I
can’t believe its been ten years since I
interviewed Julian Lennon upon the release of what has
too long proved to be his last studio album, 1999’s Photograph
Smile. Julian’s best album, that ‘99 release left behind
some unfinished musical business, although then again Jules was never
one to extol the virtues of a business that has neglected too many
genius musicians. Of course, being the son of Beatles founder John
Lennon came with its share of trappings yet with his 1984 solo debut
Valotte, Julian quickly established himself as a musical trendsetter
on his own. Valotte aside for this review, in 2009 the Itasca,
IL. based Noble Rot reissued Julian’s other three solo albums
including The Secret Value Of Daydreaming (1986), Mr.
Jordan (1989) and Help Yourself (1991), all
originally released on Atlantic Records. It’s been a while since
these albums were first released so these first ever remasters, released
Summer 2009, make a nice catch for long time fans as well as those
who weren’t even born when Valotte hit the airwaves. For
collector’s, there’s no bonus tracks and not too much track
data on these attractive digi-pak layouts, yet each release sounds
excellent and each features new, though brief, liner notes about each
album by musicologist Gene Sculatti. www.CCmusic.com
