Magazine Articles
Browse the archive of James magazine and news articles.
Article Title | Excerpt | Date |
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Ones To Watch – Sounds Magazine |
Hot new Manchester combo called James, possibly very likely on the verge of signing to home town favourites, the godly Factory. | Jan 1983 |
Mayhem At Riverside – Sounds News |
James offer “an evening of tunes and other entertainment with help from some of their friends” on the 12th. | May 1985 |
US Smiths Tour – Melody Maker News |
But to dispel rumours that they’ll be selling out over there and settling in Laurel Canyon to write their albm, they’ve set a couple of gigs for their return. They’ll be drawling at London’s Bloomsbury Theatre on July 17 and hitting the mega-festival circuit at the WOMAD Festival on Mersea Island on July 21. | May 1985 |
News Article – Sounds | James have dates at South Devon Hood Festival (7 July), Newcastle Riverside Centre (18) and Bristol Ashton Court Festival (3 August). These are in addition to their reported festival appearances at London Bloomsbury (17 July), WOMAD (21) and Manchester Platts Fields (2 August) To coincide with this activity, the first two James singles have been remixed by Factory Records and are released this week as a 12 inch single | Jun 1985 |
Melody Maker News – Summer Tour Dates |
James play another IVY event at Basildon Gloucester Park on Sunday 4 August. And other new bookings for the band are Sheffield Leadmill (July 30), Bristol Ashton Court Festival (August 3) and Brighton Zap Club (8).
| Jul 1985 |
NME So Many Ways News |
The quartet return to live action with a hometown gig at Manchester PSV Club July 15 before a WOMAD Festival slot on the 19th. Next month they’ve lined up a short tour at Barrow-In-Furness August 14, Edinburgh Hoochie Coochie Club 15, Aberdeen Venue 16, Dundee Dance Factory 17. More dates will coincide with the album’s release. | Jun 1986 |
News Article – Sounds | James play Manchester PSV Club on 15 July, a warm-up for their appearance in the WOMAD Festival the following Saturday (19). They’re also set up for a string of four shows in August – at Barrow Bluebird Club (14), Edinburgh Hoochie Coochie (15), Aberdeen Venue (16) and Dundee Dance Factory (17). The Mancunian four-piece have their new single So Many Ways / Withdrawn issued by Sire next Monday, with the bonus track Just Hipper on the 12″, but it seems likely that their August gigs will coincide with the release of their debut album Stutter. | Jun 1986 |
The List Gig Guide (Edinburgh/Glasgow) |
| Aug 1986 |
Record Mirror News |
James break a silence of almost a year with a new single and live dates at Fury Murry’s Glasgow (August 16), The Venue (17) and two nights at the Green Room, Manchester (9 and 10) | Jul 1987 |
James Rejoice – NME Questions |
Can you tell me what Mancunian popsters JAMES are currently up to? Also can you supply me with the address of their fan club? Hupsprung Nick, Sutton Coldfleld, W. Midlands The news is that James are about to fling themselves into non-stop activity in the hope of reaching the front pages of TheSun. A single, ‘Ya Ho’ is promised for mid-September, while an album, ‘Strip Mine’ will be released by Sire just a couple of weeks later. Tourwise, I haven’t got full details yet but the Jimmies should be in Dublin and Belfast on October 8 and 9 respectively, while confirmed dates include Manchester Ritzy (11), Newcastle Riverside (12), Aberdeen Venue (14), Glasgow QMU (15), Dundee Fat Sam’s (16), Liverpool Poly (20), Sheffield University (21), Nottingham Trent Poly (22), Birmingham Irish Centre (25), Bristol Bier Keller (26) and London Astoria (27). But there are plenty of dates to be added. James don’t appear to own a fan club but messages to the band can be relayed via Karl Badger, Sire Records, WEA The Electric Lighting Station, 46 Kensington Court, London W8 5DP | Aug 1988 |
James Dates – Sounds News | JAMES, the Mancunian quartet whose debut album is in danger of going rusty in the can, play Warrington Legends October 9, Manchester Ritz 11, Newcastle Riverside 1 2, Aberdeen Venue 14, Glasgow Queen Margaret Union 1 5, Stirling University 16, Liverpool Polytechnic 20, Sheffield University 21, Nottingham Trent Polytechnic 22, Birmingham Irish Centre 25, Bristol Bierkeller 26, London Astoria 27. | Sep 1988 |
James New Single – NME News |
JAMES, the Mancunian foursome return with a new single and a tour. The 45 ‘Ya Ho’ is released by Blanco Y Negro/Sire on Monday and the band then head out on tour taking in Warrington Legends (October 5), Manchester Ritz (11), Newcastle Riverside (12), Aberdeen Venue (14), Glasgow OMU (15), Stirling University (16), Liverpool Poly (20), Sheffield University (21), Nottingham Trent Poly (22), Birmingham Irish Centre (25), Bristol Bierkeller (26) and London Astoria (27). | Sep 1988 |
Melody Maker Tour News |
| Oct 1988 |
James Dropped By Record Label – Record Mirror News |
The album, recorded over a year ago, was repeatedly delayed for remixing and various other reasons. | Nov 1988 |
Gavan Leaves James – Sounds News |
The Manchester band, who expect to name a new sticksman within the next couple of weeks, are also in the process of launching their own label after leaving Sire Records. The band have a live LP, recorded at Bath Moles Club last November, ready for release but are currently negotiating the rights to some of the songs with Sire. | Jan 1989 |
James Back In The Sticks – Sounds News |
He’s Dave Baignton-Power, and the band have taken the opportunity to add a new member, guitarist, violinist and percussionist Saul Davies. After the dates, the new line-up will record a single called ‘Sit Down’, due for release in May, probably on their own label. And they’ll start work on a new album soon after. Their live album, ‘One Hand Clapping’ is out this week on Rough Trade and reviewed on Page 40. | Mar 1989 |
Best New Article (French) | James, le groupe de Manchester invité du festival Inrockuptibles de l’automne dernier et qui s’est fait jeter de chez Sire, sort son nouvel album « One Man Clapping » enregistré live en octobre dernier à Bath en Angleterre. Depuis, le groupe a changé de batteur avec l’arrivée de David Baynton Power et le recrutement d’un violoniste en la personne de Saul Davies. Le disque sort sur leur propre label One Man Record distribué par Rough Trade outre-Manche. Best – March 1989 | Mar 1989 |
One Man Clapping Release – NME News |
| Mar 1989 |
One Man Clapping And Tour News – Melody Maker |
| Mar 1989 |
James Tour – Record Mirror News | JAMES (above), whose ‘One Man Clapping’ live album (on Rough Trade) has put their vinyl nightmare with Sire behind them, have set up a tour, starting in mid-June. With new keyboard player Mark Hunter now in the line-up, they play Liverpool Royal Court June 16, Nottingham Trent Polytechnic 17, Bristol Bierkeller 19, Leicester University 20, | Apr 1989 |
Ici Et Independent News |
James, le groupe de Manchester invite au festival lnrockuptibles de l’automne dernier et qui s’est fait jeter de chez Sire, sort son nouvel album « One Man Clapping , enregistre live en Depuis, le groupe a change de batteur avec l’arrivee de Dave Blaignton Power et le recrutement d’un violiniste en la personne de Saul Davis. Le disque sort sur leur propre label One Man Clapping Records distribue par Rough Trade outre-Manche | Apr 1989 |
James Tour Preview – Sounds |
WHATEVER YOU think of their first single since the big split with Sire Records, ‘Sit Down’ (and the Sounds office is pretty split here), there can be no doubting the uplifting inspiration of a James gig. Though departed drummer Gavan Whelan’s devil-may-care attitude will be sorely missed (not to mention his excellent rhythmic capabilities), the new expanded six-piece- with violin and keyboards – has only served to highlight James’ potential as a giant rock band, whose attention to issues Green and adherence to the Byrne/Gabriel ethic of multi-cultural absorption has given them a magical, almost angelic edge over some of rock’s more morose competitors. Expect songs from all points on the Factory-Sire-Rough Trade career, and don’t be surprised if singer Tim Booth suddenly comes swimming over your right shoulder. Don’t ‘Sit Down’, get up! | Jun 1989 |
Are You Sitting Comfortably – Sounds News |
It’s called Sit Down which should be familiar to most James gig goers and is out on Rough Trade. The single is their first studio recording since their Strip-Mine album. | Jun 1989 |
June Tour Announcement – Record Mirror |
| Jun 1989 |
Holy CND Benefit – NME News |
| Sep 1989 |
City Life Feature | Are you sitting comfortably? Then the new look freshly beefed James will begin – at The Apollo on December 4th. The Apollo? James? Beefed? Joff Lillywhite checks the changes to the city’s most spontaneous combo. From the Mancunian fourpiece, so familiar to gig goers around the city centre comes the all-new James, a seven-piece line-up with extra percussion, brass and strings. The usual trademarks of the band, particularly Tim Booth’s distinctive vocals, remain constant. To top off the innovative guitar work of Larry Gott, James have incorporated a rather unusual, but pleasant combination of violin and trumpet, the result being “general orchestral madness” as Tim describes it. James spent two months this summer in the studio recording for their next Nick Garside produced album Gold Mother which is out in February. Their new single Come Home, which comes from their LP and took only one hour to write and record, has just been released and like the last Sit Down is on the indie label Rough Trade. James ended up on this label after a spell on Factory, followed by a horrific deal at Sire, part of the giant Warner Bros empire. But the difference between Rough Trade and Sire is basically one of feedback. Tim thinks Rough Trade are more into and are interested in James music, whereas Sire were really only concerned with a concept of James that they had thought up. With so much trouble with record companies, it would not be surprising to find James sick of studio work. But, as Saul explains, “We are creative and very spontaneous in the studio, take Come Home, for example : just one hour from the first note written to the completion of the song.” They are however, currently on tour around Britain and they play the Apollo on December 4th, much to Tim’s regret. He did say that he would never play there, but now there is no venue in Manchester that is the right size. Next year, according to Tim, there will be a shared gig at G-Mex with Happy Mondays. Does playing all-seated venues have any effect on the band’s performance though? Tim believes that non-seated venues are better for atmosphere but that playing seated venues like the Apollo means that the audience are more prepared to listen and notice what the band are playing. Listening and understanding is all very well, but what about listening and misinterpreting? Does Tim ever worry that his lyrics might be misunderstood? Take the song Riders for example – what exactly does that mean? He explains….. “Well, Riders is very specific, a very personal song. You see early James was very Happy Mondays-ish, very chemically induced and the situation was really getting out of hand, like one member of the band got really sick. Anyway, one day I was reading this book about dream analysis and thought I’d try and analyse the dream I had that night and the dream was Riders. The ‘sister in uniform’ was Nurse Ratchett from One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest and the listeners were people like Jim Morrison and Nick Cave, people from the ‘rock n roll hall of fame’. Anyway, that was the dream I had and it marked the beginning of our reformation, it took about a year for us to get our act together.” Heavy stuff maybe, but when mixed with the band’s music, Tim’s lyrics blend in resulting in a sound so unique that it can only be called James. | Nov 1989 |
Come Home Chart Error – NME |
| Nov 1989 |
Come Home Tour Preview – Melody Maker |
| Nov 1989 |
NME News On Phonogram Signing |
James and The Charlatans look set to sign new record deals in the latest round of A+R activity surrounding Manchester. James are reportedly in negotiations with Phonogram although they’ve yet to put pen to paper. Rumours of a Phonogram deal have been in the air for some time, and although official sources are tight-lipped, it’s believed that they are close to signing. James were previously with a major, having moved to Sire from their early days with Factory. But after an apparently unhappy time with the US-based label moved to Rough Trade, having a couple of minor hits last year with Sit Down and Come Home. | Mar 1990 |
James Leave Home (Late) – NME News |
JAMES have been forced to put their forthcoming tour back six weeks because of delays in recording their first single and LP since signing to Phonogram. But their agents have carefully booked the rescheduled shows with days off so everyone can watch England’s World Cup games. The new dates are Cambridge Corn Exchange (May 13), Brighton Top Rank (14), Morecambe WOMAD Festival (19), Glasgow Barrowlands (June 5),Lancaster University (6), Hull City Hall (8), Exeter University (9), Bristol Studio (10), Middlesbrough Town Hall (12), Leeds University (13), Sheffield University (14), Liverpool Royal Court (15), Norwich UEA (17), Nottingham Rock City (18), London Kilburn National Ballroom (19),Birmingham Hummingbird (20) and Glastonbury Festival (23). All tickets are still valid for the rearranged shows. The dates in Belfast and Dublin are likely to be slotted in at the end of May. Vinylwise, James should have a single out later this month with an LP to follow in June. | Apr 1990 |
James Go Hoops – Sounds News |
JAMES release their first Fontana single “How Was It For You”, on April 30. It’s backed with “Whoops”, recorded live at Manchester Apollo at the end of last year, while the 12-inch contains two more live tracks, “Hymn From A Village”and “How”, plus “Lazy”. The CD single contains “How Was It For You”, “Undertaker” and “Hymn From A Village”. None of the extra tracks will be available on the group’s new LP which is set for release at the beginning of June. At that time James will be about to start their World Cup Tour which includes festival dates at Womad and Glastonbury. They are still waiting to finalise details of a major Manchester show in the summer. Meanwhile, they have added a tour date at Aberdeen Metro Hotel on June 4. | Apr 1990 |
How Was It For You? NME News Piece |
JAMES release their first Fontana single ‘How Was It For You’ on Monday-a taster for the band’s next album due to hit the shops in June. The revived Manchester band’s latest effort will also feature a batch of live tracks on the flip the 12″ version containing a live version of their classic ‘Hymn From A Village’ plus ‘Whoops’ and’How’. The live tracks were recorded at Manchester Apollo at the end of last year. | Apr 1990 |
Gold Mother News – NME |
| May 1990 |
Solid Gold James – Melody Maker News |
JAMES release their new LP, “Gold Mother”, through Fontana on June 4. The 10-track LP features the group’s Top 40 single “How Was It For You?” plus their indie hit, “Come Home”. The album, produced by the group and Nick Garside, includes a guest appearance from Inspiral Carpets who contribute backing vocals to the title track. Track listing is: “Come Home”, “Government Walls”, “God Only knows”, “How Much Suffering”, “Crescendo”, “How It Was For You?”, “Hang On”, “Walking The Ghost”, “Gold Mother” and “Top of the World”. The group have added an extra date to their June World Cup tour at St Andrews Fife University on June 4. | May 1990 |
James Tour Update – NME News |
JAMES, currently enjoying their first Top 40 hit with ‘How Was It For You?’,have announced changes to their forthcoming tour, including the addition of two nights at Blackpool’s Empress Ballroom (August 3 & 4), scene of The Stone Roses shows last summer. Special guests are to be confirmed and tickets are priced £7 from the usual agents. They now start their tour at Aberdeen Ritzy (June 3), and not the previous date, with their re-arranged Irish shows taking place at Dublin McGonagles (27) and Belfast Queens University (28). Their new LP ‘Gold Mother’ is set for release at the beginning of June and they appear at WOMAD this weekend (May 18-20) Besides James, other acts appearing at this years WOMAD Festival in Morecambe Bay (May 18-20) include Gil Scott-Heron,Thomas Mapfumo And The Blacks Unlimited, Dick Gaughan, Arrow and Jah Wobble And The Invaders Of The Heart. | May 1990 |
Blackpool Rave – Sounds News |
JAMES, currently enjoying their first Top 40 hit with “How Was It For You”, are to headline the Blackpool Empress Ballroom, the same venue The Stone Roses sold out last summer. James are playing two shows at the venue, on August 3 and 4. Tickets, priced £7, are available from the usual agents. Special guests and DJs will be confirmed nearer the time. James have also rearranged their Irish shows which now take place at Dublin McGonagles on June 27 and Belfast Queen’s University (28). The tour also now starts at Aberdeen Ritzy on June 3, not 4 as previously announced. The band’s new LP, “Gold Mother”, is set for release by Fontana at the beginning of June. | May 1990 |
James Mutha Of A Major Label Debut – Sounds News |
JAMES release their new album,’Gold Mother’, on Fontana on June 4. The eagerly awaited artefact contains ten tracks, including the band’s recent hit How Was It For You, plus Come Home, which they previously released as a single for their last label Rough Trade. The other songs on the album are: ‘Government Walls’, ‘God Only Knows’, ‘How Much Suffering’, ‘Crescendo’, ‘Hang On’,’Walking The Ghost’, ‘Gold Mother’ and ‘Top Of The World. And adding to the band’s reputation, which has been helped along by the craze for all things Madchester, there’s a guest appearance from men of the moment lnspiral Carpets, who popped on to record some backing vocals on the title track. The album was produced by the group along with Nick Garside. James have added a date to their June tour,at St Andrews Fife University on June 4. | May 1990 |
James Come Home Single – Melody Maker News |
Out on Fontana on June 25, the single is taken from their “Gold Mother” LP which entered the national chart at 16. It’s backed by the previously unreleased “Fire Away” and a live version of “Stutter” recorded at Manchester Apollo last year. Weekend tickets for the band’s shows at Blackpool Empress Ballroom on August 3 and 4 are on sale for £12 from usual agents. The band have had to cancel shows in Dublin on June 27 and Belfast (28) due to recording commitments. | Jun 1990 |
James Offered Bowie Support – NME News |
JAMES (above) have reportedly been offered the support slot to DAVID BOWIE at his Maine Road gig in Manchester on August 7. The band, currently in the Top 40 with a remix of ‘Come Home’, are set to play the major show, although there was no official comment from the group as NME went to press. The James story follows rumours that the INSPIRAL CARPETS had been offered one of the Bowie support slots for his two dates at Milton Keynes Bowl. They turned the gig down because of their headlining appearance at the Reading Festival later in August. | Jul 1990 |
James’ Xmas Crackers – Sounds News |
Three major shows including G-Mex JAMES, who are currently working on new material for a September single release, will round off a phenomenally successful year on the Madchester wave with three mega Christmas shows at Glasgow Barrowlands on December 4, London Brixton Academy 6 and everyone’s favourite venue, Manchester G-Mex, on December 8. Tickets are on sale now from box offices and usual agents, price £8.50 for London and £6.50 everywhere else. More news on the new single to follow soon. | Aug 1990 |
James December Tour – Melody Maker News |
JAMES wind up what’s already become their most successful year to date with three Christmas shows in Glasgow, London and Manchester. The band, who proved the surprise hit at this year’s Glastonbury Festival and at their support slot to The Cure at Crystal Palace three weeks ago, are currently in the studio. They´re recording with producer Flood (Depeche Mode), and a single looks likely to be released in late September. After that they’re off to America on a press and promotion trip. They return for shows at Glasgow Barrowlands on December 4, Brixton Academy (6) and Manchester G-Mex (8). Their current LP “Gold Mother” is just about to go silver in the UK. | Sep 1990 |
James Lose Control – Melody Maker News |
JAMES release a new single through Fontana on November 26. And they have also this week announced a headline gig in the Life Serenaids series. The Single offers two previously unreleased tracks, “Lose Control” and a cover of Velvet Underground’s “Sunday Morning”. The 12-inch additionally features “Out To Get You”. James appear at the Terrence Higgins Trust’s Life Serenaids on November 29 and at Brixton Academy. The three-night event aims to highlight World AIDS Day on December 1. James Will be supported by That Petrol Emotion, Billy Bragg, New Fast Automatic Daffodils and Stereo MCs. Tickets are £10 in advance, excluding booking fee, from the Academy box office, usual ticket agents and a special charity hotline – 071 734 8932. The band follow on with a short series of British gigs in December, as already announced. Then they fly to Russia for shows in Moscow, Kiev, Arkhangelsk, Vilnyus and Svendlovsk. | Nov 1990 |
NME News on Lose Control |
James release a brand new single through Fontana on November 26 titled Lose Control. The b-side is a version of the Velvet Underground’s Sunday Morning and the 12″ has an extra track, Out To Get You. The band are currently working on a new LP, due out next Spring, and have just announced that they will be playing Russia following a short UK tour in December. | Nov 1990 |
James Aid Higgins Trust – NME News |
JAMES will headline an AIDS benefit show at London’s Brixton Academy on November 29. The Manchester band(singer Tim Booth pictured right) are the latest addition to the three-day Serenaids Festival in support of the Terence Higgins Trust.They will be supported by That Petrol Emotion, Billy Bragg, The New Fast Automatic Daffodils and the Stereo MCs. Mica Paris has also been confirmed as special uest for another of the shows at the same venue on November 28. She’ll appear on the same billas Marc Almond,Everything But The Girl, Carmel, Jools Holland and Working Week. Tickets for all the shows cost £10 each and you can book on the credit card hotline by calling 071 734 8932. | Nov 1990 |
James Higgins Trust – NME Preview |
JAMES, THAT PETROL EMOTION, MARC ALMOND and THE ADVENTURES OF STEVIE V play London this week to draw attention to World Aids Day on Saturday. The gigs, under the banner ‘Serenaids’, and organised by the Terence Higgins Trust, start tonight (Wednesday) at the Brixton Academy with Almond, Mica Paris, Everything But The Girl, Carmel, Jools Holland and Working Week. They continue on Thursday with James, That Petrol Emotion, Billy Bragg, New FADs and Stereo MCs on the bill and concludes on Friday with The Adventures Of Stevie V, Bass-0-Matic, MC Kinky and Cabaret Voltaire. | Nov 1990 |
James Are They Out Of Control? – Sounds News |
JAMES (above) release a new single through Fontana on November 26, the follow up to ‘Come Home’. Called ‘Lose Control’, it sees the culmination of the band’s most succesful year since they formed in 1983. Their album ‘Gold Mother’ went silver, they played Glastonbury, supported David Bowie and saw their T-shirts become second only to the lnspirals’ ‘Cool As F**k’ as the essential fashion The band play a series of Christmas dates next month, culminating in two home town shows at Manchester G-Mex. They are currently working on the follow-up to ‘Gold Mother’, due for release next spring. | Nov 1990 |
James Comm Home – NME News |
JAMES venture behind the Iron Curtain (R.I.P.p.e.d.) this week for a seven-date tour of the Soviet Union, which will include gigs at a seaport in the Arctic Circle and an aircraft factory in Kiev. The band will be braving sub-zero temperatures (minus 20!), playing to average audiences of 2,000 per show.The first gig is tomorrow night (Thursday) at the Culture Palace Of Construction Trust in Vilnius, Lithuania. Manager Martine McDonagh told NME that the dates were not part of a promotional jaunt, as James’ records are not on sale in the Soviet Union. “It’s an opportunity for the band to do something a little bit different,” she said. “It’ll be a weird tour. Apart from their own instruments, they will have to use the equipment at the various venues. It’ll probably be pretty bog standard stuff-a real back-to-basics tour.” James are due to return to Britain two days before Christmas and will have a short break before starting work on their next album in the New Year. “Nobody’s heard of us in Russia so it’ll be really interesting for the band to see the reaction” Martine added. | Dec 1990 |
Solid Gold Mothers – Melody Maker Review Of The Year |
With the possible exception of John Major, JAMES were 1990’s most spectacular surprise success. They began the year as indie cult heroes with a spell of failure on a major behind them, and ended it as chart regulars with a massive, obsessive following and a reputation as one of the nation’s most thrilling live bands. For every old supporter who bemoaned the way James smoothed some of the rough edges from their early, quirky noise, there were 100 new converts. The first obvious sign of the band’s rapidly rising status came when their single “How Was It For You?” went Top 30 in May. It was a glorious, uplifting summer song, a celebration of post-coital euphoria entirely free from laddish sexual boasting. “Gold Mother”, the album released in June, confirmed that it was no fluke. James were just as convincing being coldly furious and determined (“Government Walls”) or achingly lonely and vulnerable (You Cant Tell How Much Happiness (sic) [On A Face That’s Always Smiling)”. A series of major live triumphs began around the same time. James were one of the biggest hits of the Glastonbury Festival despite an unpromising mid-afternoon time slot, and that was followed by two sold-out, delirious nights at Blackpool’s huge Empress Ballroom. Meanwhile, a remixed version of the surging, anthemic “Come Home” became James second hit single in July. The year ended with more major label live dates – an AIDS benefit at Brixton Academy, and two nights back on home ground at Manchester G-Mex-and another hit single. “Lose Control” sees James making a diversion into dance music without compromising their character. James’ big breakthrough was undoubtedly helped by the baggy movement, but they’re too unashamedly intelligent to be part of that tribe. They were unstoppable this year – and their momentum is still building. | Dec 1990 |
Manchester Invaders Pack Winter Woolies – Manchester Evening News |
Top Manchester band James are busy rushing round city centre shops equipping themselves with stocks of canned vegetables and warm winter woolies – they are the first of the new wave of the city’s pop stars to tour the Soviet Union starting on Thursday. Singer Tim Booth and the rest of the seven-piece band will brave temperatures of below 20 degrees to play to around 14,000 people in Lithuania, Latvia, Russia, Estonia and the Ukraine in venues that include an aircraft factory in Kiev and “The Cultural Palace of Construction” in Archangel, a port on the Arctic Circle’s White Sea. It will be a far cry from the massive G-Mex Centre in Manchester where they played to 18,000 fans over two nights on Friday and Saturday. The band’s record company Phonogram doesn’t have a distribution deal in the Soviet Union. Manager Martine McDonagh says “It’s not a promotional tour for selling records – the band want to do something different.” The band play at seven venues in five nation-states, including some trying to secede from the Soviet Union. But agent Nick Hobbs says : “The band won’t be in any trouble where they’re going. The biggest problem is that they are all vegetarians and in the Soviet Union, being a vegetarian is as useful as speaking Chinese” Martine assures me that the band are taking adequate supplies. She adds “Our records aren’t sold there, so it will be interesting to see what they make of the band. Apparently, everyone from grannies to little children turn up to watch.” | Dec 1990 |
The Next Stadium Rock Band – James? – Manchester Evening News |
Last weekend, James packed out the 9,000 capacity G-Mex venue. It was an amazing feat – they haven’t even had a Top 30 single. James have been around for years and have probably shifted more schmutter than vinyl – rumours are that they have grossed over £1/2 million in T-shirt sales this year alone. But the charts should beckon with the new single Lose Control. Singer Tim Booth’s charismatic personality, and the powerful rock music of the seven-piece outfit, have been knocking on the door so long that their bad luck has become a cliche on the city’s scene. If one Manchester band have the potential to become a stadium rock band on the scale of Simple Minds or U2 it’s James. The fact that they, like other guitar-based bands, haven’t had the success of the Mondays/Inspirals/Roses axis says more about fashion than music. Other brilliant artists without major chart recognition – Yargo, MC Buzz B and The Railway Children spring to mind – soldier on, confident that tastes will come round to their music. | Dec 1990 |
G-Mex Refunds – NME News Piece |
More than 1,000 fans were unable to make it to the sell out concert on December 8 due to the Arctic weather sweeping the North, but the band have pledged to make it up to them by allowing them to swap unused tickets for gigs on their 1991 spring tour. Full details of the dates will be announced early next year, by which time the group hope to have completed the follow-up to their ‘Gold Mother’ LP. | Dec 1990 |
Tim Vox Picture |
| Jan 1991 |
Piccadilly Hotel Gig – Melody Maker News |
| Feb 1991 |
Record Collector Feature |
Like the other Manchester favourites covered this month, the Chameleons, it seemed that James would miss out on success But after recordings for three labels, including a nightmare ordeal with Sire, the band are currently residing at Fontana, which has finally given them the long-overdue taste of chart action that they were always promised. 1990 also saw James touring consistently to encouraging live reviews, which included headlining the Glastonbury Festival, a two-sell-out stint at Blackpool’s Empress Ballroom, and the recent end-of-year bashes in London and Manchester. Unlike several recent bands who’ve made the crossover from indie to national charts, however, James are anything but a flash in the pan. Centred around a nucleus of Tim Booth (vocals), James ‘Larry’ Gott (guitar) and James ‘Jim’ Glennie (bass), the band have been augmented by a variety of other musicians since their inception in the early Eighties, apparently sparked by Jim Glennie after a school mate bought a stolen guitar!. These early days of the band’s career, which included drummer Gavan Whelan, remain shrouded in mystery to all but a few. And the band always tended to distance themselves from the public eye, so much so that they shunned the chance of front cover prominence on NME’s 1985 new year issue, arguing that they wanted to introduce the band “by music, not by words”. In these formative years, James were rumoured to have led the archetypal wild rock’n’roll lifestyle, until a close friend became ill and ended up in prison. This had a profound effect on the group, who are reputed to have dramatically changed their ways. They became vegans, much to the delight of the press, who often tagged them as ‘loony Buddhists’, but James may have taken matters a little too far by organising teetotal gigs with veggie food on offer! Numerous low-key local gigs in and around Manchester attracted the city’s premier independent, Factory, and in 1983, James issued their debut EP, ” Jimone”. Engineered by Chris Nagel (who more recently twiddled the knobs on the Charlatans’ excellent debut single}, the record’s child-like cover endeared itself to many, with the gentle sound of “Folklore”, the absurd rhythms of “Fire So Close” and the classic “What’s The World”, which still remains in the current live James set. Much has been made of Mornssey’s fondness for James, and he too must have been entranced by their aura, since James found themselves supporting the Smiths (fresh from a ‘Top Of The Pops’ appearance for “This Charming Man”), at the legendary “Manchester Explodes” night at the Hacienda. Neatly coinciding with the release of “Jimone”, this event is surely destined to be the stuff of ‘folklore’. The Smiths paid James the ultimate compliment by releasing an excellent cover version of “What’s The World”. This can only be found on the extremely limited “I Started Something I Couldn’t Finish” cassingle, (Rough Trade RTT 198C), which now commands a price in excess of £10. For their next single, the aptly titled “James II”, the band employed the excellent production skills of Nick Garside to produce a pop classic, and possibly my favourite single of all time. “Hymn From A Village” was a scathing attack on the pop world and has become a dancefloor favourite for all those who have worshipped its crafted beauty. The plaintive B-side, “If Things Were Perfect”, was equally memorable, and no doubt helped “James II” to enjoy a 31-week residency in the ‘NME’ independent chart, peaking at the top. This was sustained by a later 12″, entitled “Village Fire”, combining both singles, which is still available despite being difficult to obtain in some areas – although watch out for vastly inflated prices on this item. Fans had also been drawn by the allure of John Carroll’s wonderfully bizarre sleeve drawings, which complement the band’s songs perfectly. With further live dates with the Smiths (a band they are often compared to, but sound nothing like!), and rave reviews in the press (‘Sounds’ hailed them as “pop gods and saviours of rock and roll”), it seemed that James could do no wrong. Doubtless impressed by their high U.K. profile, they were snapped up by Seymour Stein’s huge American conglomerate, Sire. The band saw this as their path to fame and fortune, but it almost brought about their ultimate destruction. They found themselves locked into a contract where they were owned “throughout the universe” by Sire, and were never to earn more than £30 a week! Problems with lack of communication and funds dogged James throughout their years with Sire, and this sad plight was detailed on Granada TV’s “Out Of Order” consumer watchdog programme. As Jim Glennie phrased it on the show, “We signed to Sire on a high. ..but things stopped, basically”. Indeed, there was a suspiciously long gap before the first fruits of the Sire deal were unleashed on the public. The band’s then manager, Elliot Rashman (of Simply Red fame) later said the band had fallen foul of Sire’s “sign ’em and see what happens. .. but don’t spend any money in the meantime” musical policy. It also seems that the Soup Dragons suffered from Sire’s anti-midas touch – like James, they managed to escape their clutches and bounce back with a truly merited top ten success last year. By the time “Chain Mail” was issued, the press had moved on, and much of the momentum gained by their Factory singles seemed lost. With its high-pitched vocals, “Chain Mail” was a more polished affair but suffered from Lenny Kaye’s suffocating production that seemed to restrain the band’s free-flowing rhythms. Backed by the funky “Hup-Springs” on the 7″ with additional, almost Caribbean-like “Uprising” on the strangely titled “Sit Down” 12″ EP, the single saw James diversify, but is still a worthy investment. Incidentally, like many other singles, the 7″ and 12″ utilise completely different artwork, which has encouraged fans to seek out both formats. The 12″ of “Chain Mail” is becoming increasingly difficult to find, and is now valued at over £20. The next single, “So Many Ways”, was obviously a trailer for their debut album, which was to appear later that month, with possibly the finest James sleeve design adorning the 12″. The lead song was almost anthemic, but still contained a moody and reflective ‘dark’ element characteristic of James’ early work. The speedy delights of the forthcoming LP track “Withdrawn” surfaced on the flip, while the 12″ added the bizarre “Just Hipper”, a mish-mash of a song that sounded like an impromptu studio jam. A rarely seen video for the single featured Tim Booth showing his eccentric dancing ‘skills’ (so much a part of the early James live experience) to the best of his ability. Like “Chain Mail”, the 7″ for “So Many Ways” can be found for £10-£12, but again the 12″ is very rare, and probably the hardest to find. Although a price tag of £25 would be reasonable, it could well fetch far more if offered for auction. James’ debut album, “Stutter”, was an eleven-song collection of erratic and unorthodox rhythms and lyrics, and proved a confusing release that gave many reviewers a shock to the system. Described as ‘too English’ (whatever that means!), the deluge of musical influences, dominated by medieval and folk elements, created a sound that the listener had to become immersed in – and was definitely not one for casual background accompaniment. From the opening track, “Skullduggery”, (which Booth later dismissed as “too wacky”) to the closing cut “Black Hole” (surprisingly resurrected at Blackpool last year), “Stutter” can best be summed up as quirky. All tracks from “So Many Ways” were included (although a calmer “Just Hipper” was renamed), alongside the excellent “Scarecrow” and “Johnny Yen”, and “Why So Close, a moving acoustic rendition of “Fire So Close” from their first EP. After mediocre reviews from confused reviewers, the press turned about tail and praised the band’s WOMAD festival appearance that year. Then, nothing. James tried to release new material, but Sire wanted them to wait. They tried to tour, but were told not to, because they had nothing to promote. Next, their manager resigned, to add a further nail in the coffin that was seemingly being built for them. Eventually, the band got to work on their second album, “Strip Mine”, which was finished in March 1987. But its release was continually delayed and then halted completely with the arrival of a new manager, Elliot Rashman. He felt the LP needed completely remixing and the band agreed. It was some months before this could be financed, so in the meantime James recorded a John Peel session in August 1987 containing “Yaho”, “What For”, “Whoops” and the as yet unreleased classic “Stowaway”. With virtually no income, band members found themselves testing drugs for £10 per day at a local hospital so they could continue rehearsing full time. A glimmer of hope came with Sire’s agreement to fund the “Strip Mine” remix. This decision apparently coincided with the Smiths’ demise from the ‘intelligent pop’ end of the market (presumably how Sire saw it); James were seen as successors to some vacant throne. Almost two years after their last release, “What for” appeared as the band’s fifth single. Remixed by Steve Power, it was a striking uptempo pop song – far more commercial than any previous offerings. Indeed, the accompanying video was even aired on Saturday morning children’s’ TV, and the band performed the song live on Granada’s “Other Side Of Midnight” show, which has consistently supported up-and-coming Manchester bands. Backed by “Island Swing” on the 7″ and an extra track, “Not There” on the 12″ and limited library case cassingle, the single received favourable reviews, which the band celebrated with a handful of dates, including a home- town gig in May 1988, supported by none other than the Stone Roses (“We’ve never supported anyone” indeed!). “What For” is the most common Sire single, but all formats still command a high price, such is the current demand for James product. Completists should note the existence of a 12″ promo combining two versions of “What For” plus a short band interview, which can normally be secured for around £12. The next single, “Yaho”, was a strange affair. Since it bore an earlier catalogue number than “What For”, it would seem that it was held back only to reappear several months later. Drawn from “Strip Mine”, “Yaho” was backed on 12″ by three amazingly individualistic tracks of an almost hillbilly nature, of which “Mosquito” remains one of James’. finest moments. Both formats are difficult to find, especially the 12″. Nearly 18 months after completion, the remixed second LP “Strip Mine” reached the light of day, to scathing criticism from manager Rashman. He complained bitterly of the “bog standard promotion” for a group he rightly believed should have reached top international status by then. “Strip Mine” was sadly soon forgotten, ignoring the genius that clearly shone through on the pure pop of “Charlie Dance”, “What For” and “Are You Ready?”, perfectly contrasting darker songs like “Riders” and “Medieval”. The selective live dates to promote the album were supported by the latest Factory hopefuls Happy Mondays, then still relatively unknown, who owed more than a passing debt to James’ sound. Further disaster struck, when drummer Gavan Whelan left the band. And locked into a horrible contract, the rest of the group were trapped, and feeling at an all-time low. Amazingly, Sire wouldn’t release them, even though the label were showing little, if any, interest in the band. The chips were truly down, and the only advice offered to them was to split up and later reform, which would have meant ditching their name. Eventually, Sire relented and James were free. Risking everything, they borrowed £12,000 to put out an album by themselves which Sire, at first, tried to prevent. The live “One Man Clapping” magnificently captured the highly charged emotion experienced by both band and audience at many of their gigs. The best tracks were saved for last – the majestic “Burned” possibly took a swipe at Sire (who received royalties for the album), and the frenzied “Stutter”, a band favourite and the final song of many a concert. Spurred on by the LP’s top spot position in the indie charts, James took the opportunity to introduce the new band members through ensuing live dates. David Baynton-Power took over the vacant drum stool, while the sound was augmented by Mark Hunter (keyboards) and the multi-talented Saul Davies (violin, guitar, etc), who was spotted by Larry strutting his stuff at a local talent night. Friends the Inspiral Carpets, who were breaking in new crooner Tom Hingley, supported. And Tim celebrated the band’s ‘resurrection’ by shaving all his hair off for the London performance! Shortly afterwards, James signed with indie giants Rough Trade, who had lent a hand with the release of “One Man Clapping”, and what followed was one of 1989’s finest singles. “Sit Down”, with its distinctive Central Station Design sleeve, was a breezy summer pop song, possessing a charm that most acts could only dream of attaining. Accompanied by an Edward Barton-directed video, the single scored highly on the independent scene and John Peel’s end-of-year festive 50. The expanded line-up allowed for a steadier, more solid sound than their earlier, more erratic work. And since it hasn’t been included on album, the deleted “Sit Down” has spiralled in value, especially the 12″ and CD formats which boast a longer version. In addition, early copies of the 7″ and 12″ included a desirable promo postcard, which add some £5 to the value. As the music press went overboard over the so-called Manchester scene, James still remained the dark horses. Not even their brilliant next 45, “Come Home”, which recalled producer Nick Garside, had them striving for the hype tablets. First aired at John Keenan’s superb Futurama “Indie Pop And Scally Rock” festival, the song was an obvious successor to “Sit Down”. Taking in new member Andy Diagram (erstwhile Diagram Brother, who’d also served with over-looked Mancs the Pale Fountains) on trumpet for a sound which Tim described as “orchestral madness”, the single was a flowing piece with a definite dance feel prompting many a wild stage invasion ever since. The B-side, “Promised Land”, was a harsh stab at the realities of Thatcher’s Britain, while the 12″ and CD added a longer “Come Home”, plus a demo version of “Slow Right Down”. Snap up copies while they’re still easy to find, since all formats are now deleted. After such a problematic career, James were once more in the ascendency. Doubtless encouraged by the success of North West- based groups storming the charts, James signed to Fontana after much speculation in the press. Any collectors familiar with the House Of Love’s array of limited editions and sales gimmicks might have expected more of the same with the release of James’ first Fontana single, “How Was It For You?”. Indeed, the 7″, 12″ and CD were all necessary to obtain all the tracks – though a later, limited 12″ with free stencil contained the previously CD-only cut, “Undertaker”. Unfortunately, the lead track was disappointedly lukewarm, and those who had bought the Rough Trade 45s must have felt slightly short-changed. However, any disappointment was shortlived, as within a few weeks, James’ excellent fourth long player, “Gold Mother”, arrived on the scene to rave reviews. The band suddenly became music press darlings, gracing several magazine front covers – an incredible five years on from their first. Regarded as their finest LP, “Gold Mother” had a laid-back feel that suggested the group had finally gelled together technically, as a musical unit. Songs of sexual guilt, childbirth and religious bigotry resonated around teenage bedrooms the nation over, with sales promoted by several chaotic in-store record signing sessions. Sales of the band’s striking merchandise, such an integral part of many Manchester bands’ popularity, shot up. It was impossible to walk down any provincial high street last year without being greeted with the distinctive” JA M ES” and flowers that adorn their T-shirts. James’ ‘World Cup’ tour to promote the album was a great success, and included superb performances at Glastonbury Festival and the large capacity Blackpool Empress Ballroom, where touts were asking over £20 from those unlucky punters without a ticket! Fans attending the 1990 tour had the chance to pick up a souvenir programme containing an exclusive demo version of a new track “Weather Change”. This is still available from some mail-order outlets. but once stocks are gone, its value is bound to increase. In the wake of this live and album adulation, Fontana chose to issue an unimaginative remix of “Come Home” by Flood. But at least it gave James their first Top 40 hit, aided by the label’s policy of requiring fans to buy several formats to obtain all the tracks. The best of these was a limited 12″ featuring a live rendition of “Come Home”, “Gold Mother” (Warp Remix) and “Come Home” (Andy Weatherall Boys Own Remix); this last dance-oriented mix benefitted from sampled parts of “Skullduggery” from the first album, This mix was combined with an ‘Extended Flood Mix’ and circulated around the clubs as a two-track white label 12″ housed in a stickered sleeve, valued at around £7. After a short rest, James returned last November with a new single “Lose Control”, which was previewed live on Channel 4’s “The Word”. With its eerie trumpet and slide guitar, the song is their strongest single so far on Fontana. The back of the 7″ boasts a delightful cover of the Velvet Underground’s “Sunday Morning” , which was recorded for the Imaginary’s “Heaven And Hell: A Tribute To The Velvet Underground” various artists collection. As for other compilations, look out for the excellent Sarah Champion set “Manchester, North Of England” which featured an early version of “Sky Is Falling” , as well as the usual run-of-the-mill indie ‘greatest hits’ albums and videos, featuring the Rough Trade singles. The video for “Sit Down” surfaced on “Indie Top Video -Take Two” (PMI MVP 991200 3), while “Come Home” qualified for the follow-up, “‘Take Three” (MVP 991215 3). Also watch out for the Futurama 6 video (Jettisoundz JE 200), featuring three live cuts from the Futurama event, plus the earlier Factory Outing video, which also utilises live footage. In the meantime, how about an album from Strange Fruit, combining the band’s sessions for John Peel? From their humble beginnings on Factory, James’ path to fame and fortune has been a rocky one. But they’ve won through by dogged perseverance and a blinding faith and love for their own, unique music. With a re-recording of the classic “Sit Down” due next month and an album pencilled in for early summer, James look set to reach the dizzy heights that have eluded them for so long. | Feb 1991 |
Record Mirror Sit Down News |
James re-release their single ‘Sit Down’ on March 18. It was originally out a couple of years ago on Rough Trade and the b-side features an epic nine-minute long live version of the song recorded at Manchester’s G-Mex in September. The 12-inch and CD contain the extra track ‘Tonight’. A full length video filmed at G-Mex will be out on April 15. James are currently recording their new album which will be out in the autumn, when they are planning a large tour. And look out for next week’s revealing interview with the band. | Feb 1991 |
James Video Compilation – NME News | JAMES release their debut video, “James Come Home”, this week through Polygram. Recorded live at Manchester G-Mex, it includes their current single,”Sit Down”. The full track listing is : “Come Home”, “What’s The World”, “Lose Control”, “Sunday Morning”, “Ring The Bells”, “Whoops”, “Government Walls”, “Walking The Ghost”, “Nextlover”, “God Only Knows”,”How Was It For You”, “Bring A Gun”, “Sit Down”, ‘What For” and “Stutter”. It costs £12.99 and runs for 72 minutes. | Mar 1991 |
Gold Mother Of All Bills – NME News |
James, Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine, Julian Cope, Dinosaur Jr, Flowered Up and Nirvana are rumoured to be the latest additions to this year’s Reading Festival in August. The bill continues to take shape following previous NME reports that Iggy Pop, Sonic Youth, Pop Will Eat Itself, Senseless Things and Ned’s Atomic Dustbin are likely to appear. Dinosaur Jr and Nirvana reportedly back up Iggy Pop, Sonic Youth and the Poppies on Friday, while James have been mooted to lead Saturday’s bill, supported by Carter and Cope among others. Flowered Up look like being included on Sunday’s set whose star attraction is said to be “a major solo artist.” | Mar 1991 |
Scythe A Star – Sounds |
GOTCHA! EACH week at extortionate expense and with total credibility, Bizzerk! encourages star-struck rock heroes to assault one another with the now legendary spikey stick. This week YEEHAW, ya scrawny runt-looking baggied assholes, how’s the drug taking? Whaddaya mean ya don’t do any, ya spineless bastards? Don’t ya know that a man ain’t no man unless he’s done some horse- man? You stringy-haired veggie-f**kers. Whaddaya mean ya don’t eat cows? Over here we roast ’em whole, kill ’em, cut ’em up and stuff ’em with smiley assholes like you. Geez spare me from that no meal nonsense. Just look what it’s done to you. Look at your sodding single- what kinda an idea is that? ‘Sit Down’? Sit down!! Stand up and sit on my face instead you weight-laden, fat-ass bastards That’ll teach ya a lesson – that and a few hundred stampeding steers riding roughshod over your buttocks, you sensitive limey disco fags. And call that a remix? That’s got about as much chance of getting a diehard narcoholic onto the dancefloor as a wet handshake from George Bush. So piss off back to the Manchester outback you pig-ignorant, tousle-haired buckets of lamb spunk. You and The Stone Roses. | Mar 1991 |
Come Home Live News – NME |
| Mar 1991 |
Revamped – Manchester Evening News |
At last it looks as if James may achieve that long-awaited top 20 single and Top of the Pops appearance. Remixed, revamped and getting prime time Radio One airplay with their rereleased single Sit Down, James look to be getting in with the people that matter in the business. They’ve already got an album in the can and if it’s anything like as good as their last album Gold Mother it will make 1991 truly worthwhile. For fans of James, listen to Jon Ronson’s show in Saturday and Sunday 10pm until midnight – he normally plays at least five or six tracks (the little tinker). | Mar 1991 |
Home James? – Manchester Evening News |
Mark from Moston was on the phone to me during my KFM show last Sunday. Besides casually suggesting that I play MC Buzz B’s “Never Change” single, he said, “Why are you not out on the streets celebrating?” I thought, what? Have the government abdicated, has my salary been doubled or the poll tax been abolished? “What do you mean, Mark?” “You should be celebrating because the James single has gone straight into the Top Ten of the national charts at number seven.” Later on that evening, a dyed-in-the-wool Guns n Roses heavy metal fan hanging round the studio tells me he’s worried he’s turning into a townie. “Why’s that?” I ask innocently. “Because I really like that single by James, although I prefer that one they had out a while ago, Come Home. Don’t tell any of my mates” he whispers conspiratorally. So celebrate in the streets if you like, but in the case of James, a top ten hit was inevitable. No band as good as them could carry on with such a huge cult following without hitting the big time. With the band’s strongest line-up in years and writing the best songs they’ve ever written, it’s all come at exactly the right time. Currently, their number seven single Sit Down, is being played to death on Radio One, where it’s tipped as a number one single by a number of DJs including Simon Bates and Steve Wright. | Mar 1991 |
James Sit Down Again – Sounds News |
JAMES release a re-recorded version of their live favourite ‘Sit Down’ through Fontana on March 18. The single, produced by Gil Norton, is backed by a nine-minute long live version of the song recorded last year at G-Mex in Manchester. 12-inch and CD versions contain an extra track, a previously unreleased James son called ‘Tonight’. The band are currently working on a new LP, set for autumn release. There will be a “massive” UK tour to coincide. | Mar 1991 |
Sit Down Single Release – Melody Maker News |
JAMES release a re-recorded version of the live favourite “Sit Down” on Fontana on March 18. Produced by Gil Norton and mixed by Dave Bascombe, it’s backed with a nine-minute version of the same track, recorded live at Manchester G·MEX last December. Due to its length, the B-side plays at 33rpm. 12-inch and CD versions contain an extra track, the previously unreleased James song ”Tonight’. James also release a full-length live video, filmed at the G·MEX gig, on April 15, while an hour-long TV version of the show is to be transmitted by Granada TV on March 27. The group are currently recording their new album which is scheduled for autumn release. An extensive UK tour is being set up to coincide. | Mar 1991 |
James Album – Melody Maker News |
JAMES re-release their “Gold Mother” album this week with a new track listing. The current single, “Sit Down”, and the last single “Lose Control”, are now added in place of “HangOn”and”Crescendo”. Anyone wishing to swap their original LP for the reissue can do so in any Our Price store before May 20. The band are currently in the studio, recording a new album, due to be released in September. | Apr 1991 |
James Mega Tour For September – Sounds News |
JAMES play a massive 28-date tour later this year to coindde with the release of the follow-up to their album ‘Gold Mother’, which the band are currently working on. The dates are at Carlisle Sands Centre on September 30 then Newcastle City Hall October 1, Sheffield City Hall 2, Birmingham Aston Villa Leisure Centre 4, Hanley Victoria Hall 5, Nottingham Royal Centre 8, Leicester De Montfort Hall 9, Hull City Hall 10, Bradford St George’s Hall 12, Wolverhampton Civic Hall 13, Bristol Studio 15, Exeter University 16, St Austell Cornwall Coliseum 17, Oxford Apollo 20, Folkestone Leas Cliff Hall 21, Portsmouth Gulldhall 22, London Brixton Academy 24 & 25, Brighton Event 28, Cambridge Com Exchange 29, Norwich UEA 30, Newport Centre November 1, Preston Guildhall 2, Middlesbrough Town Hall 3, Glasgow Barrowlands 5, Aberdeen Capitol 8, Edinburgh Playhouse 9, Liverpool Royal Court 11. Tickets are priced £8.50 for all dates except the two London dates which are £9.50- and they’re on sale now,so get on down to those box-offices and usual agents. | Apr 1991 |
More Settee Vicar – NME |
| Apr 1991 |
Come Home James – Manchester Evening News |
Fans of those Manchester homeboys James are looking forward to April 15. That’s the date when the full-length, live video of their December G-Mex gig hits the shops. While their single Sit Down goes up the chart, what are Tim Booth, Jim Glennie, Larry Got, Dave Bayton-Power, Sau Davis, Mark Hunter and Andy Diagram up to? Well — the word is they are currently recording their new album and bracing themselves for a massive UK tour to co-incide with the autumn release. since they formed in 1983 the band have gone from strength to strength | Apr 1991 |
James Head Out On Massive UK Tour – NME News |
JAMES head out on a massive UK Autumn tour. This week’s cover stars play Carlisle Sands Centre (September 30), Newcastle City Hall (October 1), Sheffield City Hall (2), Birmingham Aston Villa Leisure Centre (4), Hanley VictoriaHall (5), Nottingham Royal Centre (8), Leicester De Montfort Han (9), Hull City Hall (10), Bradford St Georges Hall (12), Wolverhampton Civic Hall (13), Bristol Studio (15), Exeter University (16), St Austell Colisseum (17), Oxford Apollo (19), Folkestone Leas Cliff Hall (21), Portsmouth Guildhall (22), Brixton Academy (24 and 25), Brighton Event (28), Cambridge Corn Exchange (29), Norwich UEA (30), Newport Centre (November 1), Preston Guildhall (2), Middlesbrough Town Hall (3), Glasgow Barrowlands (5), Aberdeen Capitol (8), Edinburgh Playhouse (9) and Liverpool Royal Court (11). | Apr 1991 |
James Major Tour – Melody Maker News |
JAMES, currently enjoying their first major hit with Sit Down, have lined up their biggest tour to date taking in 27 cities and including two nights at the Brixton Academy. The band are currently in the studio working on the follow-up to “Gold Mother”. It should be released in September. The tour kicks off at Newcastle City Hall on October 1 and continues at Sheffield City Hall (2), Birmingham Aston Villa Leisure Centre (4), Hanley Victoria Hall (5), Nottingham Royal Centre (8), Leicester De Montfort Hall (9), Hull City Hall (10), Bradford St George’s Hall (12), Wolverhampton Civic Hall (13), Bristol Studio (15), Exeter University (16), St Austell Cornwall Coliseum (17), Oxford Apollo (20), Folkestone Leas Cliff Hall (21), Portsmouth Guildhall (22), Brixton Academy (24 and 25), Brighton Event (28), Cambridge Com Exchange (29), Norwich UEA (30), Newport Centre (November 1), Preston Guildhall (2), Middlesbrough Town Hall (3), Glasgow Barrowlands (5), Aberdeen Capitol (8), Edinburgh Playhouse (9) and Liverpool Royal Court (11). Tickets are priced £8.50 in the provinces, £9.50 in London. | Apr 1991 |
James And Kylie Rereleases Stir Up Chart Row – Melody Maker |
| May 1991 |
Sounds Tim and Miles Hunt Caption |
| Aug 1991 |
Secret One-Off Gig Is Off – Manchester Evening News |
Whisper it if you dare – top Manchester band James have arranged a secret gig at the Hacienda tonight. Now say it loud from the rooftops – it’s been cancelled. The city’s pop grapevine has been buzzing with the news that the band, whose last single was a top five smash hit, were to play a hush-hush warm-up gig before they headline the massive Reading Festival this weekend in front of 35,000 fans. Hacienda DJ Dave Haslam, an old pal of the band’s singer Tim Booth, arranged the special one-off concert for around 1,500 in-the-know fans at the top nightclub, even though the band played to 20,000 fans at G-MEX earlier this year. But Tim has returned from a gig in Austria last week with a sore throat – and Dave is now busy spreading the word that the gig that no-one supposedly knew about is off. “It was hard enough publicising it through word-of-mouth,” says a disappointed Dave. “But it’s a bit difficult telling people it isn’t on when it wasn’t officially happening anyway. “Tim doesn’t want to give a half-baked show and wants to save his voice for Reading. He decided he couldn’t risk it.” | Aug 1991 |
Q Magazine Feature |
James career should have ground to a resounding halt in 1988. They had left the Sire label after two singly unsuccessful albums and accumulated debts of £50,000. Instead they ploughed on, building a fanatical following in their native Manchester. The line-up expanded as James’ twisted, almost folky approach was married to a twisted almost dancey beat. “A&R people used to seeing crowds of 30 would see 2000 in our audiences and wonder why we weren’t signed,” remembers singer Tim Booth, once a Bez-type dancer. “They thought there was something wrong with us.” After a live album, One Man Clapping, Fontana took the plunge. Three singles and the Gold Mother album charted in 1990, James audience extended beyond Greater Manchester and finally they looked poised for the big breakthrough in 1991. It came with Sit Down, a song from 1989, re-recorded and re-released. “The mechanism to reach the public wasn’t ready at the time,” says Booth. “It’s slower than James. We have to wait for it to catch up.” Sit Down charged towards the top 5 as if making up for 9 lost years and Fontana had the seemingly quirky idea of re-pressing Gold Mother (including Sit Down) and giving purchasers the opportunity to replace it for free. It entered the chart at Number 2 to all-round hosannas, not least because of the precedent-setting marketing ploy. James are headlining Saturday night at the Reading Festival, their own crowds are larger and possibly more fanatical than before (hence the live version of Sit Down where the song stops and the crowd take over for nigh on 15 minutes), and Tim Booth is confident: “We developed a theory that the longer it took, the bigger we’d be. It took us a long time getting here and now we won’t bloody leave.” | Sep 1991 |
James Single – Melody Maker News |
JAMES are set to return with a new single at the beginning of next month and an LP in the new year. The single is called “Sound”and is set for a November 11 release by Phonogram. It’s backed by “Come Home”and a new song “All My Sons”. | Oct 1991 |
Putting The Booth In – Melody Maker |
| Nov 1991 |
Sound Release News – NME | James round off a triumphant 1991 in which they scored a number two hit with Sit Down and topped the bill at the Reading Festival with a new single. The track Sound will be the first taster of their new album, due out in Spring 92. The track was produced by Youth and mixed by Tim Palmer, and is backed by another new song All My Sons. 12-inch and CD formats also carry Youth’s dub mix of Come Home plus an extended mix of Sound. Sound is released on Fontana on November 18. Dave Haslam, prominent Manchester journalist / DJ has been commissioned to write James’s authorised biography, which will be published by Omnibus next year. | Nov 1991 |
Norwich Gig Cancellation News – NME |
James were forced to pull out of a date at Norwich UEA last Wednesday after Tim Booth experienced voice problems. However, Thousand Yard Stare, currently supporting on the tour, volunteered to headline in place of James, and the show went ahead. | Nov 1991 |
Sound And Glory – Melody Maker Review Of The Year |
In commercial terms, 1991 was an unallayed triumph for James. The re-released Sit Down reached number two in April and the band’s long metamorphosis from eccentric semi-acoustic indie outsiders to major status, was confirmed when they headlined the Reading Festival in August. Yet, as the year progressed, the band’s critical stock fell as fast as their public popularity rose. Sit Down weas shamelessly anthemic, with its singalong chorus and its rallying call to misfits everywhere. “Those who find themselves ridiculous / Sit down next to me” sang Tim Booth, as if hoping to gather a stadium-sized congregation of assorted inadequates. And, while that top spot at Reading carried undeniable kudos, most reviewers felt the band had struggled and failed to follow the more effective rabble-rousing from Carter USM that immediately preceded their performance. In October, James set out on a 28-date UK tour, the biggest to date for a band whose popularity had long been built around live performances. Tickets for the shows were as scarce as reviews that didn’t mention Simple Minds. The success of the tour showed that most old fans stayed loyal; but the new material disappointed many who’d been charmed by the mixture of pop gloss and individual vision that characterised 1990’s Gold Mother LP. James appeared to have responded to their higher status by turning into a pomp-rock band; and these fears were confirmed by the ponderous excesses of Sound, the single released to a barrage of critical raspberries in November. Once again, however, the record-buying public begged to differ, and Sound immediately soared into the Top 10. James’ year ended with the announcement of plans for a new album Seven to be released next Spring- and, it seemed, with the stadia and lighter-waving citizens of America beckoning. | Dec 1991 |
Gang Get Gott – NME News | James guitarist Larry Gott was victim of an armed mugging in Los Angeles last week, just three hours after arriving in the States from Manchester. Gott was held up at gunpoint outside the band’s hotel on Sunset Boulevard by two men who made off with his money and jacket. After giving a statement to police, Gott, distressed by the incident, took the first plane back to England – missing the group’s three-day US video shoot. Gott told NME: “The robbery coupled with my subsequent experience at the hands of the Los Angeles police left me with an overwhelming sense of fear, paranoia and suspicion of everyone I came into contact with.” The band went ahead with taping the video for the new single ‘Born of Frustration’ with their tour manager standing in for Gott. | Dec 1991 |
Born Again James – NME News |
JAMES are set to chase their Top 20 hit ‘Sound’with a new 45 this month. ‘Born Of Frustration’ is backed with another previously unreleased track,’Be My Prayer’. CD and 12″ formats will carry a Mark ‘Diceman’ Hunter remix of ‘Sound’. Tim Booth and co are also gearing up for the release of a new LP,’ Seven’, which follows the reissue of their ‘Gold Mother’ album last year, and is accompanied by tours of America and Europe, likely to climax with their own major outdoor UK date this summer. | Jan 1992 |
LA Gun Ordeal Shatters Star – Manchester Evening News |
A first-time dream trip to the United States has turned into a nightmare for Manchester rock star Larry Gott of the hit band James. The 29 year old lead guitarist was robbed at gunpoint by two men less than an hour after arriving at Los Angeles International Airport. The armed robbery was followed, said Larry, by “an interview with two disinterested and at times threatening members of Los Angeles Police.” The experience forced a shaken Larry to return to Britain leaving the band in Los Angeles .. only a few hours after he had arrived. He is now back at his South Manchester home while the band return this weekend. James, led by frontman Tim Booth, are currently in America to make a video for their new single Born of Frustration. Their last single Sound made No 9 in the charts, following the top 3 success of their hit Sit Down. Last March, before their first hit record, they sold out two nights at Manchester’s G-Mex exhibition centre. The band’s spokesman Philip Hall says “They are rising stars in America right now. This is an important promotional tour.” Bespectacled Larry explained: “My decision to return home was based on my first experience of American culture.” “My experience at the hands of two disinterested and, at times, threatening members of LA police left me with an overwhelming sense of fear, paranoia and suspicion of everyone I came into contact with. I couldn’t imagine having anything to say to a journalist other than what had happened to me. They don’t need me to tell them their society breeds violence. They know that already.” Larry was at least able to joke about his experience. “I think the video will be better without me in a bullet-proof vest.” A roadie stood in for him in the filming session. | Jan 1992 |
Today Article |
| Feb 1992 |
Feels Like Seven – NME |
James, currently flying high in the singles charts with “Born of Frustration”, have announced details of their fifth LP. “Seven”, which follows the band’s platinum “Gold Mother” LP, features new mixes of hit singles “Sound” and “Born of Frustration” plus eight additional tracks. Full track listing is as follows: “Born of Frustration”, “Ring The Bells”, “Sound”, “Bring A Gun”, “Mother”, “Don’t Wait That Long”, “Live A Love Of Life”, “Heavens”, “Protect Me” and “Seven”. Cassette and CD formats of the LP, which is released through Fontana on February 17, feature one additional track, “Next Lover”. Meanwhile James are planning a giant open air one day festival which they will headline. The event is believed to be scheduled for July 4 at Alton Towers pleasure park in the Midlands. | Feb 1992 |
James To The Tower – NME |
James who made a low-key appearance at Manchester Polytechnic last Saturday as a dress rehearsal for their forthcoming dates in America, have announced details of a date at Alton Towers in July. As predicted exclusively in NME last week, Tim Booth and co headline the outdoor gig in the 500-acre theme park in Staffordshire on July 4. The band will be supported by two major acts, yet to be announced. Tickets for the concert and admission to the park for the day (including free access to all the rides) are available for £25 from Alton Towers box office on 0538-702200. | Feb 1992 |
James On A Rock And Roller Ride – Manchester Evening News |
The Manchester hit band James will give 30,000 fans a rocking rollercoaster ride when they play at Alton Towers. The concert – on July 4 – will be the band’s only major appearance in Britain this year. Seven-piece James, fronted by Tim Booth, played a low-key warm-up gig at Manchester Poly on Saturday night. They have a new single, Born of Frustration, in the Top 20. And they expect to see their new LP Seven go straight to Number One when it is released next Monday. Record company Phonogram say it has already gone gold – sold 100,000 copies in advance. Promoter Simon Moran said: “The band chose Alton Towers site very carefully. They missed out on their hometown on their last tour and they wanted somewhere with easy access from Greater Manchester. They wanted to give their fans the thrill of a lifetime. So the combination of the concert and Alton Towers’ white knuckle rides was perfect.” Tickets go on sale tomorrow at £17.50. A £25 ticket will cover the concert and theme park rides. | Feb 1992 |
L’Etudiant Article (French) |
| Mar 1992 |
Vox Tim New York Picture |
| Mar 1992 |
New York Times Article | The James band know who its constituents are : “Those who feel the breadth of sadness”, “those who find they’re touched by madness” and “those who find themselves ridiculous. Those are some of the categories itemised in “Sit Down” which became a major hit in England in 1991 and had fans singing along “Sit down next to me” on Tuesday night at the Ritz. (In decorous England, fans sit down, at the Ritz people stayed on their feet) Heartfelt, straightforward and more than a little plaintive, James speaks to sensitive teenagers (and post-teenagers) who’ll admit if alone with an album or at a concert with like-minded people that they’re not as cheerful and confident as others seem to be. James was formed in Manchester, England in the early 1980s and has gradually accreted a style that pulls together the confessional bluntness of mope-rock, the high-minded anthems and marches of U2 and the neo-pyschedelic grooves of English rave music. Crooning in a smooth tenor voice that echoes U2’s Bono and Morrissey of The Smiths (another Manchester band), Tim Booth sings about political disillusionment and private alienation. To battle frustration, the band urges positive action: “Stop talking about who’s to blame when all that counts is how to change.” It also suggests for the moment that listeners “leave yourself behind” temporarily for the pleasures of dancing and music. In “Lose Control” Mr Booth sings “We float on seas of disbelief while singing songs of pain relief” For the band, relief takes the form of tuneful riffs and multiveiled vamps. James might use folk-rock guitars, percolating keyboards or U2’s martial beat; compared with most current dance bands, there’s very little funk. Its seven members can turn a simple riff into a minimalistic web of overlapping lines, stretching pop songs for dancefloor use while spotlights swivel and flash. But Mr Booth’s singing and his sentiments hold the foreground of the songs. After a decade he seems surprisingly ingenuous and unguarded, eager to share his feelings and to reassure his listeners that while they may be unhappy, they’re not alone. Good-natured, propulsive and melodic, James never underestimates the importance of being earnest. | Mar 1992 |
Multitop Article (French) |
| Apr 1992 |
Nord Matin Article (French) |
| Apr 1992 |
Phosphore Article (French) |
| Apr 1992 |
James Peel 45 From Seven – NME News |
JAMES, currently on tour in the US, issue the third single from their Top Ten album ‘Seven’ next Monday, backed with a couple of previously unreleased tracks and two rare remixes of ‘Come Home’. ‘Ring the Bells’ looks likely to be the group’s seventh consecutive Top 40 hit and follows the recent Top 20 success of ‘Born of Frustration’. ‘Fight’, a new track recorded especially for the single, is available on all formats, while both 12’’ and CD formats include ‘The Skunk Weed Skank’ and ‘Hugo Live Dub Challenge’ mixes of ‘Come Home’, courtesy of producer Andrew Weatherall. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for James’ show at Alton Towers on July 4 stated that tickets for the 30,000 capacity show are likely to sell out within the next month. Tickets for the concert cost £17.50, while concert and free access to the fairground tickets are priced at £22.50. Postal applications should be sent to James Tickets, PO Box 275. | Apr 1992 |
Starclub Article (French) |
| Apr 1992 |
Seven Single – NME News |
JAMES, fresh from their Glastonbury appearance last weekend, issue a new EP on Monday, including three previously unreleased tracks. The band issue a reworking of the title track of their Fontana LP ‘Seven’, backed by ‘Goalies Ball’ ‘William Burroughs’ and ‘Still Alive’. All tracks are available on CD, cassette and 33rpm seven- inch formats. Tim Booth and co’s 30,000 capacity Alton Towers show this Saturday, also starring PiL and Galliano, has sold out and organisers wish to inform fans that no tickets will be available on the day. | Jun 1992 |
Kevin Westerberg on the Laid Cover – I Music | from I Music Interview with photographer Kevin Westenberg This James photo is an extremely striking photo that I’ve always admired because you chose to put it very small but you also chose to put it in the book. KW: The main reason that I put it in was because I was trying to decide, I had to go through everything and decide, what types of work people know me for vs. what things I really like. That was one of the albums that got big in America and because this thing is being slightly geared towards America, as well as England and Europe, I had to make a decision between all these things about what to put in. Originally I was just going to put in totally obscure things that only I like, but then I thought well that kind of defeats the purpose — you’re denying people photos that people might know you for. So I kind of compromised on this, and that ended small for various reasons having to do with layout and not really needing to put it much bigger because people have seen it as well. And it worked well with this with this sort of layout. Do you like that photograph? KW: Yeah, I do. I think color wise and compositionally it works. My favourite part is the white light on Tim Booth’s feet, because he’s the singer and he’s sort of the leader. He’s barefoot, so it’s kind of a Jesus image. I think it works compositionally as well. It’s a strange thing — I didn’t think it would work when we did it. I was pretty much against the dresses. I just thought, “Well, we’ll try a few and see what it’s like.” Inside I was thinking this is really naff. But we were in Marseilles, and it’s beautiful out, everyone’s happy, and it worked. | Jun 1993 |
James Get Laid And Improvise With Eno – Melody Maker |
JAMES’ singer Tim Booth has been talking exclusively about the bond’s new album, “Laid” , which is scheduled for release in September. He has also revealed that during James’ six weeks in Real Life Studios, Bath, with producer Brian Eno, they recorded a double LPof impravised material, which will be released early next year. “Eno was wonderful towork with,” says Booth. ‘We’ve always wanted to. We first approached him when we were making our very first LP, ‘Stutter’, and he told us that he was busy for the next few years, but he’d get back to us. And he did – he got back to us!” Booth considers “Laid” a departure for James. He says, “It’s very different, very naked, big, but also vulnerable.” He describes the LP as less elaborate than the band’s last album, “Seven”, a development he says was heavily influenced by the James acoustic tour across America last year, supporting Neil Young. The idea for the improvised double album began in the studio, when James found themselves recording songs ata surprisingly prolific rate. “At one stage, we had 38 songs, and I had three lyrics,” says Booth. “This put a lot of pressure on me. So we got two studios going at once, and we’d just go into the second studio and play, I’d improvise a lyric, and then we’d just knock it into shape later. It’s the most exciting and rewarding thing that James hove done for a while.” Booth has also talked about becoming friendly with Neil Young during James’ support tour, and suggesting to the grizzled one that they should work together. “He said he’d love to do it, but he didn’t think his patience was up to it!” Booth reports. James release a single, “Sometimes” , described by Booth as “like magical realism”, on Fontana on August 31 | Jul 1993 |
Melody Maker News Article on Sometimes |
James are back with their first single of the year. Sometimes, released this week by Phonogram, is taken from the forthcoming album Laid, produced by Brian Eno. The b-side is a new non-album track called America, produced by Bob Margouleff for Greenpeace Records. It was recorded live in LA using solar generated power. The 12-inch and CD versions additionally contain another new track which will not appear on the album, the Brian Eno-produced Building A Charge. The LP is due for release in September and the band tour the UK in December. | Aug 1993 |
The James Gang Rides Again – Entertainment Today |
| Sep 1993 |
James Daily Insider Article |
James recorded enough for three albums with Brian Eno. Less than half of what they recorded with producer Brian Eno made Laid, the new album James is releasing next week. It was the song Sometimes that initially piqued Eno’s interest. James delivered six hours of rehearsal tapes to Eno. Since he only worked with them for six weeks, they don’t know how much of the material he got through, but he picked the ideas he wanted developed into songs. “Sometimes it would just be 20 seconds,” says the band’s singer and songwriter Tim Booth. “We’d jam around on it a little bit.” From those snippets songs like Skindiving and Dream Thrum grew. Booth estimates they have enough material left over from the sessions with Eno for a double album. They may put some of the songs on disc next year. Eno’s involvement was just what they needed this time according to Booth as they were feeling some pressure to come up with something that would be at least as successful as their last album Seven which sold a million copies worldwide. Eno really got the ideas flowing. James just completed Peter Gabriel’s WOMAD tour and will be returning to America later this fall. | Oct 1993 |
NME Discography |
| Oct 1993 |
World Cup Song Is Our Goal – Manchester Evening News |
Football-mad Manchester group James are hoping to follow fellow pop heroes New Order and supply the England soccer squad with the theme song for the World Cup in America next year. There’s the small matter of course of whether Graham Taylor’s boys will qualify after tonight’s crunch match with Holland. Tim Booth, the charismatic singer of the band, whose last LP went straight to Number 1, reckons their song Low Low Low from the new album Laid has just the right anthemic qualities. “We see it as a football song,” says the vegetarian frontman, who reveals that the recording studio’s kitchen staff crowded around the microphone to chant the chorus. “If England get through, we will put it forward as next year’s World Cup song.” says Tim, a Leeds fan. “We’d probably change some of the verses and change the chorus from Low Low Low to Goal Goal Goal. It’s one of those classic James anthems that always seem to end up being singles.” Manchester combo New Order wrote and performed the No 1 hit World In Motion with the 1990 World Cup team. It was credited with losing the reputation of the soccer songs Chas-n-Dave type singalong – and sold 400,000 copies. Unfortunately, the Football Association’s David Bloomfield reckons Tim is kicking off too early. “Selecting the song is not a luxury that we’re considering at the moment, because if England don’t qualify, there won’t be a record,” he says. So even if the England team packs its bags for the States, will the James gang actually be picked to play for the first team? “I admire James determination and enthusiasm,” adds diplomatic David. “But we’ll be looking at a lot of bands.” | Oct 1993 |
Laying Low With James – Toronto University Varsity | James is a band that has evolved, since its conception in 1983, from being a folk punk band to the group of great, diverse artists that they are now. They have become not only widely successful, but critically respected, possessing both the talent and ability to break through to the masses. Unfortunately, James has never quite managed to “hit it big,” as groups such as U2 and REM have managed to do. Perhaps this will change with Laid, James’ fifth formal studio album released this September. James started as a three-piece outfit, debuting on Manchester’s now defunct Factory label. Their first record was promising in popularity, and it didn’t hurt that the infamous Morrissey had given them a public vote of support. James signed to Sire Records in 1986, and released two albums with them before being dropped by the label. Then came an independent release, One Man Clapping, followed by two albums on Fontana Records, Gold Mother and Seven. These last two albums were important because they really opened the doors of possibility for the band members, garnering them commercial and critical success. James’ colourful, expansive sound is now created by six talented musicians: vocalist/lyricist Tim Booth; bassist Jim Glennie; guitarist Larry Gott; drummer David Baynton-Power; keyboardist Mark Hunter and multi-instrumentalist Saul Davies. They recorded Laid in six weeks at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios near Bath in southern England. Amazingly, the equivalent of three albums of music was recorded during the sessions, as the band was always using at least two studios (and sometimes four) in order to record and mix. Recently, I spoke to Saul Davies about the process of recording in the studio with wizard producer Brian Eno. “Eno brought his own engineer as well as Marcus Draws, who was involved with Eno’s last album,” he explained. “Eno forced us to look at improvisation, so the album was recorded live with all the songs on the first or second take.” Davies also credits Brian Eno for enabling the band to have such a vast creative output. “He would know after hearing a song where the heart of it lay,” said Davies, “so we could go to work on it and make more out of it. He gave us confidence and the feeling that we were doing something special with each other. We had wanted Eno to produce us since 1986, but at the time he was tied up with U2 on the Joshua Tree,” Davies continued. “He was easy to get along with, but he still made us work hard. He made us look more closely at the relationship between the performers and the producer, which had a profound impact on the record.” Davies found much in common with Eno and working together gave them a chance to talk over philosophy, art, science, and reportage. These interests were often incorporated in his work in the studio, bringing real-world experiences to the music. Laid is a serious but subtle album. The sound is delicate and shifting, while the music has a stripped-down, almost naked feeling throughout. It is similar to vintage James, but much more mature, showing a growing boldness and artistic maturity in the band. James could be described as a “patchwork” band, as the band members take inspiration from the many things that they are involved with, but the result is a sound all their own. Watch for them to tour in early 1994, in support of a fine new album. | Nov 1993 |
Best Yet To Come? – Stop Press |
| Dec 1993 |
British Band James Returns – Seattle Times | James arrives triumphantly from Manchester, England, with a hit called “Laid,” an urgent, compelling, slightly barmy rocker. The song, a fast, wild ride of sexual passion and paranoia, is the subject of probably the most interesting video on MTV right now. The black-and-white clip shows wan, curly-haired lead singer Tim Booth in a dress, handcuffs dangling from one wrist, sitting in what appears to be a laundromat. While the vocal builds and builds until finally he’s howling like a wolf, other members of the band drift through, some of them also in dresses. The imagery manages to be both ominous and funny, making it the kind of video you can watch again and again and still find interesting. That one song, and its video, have single-handedly redeemed James, which not very long ago was just one more competent, slick English pop group. Its last album, “Seven,” released in 1992, was so imitative of Simple Minds that every other song came across like a remake of “Don’t You Forget About Me.” Most of the time, Booth sounded like a clone of Simple Minds’ Jim Kerr. James toured with Neil Young last year and his influence shows. The band’s new album, also called “Laid,” has slow, folk-like songs that sound like early Young, and faster rock songs are marked by Young’s slow-building intensity. Brian Eno produced the album and he’s famous for bringing out the essence, the naturalness of a band (plus his productions always have a bright, lifelike sound). The band has a long, checkered history. It started in 1983 with the release of a couple of singles that sold moderately well in England. Then it disbanded for two years while Booth was ill with a chronic liver disorder. A 1985 folk-punk LP stiffed, but the band bounced back with a new contract with Sire, which led to James’ first American releases. But Sire eventually dropped the band. It got signed to Rough Trade and released a couple of albums, then was dropped again, and moved to the Fontana label, where it enjoyed a hit in 1991 with “Sit Down.” Its career has been building ever since. | Mar 1994 |
Band Outgrows Cult Status – Wisconsin State Journal | James isn’t like most major rock bands. Its members don’t sell fashion, and they don’t go searching for popularity. For more than a decade, James has been a cult band content to do its own thing – marry new wave to folk rock in weird but wonderful ways. The fashion and popularity just happened to follow. ”Laid,” the title track and first single off their new album (which was produced by Brian Eno), peaked at No. 3 on Billboard’s Modern Rock chart. ”Say Something” is the second single off the album to hit the alternative radio airwaves. James formed in Manchester, England, in 1983 when bassist Jim Glennie spotted singer Tim Booth dancing in his unique, whirling style (think Grateful Dead) in a college bar. Early on, James was welcomed by English teenagers, and the members quickly found themselves on every music magazine cover in England. Morrissey punctuated their fame when he invited them to tour with the Smiths. With the loss of some members and the addition of others over the years, James’ sound changed, expanded and grew more colorful. Those colors especially shone through on the band’s 1992 album, ”Seven,” which solidified James’ place as a major international rock band. That same year, James joined Neil Young on an acoustic tour, and the experience put them in the mood to make their mellow new album, ”Laid.” The title is rumored to be a joke (Did you get ”Laid” yet?). | May 1994 |
James Take A Dip – Melody Maker News |
JAMES have revealed details of their “alternative” album, “Frequency Dip”, which they hope will be released by Fontana later in the year. However, problems seem to be emerging with the parent label, Phonogram. Early last week, it was announced that the LP would be released in late July or early August. Days later, James’ press representatives were informed that the album did not appear on any release schedule. Those who have heard “Frequency Dip” say it’s James’ personal “Zooropa”, a record which will ensure their critical rehabilitation and at the same time enhance their appeal in the market place. James certainly hope so. In March this year, singer Tim Booth told The Maker that the band felt they were “taken for granted” in Britain, and were all disappointed by the response to their “Laid” LP. But he added: “We’ve got an ‘alternative’ record coming out in a few months, and maybe that’ll stir things up again.” “Frequency Dip” is still a double LP filled with improvised, experimental music, recorded during the sessions for “Laid”. Both were produced by Brian Eno. Some tracks have already been remixed by Andy Weatherall, including “Jam-J”, which was released as a single earlier this year. Weatherall was responsible for the 33-minute version on the 12-inch. The band recorded “Frequency Dip” and “Laid” in six weeks at Eno’s Real World studios. The experimental material began as a way of coping with periods of boredom or inactivity. According to Booth: “We’d put on this one-hour multi-track tape that Brian had specially made and we’d go into the other room and improvise for an hour. We’d take the tape into the other studio where Brian’s assistant was working, and choose four minutes from it. “The original idea was ‘music for films’, because that way I wouldn’t be pressured into having to come up with lyrics, and we wouldn’t be pressured into making them into songs – they could just be atmosphere tracks. But some songs just turned up anyway.” At the moment tracks are: “Hammer Strings”, “Pressure’s On”, “Jam-J”, “Frequency Dip”, “Lay the Law Down”, “Burn The Cat”, “Mad Maria”, “Low Clouds”, “Feeling Your Sex”, “Gospel Oak”, “Beefheart Jam”, “Say Say Something”, “Rhythmic Dreams”, “Dead Man”, “Rain Whistling”, “Basic Brian”, “Low Clouds”, “Bottom Of The Well”, “Honest Joe”, “Arabic Agony”, “Tomorrow”, “Laughter” and “Sayonara” | Jun 1994 |
James Wah Wah – Melody Maker News |
JAMES release a new ‘alternative’ double album, recorded during the making of their last record ‘Laid’. The album, ‘Wah Wah’ is out on September 12 and was produced by Brian Eno at Peter Gabriel’s Real World studios in bath. Singer Tim Booth described ‘Wah Wah’ as “an experiment in looseness”. “James have always been a serious jamming band,” he told NME, “making a racket that nobody apart from us would ever hear. But Brian Eno heard us jamming and said he thought it was wonderful and should be made public.” | Aug 1994 |
James Let Loose – Manchester Evening News |
The famous Eno, once of Roxy Music, solo and producer fame, is the man you can thank for the new James album, due out on September 12. He says “I spent some days working with the band in their rehearsal room, seeing extraordinary pieces of music appearing out of nowhere. “It occurred to me that this raw material was, in it’s own chaotic and perilous way, as much a part of their work as the songs that would finally grow out of it.” Known for his eccentricity, and weird and sometimes wonderful, music, Eno says “The music was always on the edge of breakdown, held together by taut threads and full of beautiful, unrepeatable collisions.” Wah Wah follows the Mancunian’s splendid Laid. It’s being called in some quarters the “alternative album,” and is presented in a specially packaged double-album form. James vocalist Tim Booth offers his thoughts: “It’s an experiment in looseness. We’ve always been a serious jamming band, making a racket that nobody apart from us would ever hear.” Eno has seen behind the humour and the modesty. Expect James to go Top Five. | Aug 1994 |
Wake Up Booth – NME | James singer Tim Booth has teamed up with Bernard Butler to record an album under the name the Bad Angels which will be released in March or April this year. The album was produced by Angelo Badalamenti, who wrote the music for David Lynch’s Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks. The Bad Angles were joined by Brian Eno who added backing vocals on some of the tracks. Booth, who is now a New York City resident, was enthusiastic about Butler, who engineered the album. James are working on new material with producer Stephen Hague, which will either be released at the end of this year or early in 1997. | Jan 1996 |
New Booth Explosion – NME |
JAMES plan to return in 1997 with their first single and album in more than two years, as well as embarking on their first UK tour for more than four years. Tim Booth, lead singer of the veteran Manchester band, speaking exclusively to NME, revealed that the new single, ‘She’s A Star’, would be released on February 4 and the new album, ‘Whiplash’, would be out on February 24. He explained the band had made a conscious decision to take a break from each other and put James on hold, during which time it was agreed he could collaborate with Angelo Badalamenti on the album ‘Booth And The Bad Angel’, which was released earlier this year. “After the last tour we knew we needed to take a long break. We’d never really taken a year or two out for 11 years, so that’s what we did. We felt we’d overdone it, we needed a break and we felt people needed a break from us. Now it feels wonderful,” Booth said. He added the band had decided they needed a fresh approach to songwriting, especially in the light of the critical mauling the last two James albums (1993’s ‘Laid’ and 1994’s ‘Wah-Wah’) received. “We’re looking to work in a new way, to do songs, then improvise them, smash them up again. The only way we can keep going is make it interesting. I was disappointed with the critical reaction to the last two albums. It can seriously damage your ego,” he explained. “Will we split up if this album doesn’t do well? No, I think James will go on for a long time. But then, who the fuck knows in this world?” He also hinted there would be more Booth And The Bad Angel material, probably with the release of a re-recorded version of ‘Fall In Love’ from the album next year. Meanwhile, the new James album, produced by Stephen Hague and Brian Eno, has been described by Booth as very “uptempo”. The tracklisting is: ‘Tomorrow’, ‘Lost A Friend’, ‘Waltzing Along’, ‘She’s A Star’, ‘Greenpeace’, ‘Go To The Bank’, ‘Whiplash’, ‘Avalanche’, ‘Homeboy’, ‘Angel’ and ‘Blue Pastures’. Fans will have a chance to hear the tracks live when the band head out on tour in March, visiting Leeds Town & Country (March 12), Middlesbrough Town Hall (13), Glasgow Barrowlands (14), Newport Centre (16), Exeter University (17), Southampton Guildhall (18), London Shepherd’s Bush Empire (20), Leicester De Montfort Hall (23), Cambridge Corn Exchange (24), Wolverhampton Civic Hall (25), Liverpool Royal Court (27) and Manchester Apollo (28). | Nov 1996 |
Melody Maker News | JAMES have been coming together with Jacques Villeneuve. The Formula 1 racing driver bought tickets for the band’s gig at the London Shepherds Bush Empire on March 21 and declared himself a major fan when he was introduced to them backstage. The following weekend, on Sunday, March 30, Villeneuve was told just before his race in San Paulo, Brazil, that a package had arrived for him from James-a fact which clearly put him in a spin, since he lost his lone on the first corner and shot across the grass! After a restart, he won the race. The friendship between James and Jacques began after his press officer contacted the band’s representatives. She said that Villeneuve had bought tickets for the Empire show and would really love to meet the group. “He’s a massive James fan,” said Jayne Houghton, spokeswoman for the band. “He came backstage to say hello, and for someone who drives round a racetrack at 200 miles an hour, he was so nervous, really shy. He was a very, very nice bloke. He charmed everybody. “The band were so chuffed to meet him. It was like a mutual appreciation society. They signed things for each other. “Afterwards, I got Jacques a package of limited-edition James stuff, and the first thing he said to his PR when he was about to start this race in Brazil was, ‘Did Jayne send me the limited edition records?'” Villeneuve has returned James’ favour at the Empire by inviting the band to Silverstone at the end of May. There, he will be testing the car for the British Grand Prix. Meanwhile, James have announced the release of a new single, “Tomorrow,” on Fontana on April 21.Written by James and Brian Eno, this is a reworked version of the “Whiplash” album track. There will be three separate CDs. The first offers three new songs, “Gone Too Far” (also co-written with Brian Eno), “Honest Pleasure” and “All One To Me.” The second features live versions of “Lost A Friend,” “Come Home” and “Greenpeace,” recorded especially for the Mark Radcliffe show. The third features remixes of “Tomorrow” by Fila Brazillia, Archive and Dirty Beatnik. James go off to the States at the end of April for a sell-out tour, returning in time for their date at Silverstone and a series of outdoor appearances at V97, Glastonbury Festival and T In The Park. | Apr 1997 |
James : From Manchester With Love – Intro.de | Ja klar, kennt man: Auf und ab, so geht unweigerlich das Leben. Und auch die Karrieren von Popgruppen verlaufen höchst selten gradlinig. JAMES, mit immerhin schon 14 Jahren auf dem Bandbuckel, stellen da keine Ausnahme dar, nur ist man sich bei ihnen nie so sicher, ob es nun gerade auf- oder abwärts geht. Sie waren halt schon immer etwas anders als andere Bands. 1983 unterschrieben die sechs aus Manchester bei „Factory Records“, dem damals eigentlich einzigen für Indie-Bands akzeptablen Label der Stadt. Man veröffentlichte Singles und EPs, wechselte zu „Sire“, zu „Rough Trade“ und schließlich zur „Phonogram“, ohne große Erfolge vorweisen zu können. Die sollten sich erst 1990 mit der Veröffentlichung des Albums “Gold Mother” einstellen. Plötzlich, auf dem Höhepunkt von Madchester, als die Kinder der Rave-O-Lution im Nordwesten Englands und anderswo Hosen, T-Shirts und Augen weit trugen, wurden JAMES zu den Helden einer Bewegung, mit der sie außer der Geburtsstadt nicht viel gemein zu haben glaubten. Doch ihre Hitsingles wie “Come Home” und “Lose Control” besaßen jenen damals angesagten Soul II Soul-Beat und wurden abgemischt von Flood, dem Produzenten, der auch für die wundervolle Eintagsfliege “I’m Free” der SOUP DRAGONS verantwortlich war. Für eine Zeitlang sah es tatsächlich so aus, als sei JAMES die ultimative Studentenband. Sie füllte 10.000er Hallen, als so was für Indie-Bands noch ohne Vorbild war, und wer Anfang der 90er einen Trip nach England machte, mußte unweigerlich auf eines ihrer Blumen-T-Shirts stoßen, von denen die Gruppe insgesamt mehr als eine Viertelmillion verkaufte und daran mehr Geld als mit Schallplatten verdiente. Drei Jahre, zwei Albumveröffentlichungen (“Seven” und “Laid”) und einen riesigen Open-air-Auftritt im Vergnügungspark Alton Towers später ging es mit JAMES in ihrem Heimatland bereits wieder bergab – sicher, ihre Platten verkauften sich noch immer stattlich, die Euphorie des Sommers von 1990 aber war verflogen, und ihre Songs wurden ruhiger -, doch genau zu dem Zeitpunkt begann man in den USA, erstmals von dem Sextett Notiz zu nehmen. Beim schrecklichen Woodstock II durften Tim Booth und Co. zwischen LIVE und den CRANBERRIES auftreten, und die softe LP “Laid” avancierte zum Dreiviertelmillionen-Seller. Die Band mußte, wie in den USA so üblich, Kompromisse eingehen: Viele Hände wollten geschüttelt werden, ein Auftritt in David Lettermans Late Night Show war sogar verbunden mit der Forderung, die Frauenkleider auszuziehen. In Deutschland hingegen interessierte sich bis auf eine kleine Britpop-Gemeinde niemand für die Lieder von JAMES. Was die Band dazu veranlaßte, das Land bei Tourneeplänen meist zu ignorieren. “Nicht, daß wir etwas gegen Deutschland hätten”, so Sänger Tim Booth, “wenn wir aber in den USA mit der gleichen Anstrengung 100mal mehr Platten verkaufen können, richten wir unser Augenmerk doch lieber auf dieses Land.” In den letzten Jahren nahmen JAMES erstmals in ihrer Karriere eine Auszeit: Bassist Larry Gott verließ die Gruppe, Steuerschulden mußten bezahlt werden, einige der Bandmitglieder zogen um, andere suchten sich neue Freundinnen …. Tim Booth nahm derweil eine Platte mit seinem Idol ANGELO BADALAMENTI auf, die im letzten Jahr floppte, weil die Plattenfirma sich weigerte, eine Single zu veröffentlichen – um den Erfolg von JAMES nicht zu gefährden. “Das hört sich bekloppt an und ist es sicher auch”, gesteht Booth, “aber die Plattenfirma war von meiner Kollaboration mit BADALAMENTI sehr irritiert. Jetzt, wo das neue JAMES-Album erscheint, wollen sie es auf einmal promoten.” “Whiplash”, das inzwischen veröffentlichte achte Album, dürfte über die weitere Karriere entscheiden. Erste Anzeichen lassen Positives hoffen: Die Single “She’s A Star” erreichte die englischen Top 10, und für Lettermans Talkshow wurde die Band auch wieder gebucht. Verdient hätte die Platte den Erfolg. Songs wie “Greenpeace”, “Go To The Bank” und “Play Dead” klingen so, wie man sich U2s “Pop” gewünscht hätte. Zuckelnde Breakbeats, harte Gitarren und Elektro-Bleeps wirken angenehm zeitgemäß, ohne typische JAMES-Charakteristika zu zerstören, und nehmen den Faden des ‘94 unter der Führung BRIAN ENOs entstandenen Experimentalwerks “Wah Wah” wieder auf. Zusammengehalten wird alles von Booths prägnantem Gesang. Die Lieder entbehren nicht einer gehörigen Portion Melancholie und Sehnsucht, und dennoch läßt sich fröhlich das Tanzbein zu ihnen schwingen. JAMES selbst sind noch unsicher bezüglich des Erfolgs: “Das Gute an dem Durchbruch von OASIS – wie auch immer man sonst zu der Band stehen mag – ist, daß sie Gitarrenmusik in England wieder erfolgreich gemacht haben. Nicht zuletzt durch ihren Erfolg verkaufen Gruppen wie die MANIC STREET PREACHERS oder SUEDE heute mehr Platten als je zuvor. Ob dieser Trend auch eine Auswirkung auf uns haben wird, weiß ich nicht. Bisher wird uns aber mehr Respekt entgegengebracht, als ich erwartet hätte.” An Deutschland wird Booth bei dieser Aussage bestimmt nicht gedacht haben. Mit aller Wahrscheinlichkeit dürfte das hiesige Publikum auch “Whiplash” ignorieren. Schade eigentlich. | Apr 1997 |
Long Live Tibet News – Melody Maker |
| May 1997 |
NME Magazine News |
JAMES may have to cancel their appearances at T In The Park and V97. Their summer touring schedule was thrown into chaos last week when singer Tim Booth was hospitalised in America with a neck injury. The injury forced the band to cancel their entire US tour just four dates in. Booth injured his neck while dancing onstage at the first date of the band’s North American tour in Vancouver on April 30. He played the next two gigs in pain but had to ‘sit down’ during a gig at Seattle’s King Cat Theater on Saturday (May 3). By the time the group arrived in San Francisco a few days later, Booth was unable to perform at a promotional slot at radio station Live 105 where he was replaced by backing singer Michael Kulas. Booth was taken to a San Francisco medical clinic where he was put in traction for seven days. James’ spokeswoman told NME: “He’s got a ruptured disc in his neck and it’s pressing on a nerve in his back. A physiotherapist told Tim he wouldn’t be able to perform ever again unless he got horizontal for seven days. He said it would be four to six weeks before he recovered enough to play. They’re really gutted. Ninety per cent of the US dates were sold out. But they’ve been offered some of the Lollapalooza dates and if Tim is well enough they will do that.” She added this would mean the T In The Park and V97 shows would probably have to be cancelled. | May 1997 |
James Not To Tour – NME News | JAMES have been forced to pull out of this year’s Glastonbury Festival due to the demands of their Lollapalooza schedule in the US. The band were added to the Lollapalooza bill at the last minute after they had to cancel their earlier North American dates when lead singer Tim Booth badly injured his neck dancing onstage in Vancouver. Lollapalooza’s schedule and Tim’s neck injury had already seen off the band’s appearances at V97 in Chelmsford and Leeds. With Glastonbury scratched, the band’s only UK festival appearance this summer will now be at Reading on August 22, as previously reported in NME. James release a new single ‘Waltzing Along’, the follow-up to their Number 13 hit ‘Tomorrow’, on Monday (June 23). The track, taken from their Top Ten album ‘Whiplash’, is released on three different CDs featuring a number of new songs including ‘Your Story’, ‘Where You Gonna Run’ and ‘Long To Be Right’. There’s also remixes of the A-side by Skint’s Midfield General and drum’n’bass genius Flytronix. As for Tim’s neck injury, a spokeswoman said: “He’s really got to take it quite easily, but he is on the mend. They’re really looking forward to playing Reading, though.” | Jun 1997 |
Lost Control? – A Change Of Scenery | This year has witnessed an alarming string of events striking at the very foundations of what makes James special and has done so for the past fourteen years. Here is the case for the prosecution. Let’s start with the set lists. This isn’t a question of die-hards wanting to hear “What’s the World” or “Hymn from a Village”, it’s about challenging the audience’s expectations, doing something different every night – remember all the times the band have boasted how they tear the set list up each night and start again the next day. You set your own standards in this business. Tim’s assertion that the band need time to ‘re-learn’ the songs and for Adrian to learn them is weak. If his old “E-Street Band” comparison is true, he’s contradicted himself immediately. Anyone who has heard Adrian play can recognise he could quite easily pick up ten or so ‘old’ songs to allow changing set lists. It wouldn’t be so unusual for James to play new songs either would it? So what is the issue? Laziness, preoccupation with side projects, management direction to take less risks, who knows? Curiously, the set lists for the curtailed U.S. tour were printed on A4 paper – which is not used in the U.S. The mystery deepens. Next the 3CD singles – taking the corporate game still further. I’m sure if the singles were packed of high quality new material, fans would have no issue. The real rip-off here are the appalling remixes which make up the third CD (and just how many times are we expected to buy “Come Home”?). It’s like putting an unreleased instrumental on a film soundtrack and expecting fans to fork out £15 to hear it. Now who’s just done that? Festivals- I would take this opportunity to personally thank whoever made the decision to pull out of V97 and T in the Park on behalf of those people who’ve shelled out hard earned cash for tickets on the premise that James were playing. The good news is Glastonbury’s still on – there’s a single to promote so we can’t cancel that can we? Or we could all spend another £75 to see them at Reading. If the festival cancellations were due to re- scheduling the U.S. tour this would be understandable. But to do it for a travelling freakshow (Lollapalooza), where real American James fans are charged exorbitant prices to see the band play short sets is beyond the pale. If you really want to crack the States boys, re-schedule the tour as soon as Tim is fit and able and market it properly. The local Seattle. San Francisco and LA listings magazines did not run any features on the band in the lead up to the recent tour and my U.S. friends tell me the marketing of ‘Whiplash” has been conspicuous by its absence. And don’t buy the doing Lollapalooza because the tour was cancelled line, as this was being discussed well before Tim’s injury. I’d hate to speculate what. or who. is at the heart of this malaise. Is it the 15 year old girls who seem to be appearing backstage at shows? Is it the management? Or is it the band themselves -can they be arsed any more? (Brian Eno’s diary in 1995 states they were not even in the same room together for six months) It’s just as well they’re still making the best music of anyone on the planet. Otherwise it might be all over. And for Gods sake, let’s not have a “Sit Down (97 Remix)” before the Greatest Hits album please. What is the case for the Defence ? | Jun 1997 |
James To Leave Home – NME |
James kick off the year with news of a Greatest Hits LP featuring two new songs and a short UK tour. The album was due to be released before Christmas but was put back because singer Tim Booth was still suffering from the neck injury that caused the band to pull out of their Glastonbury and V97 performances last year. The album called “Best Of” is released by Fontana on March 23. It is preceded on March 2 by a new single “Destiny”, produced by Ott, who has worked with Embrace, Elastica and Gene. The single marks a departure for James. “It’s a mad little song about the whole notion of fame and success and the machine”, Booth told NME. “I’m happy putting out a greatest hits album but it’s all part of the machine so the lyrics to the single highlight that. Watching MTV I get the impression that rock n roll is just as manipulative as any crap game show or chat show” The album features material spanning from the band’s Factory days to the present and includes the single and another new track “Run Aground” “It’s about general rock band attitudes to women”, Booth said of Run Aground. “When you’re in a band, you’re offered sex on a plate and you get to see what happens if you take that and if you then try to have a relationship of substance” James play a handful of dates in April, by which time Booth hopes to be fit again. “The Lollapalooza tour was hell for me” he said. “I was in a neck brace and in a lot of pain. It’s still not healed. I’m hanging upside down a lot at the moment. I’m gonna start doing some training soon.” James play Manchester Apollo (April 11), Glasgow Barrowlands (April 13), Doncaster Dome (April 14) and London Brixton Academy (17). | Jan 1998 |
Top Of The Crocks – Manchester Evening News | It was not so long ago that Tim Booth of Manchester band James was known as one of the most energetic dancers in rock. Not for him the slow-motion so-called “live” approach of Liam and Noel Gallagher. A show by James — who have had 13 top 40 hits in a 12-year career — was always notable for the former Manchester university student’s jerky dancing. Alas, all that livewire frugging caused a nasty neck injury to the frontman not long after their appearance at the Manchester Apollo last year. The mishap was so serious it cut short their American tour. But the band were determined to play last summer’s Reading Festival, at which the poor chap appeared wearing a neck brace to go with his spangly shirt. Now James are set to roll again with the charismatic Tim braceless but still bouncing. They’ll take the stage again at the Apollo on April 14 — tickets go on sale today — and doctors have told Tim he’ll have to restrain himself. “He can dance, he can express himself, but he’ll just have to be careful where his neck is concerned,” says a band insider. Maybe he should take his own advice from one of the group’s biggest hits — and Sit Down. | Jan 1998 |
Studio Eye – Melody Maker |
| Jan 1998 |
Best of James Due This Month – Rolling Stone | British rock act James is set to release their greatest hits at the end of the month. Titled James: The Best Of, the 18-track album will be released on Mercury in the U.K. and Canada on March 24. As of now there are no plans for a U.S. release. The collection culls the band’s greatest hits from the last 15 years, and features two new songs, “Destiny” and “Run Aground.” James will follow the release of The Best Of with a short tour of England and Scotland. That road trip will start with a two-night stint at Manchester’sApollo Theatre on April 10 and 11. From there, the band heads to Glasgow’s Barrowlands on April 13, Doncaster’s The Dome on April 14 and London’s Brixton Academy on April 17. Plans for a new studio album, set for a fall release, are currently in the works. In related news, Money, a James side project, has started to get a lot of recognition. The techno dance outfit — which does not feature James’ quirky frontman Tim Booth — has been seen performing at various clubs around London. | Mar 1998 |
Granada TV Feature on Barge Show | Now they’ve been churning out the hits for fifteen years, they once got 10,000 people to sit down in the middle of a gig, and Morrissey, no other, called them “the best band in the world”. They are James. And today, they returned to Manchester, the city where they started off, to launch an album of Greatest Hits. Trevor Ward was, of course, on the guest list. TW : Now if you and me were pop stars, we could probably think of more exotic ways of celebrating fifteen years at the top and the release of our Greatest Hits album than spending a wet Wednesday afternoon on the banks of a Manchester canal. Tim : I think this today should be a celebration of survival. And you know we wouldn’t have survived without the response we’ve had from the people in Manchester. We were supported in Manchester for seven years by our gigs here to people when we weren’t making any money anywhere else, noone else was listening to us and everyone else was telling us to give up. First time I came here was, I actually organised a school trip to come and see Iggy Pop play at the Apollo and I got punched out by a bouncer and that was my first liaison with Manchester and it went downhill from there really. The highlights have been mainly concerts, G-Mex, amazing concerts when we broke through with Sit Down and 10,000 people sat down. Someone like the Stone Roses or the Mondays and Oasis and The Smiths, they somehow rode a really big wave. I don’t know how to explain this without sounding pretentious. And we never did that. We kind of would do stuff and then pull back. Do stuff and pull back. We paced ourselves in a way that was more for the long-haul, I think. They were more like explosive stars that would last a few years and burn out. You can’t keep that level going. It’s too much pressure, too much intensity and when you’re talking about young people, and there’s all the sex and drugs and rock n roll at your doorstep all the time, most of them can’t keep their heads together. | Mar 1998 |
Castlefields Show – Melody Maker News |
James are playing a free open-air gig on a barge in Manchester on Wednesday M arch 25, in conjunction with a local radio station. At about 2pm, the band will pull up on the canalside at Castle Quay, behind Key 103FM’s building in Castlefields, and play a selection of their hits, as featured on their “Best Of” album, which is released on Fontana this week. Fans are invited to the show, which will be broadcast live on the station after the band have been interviewed. A crowd of approximately 5,000 is expected, so fans have been requested to make their way there on foot, to avoid traffic congestion. | Mar 1998 |
Eurostar Magazine |
| Mar 1998 |
Reentry fuer Stubenhocker – Intro.de – in German | Möchten Sie sich erinnern? Anfang der 80er. Man selbst sah noch gut aus, zumindest jung. Da gab es viel zu erleben: the years that punk broke (first time), JAMES veröffentlichten in England ihre erste EP ‘What’s The World?’, und in Deutschland übernahm Kohl fast zeitgleich die Schirmherrschaft über dieses und jenes. Liebe, Pop, Politik – alles hängt mit allem zusammen. Ende der 90er. Punk bricht mal wieder aufs neue, JAMES veröffentlichen gerade eine ‘Best Of’ aus 16 Jahren Bandgeschichte, und mag sein, der Kanzler beweist Ende Herbst weniger Sitzfleisch als die britischen Sophistication-Popper. Denn zu dieser Zeit wird ein komplett neues JAMES-Album erscheinen. Wer will da mithalten? Zumal sich auf der ‘Best Of’-Edition just zwei Stücke befinden, die zum Material ebenjenes neuen Albums gehören, das Sänger Tim Booth sowieso großspurig mit dem Vermerk ‘the best ever’ bedenkt – und er kommt damit durch. Was ist geschehen, und wie stur muß man sein? JAMES – und das wird speziell in der Retrospektive deutlich – haben eine Vorstellung, wie Musik geht. Der Wiedererkennungswert des catchy Chorus oder der smarten Melodielinie bleibt immer irgendwie gleich, ohne dabei langweilig-auf-Dauer zu meinen, vielmehr bezeugt sich in diesen stabilen Kleinigkeiten der Charakter der Band. Das kann man nicht planen, das ist Teil einer guten Sache. So ist das, und so wird’s immer sein: Synthie-Sounds, offensive Hooks und alles original britisch – schließlich kommt man aus Manchester. Auf der Insel sind sie eine Bank, richtig Starstatus, Super-Pop und mehr, in Deutschland dagegen wirkt ihre Reputation eher mager. Zwar sind Hits wie ‘Sit Down’ wohl irgendwie präsent, aber halt nur irgendwie. Vielleicht haben sie zu selten auf dem alten Kontinent gespielt, was sich, so ist zu hören, auch im Zuge der Neuveröffentlichungen kaum ändern dürfte. Das ist für die Ausgehtypen natürlich ein Reinfall, aber immerhin gibt es am Standort Ende der 90er den Pop-Konsens per Musikfernsehen. Mit Hilfe dieses Mediums kann es mittlerweile auch ohne live-dabei laufen. Vor allem, wenn man bedenkt, wie relevant Pop aus England mal wieder oder weiterhin ist. Außerdem ‘haben wir BritPop mit erfunden’, konstatiert Tim Booth in einer unbescheidenen Direktheit. Stimmt sogar. Kennt man SUEDE, sollte man um JAMES wissen. Oder auch SIMPLE MINDS, OMD und dergleichen, all das findet sich in ihrem Rahmen wieder. Doch wer zahlt ihnen dafür genügend Tribut? Noch nicht genug, also wieder an den Start. Unzählige Krisen, Hits, Musiker-Ab- und Zugänge später wollen sie es erneut probieren. JAMES sind back, remember, ‘the best ever’. Keine Alte-Männer-Attitüde, sondern lediglich das, was sie schon immer meinten und konnten, auf den Punkt gebracht. Das Wissen um zwei Jahrzehnte Popgeschichte und die eigene Historie liefern dabei den Background. Die BritPop-Old-School ist aus dem Lehrerzimmer zurück und verteilt dicke Anoraks an diejenigen, die sich warm anziehen müssen. Dazu wenig Live-Präsenz, aber Funk und Fernsehen. Das reicht. | Apr 1998 |
James Sinks Titanic In The UK – Billboard | Although it seems the numbers that matter are the SoundScan sales figures in the United States, James managed to dump Titanic from the top spot on the U.K. charts. The group’s James: The Best Of sold 60,000 copies during its first week out and nailed the No. 1 spot. The album has already gone gold by Brit standards with more than 50,000 albums sold, according to a spokeswoman for James. In related news, James frontman Tim Booth will be making his first theatrical performance since leaving Manchester University. Booth will play “Len” in an Edward Bond play titled Saved. The play will run for a month. A spokeswoman for James said since Booth has always enjoyed acting, he may pursue other roles. | Apr 1998 |
Coming Up Tour Preview – Melody Maker | Sixteen years after their Manchester formation, James might just be the closest thing we’ve got to an English REM. There’s certainly comparisons between the two bands careers : years of cool cult underground status singing witty little ditties before going through a butterfly-like metamorphosis into international stars; both bands with enigmatic and, occasionally, Messiah-like front men and a fan-base which stretches right across the board. We often underestimate the size and popularity of Tim Booth and James. Their story is that of a band experiencing the very highs and darkest lows of maturing in public : dodgy record deals leaving them testing drugs in the local hospital to earn rehearsal money, to hitting the Number Two spot with “Sit Down” at the same time providing an anthem (and matching T-shirt) for a million students. But the extent of their success lies beyond one single. Headline shows with over 30,000 people in attendance, touring the States with Neil Young, being banned from TV for blasphemy, yet attracting a horde of Franciscan monk fans who turned up at gigs claiming they were great. From thriving at the heart of Madchester to selling a million records at the end of the Nineties, recent times have seen James go from strength to strength. So much so, in fact, that recent single “Destiny Calling” (taken from their new singles compilation) is possibly their best yet. Ever the cynical but sharp ones, the single is an ironic stab at the music industry which has dealt them injustices which they battled through to survive. It’s an underdog’s anthem which highlights the band’s outsider element, a position they thrive upon. With songs this good, James, after all these years, are at their peak, winning new fans and, by golly, playing packed out shows like these. Lovely tunes, too. Go see, go see. | Apr 1998 |
Special Tour Of The Month – Q Preview |
JAMES Why waste time with bands made up of smokin’ and drinkin’ borstal rejects when there are decent healthy specimens of pop star manhood like James? And you can thank tofu, cheese and carob-flavour malt drinks for that. But surely the pinnacle of each hit-packed night comes with the rendition of Manchester’s all-time favourite Sit Down, a song where – believe it or not – everyone actually sits down. What about that then? Manchester Apollo (11 April), Glasgow Barrowlands (13), Doncaster Dome (14), London Brixton Academy (17) | Apr 1998 |
James Tour Preview – Vox |
Sixteen years on from their first single, James have reached greatest hits time. After March’s The Best Of album comes this short tour, where they will allow themselves to be persuaded to play Sit Down just a few more times. Manchester Apollo (April 11) 0161 273 6921; Glasgow Barrowfands (13) 0141 339 8383 0141 286 5511; Doncaster Dome (14) 01302 370 777; London Brixton Academy (17) 0171 924 9999 | Apr 1998 |
James Replace Jim At London Fleadh – NME | JAMES (singer Tim Booth pictured) have replaced SIMPLE MINDS as Main Stage headliners at the Guinness Fleadh in London’s Finsbury Park on Saturday, June 6. A spokesperson for Guinness Fleadh promoters the Mean Fiddler organisation, says Simple Minds are unable to perform due to what is termed “contractual obligations”. The London Guinness Fleadh will mark the beginning of a busy outdoor festival touring schedule for James throughout Europe. The band recently hit the Number One slot in the UK with their ‘Greatest Hits…’ package. | May 1998 |
T.O. Musician Becomes Fully-Fledged Member Of James – Jam Magazine | Canadian Michael Kulas is an official member of the Brit-pop septet James, whose Best Of… album entered the British retail charts at No.1 and has remained in the top 10 for eight weeks. “I just received my first platinum album,” says Kulas excitedly. Kulas had been hired on a 12-month contract by James last March to play acoustic guitar, percussion and sing back-up for the Whiplash tour. But, a year later, as his contract came to an end and visa came up for renewal, Kulas was “officially inaugurated” into the band as the rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist. “What that means is I’m actually credited and start writing and playing stuff on the records. Before The Best Of…my role was kind of ambiguous,” says Kulas, speaking on the phone from Dollar, Scotland, a town 45-minutes northeast of Glasgow he has called home since leaving Toronto. His relationship with James dates back to the early `90s, when he met the band’s guitarist/violinist Saul Davies through a mutual friend. Davies, who had a girlfriend in Toronto at the time, would often get together with Kulas to hack away on their guitars. In 1994, Davies produced and played on Kulas’s solo album, Mosquito. In the summer of 1996, Kulas played electric guitar and sang on James singer Tim Booth’s solo album, Booth & The Bad Angel, in New York. It worked out so well, that when James reconvened to record Whiplash, he was asked to audition as the utility player for the band’s live show. Within a week of auditioning, he joined James on the David Letterman show, then embarked on a full British tour just days later. The Peterborough, Ontario-born singer-songwriter, who was once in a band with ex Skid Row metalhead Sebastian Bach, has a few credits in the liner notes of The Best Of and limited-edition live album, for contributing backing vocals on several James songs, but is now fully working on the new studio album. “We’ve been working on the record since last November,” says Kulas. “But at that point, we had to do two new singles for The Best Of, “Destiny Calling” and “Runaground”. Since that was released in March, we’ve been recording at Real World, Peter Gabriel’s studio, and we’ve got songs ready for the next record, but we still have 24 new songs that aren’t fully worked out. So at the end of it all, we’re going to have about 30 songs to choose from. The album release date is sometime in the fall.” While it is self-produced, says Kulas, Brian Eno, who has worked with James before on Wah Wah, Laid and Whiplash, might “get involved” with recording the album. Stephen Street, of Blur and Suede fame, is also a possibility. A guy named Ott is mixing it. Ott has also been engineering Kulas’s new solo project. Between touring and recording with James this summer, Kulas plans to finish the album, which he describes as “the Propellerheads meets the Jam” with huge break-beats. “I went down last week and did some work with (James keyboardist) Mark (Hunter) in Leeds and I’ve been doing some work here with Saul on and off for the last few months,” says Kulas. “I’m going to take those tapes and go down to Bath this summer and just build on them and then come back and do some more work with who ever is around. When every body has a few days off,” he adds, “the last thing they want to do is get back into the recording studio.” Meanwhile, James is playing some half-dozen U.K. festivals this summer, including Glastonbury (June 26), and concerts in France and Portugal. Because of the recent No. 1 album, the band is already booked to do a U.K. arena tour in December (5th to 15th). “It’s a really good renaissance for James,” says Kulas. “The band is cool at the moment, following up on the Verve and Texas who have all had a resurgence from slumps and I think James is at the same point.” | May 1998 |
James Score On Blur – Soccer Match | With a swift slide tackle or two James snatched one of rock ‘n’ roll’s most coveted titles away from Blur last weekend in London. In an embarrassing 7-0 victory, the British sextet defeated reigning champions Blur in the fourth annual “Music Industry Soccer Six” — the sporting match dubbed as a cross between Wembley and Woodstock that has featured famous footballers like Oasis, Pulp, Jamiroquai and the Sneaker Pimps. Approximately 35,000 fans packed London’s Mile End Stadium last Sunday to watch the U.K.’s most celebrated musicians, their managers and roadies suit up in shin guards and goofy jerseys, and slug it out on the pitch. In a round-robin championship, Blur crushed the Levellers in the quarterfinals and Reef in the semifinals before facing James in the final match. “The Six Ego Have Landed” — featuring Leeroy Thornhill of the Prodigy — fell to the trophy-toting James in the semifinals as well. This year’s notable participants also include Liam Gallagher, the British alternative group Space, the Top 10 trio Stereophonics and Finlay Quaye. Last year’s event, which crowned Blur as the winner, raised about 10,000 pounds for the Help a London Child charity, according to Mark Abery of CUP Promotions. This year’s figures have not been tabulated yet. CUP promotions is also circling the globe on a comical jaunt with heavy metal pioneers Iron Maiden as they battle international soccer teams during an odd promotional tour for their come-back release, Virtual XI, Abery told JAMTV on Thursday. CUP also coordinates Def Leppard’s annual charity soccer match, “Stars Cup,” which pits film, television and music celebrities against each other. | Jun 1998 |
James Award Themselves A Red Card – NME | JAMES are to voluntarily cut short their set at Glastonbury Festival this weekend so that the crowd can watch England’s crucial match against Colombia in the World Cup. The band (singer Tim Booth pictured) will “send themselves off ” during their Friday evening set 20 minutes early so fans at the Pyramid Stage can watch the second half of the game uninterrupted. Glastonbury organiser Michael Eavis told NME: “People seem to be preoccupied with football so we’ll be showing the match in the film field and also the second half will be shown on the Main Stage. The band want to watch it anyway; they’re rather reluctant musicians!” | Jun 1998 |
People Who Aren’t As Rich As They Should Be : Tim Booth – Q | Tim Booth, £ 500,000 Why? James’s total of only two million album sales over 15 years plus the amount of band members (six or seven). If calculated as a sixth share, Booth would have £ 1.02m of £ 6.16m revenue but costs and years of hardship have reduced that to nearer £ 500,000. | Jul 1998 |
Tim Out – NME News |
JAMES have announced a massive December arena tour to round off a very successful year. The band have also started work on their next album, working once again with Brian Eno, who produced 1993’s ‘Laid’. The forthcoming new LP, which is as-yet untitled, is due out early in 1999. This year the band notched up their first Number One with their ‘Best Of’ album, which has now sold 500,000 copies. The new album will be the follow up to last year’s ‘Whiplash’ which went Top Ten. James play Hereford Leisure Centre (December 4), Birmingham NEG (5), Plymouth Pavilions (7), Newport Centre (8), Brighton Centre (9), London Wembley Arena (11), Manchester Evening News Arena (formerly NYNEX) (12) and Glasgow SECC (14). Support has yet to be confirmed. For tickets call the NME 24-hour ticketline on 0870-1212 500 | Aug 1998 |
Seaside Rock! – Weston Mercury | Radio One roadshow rocks Weston’s sands today (Thursday) with a line-up of top musical talent broadcasting live to the nation. Indie chart-toppers James (lead singer Tim Booth pictured above), singer Karen Ramirez and success-hungry newcomers Ultra are all booked to appear, with station stalwart DJ Simon Mayo presenting the package. Thousands are expected to pack the beach for the event, which is always one of the best attended roadshows in the country. The whole affair goes on air from 11.30am but DJ Chris Hopkins treats the early-birds to tunes from 10.30am, with things winding up at around 12.30pm. The 1998 roadshows started in Blackpool on Monday, August 3, and end in Bangor, Northern Ireland on Bank Holiday Monday. Roadshow manager Richard Greeves said: “We are getting really good crowds. They’re bigger than ever this year.” | Aug 1998 |
December Tour Preview – Q Magazine |
Their Greatest Hits album reached Number 1, and their singles continually trouble the charts. but it’s as a live act that James come into their own. Their three-guitars-and keyboards sound is large enough to fill these arena venues. they have a massive bank of hits to draw on and frontman Tim Booth’s voice is strong and urgent. And even in amongst the hits set there’s room for a touch of Tickets £16. ***** Binningham NEC, December 5 0127 780 4133 Plymouth Pavilion, December 7 01752 229 922 Newport Centre, December 8 01633 662 666 Brighton Centre, December 9 01273 290 131 London Wembley Arena, December 11 0781 902 0902 Manchester Arena, December 12 0761 834 2700 Glasgow SECC, December 14 0141 287 7777 | Nov 1998 |
Best Of 98 CD Destiny Calling – Q |
Destiny Calling FROM GREATEST HITS (MERCURY) Fifteen years on from their first single, James’s Greatest Hits album topped the charts, while Destiny Calling demonstrated their new added clout sound. Their big-band approach creates | Dec 1998 |
In The Shops Soon – Q Magazine |
James are currently in the studio with Brian Eno working on their next album. due for release in early 1999. Working song titles include Surprise. I Know What I’m Here For, If Anybody Hurts You and Confusion. | Dec 1998 |
She’s A Star – The Guitarist Magazine |
THE GUITAR’S THE STAR by Adrian Clark Manchester’s trend-bucking off-spring, James, aren’t adverse to a bit of bottle… DESPITE HAILING FROM MANCHESTER, James have never really slotted into the ‘Manchester band’ mould. During their first flush of success in the late 80s, they sounded nothing like the trendy ‘Madchester’ bands, such as the lnspiral Carpets and the Stone Roses. Ten years later, James are still going strong, but guess what – they sound nothing like Oasis! Part of their appeal lies in the fact that they’ve always staunchly refused to follow trends, which may explain why they’ve never achieved fame on a huge level – the general public, it seems, just can’t cope with a bit of originality. Anyway, to fit in with our slide theme this month, I’ve decided to transcribe the lead guitar part from the song She’s a Star, which can be found on the ‘James: The Best Of ‘compilation. This sort of thing would be a good introduction to non-blues slide – it’s reasonably easy, not least because you can play the whole thing on one string! In the transcription below, you’ll see that I’ve placed the part on the third (G) string, but it’s s just as easy on the second (B) string – just move every note down by four frets. One possible reason for using the G string is that, if your guitar has quite light-gauge strings and low action, the G string provides a little extra resistance to prevent the slide rattling against the frets. For more info check out the Introduction To Slide on page 140… Theory-wise, the underlying chords are G, Gmaj7 (F# bass), Cadd9 and D. These chords all derive from the G major scale (G A B C D E F# G) and if you scan through the slide part, you’ll see that all of the melody notes do indeed come from that scale. It’s very easy to map out a scale fingering when you’re only dealing with one string at a time, so why not figure out where all of the G major scale’s notes lie on either the B or G string, and then use your new-found slide expertise to improvise some melodies of your own? You can always use the backing track on the CD. Have a thoroughly slippery month and I’ll see you next issue. This song appears in James: Whiplash- Guitar Tab. Order no. AM944009, published by Music Sales Ltd. and is available from your local music shop or directly from Music Sales Ltd, Distribution Centre, Newmarket Road, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk IP33 3YB. Tel: 01284 725725. Visit the Internet Music Shop at www.musicinprint.com GUITARIST • MARCH 1999 | Mar 1999 |
James Millions Like Us – NME | JAMES return with a new single on July 19 called ‘I Know What I’m Here For’, the first to be taken from their eighth album ‘Millionaires’, the follow up to last year’s ‘Greatest Hits’ album. James headline their first shows since last year’s arena tour at T In The Park on Sunday July 11, before headlining at the Guildford Festival (July 24) and then the Lizard Eclipse Festival (August 11 – 14). The band’s new album is released in September and will be accompanied by a second single called ‘Fred Astaire’. | May 1999 |
James Play Tower Of Song – NME | JAMES are to play a one-off gig at Blackpool Tower Ballroom as a ‘seaside summer special’ to celebrate the release of their new single. As reported yesterday on nme.com, ‘I Know What I’m Here For’ is out on July 19, backed over two formats with other new tracks ‘All Good Boys’, ‘Imagine Ourselves’, ‘Downstairs’ and ‘Stolen Horses’. They play the legendary Blackpool venue – famed for gigs by The Stone Roses and Happy Mondays – on July 23, the day before their appearance at the Guildford Festival. | May 1999 |
Reading Announcement – Melody Maker |
| May 1999 |
Boyztown Millionaires Giveaway |
| Jun 1999 |
James Reunited With Eno – Music 365 | JAMES have turned once again to Brian Eno to produce the follow-up to 1997’s ‘Whiplash’, Music365 can reveal. Due for release on Fontana in September, ‘Millionaires’ sees the band working with Eno for the first time since 1993’s ‘Laid’. Already being acclaimed by insiders as “the best album of their 16-year-long career”, ‘Millionaires’ also features contributions from Sinead O’Connor and Jamie Catto from Faithless. The full tracklisting is: ‘Surprise’, ‘Fred Astaire’, ‘I Know What I’m Here For’, ‘Afro Lover’, ‘If Anybody Hurts You’, ‘Strangers’, ‘Someone’s Got It In 4 Me’, ‘Crash’, ‘Dumb Jam’, ‘Hello’ and ‘Vervacious’. The album comes on the back of an unexpected new peak in the band’s fortunes generated by the success of 1998’s ‘The Best Of James’ compilation which gave them their first ever Number One album. “We were aware that last year’s success had created an expectation of this record,” says guitarist Saul Davies. “The songs were written just as that was kicking off and it generated a lot of energy. I think we struck a really good balance between being commercial and being interesting and different. We derived enormous encouragement just from Brian Eno being there.” The first single, ‘I Know What I’m Here For’ is released in late July and will be followed by ‘Fred Astaire’, described as the album’s key track and “the best love song the band has ever written”. The band will unveil material from the new album at the Guildford Festival on July 24. James also appear on TFI Friday on July 2. | Jun 1999 |
James Lose A Dimension – Creative Review | British indie band James have a new slick promo from post-production company, Glassworks. It accompanies their latest single, ‘I Know What I’m Here For’ (out on Mercury Records) and features the band and five dancers turning from 3D to 2D amidst bizarre kaleidoscopic effects. Glassworks’ Flame operator Jonny Hicks worked closely with the director, Academy’s David Mould to create the futuristic environment. “The director asked me if I could create a modern version of Victorian paper theatre, with the characters sliding in and out.” says Hicks. The band and dancers were shot against a green screen, but when they were put into the proposed textured background they looked too small. In the end the team opted for super futuristic shapes.” | Jul 1999 |
James Want To Honour Hollywood Hero – Radio 1 | The estate of the legendary actor, Fred Astaire are none too pleased that James want to release a track in his honour. The band have released their latest track, ‘I Know What I’m Here For’, this week, but are keen to follow it with an ode to the late great Mr Astaire. “We’ve heard from the Fred Astaire estate that if we call it ‘Fred Astaire’ we may suffer the legal consequences”, Tim and Saul explained to Radio 1. “It’s a love song. It’s about a man who goes to the doctor with a bad temperature feeling really ill and really has all the symptoms of being blindly in love”, say the lads. “We approached them (the estate), we tried to get footage for the video and they were like ‘under no circumstances would we allow the name of the great Fred to be linked with a snotty band of four men from Oxford playing pop music in England. We know all about your type’.” James play a sold-out show at the Empress Ballroom in Blackpool this Friday ahead of their headline appearance at the Guildford Festival on Saturday: “We’ve been told it’s a nice quiet family festival. People I know that have been say it’s like wonderful, really nice, low-key, you know, very easy-going.” | Jul 1999 |
James New Single And Tour – Melody Maker News | JAMES have announced that they’ll play an arena tour of the UK at the end of the year. The dates are: Brighton Centre (December 4), Birmingham NEC (5), Cardiff International Arena (6), Newcastle Arena (8), Glasgow SECC (9), Manchester Evening News Arena (11) and Wembley Arena (12). Tickets are priced £17.50. In the meantime, you can catch James at the Lizard Eclipse Festival at Rosuic Common on Goonhilly Downs. The band’s latest single, “I Know What I’m Here For”, which is out now, is taken from their forthcoming eighth studio album, “Millionaires”, which will be released through Mercury on October 11. The album’s second single, originally entitled “Fred Astaire”, has had to be renamed. The band’s record company legal department suggested the reference to the legendary dancer could cause legal problems. The single is planned for release on September 27 and is now called “Just Like Fred Astaire”. | Aug 1999 |
Fred Astaire News – Melody Maker |
| Sep 1999 |
James Fred Astaire Single – NME News | JAMES release a new single, ‘Just Like Fred Astaire’, on September 27 through Mercury. It is the second single from the band’s next album, ‘Millionaires’, released on October 11. James have also announced a major UK arena tour for December. The band play Brighton Centre (December 4), Birmingham NEC (5), Cardiff International Arena (6), Newcastle Arena (8), Glasgow SECC (9), Manchester Evening News Arena (11) and London Wembley Arena (12). | Sep 1999 |
Heisser Herbst – Intro.de – in German | Tim Booth, Sänger von James, sieht schön jugendlich aus. Damit war nicht unbedingt zu rechnen. Schließlich datiert die erste James-Veröffentlichung aus dem Jahre 1983. Und trotz knapp 17 Jahren Show-Biz trägt Tim nur einige interessante Linien im Gesicht. Einzig der Kampfanzug, den er trägt, scheint darauf zu verweisen, daß hier gerade ein Unwetter-erprobter Dauer-Künstler Platz genommen hat. Oder ein Vietnam-Veteran. Der Tarnanzug paßt zu überhaupt nichts – außer zu der olivgrünen Kappe auf Tims Kopf. Denn die Devise von James lautet auch noch kurz vor 2000: „Pomp-Pop with guitar will never die!’ Und zu solch einem Statement wird gewöhnlich eher Bundfalte getragen oder ein geil exaltiertes Hemd. Aber – und das wird im Gespräch mit Tim schnell klar – James dürfen alles. Nicht schlechter Erziehung halber, nein, sie haben es sich verdient. Selfmade-Popstars aus Großbritannien. Aber so was von selfmade. Es war 1989, als sie ihre damalige Plattenfirma verließen, aus Stolz und Überzeugung, um hernach wissentlich mit nichts, wirklich nichts dazustehen. Doch der Wiederaufstieg folgte prompt. Pop machen und tough sein. So konnte es weitergehen, so ging es weiter. Und die unstraighte Vita ist das, was übrigbleibt. Popistische und britische Unbescheidenheit ritt die Band nun bei der Namenswahl ihres neuen Longplayers: „Millionaires’ – schön wär’s. Klassisch ist dieses Album geworden, ohne anachronistische Widersprüche oder Altersweisheit rauszuhauen. Aber vor allem ist es irgendwie Comeback. Denn nach Grübelphasen und der „Lollapalooza’-Tour in den USA sah es aus, als wär’s das gewesen. Gerade auch wegen Tims schwerer Nackenwirbelverletzung on stage. Vor Jahren. Touring, der ewige Feind von James, schien das übergelaufene Faß endgültig umgestoßen zu haben. Doch nun „Millionaires’ – nachdem bereits auf der „Best Of’ letztes Jahr zwei neue Stücke Grund zum Hoffen gegeben hatten. Und „das ist keine Episode, es ist definitiv ein Neuanfang.’ „Meßt sie an ihren Taten’, ruft es vom Himmel. Okay: bestes Zeichen für back in the ring ist die Nummer, daß James wieder auf dem europäischen Festland, gar Deutschland, spielten und spielen werden. Etwas, das seit sieben Jahren nicht mehr geschah und auch der konkrete Punkt ist, warum die Band hier und dort alle irgendwie nur halb kennen. Den Anfang vom Neuanfang machte das diesjährige „Haldern Open-Air’, wo James vom Publikum aufgenommen wurden wie der sprichwörtlich verlorene Sohn. Einfach schön, ihn wiederzuhaben. Daß er dann noch vorgibt, Millionär zu sein, ist doch nur die sexy Sahnehaube. Denn klar, James haben den Pop nicht neu erfunden, ignorieren im Gegenteil eher die eine oder andere Erfindung, aber sie kommen von einer wahnsinnig langen, beschwerlichen Reise, und da dürfen sie ruhig mal ein wenig prahlen. Hauptsache, sie sind zurück. Und gesund. | Sep 1999 |
A Song N Dance – The Sun | James have run into problems with legendary dancer Fred Astaire’s estate over the title of their next single. The group were set to release a tune called Fred Astaire but have been forced to rename it. A band spokesman said “Fred’s name is a trademark so the boys can’t use it purely on its own.” The track has now been retitled Just Like Fred Astaire. | Oct 1999 |
Millionaires Car Competition – The Sun | Oct 1999 | |
How Was It For You? – Gratis Online | Chris Cooke looks back at the epic career of James as they release their twelfth album IT’S HARD to believe that it was in 1990 that a young band by the name of James played an impromptu gig on the roof of Manchester radio station Piccadilly Key 103. “Who’s this James guy?” many a Mancunion asked that day as ‘Come Home’ blared out across the City. Nearly ten years later, however, few can still be unsure of the identity of Tim Booth’s band. Actually, James have been on the go since 1983. In their early days they were championed as ‘the best band in the world’ by Mo rrissey and soon found themselves touring with the Smiths and becoming favourites at the infamous Manchester club Hacienda. They spent the eighties with a label know as Sire Records where they developed that distinctive James sound but received little lab el support, and pretty much no financial reward for their efforts. They left Sire behind in 1989 and by selling themselves as human guinea pigs in medical tests at a local hospital managed to raise the cash to record ‘One Man Clapping’ – a fine live album which, despite featuring an early version of nineties anthem ‘Sit Down’ was described by distributors Rough Trade as ‘minority music with no commercial appeal’. But credit where it’s due – it was with Rough Trade’s support that ‘ Gold Mother’ – the album which made the band – was recorded. Once a deal had been struck with major label Fontana, who released ‘Gold Mother’, the James story with which we’re more familiar began. After an eight year wait the release of ‘Sit Down’ was timed to perfection. With the Stone Roses and Happy Mondays dominating the music scene all eyes were on Madchester for saviours for British rock music, and so the mainstream eye fell on Booth and the boys, and so ‘Sit Down’ became an indie club anthem the country over. Albums ‘Seven’ and ‘Laid’ followed in 1992 and 1993 respectively – the latter selling well Stateside despite the slow uptake of the Manchester scene across the Atlantic. Then it all went wrong. The departure, in 1995, of guitarist Larry Gott and manager Martine, leading to a two year absence, gave the impression James has called it a day. An impression strengthened when Booth released a solo project. But, despite the odds, in 1997 the band returned, with a new guitarist and the boldly melodic ‘Whiplash’ – a surprise return from which both ‘She’s A Star’ and ‘Tomorrow’ achieved single success, the former nearly equalling ‘ Sit Down’ in anthem status. Safely back on stream James released their greatest hits last year, and album which successfully kept the Titanic soundtrack off the top of the album chart in oscar week. And so to the new album release ‘Millionaires’. Co-produced by Brian Eno, who last worked with the band on ‘Laid’, the album offers a sumptuous set of songs, fully accessible yet encouragingly complex. “We were aware that last year’s success had created an expectation of this record,” says guitarist Saul Davies, ” The songs were written just as the Best Of album was kicking off and it generated a lot of energy. I think we struck a really good balance between being commercial and being interesting and different.” “The optimism of last year did give the band a real lift,” Tim adds. “But there were a lot of problems and conflicts at the same time which hadn’t been resolved. This album was made on the back of a mixture of things – the highs and those tensions both feature here. I really believe this is the best album we have ever made”. While Madchester brought James to the limelight they were never truly part of the Manchester thing. In retrospect that individuality gave the band a longevity that could overcome the fickle nature of rock ‘n’ roll. “When we made ‘Laid’ we got laid.” Tim explains. “When we made ‘Whiplash’, I got whiplash. This is the best album we have ever done, so we liked the name ‘Millionaires'” So, assuming you find yourself ridiculous, sit down with Tim Booth and enjoy the next decade of James. James’ new album ‘Millionaires’ is out now on Mercury | Oct 1999 |
Galerias Mexico – James Habla Sobre Las Canciones (in Spanish) | “SURPRISE” habla sobre un amigo de Tim que parecía estar al borde del suicidio, aunque también es una alegoría de la banda y una respuesta a aquellos que los rechazaron en algún momento. “JUST LIKE FRED ASTAIRE”es una de nuestras mejores baladas. “Estoy completamente enamorado pero también me acompaña ese sentimiento de vergüenza tan característico en los ingleses. De eso se trata esta canción” dice Tim Booth. “WE’RE GOING TO MISS YOU” es un amuleto de la suerte, “Hay gente que me ha deseado el mal y hay quienes me han echado el mal de ojo. Esta canción es un escudo”. (Tim) Muchas de las canciones surgieron de palomazos, una forma muy tradicional para una banda que le guste estar cerca de los instintos primarios. “HELLO” es una canción intuitiva con letras improvisadas que según Tim ni él entiende. “VERVACEOUS” también nació de un palomazo antes que Sinead O’ Connor fuera invitada para agregar su hipnótica voz. Jamie Catto de Faithless ayudó en “SOMEONE’S GOT IT IN FOR ME” (cuya traducción no sería “Alguien lo tiene adentro para mí”) y en “AFRO LOVER”, que es una canción anti-guerra con una intensidad casi religiosa acompañada de arreglos muy contrastantes. La influencia de Brian Eno en el album es inefable ya que se esparce su magia en las 11 canciones del disco. Para algunos tracks él aportó ideas muy valiosas y en otras les sugirió que se dejaran llevar. | Oct 1999 |
We’re Going To Miss You Lyrics Analysis – Melody Maker |
| Nov 1999 |
Millionaires Chart Analysis – Q |
TV promotion on TFI, Top Of The Pops, Later and Weekend Watchdog(!) for the rousing, Radio 1 A-listed single, Just Like Fred Astaire, helped to get Millionaires to Number 2, then it dropped like a stone. Mercury also spent big on adverts in stations and at bus stops, but a large number of those people who bought the Best Of have avoided Millionaires. In December, James release a new single We’re Going To Miss You and set off on a UK arena tour. | Nov 1999 |
Stereophonics, Catatonia and James drummers dance with the devil – Radio 1 | The drummers from Stereophonics, Catatonia and James are getting together to record a ‘large’ version of legendary drummer, Cozy Powell’s ‘Dance With The Devil’. Dave from James says it came about after a drunken night with Aled at the Q awards last year and later, chatting to Stuart Cable from the Stereophonics, they realised they were all influenced by Cozy, who died in a car crash last year: “Years and years ago, when I saw him on Top of the Pops as a wee, small child, you know, it was one of the things that got me into drumming, ‘coz he was at the front, not at the back like they usually are, stuck at the back”, Dave told Radio 1. So will it be a change of sound for the new track?: “Just modernise…anything can happen. But we don’t want it to sound like somebody building a shed! Three drummers, you know, can make a bit of racket! Gotta keep a cap on it! We’re all from Wales, super drummers, superdrumtastic!” It’s hoped that the track will be released early next year once the three of them have managed to get in the studio. And James singer, Tim Booth, missed meeting Bono and the Edge at their gig in Dublin the other night – Bono sent a note asking to meet the band but Tim didn’t read it until the end of the gig, by which time the U2 lads had left. | Dec 1999 |
James Go Under For New Vid – Radio 1 | We’ve had Blur sleeping through their latest video and now James have taken it one step further – they’re hypnotised in their new vid for ‘We’re Going To Miss You’. Tim Booth’s been under before and says he loves the feeling of meditating. He adds that after the vid was shot he had the best night’s sleep he’s had in ages. Tim says while they were all under they knew what they were doing, they could hear and recognised the song as their single, and just enjoyed the sensation. Two of the band, though, refused to do hypnotised. Tim told Radio 1 it’s nothing like stage hypnotism where volunteers seem to want to go a bit mad: “When you have normal hypnosis or therapeutic hypnosis, real hypnosis, it’s more like being stoned”, he said. “And it’s quite internal. It isn’t that dramatic. So we have to kind of work at it to make it dramatic, we actually have to do things under instruction. I’ve been hypnotised many, many times.” “I’ve actually kind of semi-trained in it myself. That’s why we’re so popular ‘coz our audiences are just mass hypnotised by me, it’s easy. Joke, by the way!” | Dec 1999 |
James To Play China – Music 365 | JAMES are off to China next month to become one of the few western rock bands ever to play in Beijing. The band are set to perform at the fabulously named Altar Of The Sun in the Chinese capital over the weekend May 13-14, as part of the Heineken Beat 2000 festival. Also on the bill is Afrobeat king Femi Kuti as well as local Chinese acts. Last year’s Heineken festival was the first such outdoor event ever held in China. James’s Chinese fanbase is said to be “small but passionate.” Meanwhile the band also plays V2000 this summer and is due to start recording an early follow-up to last year’s Millionaires album | Apr 2000 |
Beijing Evening News Article On Heineken Beat Festival | For every person present in Ritan Park for the Heineken Beat Music Festival, the 90 minutes from 21:30 to 23:00 on May 13th, will be very hard to forget. The explosive atmosphere created by the UK’s James gave people a real idea of the power of popular rock and roll music. At last Beijing had the chance to experience this kind of passionate and exciting live music performance. The difference between the wild cheers and waving arms and dancing feet at Ritan and the enthusiasm of the thousands of people last year at the worker’s stadium for Zhang Huimei’s concert was fundamental. First of all, on stage was a famous band from one of the original homes of rock and roll and secondly, the music resounding in the arena was far more likely to set the blood pumping in your veins. When James was announced, the trees just outside the wall surrounding the altar of the sun were full of people. On May 13th there was an audience of more than ten thousand of people in the park, both inside and outside the arena. | May 2000 |
Big In China – Radio 1 News | James played an unusual gig this weekend because they’re big in Beijing. China’s still a relatively isolated country with credible western bands playing there on rare occasions, but this weekend saw an attempt to change that. Bands from all over the world arrived to play in the Chinese capital. Tim Booth took the opportunity on stage to criticise the country’s human rights record, saying: “This is a song about tortured artists which may have a different meaning over here.” Backstage, he said: “This is the way to break down barriers, I think. More than making big bold stands. We could be a young rock’n’roll band and get ourselves arrested, but it wouldn’t really help anybody, would it?” He explained: “Basically, what you come and do is start, hopefully, a process of communication to start and change things. This is why we do this, to reach people.” | May 2000 |
“We Take More Risks Than Anybody At This Festival” – Melody Maker | BETWEEN FOUR LETTER OUTBURSTS, JAMES TELL US ABOUT THEIR NEW NO SELL-OUT STYLE “Remember this when you read the reviews slagging us off” Tim Booth yells at the end of James set, as hordes of happy fans walk slowly away from the stage. Remember, we think he means, that in this particular set on Staffordshire’s V Stage they played none of their best-known hits and none of the singles from last year’s “Millionaires” album and it was still a minor bombshell of a performance. And, after this outburst, when we go backstage to try and find out what’s eating James, we find them in defiant mood. Tim is calm and friendly, but prepared to state his case. Bassist Jim Glennie wants to explain exactly why James get a raw deal. But guitarist/violinist Saul Davies, eyes bulging, swearing for Britain, is just about ready to explode. “I just feel like James gets f**king hammered,” he snaps. “We take far more risks than Paul Weller would, or Cypress Hill would take or f**king anybody at this festival. We’ll play new songs that nobody’s even heard of that we don’t even know! Then people go ‘You’re bollocks because you didn’t play Sit Down'” “There are all these c**ts who are playing around us on the bill – and we’re always the ones who get shit for being corporate f**kers,” he gasps. “We’re here with our f**king balls in our hands going ‘Come on then! Let’s f**king do it!’ We’re not corporate whores, we like to challenge our audience.” From this you might assume that James new direction involves art-concept Sonic Youthery. At least one new single previewed at V2000 – a frothy pop tune called “Coffee And Toast” – suggests not. “It’s what I call a scientific love song,” Tim laughs. “It’s about this guy who tries to impress a girl with all this scientific stuff about black holes, when he just wants to get her back home. He wants her to come back home and have coffee and toast, but you know what he’s really after! I find the scientific chat up line works every time, but only with a certain type of girl. There’s another new song called “Everyone’s A Junkie” which is much darker. You know, we’re James, we don’t have one direction. We fire a shotgun and maybe some of the pellets will hit.” So far, the band have taken this scattergun approach to recording, having demoed 25 tracks, from which they’ll compile their new album in March (working title “We Want Our Money Back”). They’ll also be going back to their roots touring University venues in October. But don’t expect them to play “Sit Down.” Unless it includes a 30-minute jazz odyssey mid-section. Nice. | Aug 2000 |
V2000 Acoustic Tent – dotmusic | dotmusic has been treated to an exclusive unplugged James performance at the Virgin Radio tent at V2000. A handful of delighted revellers were so surprised to see Tim Booth and his keyboard player take to the stage an hour before hitting the main stage that they forgot to applaud, until Tim told them otherwise. Tim, wearing obilgatory hat and shades as well as headphones, treated us to a sublime rendition of ‘Laid’ as two fans in James t-shirts almost choked on their free lager. Tim looked relaxed and ready for the main action and revealed to dotmusic that he’d mistakenly said ‘Thankyou Chelmsford’ at the end of last night’s set in Staffordshire. | Aug 2000 |
Radio 1 Music News – B Sides Album | James have told Radio 1 that they’re bringing out an album of b-sides. It’ll be released next February – and two months later, there will be a new album from the band with a tour planned for the end of the year. They’ve just got back from China where they played an historic gig in Beijing. It was the first time the audience were allowed to stand up and dance! Saul and Jim told Radio 1, the B sides album is one of the best things they’ve ever done: “We’re going to call it ‘The Best B-side in the World Ever: Volume 1’! We’ve got tonnes of stuff, the sound’s fantastic! We’ve got about forty songs.” Making the album is bringing back memories for the band. They told us: “There are all the associated events that come with listening to those things, going through puberty – things dropping, things falling out – aghhhh!” | Aug 2000 |
James To Play For British Fans in October – Live Daily News | LONDON–James has announced an 11-date U.K. tour to kick off in October. The pop group, who released its last album “Millionaires” in 1999, will start the outing in Leeds, England, on Oct. 21 and finish up in London on Nov. 8. According to its official website, tickets will go on sale “exclusively to James fans” beginning at 9 a.m. on Thursday (8/31) and to the general public at 9 a.m. on Friday (9/1). The next studio album, for which “30 new songs have been sketched out,” is tipped to be released in May, 2001. The group reports that it will work on the album with Brian Eno (U2, David Bowie) and Stephen Street (The Smiths, Blur). Led by Tim Booth, James formed in 1982 in Manchester, England, which was also the breeding ground for other “Madchester” acts from the ’80s, including the Happy Mondays and the Stone Roses. October 21 – Leeds, England – Leeds University 22 – Liverpool, England – Royal Court 23 – Edinburgh, Scotland – Corn Exchange 25 – Bristol, England – Colston Hall 27 – Poole, England – Arts Centre November 2 – Blackpool, England – Empress Ballroom 3 – Grimbsy, England – Grimsby Auditorium 4 – Norwich, England – University of East Angland 6 – Sheffield, England – City Hall 7 – Nottingham, England – Rock City 8 – London, England – Brixton Academy | Sep 2000 |
Come Home – Ananova News | You may have to Sit Down after the following announcement. Indie stalwarts James have announced a 12-date national tour. You can see the student faves play their vast collection of memorable hits in Leeds, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Bristol, Exeter, Poole, Blackpool, Exeter, Norwich, Sheffield, Nottingham and London throughout October and early November. James formed in Manchester in 1982, and have successfully outlasted most of their peers to release a plethora of memorable anthems. Early material such as Come Home and How Was It For You? soundtracked many students’ lives in the late 80s and early 90s, and the hits have continued to flow with She’s a Star, Sometimes and Destiny Calling. In a barren period for indie-pop, where chart rock music has become increasingly anodyne and few bands survive the expectations of the masses, reliable tunesmiths James prove a welcome respite. 1998’s compilation The Best of constituted a timely reminder of the outfit’s rock pedigree, while 1999’s offering Millionaires is probably their most adventurous and rewarding album to date. The tour will also showcase songs from their next album tentatively titled We Want Our Money Back, which is currently being recorded by their long-time producer Brian Eno. In a roller-coaster career spanning 18 years, there’s never been a better time to catch them. | Sep 2000 |
James Hit The Road – Music 365 | JAMES have announced a UK tour in October/November. Currently working on a new studio album, the group, who attracted much praise for their sets at the recent V2000 festival, are to play 12 dates to coincide with the release of their forthcoming biography Folklore: James – The Official Story. The full dates for the tour are as follows: Leeds University Union (October 21) Liverpool Royal Court (22) Edinburgh Corn Exchange (23) Bristol Colston Hall (25) Exeter University (26) Poole Arts Centre (27) Blackpool Empress Ballroom (November 2) Grimsby Auditorium (3) Norwich U.E.A. (4) Sheffield City Hall (6) Nottingham Rock City (7) London Brixton Academy (8) Having postponed the scheduled release of their forthcoming B-sides album until 2001, James will now be releasing two albums next year. Fans are still being invited to vote for their favourite B-sides on the band’s official website before the final track listing for the that album is finalised, while the band themselves are sifting through the 30 “sketched out” songs they’ve demoed for their next studio album, which they’re hoping to begin with producer Stephen Street following the tour. The band previewed three new songs – ‘Coffee And Toast’, ‘Everyone’s A Junkie’ and ‘Senorita’ at V2000. Finally, the band’s official biography is to be released on November 9. Fans who’re gagging to read about the Manchester band’s long and winding road to international stardom however, can obtain advance copies of Folklore&ldots; from the band’s website before it officially hits book shelves. Is James’ ‘Sit Down’ the greatest student anthem of all time? Have the Manchester band really got the acclaim they deserve over the years? And what’s your favourite James’ B-side and why? Email us with your views. | Sep 2000 |
James Bond With Fans – NME |
September 2000, © NME The band are currently recording the album, due out in April, with their long-time producer Brian Eno and former Blur producer Stephen Street. Regarding the tour, Guitarist Saul Davies told nme.com: “It’s a deliberate move on our part. Basically it’s come out of the fact that we started work on our next album and we decided we should do something we haven’t done since we did ‘Laid’, which is play the songs out on the road before we record them. “I’m really looking forward to it cos’ they could potentially be quite special shows. I think a band like us that’s been going on so long, it’s really necessary to invent a way of performing on [a special] occasion. It’s very easy for us to play big venues and take the cash and go away. ” He added: “Being on top of people where the communication with audience is intense I think will [make it] much easier to play these tunes and dig in and find out what they’re about really.” James have written 25 new songs for their forthcoming album including ‘Coffee On Toast’, ‘Please To Meet You’, ‘Gaudi’, ‘Senorita’, and ‘Nicola Louder’. | Sep 2000 |
James And Placebo Can’t Stop The Rain – Yahoo | Everyone knows that it rains a great deal in England, but after recent watery events, bands like James and Placebo might be ready to move to Florida. This weekend James was forced to cancel its show in Grimsby due to stormy weather conditions. Slated to take place at the Grimsby Auditorium, James’ show was postponed because prior wind and rain damaged the roof of the auditorium itself. A spokesman for the Grimsby Auditorium explained that the damage that the roof sustained in earlier storms rendered it an unsafe arena for a live show. Although the show will be rescheduled, James is not alone in being a band that has to find a drier date and locale to play. U.K. favorites Placebo was forced to cancel its show earlier this week in Nottingham Rock City due to extensive water damage to the venue. | Nov 2000 |
James Prepares To Get Its Money Back – Yahoo | Although the length of James’ career certainly qualifies its members to be considered the Elder Statesmen of britpop, the band has always managed to sound fresh with every consecutive album it makes. And speaking of making albums, James is currently hard at work on its new effort, which is said to be titled We Want Our Money Back. The band, led by singer Tim Booth, whose enigmatic spinning and furious dervish revolutions remain some of the most arresting and captivating moves in music today, is said to be sifting through twenty-five new songs for the planned disc. James will be touring this autumn before it heads to the studio to record the album. Although nothing is official yet, both Brian Eno and Stephen Street are said to be handling production duties. We Want Our Money Back is being planned for an April release. | Nov 2000 |
Chris Martin (Coldplay) on Gold Mother – NME | part of NME’s feature on bands that have influenced others careers James – Gold Mother That was the first record I ever really got into. That was quite a big moment cos I was quite sheltered up until then musically. When I got to big school, all the sixth form were listening to that sort of thing. I tried getting into loads of what the sixth form were into, but that was the only one that really hit me. I could never really get into The Wedding Present and Curve. I worked on a strawberry farm for a week and I earned about £50, which I spent on that record. I was heavily into James. I had two or three T-shirts! Come Home and How Was It For You? especially. It’s just a classic album. The cover and everything was great. But it was the first issue, not the one with Sit Down on it. I liked them before Sit Down. | Dec 2000 |
James Added To City In The Park Bill – City In The Park Website | Daybrook House Promotions (DHP) is proud to announce James to play at this years City in the Park. They will be supporting international rock star Bryan Adams. The show will take place on Saturday 25th August Bank Holiday weekend (subject to license). They have joined the list of stars who have played Nottingham’s annual rock and pop festival. Last year saw pop stars All Saints and Ronan Keating performing to over 20,000 fans on the hottest day of the year and over 30,000 saw the Irish phenomenon The Corrs in 1999. Musical history is littered with bands who have briefly blazed brightly, to sink prematurely into depressing mediocrity as they repeat themselves with ever-diminishing effect. The path James have forged has taken the band in exactly the opposite direction. Endlessly inventive and always taking risks, James have never been satisfied with the easy option. Digging deep into the wellspring of their creativity they released last years Millionaires – the most adventurous and rewarding album of their roller-coaster 16 year career. The summer’s day long event organised by DHP will include several other high profile artists, as well as other attractions such as street theatre and funfairs to make this a day out for the whole family. Wollaton Park is the perfect setting for such an event, with the backdrop of the historical 16th century hall, within the grounds of its natural amphitheatre. The location makes for a breathtaking setting with perfect views from all areas of the ten-acre enclosure. Says Director Andy Copping “We are in discussions with some big name acts to join the bill, it will be an all-day event and we plan to make the entertainment second to none.” DHP who own several Nottingham venues, including the award winning Rock City, have staged numerous events at Wollaton Park. City in the Park is now on the maib calendar of UK summer festivals and will see many more fantastic acts brought to Nottingham over future years. This event is subject to license being granted. | Apr 2001 |
Keeping Up With James – Channel 4 Teletext | James return on July 2 with new album Pleased To Meet You, produced by Brian Eno. It’s preceded a week earlier by the Getting Away With It single. The band previewed songs on last year’s theatre tour, recording the 13 tracks as a live band rather than their usual method of letting songs grow from studio jams. They play T In The Park in July, then with Bryan Adams and Johnathan Wilkes at Nottingham Woolaton on August 25. | May 2001 |
Ananova News | James are set to release their 11th studio album, Pleased To Meet You, on July 2. It will be preceded by the single, Getting Away With It (All Messed Up), on June 25. The band have also announced two live gigs in addition to their summer festival schedule. They will play the Grimsby Auditorium on July 6, and Liverpool King’s Dock on July 8. James will also appear at the T In The Park festival on Scotland on July 7, the Guildford Live festival on August 4, and as special guests of Bryan Adams at the City In The Park festival at Wollaton Park, Nottingham, on August 25. | May 2001 |
Spin Website News | My excitement here is genuine. I promise you that, sweet reader. A super band, James, is finally going to release a new studio album, Pleased To Meet You, July 2 in the U.K. And yes, once again, Brian Eno is behind the boards. There is no U.S. release date planned at present. The band’s last album, Millionaires, never came out here either. Criminal. This new record will be the 11th studio album to come from these crazy Brits. According to all kinds of fun messages on the band’s website, James will first release a single from the record called “Getting Away with It (All Messed Up),” due out in the U.K. only on June 25. You can visit the band’s website to hear another new track, “Finer,” which is actually a remix of the new album track, “Fine” (mixed by James drummer Dave Baynton-Power). In related news, back in January there was talk of a forthcoming James b-sides album, which the site said was to be called Now That’s What I Call B-Sides Vol. 1. At the time, we were told that the details were nearly finalized and that the album was to come out later this year, and feature 20 tracks, including, “Gone Too Far,” “China Girl,” and “Van Gogh’s Dog.” We have heard nothing about it since. In other related news, James is scheduled to play a handful of U.K. festivals this summer, including T in the Park this July in Scotland, the Guildford Live festival in August in Nottingham, and the City in the Park festival in August, also in Nottingham (with Bryan Adams!). Here’s the tracklisting to Pleased To Meet You. 1. Space 2. Falling Down 3. English Beefcake 4. Junky 5. Pleased To Meet You 6. The Shining 7. Senorita 8. Gaudi 9. What Is It Good For 10. Give It Away 11. Fine 12. Getting Away With It 13. Alaskan Pipeline | May 2001 |
James Come Home – Boyztown Magazine | If you’re a bit worried that the Mardi Gras weekend is already beginning to look rather more like a bankruptcy weekend, fear not, as you can always rely on POPSTARZ to give you a good deal, and at no time is that more true than this Friday (29 Jun), when the crew will be holding another of their infamous giveaways. This time around, the goodies will be to celebrate the launch of James’ new album, Pleased To Meet You, which we’ve heard is pretty top-quality stuff. There’ll be a massive giveaway, including T-shirts, CD albums, singles and posters, and all you have to do is make sure you run to the stage when you hear that all-time classic James track, ‘Laid’, thundering out of the speakers. It’s as simple as that. So, make sure you get there early, as you don’t want to miss it! | Jun 2001 |
Pleased To Meet You Cover Story – Q |
June 2001, © Q Magazine Q : Who The Hell Is This Guy? A : His name’s James and, bizarrely, he’s a composite of the band of the same name “This is about finding a way to represent our collective spirit,” says James frontman Tim Booth, discussing the band’s curious new figurehead. “It deals with the old, Are you James questions, which, yeah, you still get – I still get called James. I suppose people in Travis get called Travis too.” In order to solve these public image problems, James have cooked up an entirely new public face. Last month, each of the seven members posed for separate portraits, which were subsequently morphed together, with the aid of noted fashion photographer Phil Poynter, design company Blue Source and a good deal of computerised jiggery pokery, in order to create an entirely new person. He’s been christened James, obviously, and will appear on the sleeve of the forthcoming album, Pleased To Meet You. Although he doesn’t play any instruments, he’s so life-like that there’s already speculation about his “personality”. “I think he looks like he might have a knife in his back pocket.” exclaims Booth. “He has a good edge to him. He’s not idealised.” As for intra-band arguments over whose bits were used where – did they take place? “Of course,” acknowledges Booth. “He’s got my knob, and it’s fantastic, obviously.” | Jun 2001 |
James Become James – Dotmusic | James have morphed all seven of their faces together to form the decidedly bizarre image that will adorn their new album, dotmusic can exclusively reveal. The picture, above, is a computer-generated photograph, taking certain characteristics from the members of the band. The ‘person’ created is called ‘James’. The decision has been prompted by the constant misunderstanding surrounding the band’s name, as a spokeswoman for the band explained to us today. It’s all come about because the band/Tim are always asked if they are James. They decided to create an eighth member that they would call James and use that image for the album cover. The band’s new album, entitled ‘Pleased To Meet You’, is released next month and has once again been produced by electro-ambient pioneer and general legend Brian Eno. Eno explained how the album had come together: It’s like when people make their first album, they’re full of enthusiasm and excitement and they know what they’re doing and it’s a pleasure. This was like making a first album. | Jun 2001 |
Ananova News | James are marking the release of their new album by unveiling a mystery eighth member of the band. Photographs of each band member were taken and morphed together to create a character called James. They came up with the idea after getting fed up with people repeatedly asking which one of them was called James. The band have created an entire history to the morphed James. They say he is an elusive, charismatic, engaging individual. Accounts about his background vary, with some saying he attended public school in Shropshire and others claiming he grew up in Moss Side. James got into the music industry after getting involved in the punk scene and was inspired by Patti Smith, Joy Division and The Fall. The band say he supports Manchester City, Leeds United and Barcelona. James teamed up with producer Brian Eno to make their new album Pleased To Meet You. It is released on July 2. | Jun 2001 |
Hartlepool Mail Story on the Album Cover | Rock band James have spent a fortune on new photographic techniques for the cover of their new album Pleased To Meet You. All the members of the band were photographed and then a digital process was used to blend together all their features to give the image that they used as the album cover. The lads in the office recognised the face immediately – it’s our crime reporter Simon Walton. How Simon became the bloke on the album cover is not clear but we certainly know James could have saved a fortune by simply using this picture of young Walton. The effect would have been the same. If anyone has bought the new James album and would like Simon to autograph the cover they should give him a ring. | Jul 2001 |
James Regressam A Portugal – Portuguese news article on tour (in Portuguese) | JAMES REGRESSAM A PORTUGAL 21 de Setembro de 2001 Tal como se esperava, os James vão regressar a Portugal no mês de Novembro, para dois concertos ao vivo nos Coliseus de Lisboa e Porto. Consigo trazem o novo álbum “Pleased To Meet You” – que contou com a produção de Brian Eno – naqueles que serão os espectáculos anteriores à digressão dos James no Reino Unido, cujas datas se encontram praticamente esgotadas. É assim que o grupo liderado pelo vocalista Tim Booth irá subir mais uma vez a palcos portugueses, depois do guitarrista da banda, Saul Davis, ter escolhido o nosso país para estabelecer residência. O músico está a viver em Caminha, no Minho e casou (ou está a planear casar) com uma portuguesa. Entretanto, os bilhetes para estes dois espectáculos – dia 23 de Novembro em Lisboa e dia 24 de Novembro no Porto – vão ser colocados à venda no próximo dia 26 de Setembro, pelos seguintes preços: Lisboa: 4000 escudos; Porto: Plateia Plateia de pé/Tribuna – 4.000$00; Galeria/Geral – 3.900$0 Locais de venda: Lisboa – Coliseu, Fnac Colombo, Fnac Chiado, Fnac Cascais Shopping, Ticketline no Vasco da Gama, ABEP e agência Alvalade Porto – Coliseu, Fnac Sta. Catarina e Fnac Norte Shopping Internet – www.ondaticket.com | Sep 2001 |
James Leave Mercury – NME News | JAMES have left their label MERCURY RECORDS. A spokesperson for the band has told NME.COM that the group have decided not to renew their contract with the label after futhfilling their obligation of six albums and a Greatest Hits compilation. Describing the departure from the label as “perfectly amicable”, the spokesperson maintained that the group plan to release a B-sides album via Mercury later this year, and work is also in the pipeline to reissue the group’s studio albums in the future. The band are set to tour their current album, ‘Pleased To Meet You’, in December. | Oct 2001 |
Tim Leaves James – Tim’s Statement | Dear friends, After much deliberation I have decided it’s time for me to leave JAMES. When we started the band we always said we’d give it a year and see how it went. If you had told me we’d last nearly 20 years I’d have asked you what drugs you were on. I am leaving on a high. The tour is selling well and will be a great farewell party. For the last two years we have been getting on better with each other than ever before. We have made a C.D that I believe to be our best since Laid; yes I have heard that reviews state otherwise but by not reading them I keep myself in a blissful bubble of ignorance. Although some of the Summer gigs were a bit hit and miss the last gig we did, in Athens was one of the best we have ever done. So why am I leaving? Well because I want to stop while we are on top. To leave great memories knowing that I feel proud of just about everything we have done. And I am leaving because it feels like THE RIGHT TIME. This is an intuitive decision enabling me to let go of a huge commitment and make space for something new to come in. I am sure the press will try and find all kinds of smaller reasons and many of them may be factually true. But this is the greater truth. I am mid-way through a screen play – which may just be for an audience of one. I am looking forward to teaching creativity workshops, to act and create some new music. If you want to keep in touch, my own web-site should be running by December at timbooth.net. I don’t know what the rest of the guys are going to do but I want to thank them for an amazing ride and for taking my departure so well. For those of you who hate award acceptance thank you’s turn away now. I want to thank all the musicians who have ever played in James throughout our various incarnations. Also massive thanks to Peter Rudge, Brian Eno, Traci, Geoff, Simon, Louise, Laurie, Nicola, Neil, Richard, Marsha, Martine, Michael, Joyce, Martin, Angelo and other allies too numerous to mention or remember. I’ve also got to thank my own personal crew of Kate, Ben, Mepps and Avril. And finally you. The quality of your listening has enabled us to produce quality. Your faith in us has lifted us to higher levels. It seems like you have managed to always see us through the smokescreen of hipness and cool that the music industry is drowning in. Thank you for listening. Much love. Tim | Oct 2001 |
We’re Going To Miss You, Tim – NME News | JAMES vocalist TIM BOOTH has announced he is to quit the band. In a posting on the group’s official website, www.jamestheband.com, it is claimed that the group’s current UK tour in December will be the “last chance to catch the current line-up”. The remaining members of the group are set to continue recording together, with an announcement on the group to follow. A statement from Tim Booth reads: “After much deliberation I have decided it’s time for me to leave James. When we started the band we always said we’d give it a year and see how it went. If you had told me we’d last nearly 20 years I’d have asked you what drugs you were on. I am leaving on a high. The tour is selling well and will be a great farewell party. For the last two years we have been getting on better with each other than ever before. We have made a CD that I believe to be our best since ‘Laid’; yes I have heard that reviews state otherwise but by not reading them I keep myself in a blissful bubble of ignorance. Although some of the summer gigs were a bit hit and miss the last gig we did, in Athens, was one of the best we have ever done. “So why am I leaving? Well because I want to stop while we are on top. To leave great memories knowing that I feel proud of just about everything we have done. And I am leaving because it feels like THE RIGHT TIME. This is an intuitive decision enabling me to let go of a huge commitment and make space for something new to come in. I am sure the press will try and find all kinds of smaller reasons and many of them may be factually true. But this is the greater truth. “I am midway through a screen play – which may just be for an audience of one. I am looking forward to teaching creativity workshops, to act and create some new music. If you want to keep in touch, my own web-site should be running by December at timbooth.net. “I don’t know what the rest of the guys are going to do but I want to thank them for an amazing ride and for taking my departure so well. For those of you who hate award acceptance thank you’s turn away now. I want to thank all the musicians who have ever played in James throughout our various incarnations…and finally you. The quality of your listening has enabled us to produce quality. Your faith in us has lifted us to higher levels. It seems like you have managed to always see us through the smokescreen of hipness and cool that the music industry is drowning in. Thank you for listening. Much love.” A UK spokesperson for the group is currently unable to confirm Booth’s departure from the group. | Oct 2001 |
Tim Leaves – Teletext News Article | James singer Tim Booth has left the band – but is happy for the band to continue without him. After presenting their producer Brian Eno with a Q Special Award, Tim told PS: “I came to a decision over the summer that I wanted to leave on a high, I’ll be doing our December tour and that’s it.” Insisting the split was amicable, Tim added: “The rest of the band can use the name James if they wish.” | Oct 2001 |
Tim Booth Deixa Os James – Music Net Portugal (in Portuguese) | TIM BOOTH DEIXA OS JAMES 30 de Outubro de 2001 O vocalista dos James, Tim Booth, anunciou que vai deixar o grupo depois da digressão em promoção ao álbum “Pleased To Meet You”, que irá passar por Portugal no próximo mês de Novembro, nos dias 23 e 24. Numa declaração à imprensa, Booth justificou-se, despediu-se, fez agradecimentos e adiantou que irá dedicar-se a projectos de outras áreas de entertenimento, embora não pense deixar a música. “Caros amigos, inimigos, e todos os que estiverem a ouvir”, disse, “Depois de 11 álbuns é tempo de deixar os James. A altura parece certa – 20 anos e ainda cá estamos. Eu sinto-me orgulhoso de praticamente tudo o que fizémos. Os concertos no Natal serão (creio) os meus últimos com os James e eu vou fazer com que seja uma enorme celebração de despedida. Eu quero agradecer aos meus co-conspiradores nos James pela linda aventura. Eu estou ansioso por representar, ensinar dança, escrever e fazer alguma música no próximo ano”. Também no site oficial do grupo, www.jamestheband.com, o músico publicou uma carta de despedida mais extensa, onde diz que “sai em alta”, numa altura em que os James fizeram “o melhor CD desde ‘Laid'” – “apesar de as críticas dizerem o contrário, mas ao não lê-las mantenho-me num estado de ignorância”, acrescentou. Tim diz ainda que sai agora do grupo porque estão no topo e quer partir com excelentes memórias, acrescentando que é esta altura certa. Apesar de Tim Booth sair, os restantes elementos vão continuar a fazer música juntos, esperando-se a qualquer momento uma declaração em relação aos seus planos de futuro. “Eu não sei o que é que o resto da banda vai fazer”, diz ainda Booth na carta de despedida, “mas eu quero agradecer-lhes pela viagem espectacular e por aceitaram tão bem a minha saída”. | Oct 2001 |
James Nos Coliseus Em Novembro – Netparque (in Portuguese) | Os britânicos James, que em Portugal já tocaram numerosas vezes, regressam em Novembro para dois espectáculos. Nos dias 23 e 24 de Novembro, o grupo liderado por Tim Booth, que abandonou a Universal, apresenta-se ao vivo, respectivamente, no Coliseu dos Recreios, em Lisboa, e no Coliseu do Porto. Naturalmente, o pretexto para nova passagem dos James em Portugal é o mais recente álbum do grupo, “Pleased To Meet You”, que, na opinião de alguns, devolveu às canções o brilho que há algum tempo lhes faltava. “Pleased To Meet You” foi produzido pelo respeitado músico e produtor Brian Eno. Os bilhetes para o espectáculo de Lisboa, no dia 23 de Novembro, custam 4.000$00 e estão à venda no Coliseu dos Recreios, lojas Fnac da Grande Lisboa, Ticketline no Centro Vasco da Gama, e agências ABEP e Alvalade. Para o Porto, o preço dos bilhetes oscilam entre os 3.900$00 (galeria/tribuna) e 4.000$00 (plateia/tribuna). Os ingressos podem ser adquiridos no Coliseu da cidade e lojas Fnac do Grande Porto. | Oct 2001 |
Booth Nicht Mehr Bei James – Intro.de – in German | Ach, diese Sänger. Zu dumm, dass sie so etwas wie das Aushängeschild einer Band sind. Schlagzeuger und Bassisten springen beizeiten ab, na und?! Aber nur wenige Bands können nach dem Auswechseln des Sängers / der Sängerin ihre Fanbasis halten (siehe Dodgy). Nun steigt eklatanterweise Tim Booth aus der Band James aus. Er gab dies bekannt, bevor die Band auf Tour gehen wird. So nach dem Motto: ein letztes Mal halte ich es noch aus, aber dann ist Schluss. Ob es sich mit einem sich langsam senkenden Fallbeil entspannter auftreten lässt? In einem Statement von Tim Booth auf der James Webpage bezeichnet er das vor wenigen Monaten veröffentlichte Album “Pleased To Meet You” als ihr bestes, und auch untereinander würde man sich besser denn je verstehen. Dann heißt es: “So why am I leaving? Well because I want to stop while we are on top. To leave great memories knowing that I feel proud of just about everything we have done.” Diesen persönlichen Erfolg mag man anerkennen, es ist aber auch wahr, dass James von ihrem Label Island Records, das sie seit etlichen Jahren begleitet, schlicht gedroppt worden sind. “Pleased To Meet You” hatte einfach nicht den erhofften kommerziellen Erfolg, der einer ehemals chartversessene Band wie James zugebilligt worden war. Gerade in den für die Musikindustrie angespannten Zeiten wird eben “gedownsized”. Andererseits, wenn man sich vor Augen hält, dass die Band seit 1983 überwiegend erfolgreich auf dem Musikmarkt präsent gewesen sind, ist es Tims gutes Recht, zu sagen, dass er nicht als Pop-Opa in die Geschichte eingehen will. Im Augenblick schreibt er angeblich an einem Drehbuch und, ist “looking forward to teaching creativity workshops, to act and create some new music.” Good luck von unserer Seite. Was die restlichen Mitglieder in Zukunft tun werden, und ob sie den Namen James weiter tragen werden, ist noch völlig ungeklärt. | Oct 2001 |
Plastica Na Primeir Parte dos James – Music Net Portugal (in Portuguese) | PLÁSTICA NA PRIMEIR PARTE DOS JAMES 7 de Novembro de 2001 As primeiras partes dos concertos dos James em Portugal vão ser conduzidas pelos portugueses Plástica, que ficaram conhecidos com o lançamento da colectânea Optimus 2000, onde participaram com o tema “Baby Gasoline”, e que já partilharam o palco com o grupo liderado por Tim Booth em Maio de 2000. De recordar que os James vão estar em concerto nos dias 23 e 24 deste mês, nos Coliseus de Lisboa e Porto, respectivamente. Os concertos estão inseridos na última digressão que reunirá os James com a actual formação, já que Booth anunciou que iria deixar o grupo assim que as correntes datas terminassem. Entretanto, noutras notícias relacionadas com os Plástica, o grupo anunciou na passada sexta-feira ter realizado um contrato com a EMI. Através do mesmo, o grupo de Almada irá editar quatro álbuns, sendo que o primeiro está já a ser gravado. A produção está a cargo do britânico Rick Pest, e o primeiro single está previsto para Fevereiro de 2002. Antes, o público poderá conhecer o novo tema através da rádio, onde irá passar já a partir do mês de Dezembro. | Nov 2001 |
Aftershow Press Release | James Aftershow Party Press Release 7th December: Quay Bar, Manchester Gig aftershow parties are for the press, promoters and publicity merchants. Sometimes the band turn up. What about the people who make it all possible, the ones that pour their hard earned cash into the tickets, the merchandise and travelling over massive distances, the ones that excite others through word of mouth, the ones that dedicate themselves to the band – the fans? They are barred from such events. Eleven o’clock rolls around, the gig finished, the night has just begun, leave the venue in a state of ecstacy, out in to a strange city all revved up for a big night out, with no-where to go. Aftershow.co.uk is changing that by providing parties for the fans. The hugely successful Depeche Mode Aftershow parties in London, Birmingham and Manchester, have caused considerable demand for more. The NEC has even enquired about playing host to the Birmingham parties. Each party is arranged around the fans. Band merchandise is given out, classic band posters are framed on the walls, an avid fan is always in the DJ line up, photo’s of the night’s gig are printed at high speed and made available at the party, and the website displays photos of the parties for fans to download pictures of themselves and their mates having a damn fine time. Manchester’s next Aftershow party is on December 7th at the Quay Bar (Deansgate, Castlefield. Tel: 839 8803) straight after the James gig at the MEN arena. Ex-Haçienda resident, Madchester oracle and best selling author of Manchester, England, Dave Haslam, will be DJing and has agreed to sign copies of his books for a short time after his set. Tickets are £6 (plus booking fee) from Piccadilly Box office in Virgin Megastore (tel: 832 1111) or ticketline.co.uk. 50 tickets are always held back for the door in case old friends meet up and only some have bought in advance. To pay on the door, get there as soon as you can as they go very fast. | Nov 2001 |
Yahoo Musique : James Revient Dans Les Bacs Le 3 Decembre (in French) | Le groupe James a confirmé que son prochain album, B-sides Ultra , devrait sortir le 3 décembre prochain. Ce nouvel album est composé de 18 morceaux choisis parmi les faces B de singles sortis ces dix dernières années. Par ailleurs, le groupe a pour projet la sortie de nouvelles éditions des albums God Mother, Seven ainsi que Laid et Whiplash . | Nov 2001 |
Tim Booth Decide Abandonar James – Ocio (in Spanish) | El cantante de James, Tim Booth, ha anunciado su intención de abandonar la banda en cuanto finalicen su actual gira. El resto de los miembros de James continuarán trabajando juntos y darán a conocer proximamente en un comunicado sus planes de futuro. “¿Por qué me marcho? Pues simplemente porque quiero irme cuando estoy arriba, para llevarme un buen recuerdo y sentirme orgulloso de lo que he estado haciendo todos estos años”, explica Tim Booth en la página oficial de la banda. El cantante cree que éste “es el momento justo” para irse y que su decisión responde a una intuición y a sus ganas de hacer cosas nuevas, aunque ya adelanta que “la prensa tratará de encontrar otras razones”. Booth está actualmente escribiendo un guión y trabajando en nuevos temas. A partir de diciembre contará detalladamente cómo le va su nueva vida en una página web que lanzará con la dirección de “timbooth.net”. “No sé lo que hará ahora el resto de la banda, sólo quiero agradecerles todos estos años en los que hemos trabajado juntos y que se hayan tomado mi marcha tan bien”, añade el músico. “La calidad de vuestra escucha nos ha animado a producir música de calidad. Vuestra confianza en nosotros nos ha elevado a los niveles más altos. Es como si hubiéseis sido capaces de valorarnos más allá de toda la industria que rodea a la música. Gracias por escucharnos”, le dice a sus fans. A pesar de todo, James continuarán con su actual gira hasta finales de año. En noviembre serán España y Portugal los destinos de la banda. El día 22 tocarán en Madrid (La Riviera) en un concierto-maratón junto a Eels, Sexie Sadie y Cecilia Ann. El 23 y 24 de noviembre tocarán en Lisboa y en Oporto, respectivamente, mientras que durante el mes de Diciembre recorrerán siete ciudades británicas. El Wembley Arena será la última cita de James con Tim. No podría tener una mejor despedida. “Las entradas para los conciertos del tour se están vendiendo muy bien, no podría tener una mejor fiesta de despedida. En los últimos dos años nos hemos llevado cada vez mejor y hemos hecho un álbum (‘Please to meet you’) al que considero nuestro mejor trabajo desde ‘Laid’, digan lo que digan las críticas”, se despide el líder de James. Han sido 20 años en la música, 10 álbumes de estudio, un grandes éxitos que ha llegado a vender un millón de copias… y una actitud de rechazo total de la industria. Tras todo este tiempo, y a pesar de sus altibajos, sólo se han ganado la admiración y respeto de su público y del resto de las bandas. Tim, te echaremos de menos. | Nov 2001 |
Tim Booth Announces Plans To Leave James – Ananova | Tim Booth has announced James’ upcoming tour will be his last with the band. The singer says he is ‘midway through a screen play’ and is ‘looking forward to teaching creativity workshops, to act and create some new music’. The remaining band members are to continue making music together although the future of James itself is uncertain. Booth begins his statement on James’ official site saying their latest album is their ‘best since Laid’. He also states the band are ‘getting on better with each other than ever before’. “So why am I leaving? Well because I want to stop while we are on top. To leave great memories knowing that I feel proud of just about everything we have done.” He has also sent thanks to everyone connected to the band, including the fans. “The quality of your listening has enabled us to produce quality. Your faith in us has lifted us to higher levels. “It seems like you have managed to always see us through the smokescreen of hipness and cool that the music industry is drowning in.” | Nov 2001 |
Tim Booth Lascia I James – Rock Star Online (in Italian) | Un’altra brutta notizia arriva dall’Inghilterra, il cantante dei James (nella foto) ha deciso di lasciare la band a fine anno. I Coldplay non si sopportano più, i Divine Comedy si sono sciolti, Wes Borland se n’è andato dai Limp Bizkit e anche Xabier ha lasciato gli Afterhours. Negli ultimi quindici giorni solo Tom Waits e Billy Corgan ci hanno dato delle soddisfazioni. Adesso il futuro è incerto anche per i James, band non molto conosciuta in Italia ma molto apprezzata in patria; il cantante ha deciso di lasciare il carrozzone dopo quasi 20 anni di carriera: “Se mi dicevate che saremo durati tutto questo tempo vi avrei chiesto che droga usavate” spiega Tim Booth con un comunicato sul loro sito ufficiale. I motivi della dipartita non sono chiarissimi, spiega invece il momento: “Volevo lasciare i James nel momento più alto della nostra carriera, mi volevo sentire fiero per quello che ho fatto. Me ne vado perché questo è il momento giusto”. Booth ha deciso di fare l’ultimo tour con il suo gruppo e a fine Dicembre si dedicherà, molto probabilmente, alla carriera di attore. I James continueranno a fare musica. | Nov 2001 |
Tim Booth vai abandonar os James – Discodigital (in Portuguese) | O líder e vocalista dos James, Tim Booth, deverá abandonar a banda britânica após a digressão de «Pleased To Meet You», a qual vai passar por Lisboa a 23 de Novembro. Num depoimento que se pode ler no site oficial dos James, Tim Booth sublinha que deseja sair enquanto a banda está no topo da carreira: «Quero deixar boas recordações sabendo que estou orgulhoso de quase tudo o que fizemos». «Após muitas deliberações, achei que chegou o momento de abandonar os James. Quando começámos, tínhamos decidido tocar um ano e ver como corria. Se alguém me dissesse que íamos durar 20 anos ter-lhe-ia perguntado que tipo de drogas andava a tomar», explica Booth. Na mesma declaração ao site, Tim Booth adianta que está a preparar uma longa-metragem e que espera dar workshops de criatividade, sendo que as novidades da sua carreira a solo poderão ser acompanhadas em www.timbooth.net (a ser inaugurado em Dezembro). A concretizar-se a saída de Booth, a crise nos James acentua-se, uma vez que a banda está sem editora desde que a Mercury Records decidiu não renovar o contrato que unia as duas entidades. Formados em 1982 em Manchester (Inglaterra), os James são liderados desde sempre por Tim Booth e ao longo da sua carreira criaram alguns dos temas mais conhecidos da pop da última década como «Sit Down», «Laid» e «Born Of Frustration». | Nov 2001 |
Final Tour For James – Scene One Feature | Tim Booth bows out of everyone’s favourite vegan-political-bloke band at the end of this tour… James vocalist Tim Booth has said that he will leave the band once their current tour is finished. In an announcement on the band’s website (www.jamestheband.com) Booth said: “After much deliberation I have decided it’s time for me to leave James. I am leaving on a high. The tour is selling well and will be a great farewell party. For the last two years we have been getting on better with each other than ever before. We have made a CD (current LP ‘Pleased To Meet You’) that I believe to be our best since ‘Laid’; So why am I leaving? Well because I want to stop while we are on top. And I am leaving because it feels like THE RIGHT TIME.” Booth said he was working on a screenplay and planning ‘creativity workshops’. Further details will be on his web-site timbooth.net. In September it was announced that James had split from their label Fontana after ‘Pleased To Meet You’ fulfilled the demands of their contract. The band will release one more LP on Fontana, a b-sides LP ‘Now That’s What I Call B-Sides Vol. 1’ scheduled for next year. James tour dates: Dec 2 Brighton Centre. Dec 3 Leeds University. Dec 4 Newcastle Arena. Dec 6 Birmingham NEC. Dec 7 Manchester Arena. Dec 9 Glasgow SECC. Dec 10 Wembley Arena. | Nov 2001 |
Tim Booth Leaves James – Go For Music | James singer Tim Booth will leave the group at the end of the year. The group’s UK gig in December will be their final one with the current line-up. Booth disclosed the information on a post on the group’s official Web site. “After much deliberation I have decided to leave James. I want to stop while we are on top. I feel proud of everything we have done”, Booth said. However, his departure will not lead to a dissolution because the remaining members of James plan to continue making music together. Booth is currently writing a screen play and is planning to act. The Manchester-based group released 11 albums as well as many Top Forty singles. “When we started the band, we said we’d give it a year and see how it went. Nobody would have thought that we would still be there 20 years later,” Booth said. | Nov 2001 |
Tim Booth Abandona James – Underportugal (in Portuguese) | Tim Booth, fundador e líder dos James, tornou oficial a decisão de abandonar a banda no final da actual da digressão europeia. Os espectáculos de 23 e 24 de Novembro, nos Coliseus de Lisboa e Porto, são a última oportunidade que o público português tem de ver os James ao vivo, acompanhados pelo seu vocalista de sempre. Ao cabo de vinte anos de carreira, Tim Booth acha preferível retirar-se antes de entrar num período de possível decadência dos James. Tim vai agora entregar-se à formação criativa, através de workshops, e provavelmente vai dar início a uma carreira a solo. Quanto aos restantes membros estão ainda a reflectir sobre o futuro da banda, sendo que a vontade de compôr permanece. No entanto o futuro dos James é ainda incerto. | Nov 2001 |
Tim Booth da a conocer su intención de dejar James – Plasticos Y Decibelios (in Spanish) | El cantante quiere explorar nuevos campos dentro del mundo de la música El cantante de James, Tim Booth ha anunciado que el próximo tour de James será el último que haga con la banda. Pese al buen momento que vive la banda con su último trabajo Pleased To Meet You, Booth está interesado en explorar otros campos dentro del mundo de la música. Quiere enseñar en un taller de creatividad, actuar y crear nueva música. El resto de los miembros de la banda, seguirán haciendo música juntos, aunque el futuro de James por el momento sea incierto. Booth manifestó sus intenciones en la página oficial del grupo, afirmando que su último álbum, era “el mejor que habían hecho desde Laid”. También declaró que la banda está “consiguiendo superarse con cada nuevo trabajo”. “¿Qué por qué me voy? porque quiero parar aunque estemos en lo más alto. Quiero dejar un buen recuerdo y sentirme orgulloso de todo lo que hemos hecho.” James darán un concierto en Madrid el próximo 22 de noviembre. | Nov 2001 |
James Personality Split – Juice.net | It may be the end of the road for the current line-up of UK band James with lead singer Tim Booth announcing that he’ll be moving on after the group’s December tour. A posting on the James website confirms the split with Booth saying that the time is right. “I want to stop while we are on top,” Booth said in his message. “To leave great memories knowing that I feel proud of just about everything we have done. And I am leaving because it feels like THE RIGHT TIME. This is an intuitive decision enabling me to let go of a huge commitment and make space for something new to come in.” The six remaining members are said to be continuing with no plans mentioned as yet. James has a history which spans 20 years and gained notoriety with their 1993 single “Laid”. | Nov 2001 |
James Last Tour With Current Line Up – La Cronica de Santa Eufonica (English/Spanish) | James’ Last Tour With Current Line-Up Tim Booth has announced that James’ upcoming tour will be his last with the band. Tim has provided a statement to fans, included below, explaining his decision. The official press release announcing Tim’s departure is available at jamestheband.com. The remaining members of James plan to continue making music together, and will make an announcement regarding their plans at a later date. Ultimo Tour de James con la actual alineación Tim Booth ha anunciado que el próximo tour de James será su último con la banda. Tim ha dejado un comunicado a los fans explicando su decisión. El comunicado de prensa oficial anunciando la salida de Tim está disponible en jamestheband.com. Los restantes miembros de James planean continuar haciendo música juntos y anunciarán más tarde sus planes. | Nov 2001 |
Vocalista do James pede as contas – Yahoo Brazil (Portuguese) | Na tarde de ontem, o vocalista do James, Tim Booth, anunciou a sua decisão de deixar o grupo. De acordo com uma nota publicada no site oficial, a turnê que eles farão no mês que vem, na Inglaterra, será “a última chance de ver a atual formação”. Depois, mesmo sem Booth, o James continua em frente. O vocalista acredita estar saindo na melhor fase da carreira e disse que os últimos shows serão uma grande festa de despedida. “Porque eu estou saindo?”, explica em um comunicado, “Porque eu quero parar enquanto estamos bem. Para deixar grandes memórias, sabendo que eu me sinto orgulhoso de tudo o que fizemos. Estou saindo porque sinto que ESTE É O MOMENTO… é a mais pura verdade”. Booth também agradeceu aos companheiros e ex-companheiros de James e adiantou alguns planos para o futuro, como atuar e continuar tocando. Além disso, as próximas novidades a seu respeito serão reveladas no site timbooth.net, que estará funcionando a partir de dezembro. | Nov 2001 |
Aufhören, wenn es am Schönsten ist – Popkomm (German) | Und noch ein Split. Die Band James verliert ihren wichtigsten Mann. Was ist nur auf der Insel los? Catatonia, Divine Comedy, Elastica und jetzt James. Eine wahre Split-Welle greift in der ersten Britpop-Etage um sich. Sänger Tim Booth hat auf der offiziellen Website von James ein Statement hinterlassen. Er kündigt dort an, dass er nach der nächsten Tour James verlassen wird. Dieser Schritt geschehe nicht aus Unzufriedenheit, betont Booth. Ganz im Gegenteil, ihr aktuelles Album “Pleased To Meet You” sei das beste seit “Laid” und die Tour werde nun eine großartige Abschiedsparty werden. Die verbliebenen Mitglieder der Band veröffentlichten dazu eine Pressemitteilung, in der sie bekräftigen, dass sie weiterhin zusammen Musik machen werden. Was mit dem Bandnamen geschieht, ist noch nicht entschieden. Mit ihrem charismatischen Sänger und Songwriter verlieren sie allerdings das wichtigste Markenzeichen. Als letztes Gründungsmitglied aus dem Jahr 1983 bleibt ihnen nur noch Bassist Jim Glennie. | Nov 2001 |
James Split – Popnews (French) | Tim Booth le chanteur de James a décidé de mettre fin à l’aventure du groupe après la tournée qui a commencé il y a 2 semaines. Il souhaite arrêter avant la descente aux enfers que subissent tous les groupes et se consacrera à l’ecriture de scénari, ainsi qu’à son nouveau metier d’acteur. La musique refera son apparition dans sa vie plus tard. | Nov 2001 |
James Singer To Quit Band – Aversion.com | The British alt-rock band James will lose its singer of 20 years at the conclusion of its next tour. Tim Booth announced his impending retirement from the act on the band’s official web site. Booth will play out until the end of the act’s December tour. The remaining members of the band will continue on without him, though there is no word on who will assume vocal duties. Booth plans to work on a screenplay, teach, act and work on other musical directions. “I want to stop while we are on top,” he wrote, apparently forgetting about the seven years since Laid came out. “To leave great memories knowing that I feel proud of just about everything we have done. And I am leaving because it feels like the right time. This is an intuitive decision enabling me to let go of a huge commitment and make space for something new to come in.” | Nov 2001 |
James Bez Bootha – 30Ton.com (Polish) | Frontman grupy James – Tim Booth poinformowal, ze juz wkrótce zamierza rozstac sie z zespolem Booth chce odejsc z zespolu James jeszcze przed koncem roku, zaraz po tym jak formacja zakonczy swoja trase koncertowa po Wielkiej Brytanii. Na temat przyczyn swojego odejscia, Tim zamiescil informacje na oficjalnej stronie zespolu. “Chce przestac gdy jeszcze jestesmy na szczycie. Chce pozostawic wspaniale wspomnienia, wiedzac, ze czuje sie dumny praktycznie ze wszystkiego co zrobilismy. Odchodze, bo czuje, ze to jest wlasnie ten WLASCIWY CZAS. Kiedy tworzylismy zespól, mówilismy, ze damy mu rok na to, zeby zobaczyc co z tego wyjdzie. Gdybyscie wtedy powiedzieli mi, ze przetrwamy niemal 20 lat, spytalbym na jakich jestescie prochach” – napisal Booth. Z informacji podanych na stronie wynika takze, ze pozostali czlonkowie Jamesa, nie zaprzestana dzialalnosci. Sam Booth zamierza popracowac przy nowych projektach i to nie tylko muzycznych. Artysta przyznal miedzy innymi, ze jest gdzies w polowie pracy nad wlasnym scenariuszem | Nov 2001 |
Tim Booth Quits James – Q Music News | Singer Bows Out Amicably Tim Booth has announced his decision to leave James. The singer, who presented Brian Eno with the Merit Award at this year’s Q Awards, has said that the band’s forthcoming European tour will be his last as a member of the group. In a statement, Booth said: “After much deliberation I have decided it’s time for me to leave James. When we started the band we always said we’d give it a year and see how it went. If you had told me we’d last nearly 20 years I’d have asked you what drugs you were on. I am leaving on a high. The tour will be a great farewell party. For the last two years we have been getting on better with each other than ever before. “So why am I leaving? Well because I want to stop while we are on top. To leave great memories knowing that I feel proud of just about everything we have done. And I am leaving because it feels like the right time. This is an intuitive decision enabling me to let go of a huge commitment and make space for something new to come in. I am sure the press will try and find all kinds of smaller reasons and many of them may be factually true. But this is the greater truth. I don’t know what the rest of the guys are going to do but I want to thank them for an amazing ride and for taking my departure so well.” Booth revealed that he is mid-way through a screenplay and hinted that he would be pursuing musical projects of his own. He also thanked the band’s fans for “Your faith in us [which] has lifted us to higher levels. It seems like you have managed to always see us through the smokescreen of hipness and cool that the music industry is drowning in.” James’s final tour with Booth takes in the Brighton Centre (2 December), Leeds University (3 December), Newcastle Arena (4 December), Birmingham NEC (6 December); Manchester Arena (7 December), Glasgow SECC (9 December) and London’s Wembley Arena (10 December). | Nov 2001 |
Rock’s Underdogs Reach The End Of The Line – The Guardian | Tim Booth’s recent decision to walk away from fronting James after 19 years should be viewed as a rare example of a rock star behaving with true dignity. Despite their 1998 Best of album selling 1m copies, the band’s last two studio albums – 1999’s Millionaires (arguably the best of their career) and this year’s Pleased To Meet You – fared inexplicably badly. When Mercury Records dropped them after a 10 year relationship, the writing was on the wall, but the number of “classic” groups that are lingering on or reuniting still throws Booth’s decision to quit into stark perspective. Fans of many different ages are crammed into this warm-up for the final arena shows. James boast one of rock’s most loyal fan bases, and could still have made a very comfortable living as a touring band. As we line up to hear the songs for one last time, the gig has a surreal atmosphere: part funeral, part wake. But James were never straightforward and the set list reflects their strange trajectory from oddball New Order support act to 1990s stadium giants. Curiously though, there are no songs from their early Factory Records period. Come Home blasts us back to 1990s Madchester; Say Something and Sometimes to the Eno-produced days of chart ubiquity. These songs tug at the heartstrings, and make James success seem all the more remarkable – this is a band that took mental illness on to Top of the Pops. There was always something of the underdog about James though. They battled industy shenanigans, line-up upheavals, physical problems and personal turmoil, their determination reflected in the hopeful song Tomorrow. The crowd sing along, eyes closed. For years, James provided a precious rock to cling to for the multitudes who felt similarly distressed and alienated by the world. Booth used to resent the way the press depicted him as a vegan and meditating Buddhist, but now, in vest and skull cap, he looks very much the part, which must afford him some wry amusement. He is subdued for the first half, but grows exuberant as the power of the songs carries him away. James close with the colossus Sit Down and then the seven-piece band walk to the front of the stage and wave goodbye, History will remember them kindly, a uniquely spirited rock band that never knew disgrace. | Dec 2001 |
Home James – Manchester Evening News |
December 2001, by Robert Meakin, © Manchester Evening News Frontman bows out recalling his days as a “nerdy wimp” As singer Tim Booth prepares for a final appearance with his bandmates in Manchester, the James frontman has been recalling his rather less glamorous debut in the group’s home city. Booth, due to quit the Manchester band after almost 20 years at the end of their current UK tour, performs an emotional swansong in front of thousands at the Manchester Evening News Arena tonight, before pursuing solo material, writing and acting projects. And the setting is certainly a far cry from the more humble Princess Street venue where he first cut his teeth with the group in 1982 as their new vocalist. He tells me : “My first gig with James in Manchester was at the Cyprus Tavern to a load of hardcore James fans who didn’t know what to make of this nerdy wimp who’d become their new singer. It was very intimidating!” The star admits tonight will prove to be a poignant occasion, adding: “It’s highly emotional. It’s really hard not to start crying actually. But at the same time it feels really good, it should be a celebration. Manchester has been our base.” Nostalgia has been rife in recent days, with the group filming around their home city for a forthcoming DVD release, which will include footage from tonight’s show. Booth will also be embarking on a rather different tour from next year when he travels around the UK, fronting “creativity workshops” with a system of dance and meditation designed to encourage a flow of ideas. | Dec 2001 |
Quirky Pop That Won Legions Of Fans – Manchester Evening News |
December 2001, © Manchester Evening News LOCAL HEROES MADE IT BIG Unaware that he could sing, original members Jim Glennie, Paul Gilbertson and Gavan Whelan asked the then drama student if he’d reproduce his rubber man antics to accompany their act. It wasn’t long before he took over the microphone and the rest, as they say, is history. So far James 19 years have taken them from the folky eccentricity of Hymn From A Village to the forthright jungle pop of What For and through the baggy-feel of Come Home and on to stadium anthems like Born of Frustration and the heartfelt acoustic pop of Sometimes. By the early nineties, their quirky brand of guitar pop had won them legions of fans worldwide. Their real breakthrough came in 1989 with the release of Gold Mother, which spawned the hits Come Home, How Was It For You? and Sit Down. Sit Down was only held off the UK number one slot by Chesney Hawkes’ The One And Only. James released Seven, which became a million seller, peaking at number 2 in the UK album charts. The band were getting stronger with every release and they recruited Brian Eno for their next album Laid in 1993. Laid broke the band in the States, selling 600,000 copies. However, just as the band appeared to have world domination in their grasp it all started to come apart at the seams. Guitarist Larry Gott and manager Martine departed followed by a massive back-tax demand. And it wasn’t until 1998 that the band returned the album Whiplash, containing the hits She’s A Star and Tomorrow. A year later their Best Of compilation bumped the Titanic soundtrack off the top of the album charts. Millionaires was released last year and Pleased To Meet You in June this year, both to mixed reviews. Then in October, Tim Booth announced this was to be his final tour with the band. Jim and the rest of James have vowed to carry on and Tim Booth says he might be back to play Glastonbury if he’s asked. | Dec 2001 |
Ananova News Article On DVD / Jim’s Statement | James are to release a DVD of the Manchester gig from their latest tour. The tour was the band’s last with vocalist Tim Booth. The DVD is expected to be released in February. Booth has left the group to concentrate on other musical projects, NME.COM reports. James were joined onstage at the Manchester gig by former band members Larry Gott and Andy Diagram. James bassist Jim Glennie says the remaining members of the group plan to continue with the band. He said: “I’m sure you’ve all heard the news that Tim is leaving, and I know this will have had all of us reaching for our Kleenex and wondering what is going to happen next. “There’s no need for me to state the importance of Tim’s contribution to James over the past twenty years, and I don’t want to downplay the effect of his leaving, but in our true bloody-minded style, James will continue. “The history of this band has been a battlefield of near-disasters overcome by a passion and self-belief bordering on arrogance, and an unstoppable determination that’s pulled us through the very worst of times…and here we go again! “It’s difficult for me to give exact details as there is a lot we’ve not decided yet, but rest assured, you haven’t seen the last of James, and I think we’ve got one or two surprises in store for you. “This just leaves me to thank Tim, and wish him all the very best for the future. Enjoy the rest of the tour and see you in the new year.” | Dec 2001 |
NME News Article | JAMES have filmed their final hometown show with TIM BOOTH and plan to release it as a DVD in 2002. James have just completed their final tour with vocalist Booth, who walked out on the group to concentrate on other musical projects. On the Manchester date on the tour (December 7), the group were joined onstage by former members Larry Gott and Andy Diagram. A film of the show is likely to be released in 2002, according to a posting on the band’s official website, www.jamestheband.com. In related news, James bassist Jim Glennie has issued a statement confirming that the remaining members of James plan to continue with the band. He wrote: “I’m sure you’ve all heard the news that Tim is leaving, and I know this will have had all of us reaching for our Kleenex and wondering what is going to happen next. “There’s no need for me to state the importance of Tim’s contribution to James over the past twenty years, and I don’t want to downplay the effect of his leaving, but in our true bloody-minded style, James will continue. The history of this band has been a battlefield of near-disasters overcome by a passion and self-belief bordering on arrogance, and an unstoppable determination that’s pulled us through the very worst of times… and here we go again! “It’s difficult for me to give exact details as there is a lot we’ve not decided yet, but rest assured, you haven’t seen the last of James, and I think we’ve got one or two surprises in store for you. “This just leaves me to thank Tim, and wish him all the very best for the future. Enjoy the rest of the tour and see you in the new year.” | Dec 2001 |
Jim’s Statement On The Future Of James | Dear James People, I’m sure you’ve all heard the news that Timothy is leaving, and I know this will have had all of us reaching for our Kleenex and wondering what is going to happen next. There’s no need for me to state the importance of Tim’s contribution to James over the past twenty years, and I don’t want to downplay the effect of his leaving, but in our true bloody-minded style, James will continue. The history of this band has been a battlefield of near disasters overcome by a passion and self belief bordering on arrogance, and an unstoppable determination that’s pulled us through the very worst of times…and here we go again! It’s difficult for me to give exact details as there is a lot we’ve not decided yet, but rest assured, you haven’t seen the last of James, and I think we’ve got one or two surprises in store for you. This just leaves me to thank Tim, and wish him all the very best for the future. Enjoy the rest of the tour and see you in the new year, Jim | Dec 2001 |
James Calls It Quits – Virginmega.com | British pop rockers James have officially split. The band parted from their UK Mercury label Fontana Records in September this year. This was followed by vocalist Tim Booth’s announcement at the end of October that after nearly two decades James’ December tour dates would be his last with the band. That tour ended last night (12/10) at London’s Wembley Arena. The band were best known in America for their 1993 Gold record Laid, a collaboration with Brian Eno. “We’ll never say never [re-form], but we’re going to wait until the dust has settled,” says drummer David Baynton-Power. | Dec 2001 |
City Life – Creativity Workshop Tim Booth | article on Tim’s Creativity Workshop at Manchester Metropolitan Uni 23.3.02 Tim Booth the frontman, the pop star, the manc muso-ego apparently won’t be in attendance today, the flyer for the event goes as far to forewarn us of this. “These workshops are not for James fans who want to hang out with Tim.” (!) Instead Tim Booth the Five Rhythms facilitator / mediator will. That’s not to say Tim’s better known talents will be entirely off the menu, in his own words, “This is, if you like, a more rock n roll method to achieve altered states.” The Creativity Workshop is based on a system of movement, ‘The Five Rhythms’ and is about ‘finding your own dance, getting beyond ego to something bigger,’ Those tempted to leave their cosy inhibitions at the door might be encouraged by the knowledge that the rock biog thankfully comes complete with Tim’s training in Psychotherapy and long-term study of alternative healing techniques. “The workshop is about achieving ecstatic creative states without damage.” Tim continues, “to access full potential, it releases your fears and terrors, your raw spirit.” The idea of uninhibited dance is perhaps terrifying enough for some, but as Tim counters, “It’s nothing new, people in Manchester were doing it in the 80s and in New York before then. Everyone is encouraged to express however they feel even if it’s shyness.” If the rock n roll route to self development still sounds a bit too much like cheap thrills, Tim is keen to make clear that these techniques are simply up to date. “The 5 Rhythms is almost a modern experience of ancient systems, like meditation and yoga. We live in a fast, funky society with constant action and distraction, these forms share the ultimate goal through different methods, the last of the Five Rhythms for example is stillness.” | Mar 2002 |
Time Out – Shockheaded Peter (Andy Diagram) | It is one of the joys of Shockheaded Peter that the musicians who sing with such relish of naughty children reaching grisly ends are so unorthodox themselves. Martyn Jacques and the Tiger Lillies, the cult cabaret combo who composed the junk opera’s songs, have been replaced for this production by avant-garde veteran David Thomas and his improvising Two Pale Boys. Thomas voice defies convention, rumbling and swooping as trumpeter Andy Diagram and guitarist Keith Moline employ a series of effects to warp and enhance each melody. These idiosyncrasies transform the texture of the songs in fascinating ways. Harriet’s dress burns to flickers of trumpet and beautifully glowing guitar, while Flying Robert soars on the otherworldly sound of Diagram singing through his trumpet’s distorting microphone. Thomas doesn’t screech ‘dead’ with Jacques maniacal relish, and occasionally he renders the lyrics unintelligible, but his macabre wail and lovely baroque flourishes have a variety that Jacques never attained. And, unlike Jacques, he is a huge presence, dominating the toy box set and contrasting comically with wiry Julian Bleach, with whom Thomas appears to be curiously furious throughout. There are some terrifying volatile moments, particularly during Johnny Head-in-Air, when it seems Thomas will actually attack Bleach. This crackling tension, Thomas’ dark intonations and the Two Pale Boys’ creepy creaks and chords render the show far scarier than in previous productions, the scenes between songs, following Struwwelpeter’s parents, seem lethargic by comparison. | Apr 2002 |
One Man Clapping – BBC Fame Academy | Ainslie couldn’t believe his luck this morning when he discovered he’ll team up with Mark and Saul from indie band James in a mammoth songwriting session later today. Stamping his feet with joy, Ainslie clapped his hands and danced around the lounge sporting a grin like a Cheshire cat and repeatedly shouting “Yes!” Four pairs of professional songwriters will enter The Academy today at 3pm for a three-hour composition session. James’ Mark and Saul will team up with the excited Scot. Other songwriters joining the students later today include Steve Duberry (credits include Liberty X and Heather Small) and John Mclaughlin (Billie and Five). Ainslie bounded into the dining room to join Sinead and Lemar at breakfast and treated them to another triumphant yell. “I thought you would be happy,” Lemar commented, before adding, “Didn’t they do Sit Down?” “That was the worst song they did,” said the jubilant Scot. “When we get out of here, I will play you some of their albums.” Referring to his girlfriend’s love of the Manchester band, Ainslie proclaimed “Bern’s gonna love me for this!” “You know you have a band that you fall in love with?” Ainslie asked with a glint of nostalgia in his eyes. “Well, James was that band for me.” With that, a more than happy Ainslie got back to the task at hand of devouring breakfast. | Nov 2002 |
Ainslie Sits Down with James – BBC Fame Academy | Ainslie couldn’t believe his luck when he sat down to sing James’s hit song, Laid, with two members of the band. The remaining four students were given a couple of song writing masters to work with individually this afternoon, as they split off into groups of four. And Ainslie, always vocal about his love of the band James, got to show off his song writing skills with members Mark Hunter and Saul Davies. Sitting in the lounge during a tea break, the three suddenly burst into song, playing the band’s hit Laid with Ainslie providing the vocals. And the 23-year-old’s face said it all… He was beaming from ear to ear! The students’ task is to come up with four individual songs for an acoustic session tonight with Pam. And Ainslie looked like he could have died and gone to heaven as he got to sing with his idols. James front man, Tim Booth, was absent from the proceedings, so there may be hope for the ambitious Scottish songwriter yet… | Nov 2002 |
James Announce Comeback Shows – XFM | The rumours have turned out to be true as Xfm can confirm that Manchester legends James have announced a full UK tour including a London headline show at Brixton Academy. While James never actually spilt, following the departure of lead singer Tim Booth in 2001, the Manchester outfit famous for singles like and ‘Come Home’, ‘How Was It For You?’, ‘Star’, ‘Born Of Frustration’ (of course) ‘Sit Down’ went into seemingly permanent shutdown. Now the band have regrouped and will be playing a five date UK tour in April kicking off at the Glasgow Academy, taking in a headline show at Brixton Academy and culminating in a hometown show at the Manchester MEN Arena. Speaking to Xfm, Booth explained that he isn’t really sure how the reunion happened, saying, “I don’t really know. If you had asked me in the summer would James get back together I would have said absolutely not, not a chance. It was kind of a load of synchronistic events that took place over about a month. “And finally I ended up in Manchester and Larry [Gott] the guitarist who left in about ’93, had been ringing me up saying let’s meet. He’d been one of the initial founders with me and Jimmy [Glennie] and somehow I found myself in a room with with instruments and microphones and we just started jamming. “We jammed for a few days and found that it was really fantastic, so we said ‘Alright let’s see how this goes’. We didn’t tell anyone, we didn’t even tell our manager. But it went so well musically that we felt we had to see how far it could go. And then the rest of it sprung from there really.”
| Jan 2007 |
Sit Up Because James Are Back – The Sun | I CAN reveal Madchester band JAMES have been back in the studio and are reuniting for a UK tour. The band, who got every uni student to Sit Down, are returning to give us a blast from the past. The classic Laid line-up of TIM, LARRY, JIM, SAUL, MARK and DAVID will perform some new material in their first live gig for six years. A five-date April tour kicks off at Glasgow Academy on 21. Then it’s on to Newcastle Academy, 23, Birmingham, 24, and London’s Brixton, 27, before a huge finale at The MEN Arena on April 28. They will be supported by THE TWANG. Tickets will be on sale from Friday on 0871 2200 260 or buy online at www.gigsandtours.com. | Jan 2007 |
James To Reform – Undercover | English pop group James could be getting back together and playing a few dates this year. According to website oneofthethree.co.uk, the band is getting ready to reappear and is writing new material. “It appears that the James line-up for the reunion will be the Laid line-up of the band : Tim, Jim, Larry, Saul, Mark and Dave.” The fan site says. There is a new website up ready to go at www.wearejames.com, so either a defunct band is getting ready to hold a website for no reason, or James fans can rejoice. More details as they come to hand. | Jan 2007 |
James To Reform – Filter Magazine | English rock band James have announced they are reforming. Singer Tim Booth’s official website posted the following message last week: “Tim will be rejoining James in early 2007 for a series of live shows to be announced very soon.” Fansite One Of The Three has followed-up with news that the lineup will be of the Laid era: Tim Booth (vocals), Jim Glennie (bass), Larry Gott (guitar), Saul Davies (guitar), Mark Hunter (keys), and Dave Power (drums). Announcements will be made in the next few weeks for the first set of shows and there will be releases planned for later in the year as well – whether this will be brand new or reissued material (with the possibility of unreleased tracks) has yet to be confirmed. | Jan 2007 |
1/07 Indie Band James Reform For Tour – BBC News | Manchester indie band James, best known for their anthemic single Sit Down, are to reform after a five-year hiatus. The group, who scored a string of top 40 hits in the 1990s, will play five arena concerts in the UK this April. According to their website, the band have also written their first new material since 2001’s Pleased to Meet You album. James’ Best Of collection, released in 1998, went to number one and stayed in the charts for more than a year. The band formed in 1982 when 16-year-old bass player Jim Glennie found singer Tim Booth dancing wildly at a student disco. They struggled for several years, even releasing the sardonically-titled live album One Man Clapping in 1989. But they achieved mainstream success as part of the early-1990s indie movement that also produced The Stone Roses and The Inspiral Carpets. After nine studio albums, the band split in 2001 amid falling sales and reports of acrimony between Booth and Glennie. Booth pursued a solo career and also appeared as Judas in the BBC’s Manchester Passion last year. The reformed band will have the same six-piece line-up that featured on the top 10 albums Laid and Seven. | Jan 2007 |
James Announce Comeback Tour – Virgin.Net Music | Manchester favourites James have announced they are getting back together for a reunion tour later this year. The indie rockers, who enjoyed massive hits such as ‘Sit Down’ and ‘Laid’, have been working on new material and have announced five comeback shows for April. The band have announced the line-up will consist of the same six members that played on their 1993 album ‘Laid’, which suggests singer Tim Booth will return after quitting the group in 2001, alongside Mark Hunter, Jim Glennie, David Baynton-Power, Saul Davies and Larry Gott. The band’s comeback show will be at the Glasgow Academy on April 21 and they will play shows in Newcastle, Birmingham and London ahead of a huge homecoming gig at Manchester’s MEN Arena on April 28. Announcing the news on their official website, a band statement said: “James are back. Still fresh as a daisy. Ready to be the bride not the bridesmaid. “With a back catalogue to die for and a bunch of new songs the ‘Laid’ six will be playing live for the first time in six years.” The tour dates are as follows: Glasgow Academy (April 21), Newcastle Academy (23), Birmingham Academy (24), London Brixton Academy (27), Manchester MEN Arena (28). | Jan 2007 |
Britpoppers James To Reunite – Spin | Frontman Tim Booth rejoins James with a “bunch of new songs.” We hope they’re so prettyyyyyyyyyyyyyy. Manchester, England’s six-piece James, who’ve been on hiatus since 2001, have announced they’ve reunited via a band website post. “James are back. Still fresh as a daisy…with a back catalogue to die for and a bunch of new songs,” the post read. On his website, frontman Tim Booth further confirmed the reunion, stating he’ll “be rejoining James in early 2007 for a series of live shows.” Having risen to fame in England’s vibrant post-punk scene in the late ’80s and early ’90s, James capped a career replete with numerous U.K. chart-toppers and a U.S. breakthrough single, “Laid,” when Booth left the group to focus on other projects. James will hit the road for a brief tour of England in April. | Jan 2007 |
James Reform – Playlouder | Good Lord, there we were with the metaphorical ink still wet on our fingers from writing about The Jesus and Mary Chain getting back together, when what should happen but we stumble on the news that James are to reform too. A brand new James website here gives details of an April tour, and reveals that the line-up will be the peeps who played on ‘Laid’, arguably James’ finest hour. “James are back. Still fresh as a daisy. Ready to be the bride not the bridesmaid. With a back catalogue to die for and a bunch of new songs the ‘Laid’ six will be playing live for the first time in six years.” The dates run as follows: April 21st – Glasgow Carling Academy (DF Concerts) Apr 23rd – Newcastle Carling Academy Apr 24th – Birmingham Carling Academy Apr 27th – London Brixton Academy Apr 28th – Manchester MEN Arena And here’s the video for ‘Laid’. Doesn’t Tim Booth look a hell of a lot better than when he was poncing around Manchester in that dodgy popstar Easter story thing? | Jan 2007 |
Tim Booth talks to Oneofthethree | We’d like to thank all the people who bought those tickets. It blew us away. We couldn’t believe it would sell out in a couple of hours. That was incredible for us, it really shocked us. We’re not usually shocked. We also want to apologise. We’ve seen on the messageboard how some of the fans wanted to get to the first James gig. We hadn’t anticipated that at all, that’s why the other gigs got put in. And just to say, there will be some warm-up secret gigs. After six years of not playing, we need some serious practice before we want to be judged on what we’re doing. So I’m afraid there will be some more gigs going in earlier, but they’ll be secret, last minute, very small, but I have no idea where they’ll be yet. They haven’t been booked. They’ll hopefully be announced through the mailing list. This whole thing came about in November when Jimmy, Larry and I first met in Manchester. I was seeing my mum up in Yorkshire and I said I’d go along and see the guys. They’d asked me a year or two earlier and it hadn’t felt right. But now things were starting to happen and I felt as if my life was taking me towards them. James kept cropping up everywhere. Larry rang me a week later and asked me to call in and meet up and I said “OK, but let’s meet up and jam”. That’s how we communicated best so it was “let’s go and do that” and we did it for a couple of days. And we came up with lots of songs or beginnings of songs. And it was great fun. We communicated very differently and we’d really moved on. The six years had done us good. We were really enjoying each other’s company which had not always been the case. Peter (Rudge, James’ manager) heard about it and got excited and spoke to Simon Moran (SJM Concerts) about a possible tour. The thing just escalated like a snowball. And I was saying “yes” to most things that came my way at that point. Larry and Jimmy were first very against doing a tour, they wanted to get the music together, maybe get an album together and then do a tour. But it just kind of fell into our laps and we agreed to do it. It was hard for a few weeks because the whole business side had to wake up again as it had been asleep for six years so a lot of business had to be done, a lot of relationships had to be formed and a new structure established with Larry back in. The structure has gone back to the three of us making the major decisions for this incarnation. But that’s the amazing thing about James is that the dynamic always changes. We’re taking it one step at a time. It’s because we’re working on the music and seeing where it takes us. We’ve got lots of songs boiling, we’ve got two we’ve finished demos of and they’re cracking. They’re going to take us in a different direction. We might go quiet publicly to allow us to concentrate on the music but there should be more to come. The feeling is that we’re enjoying what we’re doing and the music is going in a strong direction. It’s one step at a time. We would love to go out and play Portugal and Greece because we had so much fun and felt such appreciation and support out there. But we need to make a new record. We’d rather go out to play when people have heard the new stuff and can enjoy it a lot more. There will be other opportunities to see us though. We’d love to go to America as well, but that’s not dependent on us, it’s dependent on record sales and getting the support to do it and there being a demand. We hope we’re going to be able to build on the tour selling out. We believe we put a lot into the records and people have relistened and reappreciated them and that’s why the tour sold out, in the same way as the Pixies did. We’re hoping to shift things around a bit, there will be the well-known songs but we’ve got a few weeks rehearsal and we want to look to play ones that people aren’t expecting and play a few new songs. It won’t be a repeat of the last gigs. We want to move forward and find new ways live to heighten connection. To see how far this new version of James can go. | Feb 2007 |
James No Super Bock Super Bock do Porto – Blitz | Concerto é no Parque da Cidade. Os James actuam no Super Bock Super Rock no Porto, a 4 de Julho. A banda inglesa deverá apresentar, em Portugal, as canções do novo Hey Ma , que sai em Abril. A notícia é avançada pela edição de hoje do Correio da Manhã. Segundo aquele jornal, o «acto» portuense do Super Bock Super Rock acontece no Parque da Cidade nos dias 4 e 5 de Julho. A 9 de Julho, o Parque Tejo, na Grande Lisboa, recebe os Iron Maiden, Slayer e Avenged Sevenfold. Apesar de não terem sido confirmados pela organização, também os australianos Rose Tattoo deverão marcar presença no «acto» lisboeta do festival. Na próxima Segunda-feira, 10 de Março, a Música no Coração e a Super Bock anunciam mais nomes para o Super Bock Super Rock no Porto. | Mar 2008 |
James finally confirm new album details – Manchester Evening News | MANC indie veterans James have finally confirmed details of their comeback album. The sextet, whose triumphant return to the fray culminated with last April’s sell out show at the M.E.N. Arena , will release their first LP of new material on April 7. Entitled Hey Ma, the six-piece’s 10th studio LP features 11 new tracks and a controversial sleeve of a baby reaching for a gun. On the record guitarist Larry Gott had this to say on the band’s official website : “Yes, we know that some of your faves aren’t there, and you will no doubt moan about the ones that got away, but the process of making a James album is a strange and mysterious one that even baffles us at times. “Some of them will return no doubt, and some will be available as a limited special treat.” Hey Ma is the band’s first since 2001’s Pleased To Meet You – flamboyant singer Tim Booth quit soon after its release. Gott added: “The album has been a wonderful, and at times very intense, journey. I assure you that now it is out of the way our main priority is to wake up the designers and roll it out in the next couple of weeks.” The band, who showed just how imbedded they were in the public’s affections when their 1998 ‘Best Of’ shot to number one in 1998, announced their return on Booth’s official website at the start of last year – a subsequent arena tour sold out in a matter of hours and fans have been eager to see just what direction the new material will take them in. A theatre tour has been confirmed for April, with Blackpool Empress Ballroom on April 22, the closest to a hometown date. If the record receives a healthy response though, don’t bet against hearing the anthemic opening chimes of Come Home in Manchester again later this year. | Mar 2008 |
James Queima Dos Fitas Blog | A Queima das Fitas de Coimbra 2008 naquilo que é s sua aposta na qualidade e diversidade do seu cartaz das noites do parque acaba de fechar contrato com uma banda de renome internacional de enorme sucesso para o dia 10 de Maio. Assim temos o prazer de confirmar a toda a comunicação social a banda inglesa James na edição deste ano da maior festa de estudantes do país. A banda conta com enormes sucessos na sua carreira, principalmente nas décadas de 80 e 90, tais como “Laid”, “Somethimes”, “Come home”, “Sit down”, “Seven” entre outros. Tim Booth e companhia voltam assim a Portugal depois da longa paragem que os afastou dos palcos desde 2001 até ao início de 2007, sendo Coimbra a cidade que escolheram para a estreia nacional dos temas do novo álbum, Hey Ma, com lançamento previsto para o dia 7 de Abril. A banda de renome internacional é uma das apostas da Queima das Fitas de Coimbra 2008, que tem por objectivo afirmar-se no panorama musical português como um dos seus grandes palcos. Fica a garantia, no entanto, que a organização continua a trabalhar para obter o melhor cartaz dos últimos anos, esperando-se para próximos dias o anúncio de outros grandes nomes do panorama musical internacional, sendo James uma aposta muito forte mas não a única. | Mar 2008 |
James BANNED – The Sun Online | MANC rock legends JAMES have had their new album artwork banned. The cover of the outfit’s comeback LP Hey Ma, which you can see exclusively here, features a baby and a handgun. And advertising chiefs have run a mile from its controversial subject manner. Consequently, don’t expect to see any billboards carrying the image as nervous ad execs have slapped a complete ban on the artwork. Nevertheless the unrepentant veterans are going ahead with the image despite the objections. Hey Ma is the group’s first new studio album in seven years and their tenth in a career that has seen them shift a whopping 12 million units. It’s out on April 7. | Mar 2008 |
JC Decaux Bans James Ad – Mad.co.uk | Outdoor media owner JC Decaux has banned a poster campaign for the new James album because it goes against the company’s policy of depicting guns in posters. The James album cover for Hey Ma has been designed by Manchester creative agency Love and launches in stores on the 30 April. The cover depicts a baby with a handgun at its feet with the albums title spelt out on building blocks. The cover was designed by Manchester creative agency Love. Darren Hughes, creative head at the agency said that the idea behind the cover was to show the “boldness and curiosity” of gun culture “to engage in the debate”. Hughes said: “You need only to have a passing acquaintance with the headlines to be aware of the unfolding horror show of gun culture amongst kids in the UK. Whilst the media are quick to show condemnation and, in the governments barricading of not just our airports but now our train and bus stations and schools with metal detectors, armed police and dogs, their strong armed ‘climate of fear-inducing’ response. “But we seem less able, less curious to raise the vital question, as to what has brought our country, our culture our kids to be so taken with Guns?” Hey Ma is the group’s first studio album in seven years. Since their debut, James has recorded 10 albums and sold more than 12 million units since the band first formed in the mid-80s. MediaCom was responsible for the media planning and buying and said that different creatives were being prepared in order to be featured at JC Decaux sites. The ads will also appear in music magazines and there are no planned in-store or POS creatives. Love was first appointed by James last year to design a new logo for the band to aid their re-launch and nationwide tour. | Mar 2008 |
James Unveil Highly Controversial Album Cover – Gigwise | The band get political… by Scott Colothan on 14/03/2008 Indie veterans James have unveiled the controversial artwork to their new album ‘Hey Ma’ which features an image of a baby about to pick up a handgun. The hard-hitting image has apparently seen advertising execs give the album a wide berth, meaning that it is very unlikely to feature on major PR campaigns. The record itself, released through Fontana/Mercury Records on April 17, also deals with very poignant subject matter and the current hostile world climate. Story continues below… There’s imagery about 9/11 through lyrics about “falling towers” and “dust in the air”, while the Afghan and Iraqi conflicts are brushed upon in the lines “1-2-3. What are we fighting for?” and “Hey Ma, the boys in body bags.” ‘Hey Ma’ is James’ tenth album and the follow-up to 2001’s ‘Pleased To Meet You.’ It was recorded at Warsy Chateau in northern France with producer Lee ‘Muddy’ Baker. | Mar 2008 |
James Announce Tenth Album Details – NME | ‘Hey Ma’ controversial cover already banned James have announced details of their first album in seven years. ‘Hey Ma’, the band’s tenth LP, will be released on April 7. The LP’s cover art has already caused controversy, as it features an image of a baby reaching to pick up a handgun. Outdoor media owner JC Decaux has already banned the album’s poster campaign because it goes against the company’s policy of depicting guns on posters Mad.co.uk. The album’s tracklisting is: ‘Bubbles’ ‘Hey Ma’ ‘Waterfall’ ‘Oh My Heart’ ‘Boom Boom’ ‘Semaphore’ ‘Upside’ ‘Whiteboy’ ’72’ ‘Monsters And Heroes And Men’ | Mar 2008 |
New James Album Artwork Hits Advertisting Ban – XFM website | The artwork for James’ first album for seven years has been banned from being advertised on street billboards by the Advertising Standards Authority. The artwork for ‘Hey Ma’ features an image of a baby reaching for a gun, following a story that a ten-month old child had been issued a US fire arms certificate. In an exclusive interview with Xfm, lead guitarist Larry Gott admitted he’s been surprised by the scale of the reaction, but said the artwork is meant to make ‘people stop and think about the ease of access of firearms’. He said: “We talked at length about hitting a problem with the Advertising Standards Authority, but it’s such a strong image we decided it go with it anyway. “The scale of the reaction has been a surprise, but we kind of expected there’d be some ripples. We were looking at lots of ideas with the designers and they came up with an image of a baby and a gun that related to a story in America of a ten month old child that had been issued a firearms certificate. “Firearms are dangerous, they’re not to be taken likely, and we as a society are becoming over familiarised with the image of gun and gun culture.” Gott revealed the band may go with a more innocent image to use for the advertising billboards. “There is a slip case that goes over the album that shows the child playing with a toy gun. It’s like a joke. The toy gun is on the front cover and then you reveal the real album artwork underneath.” James forthcoming tenth studio album ‘Hey Ma’ will be released on April 7, followed by a tour of the UK kicking off April 8 at Bradford’s St. George’s Hall. | Mar 2008 |
James Cover Banned – Yahoo Music | The cover for the new James album has been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority, it has been confirmed. The artwork for “Hey Ma” (pictured), the band’s first record in seven years, features a baby reaching for a gun. The watchdog have decided the image is unsuitable and will not be featured on billboards to promote the LP. Guitarist Larry Gott said the band had decided to go with the “strong image” despite its controversial tone. He explained: “We talked at length about hitting a problem with the Advertising Standards Authority, but it’s such a strong image we decided it go with it anyway. “The scale of the reaction has been a surprise, but we kind of expected there’d be some ripples”, said Gott. “We were looking at lots of ideas with the designers and they came up with an image of a baby and a gun that related to a story in America of a ten month old child that had been issued a firearms certificate. “Firearms are dangerous, they’re not to be taken likely, and we as a society are becoming over familiarised with the image of gun and gun culture”, he continued. James release “Hey Ma” on April 7. | Mar 2008 |
As You Were – Word Magazine | The hit-making seven piece line-up of James are back in the saddle. How goes the “big dysfunctional family” reunion? A little older, a little less intense, the seven-strong “glory years” line-up of James are back touring and recording together. The Word’s photographer is gently persuading them to restage an old press photo from 1990. Singer Tim Booth got into a fight with their drummer on stage in the 80s, and when he auditioned a new one, a pianist and a trumpet player turned up too. Which is how they came by the big-top festival sound that defined hits like Sit Down and Come Home. After further personnel change they ceased recording in 2001, by which time they had become “a big dysfunctional family”. Have they deliberately reformed the line-up that had the biggest hits? “I would never shape anything I do in order to please a commercial public,” declares Booth. (“Head to the left, that’s it!” the snapper barks) Age hasn’t withered them much. “Maturity’s a funny word,” says Larry Gott, fingering roll-ups on the fire escape. He’s just happy the band can bear to be in the same room again. But Tim Booth has a faraway look in his eyes. He’s found a spiritual home in the hills of Topanga, LA County, where he’s worked with Twin Peaks composer Angelo Badalamenti. “Topanga’s full of amazing things – fires, snakes. I want to be there all the time…” Catch him before he disappears back up the mountain. | Mar 2008 |
In-store Special For James – Manchester Evening News | MANCHESTER James are to play a set in their home city to mark the release of their new album. The band, who reformed last year, will play at the HMV store on Market Street on Monday at 12.30pm and then sign copies of their 10th studio album, Hey Ma. The group formed at Manchester University when the trademark dancing of frontman Tim Booth, pictured, attracted the attention of bassist Jim Glennie. The veteran outfit, whose biggest hits during the Madchester years included Sit Down and Come Home, played their first show together at Eccles British Legion in 1980. Fans need wristbands to get into the HMV gig. They will be available at the store from 8am. | Apr 2008 |
Manchester Evening News Article on HMV In-store | WHILE The Courteeners are indisputably the ‘new’ sound of the Rainy City, one of their biggest fans is the singer of one of Manchester’s most legendary pop bands. Tim Booth, the frontman of James, even compared Courteeners frontman Liam Fray to Manc legend Morrissey when he spoke to the M.E.N. After a special in-store gig at the HMV store in the city centre – which hundreds of fans queued for hours to watch – Tim said: “It is fabulous to be back with a new album. The music scene here is so healthy these days and there are some amazing bands around. “I love the Courteeners album. Liam has the swagger but he is also a really perceptive lyricist too. I think he is very much like Morrissey when it comes to his lyrics. “To have Liam quoting us and name-checking James is great. It means a lot of young fans are now coming on board who probably wouldn’t have listened to James otherwise.” Winning over new young fans doesn’t seem to be a problem though. Caitlain Smith could well be the youngest fan of the band. Aged 6, she is such a huge fan that she and her mum Dawn, 36, from Droylsden, pitched up a tent and camped outside HMV in Manchester from 5pm on Sunday – just to make sure they got to se the band perform yesterday (Monday). Mum Dawn says: “She knows all the songs on the new album – and it’s only just been released today [Monday].” Joining the Smiths for a chilly overnight stay outside the store was another mum and daughter – Michelle Sutherland, 38, from Stockport, and daughter Natalie, 18. Michelle said: “Natalie was a fan before she was even born. She came out singing Sit Down.” The reunited band was in Manchester for the launch of their new album, Hey Ma – their first recording for seven years. | Apr 2008 |
James New Album’s Cover Art Sparks Controversy – Paste Magazine | Recently reunited British rock band James’s 10th studio album, Hey Ma, hit stores in the U.K. on April 8, courtesy of Mercury Records. While the band’s sound hasn’t changed much from early albums like 1993’s Laid, the band takes a decidedly political tone this time around; Hey Ma’s anti-war title track laments “the boys in body bags,” and “Upside” tells the tale of immigrant workers trying to provide for their families back home. The Hey Ma cover art—a baby reaching for a handgun next to a pile of building blocks that spell out the album’s title—is perhaps its most political statement, and has already stirred up a storm of controversy across the Atlantic. The U.K.’s Advertising Standards Authority banned the artwork from appearing in any billboard campaigns promoting Hey Ma. Despite the advertising ban, the band elected not to change the album cover. Guitarist Larry Gott said the art was inspired by the story of an American infant who was accidentally issued a firearms license, and is meant to convey a powerful message. “The scale of the reaction has been a surprise, but we kind of expected there’d be some ripples”, guitarist Larry Gott told Dotmusic. “Firearms are dangerous, they’re not to be taken likely, and we as a society are becoming overfamiliarised with the image of guns and gun culture.” James will kick off a full-fledged European tour tonight in Bradford. No U.S. dates have been announced at this time, and Hey Ma has yet to be picked up by a Stateside distributor. Where the neighbors will complain about the noises above: April 8 – Bradford @ Bradford St. George’s Hall 10 – Derby @ Derby Assembly Rooms 11 – Lincoln @ Lincoln Engine Shed 12 – Liverpool @ Liverpool University 14 – Newcastle @ Newcastle Carling Academy 15 – Sheffield @ Sheffield Carling Academy 17 – London @ Shepherd’s Bush Empire 18 – Norwich @ Norwich UEA 19 – Oxford @ Oxford New Theatre 21 – Bristol @ Bristol Colston Hall 22 – Blackpool @ Blackpool Empress Ballroom 24 – Edinburgh @ Edinburgh Corn Exchange 25 – Aberdeen @ Aberdeen AECC May 2 – Murcia @ SOS Festival Murcia 10 – Colmbra, Portugal @ Praca da Cancao 11 – Braga, Portugal @ Braga Municipal Park June 15 – Isle of Wight @ Isle of Wight Festival 28 – Athens, Greece @ Ejekt Festival December 11 – Leeds @ Leeds Carling Academy 12 – Glasgow @ Glasgow SECC 13 – Birmingham @ Birmingham NIA 15 – London @ Brixton Academy 16 – London @ Brixton Academy 19 – Manchester @ G-Mex/Manchester Central Hey Ma tracklist: 1. Bubbles 2. Hey Ma 3. Waterfall 4. Oh My Heart 5. Boom Boom 6. Semaphore 7. Upside 8. Whiteboy 9. 72 10. Of Monsters And Heroes And Men 11. I Wanna Go Home | Apr 2008 |
Hey Ma! They’re Back! The Return Of James – Mauritius Today | James formed in Manchester, England back in the early 1980s, and throughout that whole decade struggled to “make it.” The decade also was full of upheaval as the band changed managers, and members, finally settling into the line up that would become known as The Magnificent Seven. With the’90s came success and a string of hit singles like “Sit Down” and “Laid.” The mid-‘90s found the band in a series of critically acclaimed area shows supporting Duran Duran followed by an exhaustive touring schedule of their own. Lead singer Tim Booth took a break in ’01 and though James never announced a break up, the band became inactive. James produced nine studio albums between 1986 and 2001, as well as a series of EPs, soundtrack appearances—“Laid” was featured in the movie American Pie—two live recordings and several compilation albums. “The Best Of,” a 1998 James compilation hit #1 in the UK. IN 2006, Tim Booth, Jim Glennie and Larry Gott got together for some jam time and inspiration struck. The trio and the remaining four of the seven matched back up for a series of 2007 European Festivals. With their tenth studio album, “Hey Ma,” and a tour kicking off, James are back. They’ve been around since the early ‘80s, always indie, and always at the forefront of British music. The band has an extensive discography, including Top Ten placers “Gold Mother,” “Seven” and “Millionaires,” and now in 2008 with the new album “Hey Ma.” The album was recorded with producer Lee “Muddy” Baker at Chateau Warsy in France and boasts 11 songs by the seven members most commonly identified as the definitive James lineup. James has always been a band that was better live—they’re known for their improvisational style and spontaneous jams, an ambience that comes across better on stage. Their early albums feel almost restrained when compared to later releases where the band had more control, and the guys were able to let their unique blend come through. | May 2008 |
James Inks US Deal For Reunion Album – Billboard | Veteran U.K. rock act James has inked a U.S. deal with Decca Records for the release of its first new album in seven years. “Hey Ma” will be released Sept. 16 and will be supported by as-yet-unannounced North American tour dates. “Hey Ma,” which debuted at No. 10 on the U.K. album chart last month, is the follow-up to 2001’s “Pleased To Meet You.” Sources say there will be an upcoming U.S. TV ad campaign featuring album track “Whiteboy” for an as-yet-unnamed major car manufacturer. James will introduce the new material to U.S. listeners during a June 5 performance and interview on KCRW’s “Morning Becomes Eclectic.” Additionally, U.K. dates are on tap for mid-December. | May 2008 |
Reunited Rockers James To Release Album In US – Reuters | Veteran U.K. rock act James has inked a U.S. deal with Decca Records for the release of its first new album in seven years. “Hey Ma” will be released Sept. 16 and will be supported by as-yet-unannounced North American tour dates. “Hey Ma,” which debuted at No. 10 on the U.K. album chart last month, is the follow-up to 2001’s “Pleased To Meet You.” Sources say there will be an upcoming U.S. TV ad campaign featuring album track “Whiteboy” for an as-yet-unnamed major car manufacturer. James will introduce the new material to U.S. listeners during a June 5 performance and interview on KCRW’s “Morning Becomes Eclectic.” Additionally, U.K. dates are on tap for mid-December. | May 2008 |
Reunited James Plays Surprise LA Show – Reuters | Reunited British rock band James, who enjoyed cult success in America during the early ’90s, played their first U.S. concert in Los Angeles on Friday since ending a lengthy hiatus last year. The hourlong gig at Spaceland, a 260-capacity club near Hollywood, showcased a handful of tunes from James’ new album “Hey Ma,” including the anti-war title track. The album will be released in the United States on September 16 via Decca Records. It came out in Britain in April, the band’s first studio release since 2001’s “Pleased To Meet You.” James fell apart after singer Tim Booth quit at the end of 2001, and pursued a solo and acting career. Now living in Los Angeles, he announced early last year that he would rejoin James, and the band subsequently toured the UK and Europe. Five of the Manchester band’s seven members were in the United States this week, primarily to play at an iTunes event in San Francisco, and then at Los Angeles public radio station KCRW-FM. The Spaceland show was a last-minute addition to the itinerary, but the budget-related absence of keyboardist Mark Hunter and drummer David Baynton-Power forced the band to improvise a bit during its ballad-heavy set. “Even more than usual, we won’t know what we’re doing,” joked Booth, who now resembles R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe after ditching his curly locks for a shaved head and goatee. Besides “Hey Ma,” which Booth said was about “the over-reaction to 9/11” by President George W. Bush and former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, other new tunes included “Waterfall,” “Oh My Heart” and “Whiteboy.” The band dusted off several tracks from its 1993 breakthrough album “Laid,” including the hit title track; “Out To Get You,” in which Booth showcased his manic dance style; and the encore “Say Something.” Next on the agenda is a high-profile slot at the Police-headlined Isle of Wight festival in the UK on June 15. Booth said the band would return to the United States in September-October, although no dates have been announced. | Jun 2008 |
Hey Ma, James Are Back In Town – Evening News and Star | Reformed indie rockers James play Birmingham NIA on December 13. Singer Tim Booth talks to Ian Harvey about his school days in the Midlands and one life-changing concert in Wolverhampton. In May 1977 a group of teenage public schoolboys from Shrewsbury School organised a trip to Wolverhampton Civic Hall to see one of the seminal events in rock history – The Clash’s White Riot tour, with support from The Buzzcocks, The Slits and Subway Sect. It was a life-changing moment for one of them, Tim Booth, who would years later go on to perform on that very same stage himself as frontman with his own band, indie-rockers James. Although he had a miserable time as a boarder at Shrewsbury, Booth – who brings James to Birmingham NIA on December 13, 2008 – remembers that chaotic night as a highlight. “They hardly ever allowed you to go to concerts,” he explains. “It was like the second punk tour ever and we’re taking a party of about 15 public school boys dressed in school uniforms to watch The Clash, the Subway Sect The Slits and The Buzzcocks. “It was a riot. Chairs were thrown and it was completely amazing.” After that it took a bit of persuading for the Shrewsbury schoolmasters to allow the young Booth to attend his next gig. “They nearly banned us after that first one,” he says. “But we convinced them that Iggy Pop was not a punk because he’d been around a lot longer. So the second gig we organised was four of us going with the choirmaster to see Iggy Pop at the Manchester Apollo. “That also had quite an impact when he came out covered with blood and with a devil’s tail between his leg and I got punched out by bouncers at the age of 16 and was like totally in love with Iggy.” Bradford-born Booth was studying drama at Manchester University when he was spotted gyrating in the students union bar and asked by bassist Jim Glennie, guitarist Paul Gilbertson and drummer Gavin Whelan to join their band as a dancer. It wasn’t long before Booth was promoted to singer and chief lyricist and the band decided on the name James. Catching the wave of the 80s “Madchester” music scene, James signed to Tony Wilson’s Factory record label, later leaving for Sire records and, via a series of line-up changes, going on to huge success in the 90s with songs like the anthem Sit Down, Laid and She’s a Star and albums including Gold Mother, Seven and Millionaires. The band came to a halt in 2001 when Booth quit to concentrate on solo musical projects as well as scriptwriting and acting stints which included a part in the Christopher Nolan film Batman Begins. But six years later James reformed to embark on a rapturously received tour which then led to the release of this year’s Hey Ma album. About to embark on a British arena tour with James, Booth pauses when asked about his memories of Shrewsbury. “I had quite a traumatic time at Shrewsbury School. I think quite a lot of my wounds come from their which has been quite good material,” he laughs. “I think sending a child away against their will to be in an institution like that is akin to sending someone to prison. And unfortunately I wasn’t able to get out of that mindset and reap the benefits which I’m sure are there and which I’m sure some kids got from it. “I just felt very alone in an environment which was very alien to me.” His escape was music. “Music became this incredibly important, liberating thing that the authorities were trying to stop me listening to and I think that had quite an impact on me becoming a singer by default, because it gave me something to fight against. “We weren’t allowed to watch telly very often at all and I used to sneak down at night and put Old Grey Whistle Test on the TV and sit on the window ledge in case anybody came down so I could fall out of the window and get away and not get caught. “We even moulded a key so we could break into the science laboratory and use their TV. “I used to listen to John Peel down my bed with the radio set because you weren’t allowed to listen to music after 10 o’clock.” Having just returned from an American tour with James, Booth pronounces himself “shattered but good”. “On the American tour I think we were playing the best I’ve ever heard us play. It was the most enjoyable tour I’ve ever done, which is kind of bizarre, seeing how long we’ve been together. “It was amazing. People drove thousands of miles and drove from south America as well and we played to 10,000 people in Mexico.” James are famous for their method of auditioning song ideas in jamming sessions – an amazing 127 such improvised sessions producing the 11 tracks on Hey Ma – and Booth says they already have “50 or 60 songs” under way for an album they plan to record next year. “Improvisation leads to some really amazing accidents,” he says. “If you’re a singer songwriter sitting down with a guitar, you can’t do that. In our view it leads to an honest, unconscious originality. “Next year we’ll be more focused on a new album. We might do festivals but there might not be a major tour, so this could be the last chance to see us for a while. We’re going to throw a few things at this tour and have fun. It’s going to be a celebration really.” With an ever-changing set-list – the band never performs the same set twice – there might be the chance for fans to hear some of the new material. “I think we’ll preview at least one or two over different days,” says Booth. Once off the road his thoughts will turn to the new James album plus a new solo album and the possibility of more acting work. “There’s so much to fit in at the moment,” he says. “I’m on fire with the band and I’m enjoying singing again having had that break in having a child and acting and writing film scripts too. “I had a two-or three year break from music which was really good for me. I’m just so loving it again, that’s where I’m at. I’m so busy I don’t know when the hell I’m going to fit any of it in.” James play at Birmingham National Indoor Arena on Saturday, December 13, 2008, with support from Athlete. | Dec 2008 |
James announce UK tour and ticket details – NME | James have announced details of a new UK tour for next April. The band will head out on ‘The Mirrorball’ tour, which kicks off at the Edinburgh Corn Exchange on April 5. It ends with a show at the Liverpool University on April 17. They are set to release a mini-album, ‘The Night Before’, in the same month as the tour. James will play: Tickets go on sale at 9:30am (GMT) on Thursday (December 3). | Dec 2009 |
NME News : James announce new album tracklisting and release date | ‘The Night Before’ will be out on April 19 James have announced the tracklisting for their upcoming mini-album, ‘The Night Before’. The first of two mini albums the group are set to release, the Lee ‘Muddy’ Baker-produced LP will be released on April 19. As previously reported, Tim Booth and co will begin a tour of the UK in April, while the group have also been added to the line-up for this year’s Isle Of Wight Festival. The tracklisting for ‘The Night Before’ is: ‘It’s Hot’ ‘Crazy’ ‘Ten Below’ ‘Porcupine’ ‘Shine’ ‘Dr Hellier’ ‘Hero’ | Mar 2010 |
NME News on Orchestra Tour | James have announced a UK tour for October and November that will see them playing live alongside an orchestra and full choir. The tour is billed as An Evening with James with the Orchestra of the Swan and the Manchester Consort Choir and will see the band reworking their back catalogue to include the 22-piece orchestra and 16 person choir. The run begins at Cardiff Millennium Centre on October 23 and includes two nights at The Bridgewater Hall in the band’s hometown of Manchester, these shows are set for October 31 and November 1. The tour ends at London’s Royal Albert Hall on November 4. The band released a new mini album ‘The Night Before’ in April last year. James will play: Cardiff Millennium Centre (October 23) Birmingham Symphony Hall (24) Glasgow Royal Concert Hall (25) Nottingham Royal Concert Hall (27) Liverpool Philharmonic Hall (29) Manchester Bridgewater Hall (31, November 1) Gateshead Sage (2) London Royal Albert Hall (4) | Jun 2011 |
Digital Spy on Orchestra Tour | James have announced their UK tour for later this year. The rock band, who formed in Manchester in 1982, will play all over the country throughout October and November, performing alongside a full orchestra and choir. ‘An Evening with James with the Orchestra of the Swan and the Manchester Consort Choir’ will see the group rework their archived tracks to incorporate more musicians. James’ first performance takes place at Cardiff’s Millennium Centre on October 23, followed by shows at The Bridgewater Hall in Manchester on October 31 and November 1. The tour is scheduled to end at the Royal Albert Hall in London on November 4. The band’s members include Tim Booth, Jim Glennie, Larry Gott and Saul Davies and they are best known for hits such as ‘Sit Down’ and ‘She’s a Star’. James were recently announced as the Friday night headliner at this year’s tenth anniversary Wickerman festival. | Jun 2011 |
James star in death threats ordeal – Manchester Evening News |
By Sarah Walters and Neal Keeling, © 2011 Manchester Evening News James star in death threats ordeal “Stalker told me: I’ll kick your wobbly head in”
JAMES star Tim Booth has spoken of his ordeal at the hands of a stalker who has threatened to kill him. Police were alerted after posters went up in Manchester saying the singer would be attacked. Booth, 51, revealed he was being targeted during a James concert at the Bridgewater Hall – after security had been stepped up as a direct result of the threats. The posters appeared ahead of the band’s two concerts at the Manchester venue on Monday and last night. Booth, who joined James while he was a Manchester University student in the 1980s, told the M.E.N: “I’ve been getting some strange emails from someone for about a year-and-a-half that have been getting weirder and weirder, which could be from the same person [as put up the posters] but we don’t know. ”The posters were put up over James posters at the Bridgewater Hall and someone was also handing out fly-posters. “Someone’s gone to a bit of effort. They detail what they’re going to do to me when they get hold of me. “It wasn’t a problem for me. I go walk-about in the audience and so that was a bit difficult. I felt it better to announce it to the audience and also if anyone sees someone handing posters out to report it to the police. We have told the police. We reported it here and in Nottingham – you have to report it in the place you’re in. Originally that was Nottingham. “I’m assuming they’re going to be at one of the shows, that’s why I’m talking to the audience. In Liverpool, people were coming on stage and were grabbing me and security get really nervous obviously. I just felt like I was going to come out and make light of it as well, just inform the audience so they know what’s going on. I’m hoping we can flush him out at a show because he’ll be in an environment where I can deal with him.” Security staff set up tables outside the Bridgewater Hall to check fans’ bags. The box office was also screened off from the main foyer so no one could enter without going through security checks. Security staff were also inside the hall during the show. Four songs into Monday’s show, Booth produced an A3 poster, handwritten in black ink. He said a stalker was threatening to ‘kick his wobbly head in’ before joking that if he wandered into the audience everyone he approached should put their hands in the air to prove they weren’t ‘concealing any weapons’. Then he said: “Seriously, if anyone sees anyone putting up the posters, I’d appreciate it if you’d contact the police.” Yesterday Booth and the rest of the band unveiled a plaque to commemorate their first gig at the Hacienda club in Manchester 30 years ago. | Nov 2011 |
Danger USB : The Story Of The Gathering Dust James Boxset – Even The Stars | The seemingly never-ending saga of “The Gathering Sound”, the career-spanning James box-set Given the hype over the return of their contemporaries from the “Madchester” era, you would think a record label would be falling over themselves to sell us a career-spanning boxset from James, whose upward career trajectory and roots coincided to give them the dubious pleasure of being placed in that music press box. It would appear not. Hinted at in interviews around the release of the two mini-albums The Night Before and The Morning After in 2010, there was a great sense of excitement in the James fan community when in the autumn of 2010, Amazon listed a box-set entitled The Gathering Sound for release on November 29. The Universal trade site for distributors published a tracklisting, including a studio rarities CD of mostly unheard tracks, a live rarities CD, the two mini-albums combined on one CD, a 12” vinyl of demos, the legendary Come Home film from Manchester G-Mex in 1990 on DVD for the first time and booklets containing the band’s history and pieces on the band written by contemporaries, friends and fans. The crowning point was to be a J-shaped USB stick featuring all the band’s albums in lossless FLAC format and videos with a built in media player. Release dates were pushed back through December, and then once the Christmas market had been missed, disappeared completely. The band themselves announced nothing officially, a sign that something was amiss, and it transpired during VIP soundcheck questions on the December 2010 tour, that there were issues with making the USB stick actually work. Fast forward eight months and a pre-sale on the Universal website was announced for August 16, 2011, which included 500 copies containing a print signed by the band. Hopes rose that the stick issue had been fixed as a release date of October 17th had been set. 12 track promos featuring eight songs from the albums, the early demo Willow, Whiplash outtake Hedex and two songs from the live disc were circulated in preparation for the anticipated release. The presale itself was beset by problems with people being unable to order despite being logged in, people being charged using cards immediately when told they wouldn’t be, leaving many disappointed punters and fury being directed towards Universal, and consequently the band. Three demo tracks of songs from The Morning After, supposedly an extra incentive to purchase from the Universal Boxset Store, ended up being available to anyone who typed in an email address on the website. October came and went and no communication from Universal. It wasn’t until December 9, when an email was sent out to all customers informing them of a delay to February 2012. At this point, the band made a statement via their website expressing their upset and disappointment at the continuing delays, probably with fingers crossed and gaffer tape across their mouths. Rumours abounded that content could be deleted, testing had only been done on PCs and the USBs were incompatible with Macs and that files were missing from supposed production samples. Whilst maintaining a dignified public silence, probably not wanting to inflame the probably heated arguments going on behind the scenes, the band had informed fans during soundcheck Q+As on the October 2011 tour that production samples had again failed to work properly. Fast forward to February 2012 and that Amazon link is now showing a release date of April 2, 2012, which suggests that there still is no fix in place. The Universal information machine was still telling people as late as the last week in January that the boxset would be released in early February and that Universal was actually waiting for the artist and manufacturer to release it to them to ship, as if the band were going to throw their legacy away on a piece of plastic that didn’t work. In this time, USB products have been released by Universal, including a special Queen set just before Christmas. You have to feel for the band, and their management. Firstly, it’s their legacy, no one else’s that is being tainted here. And secondly, they’re in a no win situation -œ announce each and every Universal release date and they’re seen as complicit in the USB fiasco, or say nothing and be accused of not keeping their fans up-to-date. Perhaps The Gathering Dust, as coined on one of the James forums, is a more appropriate title for the boxset. | Feb 2012 |
James the band from Manchester still going strong with ‘La Petite Mort’ – AXS | The alternative rock band James, originally from Manchester, England, first appeared on the music scene in the 1980’s, found success in the 1990’s and continue to draw sell-out crowds at live performances today. After a few changes of band members, break-ups and a reunion, James is back with their most recent album, “La Petite Mort” (2014). The album reveals the talented band, still at the height of creativity, more personal and mature perhaps, but with all the wit and poetry fans enjoy in their music. Having topped the charts in the U.K., they found the U.S. charts a tougher nut to crack. Their album “Laid” with the provocative title track a huge hit among the college set, reached #3 on the U.K. charts, but only reached #72 on the U.S. charts in 1993. As part of the “Madchester” music scene in the 1980’s, James joined The Smiths on their “Meat is Murder” tour in 1985. By 1989, the band found its stride with seven members- singer Tim Booth, bass guitarist Jim Glennie, guitarist Larry Gott, guitarist/violinist Saul Davies, keyboard player Mark Hunter, drummer David Baynton-Power, and trumpeter/percussionist Andy Diagram. Their unique, multilayered sound and evocative lyrics drew fans to their music and live shows. Early hits for James, including the single “Come Home” reached #84 on the U.K. charts in 1989 and #32 when it was rereleased in 1990. “Sit Down” only reached #77 in 1989, but subsequently made it to #2 when it was rereleased in 1991, and to #7 when rereleased again in 1998. In 1993, James toured the U.S. with music legend Neil Young. The acoustic performances brought out another level of creativity in the band and resulted in the recording of two albums, “Laid” and “WahWah.” The hugely successful “Laid” with amazing tracks including the rousing “Sometimes” and soulful “One of the Three” overshadowed the experimental “WahWah” that followed it. In 1997, the band released another successful album, “Whiplash” with its first single “She’s a Star” reaching #9 on the U.K. charts. James’ “The Best Of” compilation album appeared in 1998 and hit #1 in the U.K. From 2001 to 2007, the band was basically on hiatus. Tim Booth pursued solo projects, but returned to James after jamming with his bandmates and penning new songs with them. Performing live reinforced the reformation of the band and James’ fans were thrilled when in 2008 a new album, “Hey Ma” was released. With his signature, clear tenor voice, lead singer Tim Booth conveys more emotion in a whisper than most singers can with a scream. The band clearly revels in their creative process as a team. James’ “Hey Ma” featured liner notes with detailed description on the making of the album from three band members, Booth, Glennie and Gott. The insights into the creative process are a treat for fans wondering how this talented band works. Their revelations are candid, thoughtful and charming, much like their music. If you’re not already in love with James for their music, you will be after reading the liner notes. Tim reveals in the liner notes that the lyric for the chorus of the song “Hey Ma,” “came in the initial jam” and that “Hey Ma,” “Could have been a great pop song if it weren’t for the lyric.” Inspired by the post-9/11 world, and anti-war sentiment, the line “Hey ma the boys in body bags coming home in pieces” is far too potent an image for a mainstream pop song and indeed it clashes with the upbeat tempo of the music, creating a feeling of dislocation tinged with hope that is profound and quintessentially James. | Sep 2014 |
James To Release Laid And Wah Wah Albums in Deluxe Editions – Even The Stars | James will be reissuing their 1993 album Laid and its 1994 companion piece Wah Wah on March 23 in a number of new formats with the Super Deluxe edition featuring a range of previously unreleased tracks. The Laid album contained the hit single of the same name as well as further Top 30 singles Sometimes and Say Something and is regarded by many as their finest work. Wah Wah was released a year later and is a collection of studio jams recorded at the same time as Laid with Brian Eno and features live favourites Jam J and Honest Joe. The two albums are also being released on a two-disc Deluxe Edition featuring both albums as the band originally intended it to be released and, more importantly for fans, on 180g heavy double vinyl, a must for collectors as the original vinyl issues are long since deleted. There are also 500 numbered clear vinyl double LP versions of Laid and Wah Wah available from Universal’s vinyl store. According to front man Tim Booth, Laid and Wah Wah are “the culmination of playing four or five hours a day four or five days a week in Manchester and the new band adapting to that. It is about the transition of becoming more of a band but with Brian at the helm.” Booth remembers jamming “hundreds of songs that never saw the light of day” and guitarist Larry Gott suggests it might have been “as many as 340 tracks.” The Super Deluxe edition also contains extensive interviews with the band about the recording of the album as well as a selection of press cuttings from the time that Even The Stars was heavily involved in the compilation of. The package also includes postcards from the time and a selection of badges. The tracklisting of the Super Deluxe Edition is as follows: Disc 1 – Laid – Out To Get You, Sometimes, Dream Thrum, One Of The Three, Say Something, Five-O, PS, Everybody Knows, Knuckle Too Far, Low Low Low, Laid, Lullaby, Skindiving Disc 2 – Wah Wah – Hammer Strings, Pressure’s On, Jam J, Frequency Dip, Lay The Law Down, Burn The Cat, Maria, Low Clouds, Building A Fire, Gospel Oak, DVV, Say Say Something, Rhythmic Dreams, Dead Man, Rain Whistling, Basic Brian, Low Clouds, Bottom Of The Well, Honest Joe, Arabic Agony, Tomorrow, Laughter, Sayonara Disc 3 – Rehearsals, Outtakes and Jams – Carousel (rehearsal demo of Say Something), Unknown Track 8 (rehearsal demo), Dream Thrum (rehearsal demo), Chicken Goth (rehearsal demo), Jam J (Additional Jam) (rehearsal jam), You Were Born (Take 1) (early version of One of the Three), Bruce Jam 1 (Mix 1)(early version of Knuckle Too Far), Jam D / Rhythmic Dreams alt. (rehearsal jam), Jam E (out-take)(rehearsal jam), Jam 11 (Slow Jam – Grotesque/Angular) (rehearsal jam), Jam 12B (Dreamy Later Singing) (rehearsal jam), Jam P (Fabulous Melody But Unusual Bass) (rehearsal jam), Jam P2 (Later)(rehearsal jam), Jam Q (early version of Honest Joe) (rehearsal jam), Jam R – Beefheart Jam (rehearsal jam), Who Is Gospel Oak? (early version) (rehearsal jam), Falsetto (instrumental version of Skindiving), Jam 13 – Fast Marcus Has Mixed (rehearsal jam) Disc 4 – America (Live In The U.S. 9/92) (B-side of Sometimes), Building A Charge (B-side of Sometimes), Wah Wah Kits (B-side of Laid), The Lake (B-side of Laid), Seconds Away (B-side of Laid), Say Something (New Version), Assassin (B-side of Say Something/Jam J), Laid (Acoustic 99x, Atlanta 26/2/94), Low Low Low (BBC Session 27/9/93), Sometimes (BBC Session 27/9/93), Tomorrow (BBC Session 27/9/93), Five-O (BBC Session 27/9/93), Jam J (Arena Dub / Amphetamine Pulsate) 12″ remix, Jam J (Sabresonic Tremelo Dub / Spaghetti Steamhammer) 12″ remix There is also a two-disc deluxe version of Laid available, mixing tracks from disc 3 and 4 as well as two session tracks not on the Super Deluxe. Disc 1 – Laid – Out To Get You, Sometimes, Dream Thrum, One Of The Three, Say Something, Five-O, PS, Everybody Knows, Knuckle Too Far, Low Low Low, Laid, Lullaby, Skindiving Disc 2 – America (Live In The U.S. 9/92) (B-side of Sometimes), Building A Charge (B-side of Sometimes), Wah Wah Kits (B-side of Laid), The Lake (B-side of Laid), Seconds Away (B-side of Laid), Say Something (New Version), Jam J, Assassin (New Version), Laid (BBC Session 27/9/93), Five-O (BBC Session 27/9/93), Sometimes (BBC Session 27/9/93), Say Something (BBC Session 27/9/93), Low Low Low Low (BBC Session 27/9/93) (previously unreleased), Tomorrow (BBC Session 27/9/93) (previously unreleased), Dream Thrum (rehearsal demo) (previously unreleased), You Were Born take 1 ( early version of One of the Three) (previously unreleased), Bruce Jam 1 (Mix 1) (early version of Knuckle Too Far) (previously unreleased), Carousel (rehearsal demo of Say Something), Falsetto (instrumental version of Skindiving) (previously unreleased) | Jan 2015 |
Stereoboard – James Continue To Tease 'All The Colours Of You' With New Track Recover | Stereoboard | Jon Stickler
| May 2021 |
Stereoboard.com – James To Headline Dreamland Margate | Stereoboard.com | Laura Johnson
| Jun 2021 |
NME – Why it’s time for a return of the indie beef – in all its messy, undignified glory | NME | Mark Beaumont
| Jun 2021 |
Music Week – Virgin's Jim Chancellor on James: 'We've been reaching for the stars!' | Music Week | Staff Writer
| Jun 2021 |
Yorkshire Post – James release new music video filmed in grand surroundings of Broughton Hall in the Yorkshire Dales | Yorkshire Post | Chris Burn
| Jun 2021 |
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