FURTHER THAN YOU KNOW

Of Bardens' post Camel solo efforts, "Further than You Know" seems to hold the most references to faith, at times Christian, and at other times yuppie Buddhism, but usually the melodies are so catchy the they trump or render palatable any message within. This is a more vocal oriented work than its predecessor "Water Colours", so bear this in mind when making your choices. While I enjoy the oh-so mellow voices, others may find them off-putting.

My three favourites are all high on the cheese-o-meter. "Real Time" with its insistence that once you're behind the wheel, you know how good it feels, and its recommendation to step on the gas and let go of the past. I know, quite insufferable but it's also good fun. It is separated from the equally enjoyable title cut by the latin tinged instrumental "Coco Loco", which puts Bardens' legendary versatility to the test. "This Could be Like Heaven" is as close to new age gospel as you can find, a song that sounds like it is pretty much all chorus, one melodic high to another thanks to the male and female singers, but with plenty of Bardens' backing. "Bad Boy" (Redemption Song") is another highlight.

It's hard to give an album in this genre more than 3 stars because it is likely to rankle so many people here, and truly its only basis for inclusion on this site is Bardens' relationship with some of the biggest names in the progressive world. If any of his albums, taken at face value, could merit that honour, it would be this one, but I'll go further than you know to avoid over-recommending something, so 3.5 stars it is, rounded down.

The sound of this album is still very similar to its close predecessors, in particular to Speed of Light, but there's more singing and the newage flavor of the 80s seems to be gone, at least in the music. The lyrics are still a bit newage, effectively.

It's a sweet and melodic album, surely better than his previous efforts. A bit too easy listening for my tastes but surely not bad. Without considering the latin "Coco Loco" that's close more to the pre-Camel albums than to the 80s, it makes me think to Alan Parsons. This is very strange because Peter left Camel when they started playing like Alan Parsons clones (with some of former Alan Parsons members) at the end of the 70s.

Regardless this curiosity this album can be considered the rebirth of an artist that was unable to make impressive music after leaving his former band, even if he's a very skilled keyboardist and has demonstrated to be an excellent composer during his work with Camel.

The best thing of this album are these which are more distant from the electronic newage of the 80s, so other than Coco Loco I think a highlight is the title track with its calipso/caribbean rhythm and the following "This Could Be Heaven" that even if clearly reminding to This could be Paradise from Speed of Light (a follow-up effectively) appears fresh and has something of the old good Camel times.

The closer "Rain Talk" is unexpectedly Floydian and creates an atmosphere very in line with its title. A whole album of this kind would have been a masterpiece.

I'm happy to rate it 3 stars after having been a bit harsh with the previous three albums. It should be 3.5, really because it's more than good but only in the second half.

Further away from greatness

That I am not a fan of Peter Bardens solo career would be something of an understatement. But being a Camel fanatic, I needed to hear what Bardens achieved outside of that great band. 1993's Further Than You Know is the final Bardens solo album that I needed to hear and review for a complete familiarity with his solo discography. Like most of his other solo efforts, this one too is full of rather dull "adult contemporary" Soft Rock. There is little or no hint of anything progressive or remotely related to Camel. The opening number Sometime, for example, is in full-on Phil Collins mode.

Some of the jazzier, instrumental parts of the album are bearable easy-listening exercises, but they fail to grab my attention and they fail to leave any lasting impressions. The only highlight of the album is the pleasant Sea Of Dreams which sounds a bit like Mike Oldfield playing lead guitar lines over an electronic back-drop in the vein of Jean-Michel Jarre. This piece reminds slightly of Bardens best solo album, the electronic Seen One Earth. The rest of Further Than You Know is however best avoided.