1981 - JOHN WAITE - SOLO

The final BABYS tour aborted because of some unlucky circumstances, putting up with the end of a terrific
Rock´n Roll band, to make it short - leaving behind shambles, John Waite moves back home. In Lancaster he spends Christmas with his family, and together with his longtime girlfriend he buys a house in Lake District. They both know each other since art school.

Lancaster Castle und Lake District

„At that time I had no intention to make a record ever again“, he reminds bitterly. But he spends another six months with writing new songs anyhow because...

1982 - IGNITION

Ignition 1982 Ignition2 1982

...destiny says it´s much too soon for retirement. Yet in 1981 John Waite returns back to New York, where he is going to occupy a small flat at Central Park West and 72nd street. Haphazardly right on the opposite side where John Lennon was shot.

He sleeps all day long and spends the nights with looking for convienient musicians. And for himself. „I tried to find out who or what I was actually“, John remembers. „It was like: Would the real John Waite please stand up!“
 
Preliminarily that search ends with the release of his first solo album „Ignition“. „It took me one year to write it“, the adopted American remembers. The result which comes out in June 1982, is an immaculate and unblemished album, procuced by Neil Geraldo, he who is well known as a songwriter, guitarist and husband of Pat Benatar.

The „Ignition“ tracks mostly present autobiographic lineaments that tell stories from a living in New York City. „It´s a very honest album because it´s written from the view of a stranger who lives in a strange town. Me in New York. To get back on the street in a pretty ungrateful manner. I had almost nothing when I arrived here. The telecaster in one hand, in the other a bag of laundry. I had not even ten dollars in my pockets and I was living in a shoe-box. But it was a great time though. I was full of energy and I felt great. All songs on ‚Ignition’ have been dedicated to New York. This album has an enormous sentimental impression on me.”

A wonderful record, powerful, impassioned and straight. „We´ve recorded it at the 'Powerstation'”, enthuses John. „I had marvellous musicians like Frankie La Rocka, Tim Pierce, Ivan Kral. Patty Smyth afforded first class backing vocals. (Later on John is going to tour with her and her band Scandal.) A nice piece of music and far from what people expected.“ (Footnote: On „White Heat“ John´s brother Joe claps his hands forcefully beneath all the others.)
Unfortunately it´s not enough to make it to the top.
Worse luck, in spite of the huge energy, „Ignition“ got hardly attention on both sides of the Atlantic and it achieves only #68 of the USA album charts. Chrysalis´ languid promotion, disgruntles John. „They tried to fuck me up“, the headstrong Brit-guy rages. „From my point of view 'Ignition' was one of my best works and they practically ignored it. Things turned out bad. There I was in New York with lots of trouble and without a contract. In the end I jumped on a plane and flew back home.“

So in summer 1983 John returned to England again. He stays for the next eight months and marries his girl in Kendal. But, however, the young matrimony is condemned to fail and it breaks up only a few years later. „I was thirty when we married, but it was too late already“, he sums. „There was no chance for us anymore. We have been drifted apart but we refused the truth.“ Each effort to keep their relationship alive, fails and the distance between New York and England and being apart from each other make the rest...

But one after another.
Back to Lake District John is fed up with the music business. „I was on the point to chuck it all. I simply hid away and spent my time with chopping wood or playing guitar. I didn´t even pick up the phone. I guess it was quite good for me although it was frustrating being not able to go to the studio. The only thing I did was hiring two lawyers to get rid of all that bullshit that stopped me from making music.“ A major task, but one which makes it possible to hook up with the label EMI. „… so I came back to New York to start a new album just to find out that my producer has gone South
for the winter or so, and that my band had split up.“

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