Rainbow's End – A Camel Anthology (1973–1985) / Rainbow's End - A Camel Anthology (1973-1985)

Over the course of 59 tracks, Rainbow's End not only includes the key tracks from each of the albums U.K. prog legends Camel made during their initial mid-'70s-to-mid-'80s run, it also features an abundance of live recordings from all through the band's career. The largely chronological set follows the band from its beginnings as an outgrowth of the '70s Canterbury scene, turning out organ-heavy, relatively visceral art rock, to their adoption of a more complex, classically influenced approach that reached its apex with the 1975 prog milestone The Snow Goose, an instrumental suite that defined bandleader/guitarist/flautist Andy Latimer's lyrical approach to melody. By the late '70s, Camel was moving toward a simpler, more "accessible" style, and Rainbow's End dutifully follows that evolution as well, carefully picking the choice cuts representing both the poppier and proggier ends of Camel's sonic spectrum from such albums as Breathless and Nude. And even hardcore fans that own all the albums will surely be tempted by the rich array of live material.