Charts: UK #45, NOR #18, SWE #36, US #208.
Like a lot of other 70's Prog Rock bands, Camel go poppier. With that they release another decent and fun record that, unfortunately, will never be able to compete with the greatness of the first four.
Camel were one of the greatest symphonic prog rock groups of the 70's, with the likes of Yes and Rush. They released four amazing albums from '73 to '76, including the masterpiece Mirage.
Camel, like many other Prog Rock bands, became worse as the years went by. Rain Dances was a step down after the fantastic Moonmadness, and deviated from the band's original sound. Breathless was another step-down, but was still decent. When original keyboardist Peter Bardens left, the band seemed a little lost. Fortunately, Camel delivers yet another good album.
While the '78 Breathless had some god-awful tracks like Down on the Farm and You Make Me Smile, I Can See Your House from Here had none, making the album much easier to listen to as a whole. The album preserved some of the poppier sound the previous album had, with tracks like Your Love Is Stranger than Mine and Neon Magic, which were executed perfectly. Most of the album's greatness revolves around the great Latimer leads, like in Neon Magic and Who We Are.
Every song on the album is nice, and while engaging in a more poppy sound, Camel still maintain Prog elements such as odd time signatures. The album contains three instrumentals, seeing as vocals were never the strongest side of Camel anyway. Two of them, Ice and Eye of the Storm, are beautiful, and Ice is probably the greatest track in the record. Rounding up at over ten minutes, Ice is an emotional, atmospheric piece telling the story of a distant desolate landscape. While being far from their greatest, it sounds like no track Camel have done before, and showcases a style Camel would much use on their latter albums. Survival, on the other hand, is a boring unnecessary track, which can only be seen as filler. Luckily, the track following it, Hymn to Her, is one of the greatest on the record; a beautiful ballad with some nice guitar work.
In contrast to the former album, Remote Romance is the only track which can be considered 'average' or 'bad', but it's still pretty fun, and the chorus is catchy. I Can See Your House from Here is a great record, filled with great moments. Unfortunately, it does drag a little in the middle, but the excellent guitar work from Latimer and the catchiness make up for it. This album is recommended for fans of the first four albums. It may not be a classic like the first four records the band have released, but it is still enjoyable in its own right.
(sputnikmusic.com/review/56053/Camel-I-Can-See-Your-House-From-Here/)