Hard Times (Peter Skellern album)

Hard Times is the fifth album by singer, songwriter and pianist Peter Skellern (1947–2017) ) 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". This album has now been officially re-issued on CD by Mint Audio Records on the 3 cd set, The Complete Island & Mercury Recordings.

Track listing
All tracks written by Peter Skellern except "Make Love, Not War" written by John Burrows, John Harding and Peter Skellern.

Side 1
 * 1) "Hard Times”
 * 2) "I Guess You Wish You’d Gone Home"
 * 3) "Baby What a Fool I’ve Been”
 * 4) "Down in the Cellar"
 * 5) ”Goodbye, America Keep You Well”

Side 2
 * 1) "Snake Bite"
 * 2) "Make Love, Not War” (From the musical revue Loud Reports)
 * 3) "A Capella”
 * 4) "Let’s Sleep Late"
 * 5) "And Then You’ll Fall"

Personnel

 * 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

 * 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