Following Malcom Mooney’s departure, Can enlisted Kenji “Damo” Suzuki, reportedly on the spot, while he was busking outside a cafe in Munich; that night, he played his first gig with the band. Intact, the band issued Soundtracks, a compilation of-you guessed it-music used in films. The band’s next studio album, Tago Mago, (named after Isla de Tagomago, an island off the east coast of Ibiza, Spain) was recorded by Holger Czukay at Schloss Nörvenich, where the band were living at the time.

The beginning of the 1980s saw the start of a new personal and creative relationship for Andy Latimer, with partner Susan Hoover. She provided the lyrics and concept for Nude: it was based on the true story of Hiroo Onoda, a Japanese soldier who held out in the Philippines until 1974, denying that WWII had ended. Thus, with the lofty concept in place, Latimer assembled Camel's rhythm section of Andy Ward and Colin Bass, along with former 10cc keyboardist Duncan Mackay and session man Mel Collins at Abbey Road Studios to record the album.