Hard Times is the fifth album by singer, songwriter and pianist Peter Skellern (1947–2017)[1]) released in 1975 on the Island Records label. Despite much radio airplay, "Hard Times" failed as a single and the LP slipped into decades of obscurity. As a result of this commercial failure, Skellern changed record companies again, signing with Phonogram under their Mercury subsidiary and immediately enjoying a minor hit with a cover of "Love Is the Sweetest Thing".[2] This album has now been officially re-issued on CD by Mint Audio Records on the 3 cd set, The Complete Island & Mercury Recordings.
| Hard Times | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1975 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Label | Island | |||
| Producer | Meyer Shagaloff | |||
| Peter Skellern chronology | ||||
| ||||
Track listing
editAll tracks written by Peter Skellern except "Make Love, Not War" written by John Burrows, John Harding and Peter Skellern.
Side 1
- "Hard Times”
- "I Guess You Wish You’d Gone Home"
- "Baby What a Fool I’ve Been”
- "Down in the Cellar"
- ”Goodbye, America Keep You Well”
Side 2
- "Snake Bite"
- "Make Love, Not War” (From the musical revue Loud Reports)
- "A Capella”
- "Let’s Sleep Late"
- "And Then You’ll Fall"
Personnel
edit- Peter Skellern - vocals, acoustic and electric piano, percussion, organ and Moog
- Rob Townsend - drums
- George Ford - bass guitar
- Mick Green, Brian Alterman - guitar
- Chris Karan - tablas
- Andrew Price Jackman - string arrangements
- Madeline Bell, Joy Yates, Joanne Williams - backing vocals
- George Harrison - guitar on "Make Love Not War"
Production
edit- Producer: Meyer Shagaloff by arrangement with Johnny Stirling for Pendulum Music Ltd
- Engineer: Trevor Vallis
- Tape operators: Dave & Vaughan
- Recorded at: Mayfair Sound Studios
- Cover illustration: Tony Wright
- Album design: Eckford Stimpson