PETER BARDENS
''THE ANSWER''
1970
48:52
1/The Answer
Peter Bardens/5:26
2/Don't Goof with a Spook/7:21
3/I Can't Remember
Peter Bardens/10:43
4/I Don't Want to Go Home
Peter Bardens/5:14
5/Let's Get It On
Peter Bardens/6:36
6/Homage to the God of Light
Peter Bardens/13:32
Peter Bardens /Organ, Piano, Producer, Vocals
Steve Ellis /Vocals
Andy Gee /Guitar
Reg Isadore /Drums
Linda Lewis /Vocals
Alan Marshall /Percussion, Vocals
Bruce Thomas /Bass Guitar
David Wooley /Vocals & Antiques
Rocky /Congas
Bill Porter /Drums
REVIEW
by Richie Unterberger
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.
BIOGRAPHY
by Rovi
An accomplished organist, Peter Bardens was a founder member of the Cheynes, prior to a brief spell in Them. By 1966 he was fronting a club-based act, Peter B’s Looners, which included drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Peter Green. The unit recorded a single, "If You Wanna Be Happy," but was then absorbed into the Shotgun Express, a soul-inspired revue that featured Rod Stewart. Bardens later formed the short-lived Village before releasing his first solo album, The Answer, in 1970. This informal selection featured several telling contributions by Peter Green, masquerading under an "Andy Gee" pseudonym, but an undisciplined approach undermined its obvious potential. A second collection, Peter Bardens, was more focused and showcased the artist’s touring group, which included the multi-talented Victor Brox, a former member of the Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation.
In 1972 Bardens formed a new band, Camel. He remained with this successful unit for the next six years before resuming his solo career with Heart to Heart. He later divided his time between session work and crafted adult rock and new age material, exemplified on the U.S.-charting 1987 release Seen One Earth and 1991’s Water Colors. In 1994 he formed Mirage with several leading prog rock musicians, including his former Camel bandmate Andy Ward and Caravan's David Sinclair. On January 22, 2002, Bardens succumbed to lung cancer in Malibu, CA. Write My Name in the Dust, a two-CD set covering his entire career, was released in 2005.
''THE ANSWER''
1970
48:52
1/The Answer
Peter Bardens/5:26
2/Don't Goof with a Spook/7:21
3/I Can't Remember
Peter Bardens/10:43
4/I Don't Want to Go Home
Peter Bardens/5:14
5/Let's Get It On
Peter Bardens/6:36
6/Homage to the God of Light
Peter Bardens/13:32
Peter Bardens /Organ, Piano, Producer, Vocals
Steve Ellis /Vocals
Andy Gee /Guitar
Reg Isadore /Drums
Linda Lewis /Vocals
Alan Marshall /Percussion, Vocals
Bruce Thomas /Bass Guitar
David Wooley /Vocals & Antiques
Rocky /Congas
Bill Porter /Drums
REVIEW
by Richie Unterberger
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.
BIOGRAPHY
by Rovi
An accomplished organist, Peter Bardens was a founder member of the Cheynes, prior to a brief spell in Them. By 1966 he was fronting a club-based act, Peter B’s Looners, which included drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Peter Green. The unit recorded a single, "If You Wanna Be Happy," but was then absorbed into the Shotgun Express, a soul-inspired revue that featured Rod Stewart. Bardens later formed the short-lived Village before releasing his first solo album, The Answer, in 1970. This informal selection featured several telling contributions by Peter Green, masquerading under an "Andy Gee" pseudonym, but an undisciplined approach undermined its obvious potential. A second collection, Peter Bardens, was more focused and showcased the artist’s touring group, which included the multi-talented Victor Brox, a former member of the Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation.
In 1972 Bardens formed a new band, Camel. He remained with this successful unit for the next six years before resuming his solo career with Heart to Heart. He later divided his time between session work and crafted adult rock and new age material, exemplified on the U.S.-charting 1987 release Seen One Earth and 1991’s Water Colors. In 1994 he formed Mirage with several leading prog rock musicians, including his former Camel bandmate Andy Ward and Caravan's David Sinclair. On January 22, 2002, Bardens succumbed to lung cancer in Malibu, CA. Write My Name in the Dust, a two-CD set covering his entire career, was released in 2005.
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