He managed to achieve this, but not without disappearing from public view almost entirely. With the help of new managers and his girlfriend Donatella he then embarked on a legal battle with Chrysalis Records to regain control of the publishing rights to his own music. He sued Mr Faith for mismanagement and settled with him out of court in 1992 for a rumoured £650,000. When, during the mid-80s, he divorced his first wife Janice, Leo looked at his financial affairs and realised his assets were fewer than he had thought. Having been introduced to Adam Faith in 1973, he got the chance to record his own material and launched his career with Mr Faith as his manager. His first choice of career was designing album covers he also played harmonica in a local blues band and wrote songs. Leo was born in Shoreham-by-Sea in West Sussex. Today it's all about making as much money as you can as quickly as possible, but that's nothing to do with true artistic endeavour." "We'll never have another John Lennon or Elvis Presley and people like Coldplay will be written off by next year. "How can we have heroes again when nothing is allowed to build?" he asks. He says they would rather put money into a new act for the short term than into longstanding artists (such as himself) who already have a huge back catalogue of best-selling material. But he is quick to accuse record companies of taking advantage of the young and ignorant. Lest he sound too bitter, he shoots me a grin to maintain his cheery demeanour. In my view record companies today are only interested in copycat acts and there's no room any more for real original talent." "But more seriously, think carefully before you do it. "If anyone asks for my advice about making it in music today, I tell them to get a loaded shotgun," he jokes. Not only did he sign unfavourable contracts without proper legal advice but also, he claims, bank accounts were so badly handled he lost a fortune. The man who started his career dressed as a clown, and who was hailed by Melody Maker as the face of 1974, has precious little wealth to show for his score of hit singles, six Top 10 albums and sell-out tours.
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