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Young Peter formed his first pro band in August 1963, The Cheynes, with Mick Fleetwood on drums and future Spencer Davis Group guitarist Phil Sawyer. They played a fairly interesting rhythm and blues style and recorded three singles. Thereafter Van Morrison asked Peter to join and replace Jack McAuley for the job on the organ in the fairly successful Them from Belfast, North Ireland. Peter was only a member of Them for six months and then soon dropped out again. Now 19 years old, he pursued setting up his ideal band, founding Peter B's Looners, which gave him a chance to play jazzy soul instrumentals. Around that time he briefly joined the early Fleetwood Mac to help record the track "Outrage", a first appearance together with another band for an occasional session job. Also, it is handed down that he joined a band named Shotgun Express for a very short time in 1967, fronted by Rod Stewart and Beryl Marsden. After the demise of that formation Peter pursued a new project in 1969 which yielded an album of the same name, The Answer. Many consider this debut album to be Peter's best work, and it was followed by the 1971 released self-titled (Peter Bardens) follow-up album.
Yet, in the next year Peter was invited to join the freshly founded Camel who originated in Surrey. Since that time Peter dropped the "r" from his first name, only appearing as "Pete" since then. By the end of 1973 the group signed up with MCA Records and released their eponymous first album shortly thereafter. Already in the subsequent year the band switched record companies, signing a deal with Decca. Album #3, Music Inspired by The Snow Goose can be considered their international breakthrough, putting the band on the top ranks on the list of progressive rock acts. Interestingly, the next release Moonmadness achieved less success in the UK than in America. Unfortunately, during the recordings to the Rain Dances album conflicts between Camel mastermind Latimer and Pete arose, culminating in more tensions throughout the making of Breathless (1978). After those recording sessions were finished Pete(r) Bardens called it quits and left the group. Parallel to these proceedings he joined his former Them band mate Van Morrison and contributed keyboards for the Wavelength album.
The Album:
Bardens now recorded a next solo album which resulted in the 1979 release Heart to Heart, his only solo album for another eight years. Interestingly, in 1983 he was asked to join Keats, a project put together from musicians of The Alan Parsons Project. The driving force behind putting this group together was Eric Woolfson with the intention to create a career for the musicians apart from working for Parsons. According to statements of Ian Bairnson it was Eric who asked Pete to join, since he already had very good writing credits, but interestingly, Pete never recorded with The Alan Parsons Project. Parsons confirmed this fact and recalled that Pete(r) Bardens had become an issue through a suggestion of saxophone player Mel Collins (who was also previously a member of Camel). Unfortunately Keats remained a one-release project only and Pete pursued other projects and recorded solo material.
Susequent to the adventure with Keats he discovered and produced Willy Finlayson in 1984/85, who scored the international hit "On the Air Tonight", a Bardens composition. In 1987 he resurfaced with Seen One Earth, followed by the 1988 Speed of Light (including a guest appearance of Mick Fleetwood) up to the 1994 release Big Sky. Interestingly, the latter album contains Pete's own version of "On the Air Tonight" with Neil Lockwood doing the lead vocals.
After the release of Big Sky he founded the band Mirage together with Caravan members, playing material of Camel, Caravan and their individual musicians. The formation was rearranged in 1995, now called Pete Bardens' Mirage. Unfortunately neither line up ever recorded a studio album. The reasons for Bardens' leaving of Mirage in 1996 are unknown, yet it's up to speculations whether it was already due to a diagnosed brain tumor. It came as a shock to his fans when Pete died prematurely on January 22nd, 2002 in Los Angeles. Only weeks after his death the last album with new songs was published: The Art Of Levitation, again, with the participation of Mick Fleetwood on drums and Pete's daughter Tallulah for vocals.
Prior to this solo debut, Pete Bardens had been on the British R&B-rock and psychedelic scene for about half a dozen years, playing in early bands with Mick Fleetwood and Peter Green, as well as (briefly) in Them with Van Morrison. The Answer was his chance to step out of the shadows, and while his skills as a keyboardist were formidable, his songwriting just wasn't up to carrying an interesting album of his own. Devoted to a half-dozen lengthy tracks varying in duration from five to 13 minutes, Bardens offered a blues-progressive stew that, despite some flashy licks, lacked focus. It's a shame there wasn't better material to work with, for some quite talented musicians were among the supporting cast, including Love Affair singer Steve Ellis, session vocalist Linda Lewis, Bruce Thomas (later to back Elvis Costello in the Attractions), and most of all his old friend Peter Green. In fact, Green offers some of his best playing as a sideman on this record, which both makes it better than it could have been, and makes it worth checking out for serious fans of the guitarist. In common with some of Green's own solo work, however, it's a meandering record, bits of promising ideas swirling around before they've been honed into something cogent. Against the odds, however, the 13-minute "Homage to the God of Light" is the highlight, its mesh of Latin-esque rhythms, burning organ, and bluesy guitar recalling some of early Santana's more jammy grooves.
01. The Answer
02. Don't goof with a spookie
03. I can't remember
04. I don't want to go home
05. Let's get it on
06. Homage to the God of Light
Peter Bardens kept fine company in the '60's, playing in bands with Ray Davies (Hamilton King's Blues Messengers), Mick Fleetwood (Cheynes), Van Morrison (Them), and Rod Stewart (Shotgun Express). Before going on to form Camel in 1972, keyboardist Peter Bardens released this solo debut in 1970 with Peter Green on guitar and Linda Lewis on backing vocals.
Prior to this solo debut, Pete Bardens had been on the British R&B-rock and psychedelic scene for about half a dozen years, playing in early bands with Mick Fleetwood and Peter Green, as well as (briefly) in Them with Van Morrison. The Answer was his chance to step out of the shadows, and while his skills as a keyboardist were formidable, his songwriting just wasn't up to carrying an interesting album of his own. Devoted to a half-dozen lengthy tracks varying in duration from five to 13 minutes, Bardens offered a blues-progressive stew that, despite some flashy licks, lacked focus. It's a shame there wasn't better material to work with, for some quite talented musicians were among the supporting cast, including Love Affair singer Steve Ellis, session vocalist Linda Lewis, Bruce Thomas (later to back Elvis Costello in the Attractions), and most of all his old friend Peter Green. In fact, Green offers some of his best playing as a sideman on this record, which both makes it better than it could have been, and makes it worth checking out for serious fans of the guitarist. In common with some of Green's own solo work, however, it's a meandering record, bits of promising ideas swirling around before they've been honed into something cogent. Against the odds, however, the 13-minute "Homage to the God of Light" is the highlight, its mesh of Latin-esque rhythms, burning organ, and bluesy guitar recalling some of early Santana's more jammy grooves.