'The Answer' [Aka: Vintage '69]

OK, so it's OTT hedonistic non-PC decadent debauchery drenched stuff, but it was 1970, - the time of the Pill, pot and free love, with some psychedelic adventures happening for those who were so inclined!

A bit about Peter Bardens and this album:
"The keyboardist with progressive rock group Camel. Aside from the psychedelic Ladbroke Grove act, The Village, he played in a whole host of bands during the British “Blues Boom” of the mid-sixties, alongside future household names such as Mick Fleetwood, Peter Green and Premier League rogerer, Sir Rodney of Stewart.

And there’s an element of blues rock bubbling away beneath the psychedelic/progressive mix that forms The Answer, particularly with regards to Bardens’ vocal delivery, which is a full-bodied blues drawl and, on occasion, remarkably similar in sound to another royal lady-roisterer, a certain Michael Jagger.

The title-track, first up on the album, is awash with energetic blues guitar licks, in this case provided by an uncredited Peter Green, which is bolstered throughout by Bardens’ elaborate organ artistry and pseudo-philosophical lyricism, popular in progressive and underground rock circles of this era.

The blues guitar continues through the eerie mire that is ‘Don’t Goof With a Spook’, where the Jaggerisms are possibly at their strongest, and the excellent acid-soaked freak-rock of ‘I Can’t Remember’, with its hedonistic tribal undercurrent in addition to the masterclass of swirling keyboard extravagance.

‘I Don’t Want to Go Home’ and ‘Let’s Get It On’, both of which also feature an uncredited Peter Green on lead guitar, are more in the standard blues-rock vein and as such a little more formulaic, but following on from something as undeniably strong as the three aforementioned tracks that open The Answer, is always going to be a thankless task.

Which brings us nicely to the B-side spanning closing track of the original album. Running just shy of 14 minutes, ‘Homage to the God of Light’ is a spectacular journey into the outer reaches of psychedelic-prog, bringing to mind the early instrumental excursions of Pink Floyd and the exalted voyagers of space rock, Hawkwind. Bardens really gives the organ a punishing workout on this captivating, and lengthy, illustration of finest, ye olde underground gallivanting. A worthy highlight to an all round worthy album.

The reissue also throws in The Village’s excellent psychedelic single ‘The Man in the Moon’ and its instrumental B-side, ‘Long Time Coming’."
- by Nick James

Wish I had that beautiful cover.

Alack and woe, Wallace has only the "Vintage '69" version with the plain (Bardens in black & white/ orange boarder) gatefold.

Absolutely love this album guys,great to see it get it's own thread. This album very rarely gets mentioned in psych circles, I don't know why as I find it one trippy album and very psychedelic with the sound morphing into prog grooves. The peter green contribution is heavenly, pretty acidic in sound. A real period piece of an album. The esoteric cd reissue is excellent in sound as is the second solo self titled album,again this follow up has some psych moments but certainly more in the early prog sound. It is also worth a listen guys. Crack on with the fab sounds.