the 2013 tour, the tracks were the same.
So if you bought the DVD you could relive the concert again any time you like !
Band were on form, and it was worth the trek down from Edinburgh.
Last time I saw Camel was at their farewell concert in London, (the second last gig of that tour), over 10 years ago.
With Andy (Latimers) health problems well kn...
bonus
Salisbury, Salisbury City Halll, 22/10/2013
On a very windy/rainy night in Salisbury i had the pleasure to see one of my all time favorite bands namely Camel.
After Andy Latimers illness over the last few years it was a real Bonus to see the band perform again.
However it did not reach the heights that i was expecting(sorry)
Those around me would not agree as they said how good it was,but having seen Camel quite a few times before i just felt it fell slightly short this time.
A strange second set list after set 1 revisited the Snow go...
