Cameron
Band members Related acts
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line up 1 (1972-75) - Lane Cameron -- vocals, bass, guitar, keyboards, harmonica - Gary Dunne (RIP) -- vocals, bass, guitar - Dave Gallaher -- lead guitar, slide guitar, fiddle - Mike Idarola -- drums, percussion - Charlie Sherrill -- sax, flute, keyboards
line up 2 (1975-84) - Gary Dunne (RIP) -- vocals, bass, guitar - Dave Gallaher -- lead guitar, slide guitar, fiddle - Mike Idarola -- drums, percussion - Charlie Sherrill -- sax, flute, keyboards
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- The New Cameron Band (Lane Cameron) - Gary Dunne (solo efforts) - Microwave Dave & the Nukes (Dave Gallaher)
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Genre: rock Rating: 3 stars *** Title: Keep On Movin' Company: Home Groan Catalog: 002 Country/State: Fort Lauderdale, Florida Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: -- Available: 1 Catalog ID: 1576 Price: $75.00
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Band namesake Lane Cameron, guitarist Dave Gallaher, drummer Mike Idarola, and multi-instrumentalist Charlie Sherrill met while attending Boston's Berkley School Of Music. Having formed the band Cameron Company (quickly shortened to Cameron), they relocated to Fort Lauderdale, Florida where they picked up a loyal local following playing a mixture of original material and popular hits at local clubs and outdoor concerts throughout the South and mid-West. They also managed to record a pair of mid-'70s private press LPs.
Cameron were certainly a talented outfit with some on-line reviews comparing them to The Allman Brothers. Frankly, I don't hear much of an ABB influence. For the most part Cameron lacked the Allmans' interest in blues, favoring more of a Marshall Tucker-oriented country feel, or an Outlaw pop-orientation. That's not meant as a criticism since their albums are surprisingly consistent and enjoyable. I suspect they were even better in a live setting.
Home Groan catalog number AR 2710B
Following the release of their 1975 debut album ("Cameron"), the band underwent a personnel upheaval. Cameron quit, going on to form The New Cameron Band. No idea if it is true, but I read online the split related to Lane's growing interest in Scientology. The remaining band members opted to soldier on releasing their sophomore album. 1976's self-produced "Keep On Movin'" found the band continuing on as a quartet. Musically the album featured a surprisingly wide ranging and enjoyable collection of tunes. With Dunne and Gallaher responsible for all of the material, this time around the band seemed interested in showcasing their musical versatility. Among the different forays, the growling rocker 'Keep On Movin'' was one of the few tunes that actually sounded like an Allman Brothers tune. 'Empty Bed' was a conventional blues-rocker that probably sounded more inspiring in a live setting after a couple of cold beers. 'Home Again' was a commercial slice of Southern rock that has always reminded me of a Marshall Tucker Band, or Outlaws tune. I didn't appreciate it too much, but 'Where Do We Go From Here' demonstrated they could handle a radio-friendly ballad.
"Keep On
Movin'" track listing: 1.) Keep On Movin' (Gary Dunne) - 3:11 rating: **** stars If there was a tune in their repertoire that bore an Allman Brothers feel, then it was probably the blazing 'Keep On Movin''. The ABB comparison came as a result of Dunne's nice bluesy lead vocals and Gallaher's crisp slide guitar. Really good track and you had to wonder why they faded the tune out so soon. 2.) Where Do We Go From Here (Gary Dunne) - 3:55 rating; *** stars 'Where Do We Go From Here' was was a pretty, surprisingly commercial ballad. Nice display of their knack for sweet harmony vocals with Gallaher turning in some melodic George Harrison-styled slide guitar. 3.) Empty Bed (Dave Gallaher) - 4:11 rating; *** stars Conventional blues number that gave Charlie Sherrill a chance to shine on barrelhouse piano and sax. Gallaher turned in a nice fuzz solo towards the end of the tune. 4.) Home Again (Dave Gallaher) - 3:37 rating: **** stars Probably the most radio-friendly tune on side one, 'Home Again' has always reminded me of a good Outlaws tune. Wonderful melody that had a modest resemblance to '(Ghost) Riders In The Sky'.
(side
2) Kicked along by some nice Gallaher guitar, 'You Know I'm Gonna Miss You ' was a pretty country-rock tune that should appeal to Poco fans. 2.) (The Road To) Damascus (Gary Dunne) - 4:12 rating; *** stars Perhaps because of Sherrill's sax, '(The Road To) Damascus' came off as more Marshall Tucker than Allman Brothers; more country than country-rock ... still, it was a nice, breezy tune and Dunne's dry, raspy voice was well suited to the genre. 3.) I've Been Down Before (Gary Dunne) - 3:46 rating: **** stars Another tune with a Marshall Tucker Southern rock vibe, but this time out the results were quite good. Dunne's rugged vocal and Gallaher's melodic lead guitar made all the difference this time around. 4.) So Long To the City (Gary Dunne - Dave Gallaher) - 3:18 rating; *** stars Not really a Southern rocker, but still one of the album's most commercial rockers. 5.) Watchin' That Girl (Gary Dunne) - 2:48 rating: ** stars Forgettable jump blues number. Sub-par Nighthawks.
Cameron certainly had more than their share of talent, but where the album ultimately faltered was in the realm of originality. As much fun as it was to play spot-the-influences, you were left to wonder it they were capable of pulling anything unique and original into the mix. If they could, it didn't show on this set.
By the way, I stumbled across an interesting 1975 interview with the original band line-up done by Miami PBS station WPBT. Warning - the video and sound quality aren't great: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=010oJh6uDrw
Gallagher has a website at: www.microwavedave.com
Lane owns a recording studio in Reno, Nevada and as of the early 2000s was still active on the city's casino scene: http://lanecameron.com/
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