Pete Bardens
Album: Seen One Earth/Speed Of Light
Label: Talking Elephant
Tracks: 8/10
Website: http://www.talkingelephant.co.uk

A legendary figure in the progressive music world, Pete Bardens is perhaps best known as a founder member of Camel and for his work in that group within that genre. However, he's quite a prior history before and beyond Camel and his untimely death in 2002 (remarkably 12 years ago). How many are aware that following his R&B roots in bands in the early sixties, he became a member of Them in 1965, and that he recorded his first solo album ('The Answer') in 1969? After his high profile stint with Camel, his next solo efforts - 'Seen One Earth' and 'Speed Of Light' were released in 1987 and 1988 - and are the two albums which have been revived and re-released here.

Retaining touches of the essential Camel sound but with a more electronic style, both albums might find themselves filed and flying proudly under the electronic or ambient prog banners. Originally achieving some degree of success particularly in the USA with 'In Dreams' from the former album even making a top fifty chart placing and 'Gold' from the latter album being taken up by MTV, it's not surprising that the mellow moody pieces fit that sort of Transatlantic soundscape profile.

'Seen On Earth' sees Bardens taking on the project almost single handed with the writing, the bulk of the playing and production duties. There's a distinctly period feel about the pieces leaving an unmistakably late eighties mark from the off, 'Seascape' employing that distinctive Oberheim/Prophet/Roland trademark sound you'd find on the Winwood recordings of the era. Following a broad theme in terms of title at least, there's the feel of the music portraying the journey of an outer space voyage. Washes of sound, accompanied by the occasional guitar of Adrian Dessent and the dreamy vocal contributions of Neil Lockwood and Honey Hylton break up the electronic dominance although there's the giveaway presence of the electronic drums which marks the episode as a bit of a period piece.

With 'Speed of Light', Bardens makes more use of additional musicians to ease his instrumental burden. Still taking on all the writing and production roles, he has the likes of Mick Fleetwood making a guest appearance on 'Whisper On The Wind' while the additional drums, bass, guitar and vocals deliver more of a band feel, making the album a little more in terms of variety than its predecessor. Still firmly rooted in the eighties the title track offers up a slightly starker and less is more type arrangement although there's not too much which varies from the MOR style production and offers up some of the ambition Bardens showed in his Camel days. Just when the predictability seems to be taking over, we get the ever so brief and criminally short two minutes of 'Afterthought'. A stunning piano led piece built around a simple repeated figure comes across as a half time treat which you wish would never end. Quiet and contemplative and void of any synthetic drums or automated throbs and pulses, it's probably worth the price of admission alone and gives a glimpse at the overlooked (on this record at least) piano skills which Bardens had. If only there were more along these lines. Now something like that would be the album to have.

Mike Ainscoe