from the LP The Miraculous Hump Returns from the Moon, Reprise Records, 1972Named after a British WWI fighter plane, Sopwith Camel are mostly remembered for being one of the first San Francisco bands to have a record out, which is a damn shame because their self-titled debut (recorded in 1966) is a totally forgettable affair that pales in comparison to this breezy yet witty sophomore effort; the band actually broke up back in ’67, and they didn’t reform again until ’71. Some things had changed in the interim (perhaps moving from “acid, moccasins & teepees” to “coke, suede & waterbeds”), but singer & saxophonist Peter Kraemer knows better than to presume anything major will fluctuate from the basic template, “…this scene is making me insane, everybody seems the same; no one here is to blame, things have always been the same…” The whole album is full of clever observations like these, and when matched with the easy-going atmosphere their music creates, it sort of reminds me of early Steely Dan. History wound up repeating itself, with the band once again imploding and hanging it up after this album flopped, only it was for good this time; dig that giant winged camel on the cover!
