The Petards A Deeper Blue

The Petards (with emphasis on the second syllable) were founded in 1964 by the brothers Klaus and Horst Ebert in Schwalmstadt, Hessen, in central Western Germany and emerged from the Magic Stompers created two years earlier. Together with Rüdiger Waldmann and Hans-Jürgen Schreiber the original formation was finally found.

In 1967 - now with Arno Dittrich on drums - the Petards won the SWF (Südwestfunk Baden-Baden) Young Musicians Festival and they got the chance to record their first album in the Maschen recording studio, south of Hamburg. 'A Deeper Blue' was released in November 1967 on the cheapo label Europa and was sold for just 5.00 DM (German Marks).

Single releases, Shoot Me Up To The Moon and Golden Glass, made it to the top of the 'Frankfurter Schlagerbörse' (Franfurt Schlager exchange) broadcasted by Hessischer Rundfunk, and the SWF-Hitparade. The Petards quickly consolidated their reputation as one of the best bands from Germany and moved to a bigger record company, Liberty. But more about that later.