Tag Archives: single-waltzing-along

The release of Waltzing Along was originally timed to coincide with the end of the band’s US tour and their Glastonbury appearance. Tim’s injury which meant the curtailment of the US tour and the band joining the Lollapolooza travelling festival meant that the band would be out of the country for the single’s release.

The single was rerecorded to give the song a much harder and more commercial edge than the album version. As with the previous two singles there were 3 CDs released. The first featured live tracks recorded by the BBC at the band’s Shepherds Bush Empire in March including a rousing version of Homeboy with its extended opening section. The second CD featured three new tracks, the strident rude-lyriced Your Story, an instrumental Where You Gonna Run? and a falsetto-driven Long To Be Right. The third single once again featured remixes, this time a little more successful, by Flytronix and Midfield General. Artwork was once again designed by Blue Source with photography by Davies and Davies.

The video featured James in the Spanish desert, one by one hitchhiking and being picked up by a woman in an open top car. Mark plays an escaped convict chained to another prisoner who is the long lost brother of the policeman trying to recapture them.

With absolutely no promotion at all, the single, again given a £1.99 release, exceeded most expectations by entering the charts at number 23 and the song became a live favourite in James sets with crowds chanting along to the intro.

Reviews

NME

Time was when these merry Mancunian misfits could lay claim to being one of the most forward-looking groups in this country, with their weird take on rock music and an ascetic outlook that stuck out a while in times of much frippery. These days, James are more like Simple Minds than the Scottish stadium rockers themselves, if the hackneyed and plodding backing track here is to be taken seriously. Which is a pity as Tim Booth still sings like he’s got something of importance to impart – in the case a prayer for the dying. Oh well, there’s always the solo career.

Press Release

James: Waltzing Along Single Press Release June 1997

Following their chart-topping single ‘Tomorrow’ and a sell-out UK tour, James release a new single on 23rd June – ‘Waltzing Along’. It is a completely re-recorded version of the song from the band’s gold album ‘Whiplash’.

‘Waltzing Along’ is released on 3 CDs – CD1 contains 3 brand-new songs, ‘Your Story’, ‘Where You Gonna Run’ and ‘Long To Be Right’ as b-sides, whilst CD2 has live versions of ‘Homeboy’, ‘How Was It For You?’ and ‘Greenpeace’ recorded at the band’s sell-out show at the Shepherds Bush Empire in March this year. CD3 is the remix CD with Skint’s Midfield General chopping out the big beats and Flytronix smoothing the edges with mellow drum n bass.

‘Waltzing Along’ is produced by Stephen Hague with additional production and interference from Brian Eno and drummer, David Baynton-Power.

The full details of ‘Waltzing Along’ are:

• CD1 (JIMCD18)
  • Waltzing Along (Single Version)
  • Your Story
  • Where You Gonna Run?
  • Long To Be Right
• CD2 (JIMDD18)
  • Waltzing Along (Single Version)
  • Homeboy (Live At Shepherds Bush Empire)
  • How Was It For You? (Live At Shepherds Bush Empire)
  • Greenpeace (Live At Shepherds Bush Empire)
• CD3 (JIMED 18)
  • Waltzing Along (Single Version)
  • Waltzing Along (Disco Socks Remix)
  • Waltzing Along (Flytronix Remix)

‘Waltzing Along’ is released on 23rd June through Fontana. The top ten album ‘Whiplash’ is out now.

James tour America as part of the notorious Lollapolooza and return to the UK to play Reading Festival.

• Greenpeace :1997
• Homeboy :1997
• How Was It For You? :1990
• Long To Be Right :1997
• Waltzing Along :1997
• Where You Gonna Run? :1997
• Your Story :1997

Open in Spotify

• How Was It For You?
• Waltzing Along