Rain Dances Explained

Rain Dances
Type:	studio
Artist:	Camel
Cover:	Camel_Raindances.jpg
Released:	September 1977
Recorded:	February–August 1977
Studio:	Basing Street Studios, London
Length:	41:28
Label:	Gama/Decca
Producer:	Rhett Davies, Camel
Prev Title:	Moonmadness
Prev Year:	1976
Next Title:	Breathless
Next Year:	1978

Rain Dances is the fifth studio album by English progressive rock band Camel. It was released in 1977 on Gama Records/Decca Records, and brought a major change to the band's lineup, by replacing bassist Doug Ferguson with ex-Caravan member Richard Sinclair and by adding saxophonist Mel Collins, formerly of King Crimson.

Personnel

Camel

• Andrew Latimer – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, 12-string guitar, panpipes, flute, backing vocals; fretless bass on "Tell Me"; electric piano, Minimoog, synthesizer and fuzz guitar on "Elke"; piano on "Elke" and "Rain Dances"; rhythm guitar and bass on "Skylines"; glockenspiel on "Rain Dances"; lead vocals on "Highways of the Sun" and "Unevensong"
• Peter Bardens – organ, piano, electric piano, Minimoog, synthesizer, Hohner Clavinet
• Andy Ward – drums, percussion, ocarina, glockenspiel, talking drum
• Richard Sinclair – bass; lead vocals on "Metrognome", "Tell Me" and "Unevensong"
• Mel Collins – alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, clarinet, bass flute, brass arrangements

Additional personnel

• Martin Drover – trumpet on "One of These Days I'll Get an Early Night", flugelhorn on "Skylines"
• Malcolm Griffiths – trombone on "One of These Days I'll Get an Early Night" and "Skylines"
• Brian Eno – Minimoog, electric piano, piano on "Elke"
• Fiona Hibbert – harp on "Elke"

Production

• Rhett Davies - producer
• Dave Hutchins – engineer
• Paul Henry – sleeve design
• Bob Searles – illustration

Release details

• 1977, UK, Gama/Decca, Release date: September 1977, LP
• 1991, UK/GER, Deram, Release date: 26 August, CD (w. bonus track)
• 2004, UK, London 8207252, Release date: 2 February 2004, CD (remastered version)

Charts

Chart (1977)	Peak position
Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts)^[1]	29
Spanish Albums (AFYVE)^[2]	18

External links

• Camel - Rain Dances (1977) album review by Matthew Plichta, credits & releases at AllMusic.com
• Camel - Rain Dances (1977) album releases & credits at Discogs.com
• Camel - Rain Dances (1977) album review by Archibald C. Burke, credits & user reviews at SputnikMusic.com
• Camel - Rain Dances (1977) album to be listened as stream at Play.Spotify.com

Notes and References

1. Book: Pennanen, Timo. Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972. 1st. Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. Helsinki. 2006. 978-951-1-21053-5 . fi.
2. Book: Salaverri, Fernando. Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002. 1st. Fundación Autor-SGAE. Spain. 2005. 84-8048-639-2 . es.