After Dinner Speakers: Julian Lennon, Julian Lennon, Amanda Holden

b. John Charles Julian Lennon, 8 April 1963, Liverpool, England. To embark on a musical career in the same sphere as his late father was a bold and courageous move for Julian Lennon. The universal fame of John Lennon brought the inevitable comparisons, which quickly became more a source of irritation than pride. This awful paradox must have hampered the now low-profile career of a young star who began by releasing a commendable debut album in 1984. The album was produced by Phil Ramone and utilised a healthy mix of different musical styles. At times, Julian's voice uncannily and uncomfortably mirrored that of John's, but he was soon scaling the US and UK pop charts with excellent compositions such as "Valotte" and the reggae-influenced "Too Late For Goodbyes". Lennon was nominated for a Grammy in 1985 as the Best New Act, but success may have come too soon, and he indulged in the usual excesses and was hounded by the press, merely to find out what club he frequented and whom he was dating. The Secret Value Of Daydreaming was a poor album of overdone rock themes and was critically ignored. Lennon licked his wounds and returned in 1989 with Mr. Jordan and a change of style. The soul/disco "Now You're In Heaven" was a lively comeback single, and the album showed promise. 1991 saw Lennon return to the conventional activities of recording and promotion with the release of a single embracing "green" issues, "Salt Water" supported by an imaginative video and a heavy promotion schedule. On this album, Julian Lennon seemed to be making a career on his own terms, rather than those dictated by the memories of his father. By 1995, Virgin had released Lennon from his contract, and he joined a touring production of the play Mr Holland's Opus for which he sang the title song. After many years of legal wrangles, Lennon received a financial settlement from his father's estate and the executor Yoko Ono. The sum of Ł20 million is alleged to have been agreed. Lennon was quoted as saying he needed the money to relaunch his rock career. He subsequently broke a seven-year silence with Photograph Smile. The album was released on his label and was issued on the same day as his half-brother Sean's debut. The first single "Day After Day' was a fabulous song but was virtually ignored by the media as they fawned over young Sean. The album was varied and much more like his father's mid-period Beatles" work. Sadly, due to his past over-indulgence, Julian needs to court the media favourably before his recent work is properly listened to. Photograph Smile is an outstanding record of great maturity that was virtually ignored.