The Snow Goose (Deluxe Version)

While Camel's first two albums helped establish the band as a valuable exponent of U.K. prog rock's Canterbury scene, The Snow Goose, placed the band among the most accomplished art-rockers around. The all-instrumental suite inspired by the Paul Gallico novella of the same name is regarded as a landmark prog record, but it was originally intended to include lyrics based on the book's text; this idea was abandoned when Gallico claimed copyright infringement. It was for the best, though; the elegantly realized tunes -- each corresponding to a different section of the story -- feel absolutely complete sans words. Penned by guitarist/flautist Andy Latimer and keyboardist Pete Bardens, the individual movements of the suite employ flowing melodic lines offset by graceful counterpoint as Latimer's flute and guitar dance around Bardens's organ, synth, and piano, but when the London Symphony Orchestra enters, with sympathetic arrangements by David Bedford, The Snow Goose truly achieves the organic blend of rock and classical music that prog rock so often strives to attain.