Solo Again
In November 1991 Waite makes plans to record with Adrian Vandenberg. He knows Adrian well from the Bad English/Whitesnake tour. The teaming-up seems serious and they are booked for Dutch Countdown TV on January 20th, 1992. However, at the last minute the project is called off. A greatest hits album 'Essential' is released early 1992 by Chrysalis. This contains several unreleased Babys songs, which makes the album interesting for the hard-core Babys/John Waite fans.
After the split of Bad English, Waite disappears for a while and leaves for Italy to write new songs. He also lives in Britain and Lancaster for some time ("I was absolutely empty") before returning to his house in Pound Ridge, NY.
TEMPLE BAR
His neighbour there is Imago chief Terry Ellis (who originally signed The Babys and Waite solo when he was head of Chrysalis Records). Waite goes over to his house for a glass of wine and a chat and leaves with a recording contract. He records a new album using 3 studios in downtown Manhattan.
Waite recalls: "Terry Ellis was completely behind me, he gave me a lot of freedom to make this record, I was very grateful." The result is released in February 1995: 'Temple Bar.' The album, containing mostly ballads, has 7 new songs written by Waite and 3 covers from Van Morrison, Bill Withers and Hank Williams.
Waite's remake of 'I'm so Lonesome I Could Cry' proves that his voice hardly needs a musical back-up. The quite unknown instrument 'dobro' is used on this song. The album cover resembles the Stones' Beggars Banquet album and, years later, Waite admits smiling, that "it was a rip-off."
'In Dreams' of this album turns up earlier on the OST of the film 'True Romance' and is released as a single as early as 1993.
A track from Temple Bar makes it to the US top 20: 'How Did I Get by Without You.' At this time the record company Imago folds which makes further promotion of the album impossible.
Waite is quite upset.
Late 1996 sees the release of yet another compilation album, 'Falling Backwards.' Waite produces the album himself and is thus able to put some of his own favourite tracks on the album. Without doubt, this album gives the best overview of Waite's career, but due to the lack of inclusion of the songs from 'Mask of smiles' and the missed chance to include obscure/unknown songs on the album (like on 'Essential') the compilation is considered slightly disappointing by the fans.
