[1] Sopwith Camel, named by founding member Peter Kraemer,[2] formed in late 1965,[3] with a line-up consisting of vocalist and saxophone player Peter Kraemer, guitarists Terry MacNeil (name changed to Nandi Devam in 1979) and William "Truckaway" Sievers, bassist Martin Beard (born 1947, London), and drummer Norman Mayell.
[5] On the other hand, "Frantic Desolation" was chosen by Jon Savage as one of "The Psychedelic 100", an annotated list first published as a booklet by Mojo Magazine and reprinted in the book I Want to Take You Higher: The Psychedelic Era 1965–1969 (an accompaniment to an exhibit of the same name), published by The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum (Chronicle Books, 1997).
Taking in elements of FM schmaltz, prog-rock, jazz, showtunes, Krautrock and Indian classical music, this is an album that overflows with ideas, but never overwhelms.
[9] British-born bassist Martin Beard, who later became an electronics technician in Silicon Valley, died November 10, 2015, at the age of 68.
After sitting in the Warner Bros. vaults for 30 years, The Miraculous Hump Returns from the Moon, was issued on CD in 2001 by drummer Norm Mayell on Generic Type Records, called, The Millennium Edition.
In 2006, a second CD release of The Miraculous Hump Returns from the Moon, also by drummer Norm Mayell on Generic Type Records was called Remastered 2006.