Customer Reviews

Valotte

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

VALOTTE was my fave album of 1984. Just amazing! A incredible raw debut from a legend's survivor. There is no need to compare because it would be like comparing apples and yokos. So instead let me highlight this brilliant CD.

"Valotte" in case you didn't know was the name of the chateau where the album and this song were recorded. The first line gives you the hint "sitting on the doorstep of the house I can't afford". The mood is striking with piano, guitar and string ensemble. The lyrics are interesting in that it seems to be Julian musing about a relationship and asking questions, "will you still be there", "do you know there's something wrong?".

"Too Late for Goodbyes" is his most recognizable with its chirpy synth and guitar song about regret. Still stands well even today. And listen to people when try to hit the high notes in this song....great!

"Say you're wrong" was my fave video at the time. The third single is a faster paced song that goes in different directions finding that the singer is lost. A very underated song! Drums, brass and electric guitar fuel the rhythm.

The fourth single "Jesse" was a fan favorite at concerts. Late night driving song that is very humable!

"Lonely" is almost like a new age blues song. The kind of bar song on Moonbase 10! One of my faves from the album tracks as well as "On the phone" and "Space".

Treat yourself to an amazing debut from a talented musician!

For those that didn't already know, Paul McCartney's legendary song "Hey Jude" was originally written as 'Hey Jules', and was written to a young Julian Lennon. Julian, the young man with the blessing and the curse of being born to the immortal John lennon, and gifted with a voice that is hauntingly reminiscent of his departed father.

The songs on "Valotte" are of extremely good quality, and the most recognizable is the hit single "Too Late For Goodbyes". "O.K For You", "Valotte", "Well I Don't Know", and "Say You're Wrong" are also excellent upbeat pop tracks, while "Lonely" and "On The Phone" are beautifully done somber ballads. For a debut release, this is absolutely phenomenal and it's hard to believe that his career stalled after releasing such a gem.

When "Valotte" was released in 1984, the assassination of John was still a raw wound, and there were very mixed feelings to hearing his son sing and perform, especially given the uncanny vocal resemblence. On this, his debut album, Julian releases an excellent album with sharp instrumentation and production and insightful lyrics, yet his work will forever be overshadowed by the legacy that is his burden to bear. In many ways this is a shame, for although Julian has carried the burden well, he deserves to be judged upon his own artistic merits and not upon how well he compares to his father.

Julian Lennon specialized in reflective ballads and midtempo upbeat pop. If you were around in 1984, you no doubt remember the three hits from this album - "Say You're Wrong," "Too Late for Goodbyes" and "Valotte." They still bring me a smile, as does much of this album. It's a consistenly pleasant treat and sets a terrific mood if you were a teen back in the Reagan days. For a mid-80s pop album, "Valotte" doesn't go overboard with drum machines and silly cheezy synths, helping it to age very nicely. In fact, it's aged better than the sort of material that ends up being played on "80s Nights" at nightclubs.

It's obvious from some of producer Phil Ramone's (admittedly tasteful) touches that Atlantic Records was trying to market Julian as John Lennon's true creative heir. 20 years on, I still have mixed feelings about this. Rather than allow Julian to fully develop his own musical personality, both Atlantic and much of the record-buying public seemed to expect Julian to pick up exactly where his father left off in 1980. Julian was given sessionmen rather than a real band with challenging collaborators, and that's not the way to develop your own sound. It got Julian lots of airplay, but at a serious cost. It's no wonder that Julian's recording career was relatively brief - it's no easy feat to live up to John Lennon's legacy. And that's a shame, because based on this CD, Julian Lennon could have grown into an impressive talent in his own right.

Buy this one for the hits, and appreciate it for the lesser-known ballads.

The "Valotte" single came out when I was 10 years old and I remember making fun of it at the time ("sitting on a PEBBLE by the river"? Ouch!). Years later I ran across this album and thought I'd give it a try since, all kidding aside, the title track is great. To my surprise, the rest of the album is nearly as good. The first side (in vinyl terms) is the most solid. "O.K. For You" is an awesome rocker as is "Well I Don't Know." "Space" is beautiful and sounds like it could be "Valotte II." "On the Phone" bugs me because it sounds too much like "If This Is It" by Huey Lewis and the News.

The second half is weaker. It starts with the other top ten single "Too Late For Goodbyes" which, even though it is only 3 1/2 minutes, seems like it goes on too long. After one verse and chorus it runs out of ideas. The rest of the side offers some diverse sounds: a tiny bit of gospel in "Lonely," a touch of Latin horn in "Say You're Wrong." "Jesse" is definitely the best and most interesting track on side 2. It ends with the slow, yet upbeat 2-minute "Let Me Be." Together, these songs make for a very enjoyable album. Julian Lennon definitely inherited plenty of songwriting talent from his father and, only 4 years after John Lennon's shocking murder, Valotte was a mature-sounding tribute to those talents. That Julian was only 21 at the time makes this album particularly amazing. Now I feel guilty for making fun of him back in the day.

Its hard enough to be a rock legends son, so people were skeptical of Julian first release. However, this album is amazing. Its peaked at #17 on the charts, and spawned three hits Too Late For Goodbyes, Say Youre Wrong, and Valotte. At only 21, Julian shows real talent for writing and singing. Pick this one up!

I remember when I first heard Julian Lennon on the radio. I loved his voice and music. His lyrics were so profound and meaningful. Now fourteen years later I still love his voice and find his lyrics profound and meaningful.

Although I love the entire album, "Valotte", "Too Late for Goodbyes", "On The Phone" and "OK For You" are my favorite cuts from this CD.

I feel blessed to have known relatively little about his father before hearing Julian. I was able to hear his true talent.

Many times I have heard comparisons of the father and son. To say there are no similarities between John Lennon and Julian Lennon would be absolutely wrong. Both men have the same talent for capturing the human spirit in their lyrics and have a voice that is remarkable.

However, Julian should be judged on his own merit. He is a superior singer/songwriter in his own right. He was born to a legend but has more than proven that he is one himself.

I am very happy he has continued to release phenomenal albums. He is a blessing to the music industry and entertainment.

If you enjoy truly good music you will not regret getting anything by Julian Lennon.

I saw Julian in Concert up close to the stage back in 1986.....I wish he still tour. He was incredible and as of today in 2006~!!! He rocks on!!!! I love his VOICE, just like his father, Plus his own musical talent and artistic sense. This Album is something I can not forget as I listened to it over and over when it first came out. I have so many memory attached to it. I am going to buy his Greatest Hit Album now. Thank you Julian for sharing your music and art with us, just like your dad did for us.

When I first heard the debut of this album, I was two years out of high school. I had not yet heard the title or the artist, and immediately recognized it as the voice of the late, great John Lennon. Thinking these were songs out of "The Walrus Archives," I was very much surprised, if not dumbfounded, to learn that it wasn't John at all, but his first son, Julian "Hey Jude" Lennon (who's only a year older than I am). When I purchased the audio cassette (the LP's were sold out at the time) and looked at the cover, I swore it was a young John. Needless to say, I played that tape 'til it wore out! Today, I've got the CD (which is in limited production) and it brings back great memories! Julian certainly carried on his father's tradition of music (he definitely SOUNDS like John, and boy, did he inherit John's style!) You don't hear too much about Julian these days. His brother, Sean, is still a success. I only hope that Julian releases another album, maybe together with Sean.
I recommend the album "Valotte" very highly!

loved his cd, wish he would have continued. he does sound like his father but he diffently has his own style.

i kept meaning to get this. once i did, look out! i loved it more than i thought i would, and that's no swipe at julian. i LOVE too late for goodbyes, so that song alone would of made me happy, but the rest of the album is so great it truly blew me away. i don't know where to start, so i won't but needless to say the whole album is awesome save for one track, and that's saying alot for any album. he has the muscle shoals musicians backing him up, so the musicianship is tight and professional. just buy it, if you like great music and love his singles from this album, you'll flip!