Pete Bardens (Camel keyboardist) R.I.P.

Don't forget that Bardens was part of Van Morrison's group Them too.

I was really sad to hear about Pete's death.He was my favourite keyboard player.I saw him many times in concert with camel around the UK.His solo albums are absolutely brilliant and his music will live on with me forever rest in peace Pete Dave Gray

Peter, your music is fantastic...I will remember you for life.

thanks peter!

September 1977. Stockholm concert-hall. Camel on their Rain dances- tour. Forever in memory. Rest in peace.

Peter took the time to play with me, as an unknown artist, on several occasions in July 1975, at a time in which he was very busy touring with Camel. He was a great keyboardist and a very humorous person who made a great contribution to music. If death is the grand conclusion of life, and if the deceased are dependent on the living, then Peter will in good hands.- Mark Murdock, Tokyo www.hpo.net/users/commonmonmortal

Happy Birthday, Daddy. I miss you so much. I think of you every day, and I dedicate all the music I write to you. I hope you are looking over me, I want to make you proud. I love you all the world, your favorite daughter, Tallulah.

I was looking for a new Bardens album to buy when I found this sad thread. No more Pete Bardens! My friends and I discovered Camel when we were in a small Christian college during the eighties. Even though Pete had gone solo, I continued following his work too. His beautiful music leaves much room for thought and joy. I will miss him. Nothing is as it was meant to be now. As a Christian, I know God loves us and wants so much to give us "Real Life" if we'd only accept it from Him. Mr. Barden's music was elevating to me and pretty close to those better things we hope real life is like. I would love to meet him someday when everything is made right. More Life to you all, Love, Joe

As a longtime fan of Camel and Peter Bardens' solo work, I still blush when I think of a little episode back in July or August 1973: I was just 15 when I stayed with a guest family in Ruislip Gardens (northeast of London) in the summer of 1973. One of their neighbours told me about a forthcoming rock concert in Windsor Great Park and I decided to accompany him. I don't recall exactly how many bands I saw but after seeing Hawkwind (performing the "Space Ritual" live, with dancer Stacia and bassist Lemmy still in their rows), I went to buy a bottle of coke because it was a warm summer evening. When I came back to where I thougth my companion was sitting, he was gone. Instead there sat two unknown guys with dark long hair, smoking cigarettes (Dunhill!). I took one of my cigarettes (Camels) out of my bag and asked for a light. I also asked them about my companion but they neither knew him nor did they know where he had gone. They introduced themselves as one "Ray" and one "Pete". Ray wore a fuzzy beard and Pete sported some nice brown curls, looking like hippie past his teens. After the concert my companion still had not returned and so they offered me a lift back to Ruislip (since they were on their way to London). While Ray drove the car, I attempted a little conversation with Pete (my English was still poor back then) and he asked what my favorite band was. I said "Paul Kossoff" and "Peter Frampton's Camel", because I liked the way Frampton played guitar (in The Herd and Humble Pie). Pete laughed like a maniac and I was quite puzzled. Then he calmed down and told me that he acutally played keyboards in band called Camel and that, though they had not yet released a record, they nonetheless were featured by a little Northern German radio station (I am German by the way). He passionately insisted that his Camel band had no ties whatsoever to Frampton's Camel and I felt quite embarrassed. When Camel's first album "Mirage" was released, I guess I was the first person in my home town to know about this band. I have all their records (all the orinigal vinyls!). Whenever Camel toured through Germany I attended their concerts - and never ever regretted doing so. I am very sad that Pete had to leave us so early and I very much regret to never having talked to him again (a scheduled interview date for the promotion of "Big Sky" was scrapped by one of the magazines I was writing for in the past due to the fact that the record company refused to advertise this record in our publication). I am still blushing when I think of this strange encounter ... will nerver forget him though until the day I die.

wow. I'm sad. I had no idea that Pete was dead. Same as many people who have left messages i was searching for new Pete Bardens material. I met Pete when I was staying with his publicist in Los Angeles and went out to dinner with him and my girlfriend. I asked him if he ever "smoked" while in the process of making music - I was young, for me at the time this was a question I wanted to ask, "of course" came his speedy reply!! He told me a story about him and Mick Fleetwood whom he had just recorded with(?) or visited in Malibu, about the "lizard people" "people" that he and Mick had "seen" while enjoying a little hooch!! He signed "Seen one earth" for me and left the quote "to neal from the lizard people.we are here to help you?" I miss you from this time of writing, big ups Pete yo shit was good.

I only recently became interested in Camel, and upon finding out about his death, I was very disappointed. I thought his work to be simply excellent. I was touched by the fact that even though Andrew Latimer and Peter Bardens had their disagreements in the past, Andrew dedicated the most recent Camel album, A Nod And A Wink, to the late Peter. I have a list of certain people who have died that I have looked to for inspiration, and dedicate all my work to. Peter has been put at the very top of that list.

Very underrated band.