Harbour of Tears

Harbour of Tears
Studio album by Camel
Released	5 February 1996 [1]
Recorded	1994–1995
Genre	Progressive rock
Length	62:14
Label	Camel Productions
Producer	Andy Latimer
Camel chronology
Dust and Dreams (1991) Harbour of Tears (1996) Rajaz (1999)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]

Harbour of Tears is the twelfth studio album by English progressive rock band Camel, released in 1996. It is a concept album, telling the story of an Irish family who are painfully separated as their young ones depart to the United States to seek a better future.

Title and lyrics

Band vocalist and guitarist Andrew Latimer learned that the last sight of Ireland his grandmother's family would have seen was Cóbh Harbour, a deep-water port that witnessed the fracturing of thousands of families as their sons and daughters departed towards America. Thus the album was titled as the common alias of the port, 'Harbour of Tears'.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Irish Air (Traditional Gaelic)"	Andy Latimer, Susan Hoover	0:57
2.	"Irish Air (Instrumental Reprise)"	Latimer	1:57
3.	"Harbour of Tears"	Latimer, Hoover	3:13
4.	"Cóbh"	Latimer	0:51
5.	"Send Home the Slates"	Latimer, Hoover	4:23
6.	"Under the Moon"	Latimer	1:16
7.	"Watching the Bobbins"	Latimer, Hoover	7:14
8.	"Generations"	Latimer	1:02
9.	"Eyes of Ireland"	Latimer, Hoover	3:09
10.	"Running from Paradise"	Latimer	5:21
11.	"End of the Day"	Latimer, Hoover	2:29
12.	"Coming of Age"	Latimer	7:22
13.	"The Hour Candle (A Song for My Father)" ( [a] )	Latimer	23:00

Personnel

• Andy Latimer – Guitars, Flute, Keyboards, Vocals, Penny Whistle
• Colin Bass – Bass guitar, backing vocals
• Mickey Simmonds – Keyboards

Additional musicians

• John Xepoleas – Drums
• David Paton – Bass, lead vocals on "Send Home the Slates"
• Mae McKenna – A Capella vocal on "Irish Air"
• Neil Panton – Oboe, Soprano sax, Harmonium
• Barry Phillips – Cello
• John Burton – French horn
• James SK Wān – Bamboo flute
• Karen Bentley – Violin
• Anita Stoneham – Violin

Other credits

• Mixed by Andy Latimer and Colin Bass
• Sleeve design by Jon Storey

Charts

Chart (1996)	Peak position
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [3]	58

Notes

1. Song ends at 6:30, afterwards a hidden track begins; after 8:03 the hidden track shifts into low-volume sea wave sounds until 23:00.

References

1. "New Albums". Music Week . 3 February 1996. p. 42.
2. Connolly, Dave. "Harbour of Tears - Camel | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
3. "Dutchcharts.nl – Camel – Harbour of Tears" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 30, 2023.

• The Rough Guide to Rock. (2003). United Kingdom: Rough Guides. p.165