"If I was gonna write again I had to live again
I had
to look deep inside myself and start again." So says
Julian Lennon of his decision to return to the music
industry after an absence of seven years. Indeed at
the start of this decade it seemed unlikely that Julian
would every record again. Despite the fact that he
launched his career with the international hit single
'Too Late for Goodbyes,' despite the fact that
between the years 1984 and 1991 he released four
albums with combined sales of five and a half million,
Julian had tired of the media circus.
His original independent label Charisma records had
become absorbed into a major, and his success had
attracted some"advisors" who were more than ready
to relieve Julian of his income: "Control over your
career is so important. How can you express yourself
when other people are trying to do it for you?"
So Lennon quit. He spent the next few years living
the life he had previously been denied during his
punishing schedule. Relaxing in his lakeside house
in Northern Italy. Sailing, Travelling. Accumulating
antiques, rifling through flea markets. Anything that
didn't involve the dreaded 'm'-word.
During this time Julian even considered other career
options: "I needed to think about a life outside the
industry. I've always been interested in architecture
and interior design, and even cooking
but in the
end I started playing again because of my love of
music - and I didn't want to walk away from it all with
the last four albums as a legacy!"
However this time round things had to be different. A
chance meeting with producer Bob Rose (Roy
Orbison, Edie Brickell) drew Julian back to the studio.
He assembled supporting musicians including Simon
Edwards (Fairground Attraction) on bass, Manny
Elias (Tears for Fears) on drums,
multi-instrumentalist Donal Lunny, guitarists Justin
Clayton (Julian's longtime friend and co-writing
partner), Matt Backer and Robbie Blunt. The result
was over an album's worth of material.
