The Sopwith Camel

I mentioned The Sopwith Camel in passing during a previous post as one of the first bands I sought out on Napster. I had read that the Camel was the second band from San Francisco to get a major record deal (and the first to score a top 40 hit), and was determined to see what all the fuss was about. Unable to find any of the band's material in record stores, I turned to the new frontier of file sharing and had success.

What I first heard from the band (their top 40 single, "Hello Hello") did not impress me in the least. In fact, I remember being slightly put off by it. It sounded like it could have been a #1 single in 1925 - I could have sworn I'd heard it before on the soundtrack of A River Runs Through It. The only thing "modern" I could find about the song was the gently strummed electric guitar in the background. In retrospect, my initial impression of the track may have been a little short-sighted - indeed, many bands at the time were experimenting with retro styles. The Beatles would soon record the "White Album," upon which Paul McCartney would experiment with vintage pop ("Honey Pie," for example). The Lovin' Spoonful was dabbling in jug band music. Perhaps I was a little harsh to hold the arrangement of "Hello Hello" against the Sopwith Camel - it wasn't a poorly written song, it just wasn't what I was expecting from one of San Francisco's first major bands.

"Hello Hello" wasn't the most palatable thing I ever heard.

For some reason, I decided to continue my search of Sopwith Camel material. I figured that no band could possibly sustain the "Hello Hello" aesthetic over an entire album, let alone an entire career. However, this search was made difficult by the fact that the band only had two proper albums - one in 1967, and the other (a reunion album) in 1973. Given my opinion of the earlier material and the track record of San Francisco bands in the 70s (Jefferson Starship, anyone?), things did not look good for Sopwith Camel. I finally got hold of their reunion effort, 1973's The Miraculous Hump Returns from the Moon, I was ready to be sorely disappointed. For the most part, I was. The album as a whole did not hold up.

Nothing I can say will make this any funnier than it already is.

One track, however, reached uncommon heights of brilliance: "Fazon." I remember being hooked on the song the moment it started playing - its distant-sounding wah guitar combined with the opening saxophone line instantly drew me in. When the verse kicked in and revealed a fantastic bass groove, I was sold. To this day, I have no idea what - or who - "Fazon" is. All I know is that when the song starts playing, I can't help but nod my head and sing "Faaa - Faaa - Faaa - Fa - Fa - Fazon." Simply put, this is one of my jams - it has remained one of my favorite songs since the day I heard it a number of years ago.

I cannot say I listen to any Sopwith Camel outside of this single track. But based on the strength "Fazon" alone, I am comfortable calling myself a fan of the band. Songs this good are not accidents.

Fazon