Reason for leaving Jameson Raid after 5 years;
I was impatient, either to get a recording contract with sufficient money behind us to become a professional band or go back to a life at sea traveling the world. Although we were immensely popular in the Midlands, we had not become well known in the London area, which was very important at the time.
I felt there was other things I wanted to do with my life. I was tired of having not much money to spend.
I had already had a taste of travel and life at sea, before Jameson Raid and had always had a plan that if the band didn't make it, I would be off. I had already said I was leaving by early 1980, then John Hinch came on the scene as manager and persuaded us to stay together, he could make things happen. Things did improve with John, but I guess not fast enough for me. I was working on building sites at the time, no future.
It also felt like the song writing had dried up. There is a classic comment by Mike Davies of Melody Maker at the time. He said something like "They'll get slagged off by the press and adored by their fans until they jack it in, but they'll probably reckon it was all worthwhile". Very true sentiment, I wouldn't have missed it for the world, but it wasn't everything...
Standing at the front of the stage, playing a guitar solo, our music, to a few thousand people, on a sunny day, all going down well... cloud nine, what a buzz.!
...I didn't really want to live in England, except as a professional rock musician and it looked like that wasn't going to happen.
Ian Smith
