Peter Sinfield - Ibiza Years

Ibiza Years

After naively overestimating his wealth and underestimating his percentage of royalties from ELP, he moved to Ibiza to live as a tax exile, and enjoyed his first break from continual work in the music industry. Here he met a circle of artists, actors and painters and members of the Chelsea Arts Club such as Peter Unsworth and Barry Flanagan, eventually parting from his first wife. During his time in Ibiza Sinfield had a break from songwriting and was able to spend his time travelling, socialising and reflecting, which he had been unable to do for the previous decade.

During the late 1970s, he continued to move in communities around Spain. In 1978, following the success of his previous lyrics for Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Sinfield was asked by ELP to produce lyrics for their album Love Beach, now regarded by many (including Sinfield himself) to be the worst of all ELP's albums. In 1978 he also narrated Robert Sheckley's In a Land of Clear Colours, an audio sci-fi story released the following year on a limited edition of 1000 vinyl records. The backing music for the story was provided by Brian Eno, with whom Sinfield had previously worked while producing Roxy Music. By the time he returned to London in 1980, with his new Spanish wife (a model and runner-up for Miss Spain), he discovered that progressive rock music was no longer in demand, and that punk had emerged in the UK.

In 1978–1980 Sinfield also wrote the lyrics for the English versions of Alla fiera dell'est (Highdown Fair) and La pulce d'acqua (Fables and Fantasies), by Italian singer-songwriter Angelo Branduardi.