Harbour of Tears is a studio concept album

Concept album

In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...

 by English progressive rock

Progressive rock

Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...

 band Camel

Camel (band)

Camel are an English progressive rock band formed in 1971. An important group in the Canterbury scene, they have been releasing studio and live recordings steadily, with considerable success, since their formation.-1970s:...

. It tells the story of an Irish family who is painfully separated as their young ones depart to the United States to seek a better future. Released in 1996, it was their 12th studio album.

Title and lyrics

Band vocalist and guitarist Andrew Latimer

Andrew Latimer

Andrew Latimer is an English musician and one of the original members of the progressive rock band Camel. He is mainly a guitarist and singer, but also a flautist and keyboardist....

 learned that the last sight of Ireland his grandmother's family would have seen was Cóbh Harbour

Cobh

Cobh is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour. Facing the town are Spike Island and Haulbowline Island...

, a deep water port that witnessed the fracturing of hundreds upon 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

All songs written by Susan Hoover and Andy Latimer, except where noted

1. "Irish Air" (Traditional Gaelic) – 0:57
2. "Irish Air" (Instrumental Reprise) (Latimer) – 1:57
3. "Harbour of Tears" – 3:13
4. "Cobh" (Latimer) – 0:51
5. "Send Home the Slates" – 4:23
6. "Under the Moon" (Latimer) – 1:16
7. "Watching the Bobbins" – 7:14
8. "Generations" (Latimer) – 1:02
9. "Eyes of Ireland" – 3:09
10. "Running from Paradise" (Latimer) – 5:21
11. "End of the Day" – 2:29
12. "Coming of Age" (Latimer) – 7:22
13. "The Hour Candle (A Song for My Father)" (Latimer) – 23:00

Personnel

• Andy Latimer
  Andrew Latimer
  Andrew Latimer is an English musician and one of the original members of the progressive rock band Camel. He is mainly a guitarist and singer, but also a flautist and keyboardist....
  
   – Guitars, Flute, Keyboards, Vocals, Penny Whistle
• Colin Bass
  Colin Bass
  Colin Bass, also known as Sabah Habas Mustapha , is an English progressive rock musician, bassist, record producer, and an active member of the British progressive-rock band Camel.-History:...
  
   – Bass guitar, backing vocals
• Mickey Simmonds
  Mickey Simmonds
  Mickey Simmonds is an English session keyboardist, arranger and composer. He is best known for his work with progressive rock acts, Mike Oldfield, Renaissance, Camel and Fish...
  
   – Keyboards
• John Xepoleas – Drums

Additional musicians

• David Paton
  David Paton
  David Paton is a Scottish bass and guitar player, most notably with three different bands: Pilot, The Alan Parsons Project, and Camel. He has also worked as a solo artist, session musician, and sometime vocalist...
  
   – Bass, lead vocals on "Send Home the Slates"
• Mae McKenna – A Capella vocal on "Irish Air"
• Neil Panton – Oboe, Soprano sax
• Barry Phillips
  Barry Phillips
  Barry Phillips is a musician, arranger and producer of many recordings of Celtic, world and American folk music on the Gourd Music label.Barry received a Masters of Music degree in composition from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in 1990...
  
   – Cello
• John Burton – French horn
• Karen Bentley – Violin
• Anita Stoneham – Violin