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Oxegen Festival, Punchestown, Ireland – 8th July 2007

Posted on 8th July 2007

Setlist

Born Of Frustration / Tomorrow / Sit Down / Chain Mail / Out To Get You / Not So Strong / Ring The Bells / Upside / Laid / Honest Joe / Sometimes / Gold Mother

Support

n/a - Festival

More Information & Reviews

None.

T In The Park – 7th July 2007

Posted on 7th July 2007

Setlist

Born Of Frustration / Tomorrow / Sit Down / She's A Star / Out To Get You / Getting Away With It (All Messed Up) / Upside / Laid / Ring The Bells / Sometimes / Gold Mother

Support

n/a - Festival

More Information & Reviews

Video

OneOfTheThree.com

This wasn’t maybe a good idea. I’d seen the pictures of the mud, the water and the rain. I’d been to T before and realised that it was likely to be full of pissed up people by mid afternoon. But this was James’ first go at proving to the wider populus that they are still a force to be reckoned with, that time hasn’t taken away what made them the best live band in Britain and win over a festival crowd that had just gone mental to the rather different talents of the Lostprophets.

Born Of Frustration is beset with problems. Tim’s ear mics don’t work properly throughout and he makes constant visits to the side of the stage to try and get it fixed. Andy’s equipment seems to only work sporadically and there’s a few instances of feedback on stage. But hey, would it be James without technical difficulties. Born Of Frustration sounds perfect for the wide open expanses of the festival. The front area is already a mudpit so it’s amazing people can stand let alone dance, but they do. Tomorrow gets the crowd moving faster, losing very little in the wider expanses of the fields.

Sit Down is sort of half started while Tim goes off to get his box fixed, but once Larry leads in with 1-2-3-4, the crowd go wild. There’s no point in trying to avoid the mud at this point, although the sight of people diving headfirst into it is a little disturbing. Still, it’s a good sign that James are getting this type of response after so long away.

She’s A Star sounds so much better than the previous night in Glasgow with Larry’s slide guitar restored to the mix, but Out To Get You sees Kinross become a mass of swaying arms and calms the crowd down a little.

It’s a short respite as Getting Away With It receives as warm a response as anything else in the set. New song Upside follows, which Tim comments as being the only new song you’d be likely to hear on the main stage. Whether this is true or not, you’d be pushed to hear a better one. It’s got to be a contender for a single and a song to prove to this type of audience that James still have whatever it takes, despite what the NME says.

Laid is another crowd favourite. Mud is now being thrown around by some and those trying to dance around are being either very brave or very stupid. Ring The Bells converts effortlessly from last night’s small venue to the wider stages, allowing Andy to roam around menacingly, swop places with Saul and Larry to use the stage to maximum effect. The sound has been pretty much fixed by now, much to the relief of many of us.

Sometimes sees Tim contemplate coming down into the crowd. Probably quite wisely he decides against it, but then starts to invite people on stage for the closing track Gold Mother. The sight of the stage full of fans and friends of the band should go down as one of the moments of the festival, but will probably get ignored by the music press for the more fashionable bands on the bill.

So, James came and they won. As we departed the main stage area, there was a very definite buzz and a positive response to the set, which has hopefully reminded many how good James are and converted many a new fan.

Barry Nicholson (NME)

James were grown from the womb for days like these.

Terminally rubbish they may be, but you can’t deny the fact that songs like ‘Laid’ and ‘Getting Away With It (All Messed Up)’ make for prime festival merriment.

Guilty though the pleasure may be, it’s there all the same, and you can’t help but be dragged along in its summery wake.

Do we want them to release another album? Hell, no. Do we want them to play the next rain-sodden field we visit? Absolutely.

Sunday Mail

James frontman Tim Booth seemed to be bothered with sound problems but that didn’t stop him putting on a great show.

His trademark howl started off the huge hit Born of Frustration and it only took 2 bars of Sit Down to get the crowd jumping and singing to what became a huge T In The Park anthem.

After singing She’s A Star with his soaring vocals, he sang a new song Getting Away With It (All Messed Up) while reading from notes.

He did the huge crowd pleaser Ring The Bell which raised fever pitch and said “This song was inspired by the romantic notion of the desire to be struck by lightning.”

Glasgow Oran Mor – 6th July 2007

Posted on 6th July 2007

Setlist

Born Of Frustration / Tomorrow / Sit Down / She's A Star / Out To Get You / Johnny Yen / Upside / Sometimes / Gold Mother / Sound / Laid / Ring The Bells / Traffic / Not So Strong / Getting Away With It (All Messed Up)

Support

n/a

More Information & Reviews

OneOfTheThree.com

So another secret warm-up gig it is. Oran Mor is in the crypt of a converted church in one of the more salubrious suburbs of Glasgow. It’s an interesting venue. Due to its structure it has a very low roof which doesn’t help the sound and pillars in some odd places that obscure the view from many parts of the room.

Anyway, James come around 8.45 and launch into the opening bars of Born Of Frustration. It’s clear from the start that the crowd are up for it, as they always are in Glasgow, although here a bit more controlled than at the Academy earlier in the year. What’s clear from the start is that Tim is in fine form vocally, the best he’s been to date and that there are going to be sound problems. At various points in the evening Larry is almost inaudible and from the end of Frustration right through to Gold Mother, you can’t hear Andy’s trumpet at all. That said, James are no strangers to issues with sound and tonight, as they usually always do, they conquer it and more.

Tomorrow is fast, frenetic and rather wonderful. Sit Down is next and met with either rapturous cheers or groans from those who think a warm-up gig is no place for it. For me, it’s been reinvigorated this tour by the way it’s been played – with the keyboard intro but then dead straight down the middle.

She’s A Star is disappointing as Larry’s guitar appears to be completely absent from the first half of the song. Those that have heard it on the tour to date know this is one of the best moments of the set. He’s a little obscured by a pillar so I can’t see whether it’s a new arrangement or whether there’s a sound problem. But it takes the edge off the song.

Out To Get You is a known crowd favourite in these parts. It brought the house down at the Academy and it gets a similar reception tonight. Similarly Johnny Yen is superb, drawn out, improvised middle section, ever changing. It’s a song over 20 years old and still evokes more passion and excitement than any of the bands that are going to grace the stage with them tomorrow.

Upside Downside [ed. later renamed to just Upside for album release] continues to grow. Andy’s presence, when you can hear it, adds some beautiful shadow and shade to the song. The lyrics are again pretty much unchanged and it’s maybe a mystery now why Tim needs the lyric sheets for this one.

As this set is primarily a warm up for tomorrow and helping them with timing and the pacing of the set due to a typical Jamesian lack of rehearsals, it’s a bit more hit heavy than many would have liked, myself included. But it works fantastically well as a show, as would be evidenced tomorrow. Sometimes is as agitated, pulsating and exhilirating as ever, building and building to its climax of layered vocals. The band are clearly enjoying this and the crowd are lapping it up.

Gold Mother and Sound are exercises in the band demonstrating their craft, and so much of what was lost in James when Larry left. Some of us older types made constant references in the post Best Of era to the sheer dynamics of the Larry era live show and what had been lost (with no disrespect intended to Mike and Adrian). James were so unpredictable, all over the place yet so vibrant so spontaneous live in that period that we were seen as mad, but I think the evidence of the past four months have convinced everyone that the James line up we’re seeing now is pushing the envelope in a way that most bands wouldn’t even dare think about, yet alone pulling off. There’s a part in Gold Mother where it seems as if the song is about to come to a messy halt and it just soars out of nowhere.

Laid is a bit throwaway if we’re being honest, but the crowd love it to bits. Tim announces that Ring The Bells will be the last song of the set “tomorrow night”. I think I’ve said enough for you to get my opinion on this one, it feels like the song is never going to end and you never want it to as Tim dances himself into a frenzy, Andy hollers into his mic in between his trumpet burst and the guitars build and build and build. Stunning stuff.

The encore starts with the second ever performances of Traffic and Not So Strong, Tim apologising in advance if they mess them up. Traffic is meandering and beautiful with a very simple chorus that sounds like “dream a lie”, before speeding into a shotgun-style barrage of lyrics from Tim and then an extended improvised outro.

Not So Strong is the real highlight though, starting with a series of boxing analogies over a brooding and menacing backing, before opening out into a vast wide musical melange of guitar, keyboard and trumpet that works perfectly and lyrics that are pretty much fine as they are despite being work in progress. Tim says at the end “that was fucking good, wasn’t it?” Too right. Waiting for 2008 for this album is going to be a long long wait.

Getting Away With It starts and then stops, as the sound problems mean Dave can’t be heard. The song has become somewhat of an anthem for the band and it’s a real shame Mercury never took the time to promote it properly as it could have relaunched James in 2001. Tonight, it’s everything it’s always been. Tim’s dancing is frenetic and Larry and Andy add those little flourishes that make it special.

And then that’s it. A great night. James yet again overcoming technical gremlins and likely under-rehearsal to deliver a sharp and breathtaking set to a small crowd. A little hit heavy maybe, but this was more a genuine warm-up than the secret gigs of Hoxton and Nambucca, and when the band are this good, it’s a bit churlish to complain.

Review by Robin

Pouring rain, overpriced rum and fat bastards elbowing me through the first four songs could not overshadow the greatness of the gig

London Hoxton Bar And Grill – 25th June 2007

Posted on 25th June 2007

Setlist

Say Something / Seven / Play Dead / Traffic / Chameleon / Born Of Frustration / Chain Mail / Out To Get You / Not So Strong / Upside / Sometimes / Getting Away With It (All Messed Up) / Ring The Bells / Sound / She's A Star / Gold Mother / Laid

Support

n/a

More Information & Reviews

Warm-up gig for the festival season and Andy’s first back with the band since 1992.

Review by OneOfTheThree.com

So back to Hoxton, scene of the first comeback show only three seemingly long months ago. After making us wait an age to come on, they finally made their way through the crowd and launched into Say Something, and then promptly stopped. An inauspicious start and the version was a little ramshackle to start with but half way through kicked in. Before the next song, Tim asked if anyone could play brass and an extravagantly haired Andy Diagram climbed up on stage to start off Seven. Wandering around the rather cramped stage, it was both weird but welcoming to see Andy back. For me, James peak live was this line up around 1992 and whilst under-rehearsed and unfamiliar tonight, you could see the massive possibilities for the live sound were Andy’s comeback to be more permanent than the summer festivals.

Play Dead was wonderfully chaotic, all over the place, but yet held together, verging on freeform at points. The first new song Traffic was debuted, the sound was still patchy at this stage, but the seeds of a gorgeous yearning track are there, particularly the extended instrumental end section. Chameleon rocked like hell before Larry started the elongated building start to Born of Frustration, making a very welcome and a very stunning return to the set. Andy started to prowl the stage and the song descended into a beautiful mess. Chain Mail has taken on a new menacing edge in the way Tim forcefully pronounces the words. Out To Get You gets one of the warmest receptions of the evening, yet feels a little cramped in the more intimate surrounds of the venue than it did in the bigger halls of April.

The second brand new track, Not So Strong, starts with a pulsating intro with Tim half-speaking half-singing and then opens out into a gloriously loose and instantly endearing track. All is looking well. Upside is simply gorgeous. Andy’s dashes of trumpet just add the cherry on the very tasty cake.

The set then races to a close with a stunning medley of hits. Sometimes is as driven, as passionate and as exciting as ever. Getting Away With It builds and builds to a crescendo. Ring The Bells just keeps going and going and you never want it to end as the music gets more frenetic, more desperate. Sound makes a reappearance and doesn’t disappoint, its loose structures allowing the band to take the song wherever they choose in a way only James seem to be able.

They discard the encore ritual and launch into possibly the most beautiful rendition of any James song I think I’ve ever heard. Larry’s guitar on She’s A Star makes the hairs on my neck stand up and tears well up. Embellished with a wandering trumpet the song is an absolute showstopper. Gold Mother follows Sound down the path of unrehearsed, verging on the dividing line between genius and shambolic (and falling as ever on the right side of the line). After all this fun, Laid seems a bit of a throwaway ending, but the crowd love it and everyone goes home happy, if a little late.

James 2007 have pretty much lived up to their publicity. There might be some financial reasons for the reformation, but this is a band hellbent on playing what they want to play, and playing it their way. They are the awkward bastards that took the scenic route when the highway was set out in front of them. This reunion could have been so staid, a get the hits out for the lads style that so many of their contemporaries have gone for. But it’s not. It’s true to the spirit and legacy of James greatest moments and keeps adding to it. Roll on the album.

Review by Robin

“It was fucking amazing”

Fresh As A Daisy – The Singles

Posted on 30th April 2007

Fresh As A Daisy – The Singles, a 2007 Compilation Album by James.

Summary

A singles compilation album released to coincide with the band’s comeback tour 19 years ago.

Track List

Single disc version:

Ring The Bells / Sometimes / How Was It For You / Come Home / Destiny Calling / Laid / Born Of Frustration / Chameleon / I Know What I’m Here For / Seven / Just Like Fred Astaire / Waltzing Along / Say Something / Who Are You? / Lose Control / Sound / Getting Away With It (All Messed Up) / Tomorrow / She’s A Star / Sit Down

Two disc version:
What’s The World / Folklore / Fire So Close / If Things Were Perfect / Hymn From A Village / Chain Mail / So Many Ways / What For / Ya Ho / Johnny Yen / Sit Down / Come Home / How Was It For You? / Lose Control / Sound / Born Of Frustration / Ring The Bells / Seven / Sometimes / Laid / Jam J / Say Something / She’s A Star / Tomorrow / Waltzing Along / Destiny Calling / Runaground / I Know What I’m Here For / Just Like Fred Astaire / We’re Going To Miss You / Getting Away With It (All Messed Up) / Who Are You? / Chameleon

Details

ReleaseAboutSongsListenVideosGalleryArticlesGigs


Release Name:	Fresh As A Daisy – The Singles
Artist Name:	James
Release Date:	30th April 2007
Format:	Compilation Album
Catalogue:	173184-6 (double)

BBC Manchester Review: Fresh As A Daisy – The Singles is a new Best Of compilation released in April 2007 to coincide with the reformation of James and their first live shows for five and a half years. The album comes into two CD formats. The single disc version, aimed at supermarkets and casual buyers, features 20 of the band’s biggest hits including two new songs Who Are You? and Chameleon. The two disc version features all James singles in chronological order, plus all the tracks from the two debut singles Jimone and James II. Four tracks – What’s The World, Fire So Close, If Things Were Perfect and Chain Mail – are released on cd in studio version form for the very first time. There is also a companion DVD version.

Songs related to this release:

Born Of Frustration :1992
Chain Mail :1986
Chameleon :2007
Come Home :1989
Destiny Calling :1998
Fire So Close :1983
Folklore :1983
Getting Away With It (All Messed Up) :2001
How Was It For You? :1990
Hymn From A Village :1985
I Know What I’m Here For :1999
If Things Were Perfect :1985
Jam J :1994
Johnny Yen :1986
Just Like Fred Astaire :1999
Laid :1993
Lose Control :1990
Ring The Bells / Ring Those Bells :1992
Runaground :1998
Say Something / Carousel :1993
Seven :1992
She’s A Star :1997
Sit Down :1989
So Many Ways :1986
Sometimes (Lester Piggott) :1993
Sound :1991
Tomorrow :1994
Waltzing Along :1997
We’re Going To Miss You :1999
What For :1988
What’s The World :1983
Who Are You? :2007
Ya Ho :1988

: Album: Fresh As A Daisy

: Fresh As A Daisy Back Cover

: Fresh As A Daisy 2CD Back Cover

: Fresh As A Daisy 2CD Slipcase

: Fresh As A Daisy 2CD Slipcase Back

: Fresh As A Daisy Inner Back Cover

: Fresh As A Daisy CD Booklet 1

: Fresh As A Daisy CD Booklet 2

: Fresh As A Daisy CD Booklet 3

: Fresh As A Daisy CD Booklet 4

: Fresh As A Daisy CD Booklet 5

: Fresh As A Daisy CD Booklet 6

: Fresh As A Daisy CD Booklet 7

: Fresh As A Daisy CD Booklet 8

: Fresh As A Daisy CD Booklet 9

: Fresh As A Daisy 2CD Disc 1

: Fresh As A Daisy 2CD Disc 2

: Fresh As A Daisy Single CD

: Fresh As A Daisy DVD Front Cover

: Fresh As A Daisy DVD Back Cover

: Fresh As A Daisy DVD Inside Credits

: Fresh As A Daisy 2CD Promo

: Fresh As A Daisy HMV Advert

: Fresh As A Daisy Postcard Back

: Fresh As A Daisy Window Display

Gigs at the time of this release:

Fresh As A Daisy – The Videos

Posted on 30th April 2007

Fresh As A Daisy - The Videos, a 2007 Studio DVD by James.

Summary

Companion video release for Fresh As A Daisy – The Singles. Contains promotional videos of all major single releases to date and performances from BBC TV.

Track List

Laid / She’s A Star / Come Home / I Know What I’m Here For / Born Of Frustration / Waltzing Along / Just Like Fred Astaire / Say Something / Seven / Lose Control / Tomorrow / What For / Runaground / We’re Going To Miss You / Ring The Bells / Getting Away With It (All Messed Up) / So Many Ways / Sound / How Was It For You? / Destiny Calling / Sometimes / Sit Down

Extra features: Say Something (Original Version) / Sit Down ’98 / Live performances on The Old Grey Whistle Test, Top Of The Pops and Later… With Jools Holland / Full Interactive UK Discography

Details

ReleaseAboutSongsGigsArticlesGalleryAboutSongsGigsArticlesGallery


Release Name:	Fresh As A Daisy - The Videos
Artist Name:	James
Release Date:	30th April 2007
UK Chart:	n/a
Format:	Studio DVD
Label:	Fontana
Catalogue:	DVD - 984 836-2(6)
Produced:	Various
Engineered:	Various
Mixed:	Various
Additional Musicians:
Recorded:	Various

Fresh As A Daisy – The Singles DVD was released on April 30, 2007 to coincide with the CD release on the same day. The DVD features 24 videos from singles ranging from So Many Ways through to Getting Away With It (All Messed Up) plus extras from The Old Grey Whistle Test in 1985, Top Of The Pops performances between 1991 and 1994 and Later With Jools performances in 1998 and 1999.

Songs related to this release:

Born Of Frustration :1992
Come Home :1989
Destiny Calling :1998
Getting Away With It (All Messed Up) :2001
How Was It For You? :1990
I Know What I’m Here For :1999
Just Like Fred Astaire :1999
Laid :1993
Lose Control :1990
Ring The Bells / Ring Those Bells :1992
Runaground :1998
Say Something / Carousel :1993
Seven :1992
She’s A Star :1997
Sit Down :1989
So Many Ways :1986
Sometimes (Lester Piggott) :1993
Sound :1991
Tomorrow :1994
Waltzing Along :1997
We’re Going To Miss You :1999
What For :1988

No content found.

: Fresh As A Daisy DVD Back Cover

: Fresh As A Daisy DVD Inside Credits

: Fresh As A Daisy DVD Front Cover

Songs related to this release:

Born Of Frustration :1992
Come Home :1989
Destiny Calling :1998
Getting Away With It (All Messed Up) :2001
How Was It For You? :1990
I Know What I’m Here For :1999
Just Like Fred Astaire :1999
Laid :1993
Lose Control :1990
Ring The Bells / Ring Those Bells :1992
Runaground :1998
Say Something / Carousel :1993
Seven :1992
She’s A Star :1997
Sit Down :1989
So Many Ways :1986
Sometimes (Lester Piggott) :1993
Sound :1991
Tomorrow :1994
Waltzing Along :1997
We’re Going To Miss You :1999
What For :1988

No content found.

: Fresh As A Daisy DVD Back Cover

: Fresh As A Daisy DVD Inside Credits

: Fresh As A Daisy DVD Front Cover

Fresh As A Daisy (Reference CD)

Posted on 1st March 2007

Fresh As A Daisy (Reference CD), a 2007 promo by James.

Summary

Two disc reference CDR of the Fresh As A Daisy singles collection

Track List

Disc 1 : What’s The World / Folklore / Fire So Close / If Things Were Perfect / Hymn From A Village / Chain Mail / So Many Ways / Johnny Yen / What For / Ya Ho / Sit Down / Come Home / How Was It For You / Lose Control / Sound / Born Of Frustration

Disc 2 : Ring The Bells / Seven / Sometimes / Laid / Jam J / Say Something / She’s A Star / Tomorrow / Waltzing Along / Destiny Calling / Runaground / I Know What I’m Here For / Just Like Fred Astaire / We’re Going To Miss You / Getting Away With It (All Messed Up) / Who Are You / Chameleon

Details

ReleaseAboutSongsGallery


Release Name:	Fresh As A Daisy (Reference CD)
Artist Name:	James
Release Date:	1st March 2007
Format:	Promo Album
Catalogue:	1732660 / 1732768

Two disc reference CDR of the Fresh As A Daisy singles collection

Songs related to this release:

Born Of Frustration :1992
Chain Mail :1986
Chameleon :2007
Come Home :1989
Destiny Calling :1998
Fire So Close :1983
Folklore :1983
Getting Away With It (All Messed Up) :2001
How Was It For You? :1990
Hymn From A Village :1985
I Know What I’m Here For :1999
If Things Were Perfect :1985
Jam J :1994
Johnny Yen :1986
Just Like Fred Astaire :1999
Laid :1993
Lose Control :1990
Ring The Bells / Ring Those Bells :1992
Runaground :1998
Say Something / Carousel :1993
Seven :1992
She’s A Star :1997
Sit Down :1989
So Many Ways :1986
Sometimes (Lester Piggott) :1993
Sound :1991
Tomorrow :1994
Waltzing Along :1997
We’re Going To Miss You :1999
What For :1988
What’s The World :1983
Who Are You? :2007
Ya Ho :1988

: Fresh As A Daisy 2CD Promo

The Best of James (Canada)

Posted on 6th June 2006

The Best of James - 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection, a 2006 Album by James.

Summary

The Best of James (20th Century Masters), a 2006 compilation Canadian import album by James.

Track List

How Was It for You? / Sit Down / Laid / Sometimes / Crash / Say Something / Born of Frustration / I Know What I’m Here For / Lose Control / Come Home (Flood mix) / She’s a Star / Just Like Fred Astaire / Tomorrow

Details

ReleaseAboutSongsGallery


Release Name:	The Best of James - 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection
Artist Name:	James
Release Date:	6th June 2006
Format:	Compilation Album
Catalogue:	839617 / ASIN B000FIGZ1K

A Canadian only release in 2006 featuring a slimmed down Best Of with the odd inclusion of Crash from the Millionaires album.

Songs related to this release:

: Album: The Best of James (Import)

Seven – The Live Concert

Posted on 4th July 2005

James: Seven - The Live Concert, a 2005 Live DVD by James.

Summary

Seven – The Live Covert was recorded at a preview gig at Warrington Hall in December 1991 before the album release. This 2005 DVD release was a re-release of the 1992 VHS with the addition of videos for Come Home, Born Of Frustration, Sound and Seven, plus 2 exclusive wallpapers for your PC

Track List

Protect Me (acoustic) / Bring A Gun / Ring The Bells / Sound / Mother / Live A Love Of Life / Next Lover / Heavens / Protect Me / Seven / Born of Frustration / Don’t Wait That Long

Details

ReleaseAboutSongsGigsArticlesGalleryAboutSongsGigsArticlesGallery


Release Name:	James: Seven - The Live Concert
Artist Name:	James
Release Date:	4th July 2005
UK Chart:	n/a
Format:	Live DVD
Label:
Catalogue:
Produced:	Nick Ryle/Peter Scammell
Engineered:	Jim Ebdon
Mixed:
Additional Musicians:
Recorded:	Recorded live at Warrington Hall, December 1991

Reviews

From original 1992 release.

NME 2.92

When we expected Red Rocks, we get Warrington Parr Hall. When Tim Booth should take his shirt off and triumphantly climb the speaker stacks, he pulls on a woolly hat and settles for jittery tambourine playing. When everything’s set for a heroic guitar solo, all we get is another bloody trumpet flurry….

Seven The Live Video, then, does a pretty good job of defusing the epic aspects of the big, bold James band. Sharing an identical track listing to the current studio album – new marketing concept ahoy! – it relies on nostril-tickling close-ups rather than wide-ranging camera sweeps endowing the likes of Born of Frustration and Sound with some desperately needed intimacy.

It’s a clever trick, but it can’t disguise every weakness. Much of the video showcases a startlingly accomplished band flaunting their control and power on a batch of vaguely nondescript album tracks.

Booth – the inevitable focal point – is always immensely watchable, vibrating as if he’s permanently caught in a strobe’s fast-flickering glare, even if his jerky awkwardness is now well polished. But all the magnetic frontmen in the world would do well to enliven some of the stodgy, irredeemably pompous songs on display here.

That said, Bring A Gun and especially Ring The Bells are terrific, proving James can still be far smarter and edgier than the stadium dullards they’re increasingly compared with. Frustrating, but it isn’t quite time to lose faith.

Seven Go Mad On Stage – Liz Torres, Q Magazine

Since “Sit Down”, James passage into superstardom has continued apace. Seven instantly ensconced itself at the top of the album charts, their singles are always sure-fire successes, and they confidently moved into Stadiumsville with the announcement of a summer show art (of all places) Alton Towers.

One consequence of their ascent, of course, has been the band’s “new Simple Minds” tag, a label that they show no sign of shaking off. As this live reading of the new LP proves, James do stray close to the atmospheric pomp pioneered by Jim Kerr and Co: Tim Booth strikes the requisite Messianic poses, sidekick Larry Gott’s guitar sounds as strident as football grounds require, and the strains of songs like “Mother” and “Ring The Bells” have the aura of sense-filling hugeness that characterises the Minds’ much-maligned oeuvre.

Thankfully, James have retained a measure of sensitive fragility, infusing almost everything they do with a humanity that saves them from collapsing into bombastic emptiness. The trick is pulled off to great effect on “Sound” (this video’s highlight), a beautifully edgy opus that only benefits from an extended, suspense ridden live treatment.

It’s lapped up by an audience whose slavish adoration is astounding. Despite their unfamiliarity with almost everything performed (the concert took place a good two months before Seven was released), the crowd greets each song with rapture, prompting Booth’s trademark boyish grin to frequently spread across his face. There are times when the hysteria seems unfounded – “Live A Love Of Life” and “Next Lover” are nondescript – but when the festivities draw to a subdued close with “Don’t Wait That Long”, it’s hard to avoid the conclusion that James, unlike so many of their unit-shifting contemporaries, fully deserve every adulatory scream that comes their way.

Songs related to this release:

Gigs related to this release:

: DVD: Seven – The Live Concert

Reviews

From original 1992 release.

NME 2.92

Seven Go Mad On Stage – Liz Torres, Q Magazine

Songs related to this release:

Gigs related to this release:

: DVD: Seven – The Live Concert

Getting Away With It… Live

Posted on 10th June 2002

Getting Away With It… Live, a 2002 Live Album by James.

Summary

Released 24 years ago, Getting Away With It Live was recorded in the band’s hometown of Manchester during their farewell tour before their hiatus.

The main release consisted of 22 tracks on 2 CDs and a 20 track DVD / VHS video with the DVD featuring an additional documentary filmed around Manchester and some TV performances.

There was also a second later CD/DVD release that contained 20 edited tracks on a CD along with the DVD from the original package.

Track List

Main Release (2 x CD):

Say Something / Waltzing Along / Sometimes / Laid / I Know What I’m Here For / God Only Knows / Someone’s Got It In For Me / Vervaceous / Protect Me (acoustic) / Out To Get You / Hymn From A Village / Johnny Yen / Getting Away With It (All Messed Up) / Tomorrow / Born of Frustration / Ring The Bells / Top Of The World / Sound / Space / She’s A Star / Come Home / Sit Down

CD + DVD Combo Release:

CD: Sit Down / Sound / She’s A Star / Tomorrow / Sometimes / Getting Away With It / Waltzing Along / Say Something / Laid / Ring The Bells / Come Home / God Only Knows / Vervaceous / Protect Me / Johnny Yen / Out To Get You / Someone’s Got It In For Me / Born Of Frustation / Top Of The World / Space

DVD: Say Something / Waltzing Along / Sometimes / Laid / God Only Knows / Someone’s Got It In For Me / Vervaceous / Protect Me / Out To Get You / Johnny Yen / Getting Away With It / Tomorrow / Born Of Frustation / Ring The Bells / Top Of The World / Sound / Space / She’s A Star / Come Home / Sit Down

Details

ReleaseAboutSongsListenVideosGalleryArticlesGigs


Release Name:	Getting Away With It… Live
Artist Name:	James
Release Date:	10th June 2002
Format:	Live Album
Catalogue:	2xCD release: SANDD119, 06076-84557-2; CD+DVD release: Warner Music Entertainment 5051442914023

Reviews

Q 4/5

How awkward it must have been for James playing last December’s arena tour knowing frontman Tim Booth – and with him – any hopes of any kind of resurgence – was finally fleeing the coup. Their last show – in their adopted hometown Manchester – was highly charged without being mawkish. Booth is in prattish form, whining about his monitors and demanding audience affirmation, but his vocals are magical. Behind him, the band – plus guest alumni Larry Gott and Andy Diagram – play knowing life is going to be very different when they wake up in the morning. They end with seven minutes of “a song from the darkest hour”, Sit Down. The singalong, even at this distance, is spine-tingling. “I’d love to invite you all home for milk and cookies,” says Booth. “Thank you. Goodbye.” Shame.

NME

Once a gawky art rock band, by the time they called it a day, James had metamorphosed into a kind of Body Shop version of U2, and this whopping live selection from their last gig fills in most of the points in between, too.

Baggy anthems. Tree-hugging anthems. Sex anthems. James’ big thing was anthems, and here they do every single anthem they ever thought of. The crowd think it’s brilliant, and they cheer when Tim Booth talks about God. The crowd are plainly mad.

‘Sit Down’ finally arrives. But by then, you don’t want to sit down any more. You want to make a methodical series of unethical investments, and stop this sort of thing ever happening again.

Ray Sinclair

Like them or loath them and on this offering 16,000 are in the former category, the DVD and CD of James final hometown concert from Dec 7th 2001 are stunning productions. You are thrown into the melee through 5.1 Dolby sound that is almost flawless and captures perfectly the raw energy of a band that thrive on their fans support and collectively seem to rise to ever greater heights as the set continues. At times they play like a band possessed as on ‘God Only Knows’. Critics are remarkable for their fickleness and few bands survive the initial hype by these vultures of the press and some even fall by the wayside as the praise turns vitriolic as they strive to maintain their image rather than using what meagre talents they have to honestly review the music they are supposed to be concerned with and informing us about. James has survived such criticism and have consistently turned out unique and well-crafted albums that are original and distinctive and challenging and clearly demonstrate their musical skill and empathy. Perhaps it is this that so annoys those who singularly lack any real talent. Having been poorly served by their companies for several years, their final set is a scorching testimony of how good they are and how good they were and what we will now be missing. Both are more than a fitting finale to 20 years of honest and inspirational music. That their older numbers stand so well against their more recent songs is a testimony to their art and craft.It is difficult not to get swept away by their sheer exuberance and the obvious pleasure they get from playing together and at the end you feel on top of the world and as happy and as exhausted as any one of the 16,000 fans that were actually there. This is a marvellous record and a tribute to James and one that will form a treasured part of many collections. The critics will soon be long gone and forgotten, James however will still be shaking Manchester Arena for many years to come.

BBC Nottingham Online

It’s hard to think that just a year ago James were second on the bill to Bryan Adams at Nottingham’s City in the Park festival.

Admittedly that gig was pretty gruelling for singer Tim Booth because of a host of technical difficulties.

But James’ live credentials ensured the fans were not disappointed.

Indeed, the problems meant the band had to rely more on their old hits and not tracks from their then, newest album Pleased To Meet You, whose poor sales signalled the end of the group.

This live collection captures James’ final shows in their home city of Manchester.

It shows what they were all about – not only a group which could write hit songs but also deliver them on stage.

Over 2CDs Getting Away With It is virtually a greatest hits live album. Top versions of Laid, Tomorrow, She’s A Star and the encore Sit Down.

It makes you wonder whether they were right to call it a day. Maybe when frontman Tim Booth has had a go at some solo / collaborations the band will get back together.

James have certainly looked down the barrel before and bounced back. The unexpected success of Best Of led to more top compositions.

You can’t help but think, given the crowd participation on this live set, that there’s an audience who’d rejoice if James announced they were going to give it another go.

If not, then this is a worthy testament as to what the James phenomenon was all about.

Getting Away With It…Live is released on Sanctuary SANDD119

Cosmik.com

James has always been a band noted for their energetic live performances. Any one who has experienced them live can attest to the stunning harmony that existed between band members, and how well they communicated that to the crowd. Whether their venue was a rainy mountain top green or a throbbing subterranean night-club, James always seemed to seize what was unique in the moment and run with it.

James’ newest double disc release on Sanctuary records “Getting Away With It…Live” is an effort which seeks to capture that timeliness. The tracks represent a wide swath from the band’s eclectic catalog, ranging from their first single “Hymn For A Village” to material from UK only releases like “Millionaires.” The band has always given great credence to improvisation over polished rehearsed material and that emphasis is reflected in how each song performed live receives a unique twist on the studio version. “Laid,” the band’s anthem of playfully dysfunctional sexuality, is significantly faster and electric while “Tomorrow” sounds more raw and spontaneous. Songs like “Protect Me” and “Top Of The World” get a boost in tempo while retaining their quiet sensuality. There are stretches of inventive aural interplay with the tracks “Sound” and “Space” and a humorous moment when the band laughs and jokes with the crew after a microphone goes out. When the opening to “Out To Get You” fails to go off right, the band restarts the song and does so without any sense of pretension. “I don’t want to miss this moment,” says lead singer Tim Booth. In true James fashion, the set is meticulously arranged for maximum dramatic effect. The opening sequence of “Say Something” / “Waltzing Along” / “Sometimes” / “Laid” whips the crowd into an instant frenzy while closing with a hushed, sing along infused version of longtime favorite “Sit Down” captures the essence of James live: utter satisfaction combined with the audience’s pine for more.

After the encore, Booth announces that this is the band’s “long farewell” and indeed it proved to be. After the December 7th, 2001 show, members of the band invited the hometown Manchester crowd over for milk and cookies then amicably went their separate ways. Spurred on by the desire to pursue new musical endeavors and frustration in regards to a lagging response from American record companies, James went out with a spirited representative concert. Although it is fair to say that no CD can fully capture the electricity of one of their shows, this one comes oh so close.

by Paul Morrison (from Amazon.co.uk)

Being a distant admirer of James for a good few years, I always stood back from the madness that “sit down” and “come home” brought. I was, however, interested in this, the supposed last album; it was live, it was James, and it was the lead singers’ final (but one) trip onstage with the rest of the band.

This album sounds brilliant, the production is fantastic, it creates a closeness on the slow ones, and a feeling of crowd-crazyness on the fast ones.

The most breath-taking thing though, is the purety and vulnerability of the lead singers’ voice, and the power and subtlety of the band-check out “sound”…the whole ten minutes, and see how you feel afterwards.

The lesser known songs, after being played a few times will astound you, listen to “Jonny Yen” or “Vervacious” with the volume up high, listen to the words, and you’ll feel the goose bumps.

Listen to this whole thing at full blast, and you’ll be converted….

By kinitawowi from Manchester, United Kingdom (from amazon.co.uk)

So, another chapter in the life of this band draws to a close. And listening to this album, hearing all 20,000 people sing their hearts out to Sit Down, and knowing the connection between band and fans, you have to wonder where they will go next.

I had the good fortune to be in the Manchester Evening News Arena that December 7th. The band ran through 22 of their finest, best loved songs in front of a crowd who adored them. Tim had the entire audience hanging on his every word, and but for two additional performances in Glasgow and London (contrary to popular belief, this was not their last gig – a chronic error on the part of the schedulers) he could have gone on forever. An electrifying atmosphere kept building and building, through the compulsory technical hitch, until the final declaration; “I’d love to invite you home for milk and cookies. Goodnight!”.

Atmosphere is something that it’s always difficult to capture in a live recording. However you play the track, it never seems to sound or feel like a stadium. Thanks to some expert production, this recording manages it. Maybe you had to be there, but listening to this strikes up all the images and sensations of a band performing at their most passionate, with the fans in full voice.

The songs speak for themselves. Sit Down, Laid, Come Home. The simple sound of these words is enough to tell any music fan that this is greatness on two discs. And as Larry Gott and Andy Diagram perform on classics like Protect Me and God Only Knows, they have lost none of their touch.

This is a band at their best in front of a crowd who adored them. They always loved the thrill of being with fans, and this recording demonstrates why despite all their problems, with lineup changes, record company changes and financial chaos, to name but a few, they have kept going.

Tim Booth has now moved on. Perhaps he will return at some point. Perhaps not. But one thing is for certain; it doesn’t get much better than this.

by Ben Maydon (from amazon.co.uk)

It has long been the generally accepted thesis that James’ best album has been, is, and always will be, their aptly-titled “The Best Of James”. Couple that with the sprightly, up-beat pop rock of 1999’s “Millionaires” and you have a winning combination. James couldn’t lose after that. The ribbing the critics subesquently gave their next album “Pleased To Meet You”, therefore, was not welcomed by the fans.

However, I defy anyone to find any defects in this, James’ first and only proper live album ever to be released.

Recorded at what is almost certain to have been their last ever live gig, at Manchester in December 2001, this album takes many classic James hits like “Sometimes”, “Laid”, “Getting Away With It”, and of course the quintessential indie-rock number “Sit Down” and shows just how adept James can be at performing these with high energy and definite gusto. Some of the tracks have even been sped up to add a more rocky feel and give a sharper edge (the extremely upbeat “Laid”, with the audience joining in at a tremendous volume, is definitely one of the highest points in the album).

As a result, this is a definite, galloping record, bringing in all the classic James charm that they always had, and which riffs through many killer numbers without any sign or chance of them ever conceding or stopping.

I doubt they really wanted to stop, either.

Songs related to this release:

Born Of Frustration :1992
Come Home :1989
Getting Away With It (All Messed Up) :2001
God Only Knows :1990
Hymn From A Village :1985
I Know What I’m Here For :1999
Johnny Yen :1986
Laid :1993
Out To Get You :1990
Protect Me :1992
Ring The Bells / Ring Those Bells :1992
Say Something / Carousel :1993
She’s A Star :1997
Sit Down :1989
Someone’s Got It In For Me :1999
Sometimes (Lester Piggott) :1993
Sound :1991
Space :2001
Tomorrow :1994
Top Of The World :1990
Vervaceous :1999
Waltzing Along :1997

Not found on Spotify.

: Album: Getting Away With It Live

: Getting Away With It Live DVD Cover

: Getting Away With It Live DVD Back Cover

: Getting Away With It Live Booklet 1

: Getting Away With It Live DVD Q Review

: Getting Away With It Live Booklet 2

: Getting Away With It Live What DVD Review

: Getting Away With It Live Booklet 3

: Getting Away With It Live Booklet 4

: Getting Away With It Live Inner Back Cover

: Getting Away With It Live CD1

: Getting Away With It Live CD2

: Getting Away With It Live Back Cover

: Getting Away With It Live CD/DVD

: Promo: Getting Away With It Live

: Promo: Getting Away With It Live

: Getting Away With It Live NME Review

: Getting Away With It Live Postcard

: Getting Away With It Live Advert

Gigs at the time of this release:

Manchester Arena – 7th December 2001

Getting Away With It … Live

Posted on 10th June 2002

Getting Away With It … Live (DVD), a 2002 Live DVD/VHS by James.

Summary

James released a concert and features VHS and DVD entitled Getting Away With It Live on Monday June 10th 2002 through Warner Music Vision and an audio only CD entitled Getting Away With It Live on Sanctuary Records on the same day.

The DVD centres around the Manchester Arena show on Friday 7th December 2001 and features other bonus features including introductions to the songs, documentaries, promo videos and other special items. The VHS video and double CD feature just the concert.

The gig footage is be in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound.

There was also a second DVD release that contained the 20 track video DVD of the concert, a 20 track audio CD, but didn’t include the features material.

Track List

Full DVD Release:

Song DVD: Say Something / Waltzing Along / Sometimes / Laid / God Only Knows / Someone’s Got It In For Me / Vervaceous / Protect Me / Out To Get You / Johnny Yen / Getting Away With It / Tomorrow / Born Of Frustration / Ring The Bells / Top Of The World / Sound / Space / She’s A Star / Come Home / Sit Down

Features DVD: Hooligans / Craft Work / A Drummer’s Tale / The Tradesman’s Entrance / Number 2’s / Saul And The One Note Solo / Eno / Getting Away With It / Missing Links / The Good The Bad And The Profitable / Exit Booth

Promos: She’s A Star / Say Something / Laid

CD + DVD Combo Release:

Details

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Music videos and DVDs are usually pretty shit. They don’t capture the adrenalin of the live performance and ultimately disappoint. There are very few exceptions – the Come Home live video being a prime and very relevant example and the benchmark here for the live element of the DVD.

The DVD starts with the band backstage waiting to go on stage, the bellowing noise from the audience clearly audible as they mooch around. Onstage, the band then crash into Say Something and it’s evident that this is going to match, if not better, Come Home. The choice of camera angles captures perfectly the performance, focusing on key performers at key moments. The main focus is obviously on Tim, but the others are not neglected in the mix. The sound is spot on, the nuances, subtleties and sheer quality that often gets lost when you’re having the life squeezed out of your lungs on the barrier or having the world’s worst karaoke singer hollowing in your ear are all there. You even get the odd shot of the crowd, mostly young nubile things rather than some of us older uglier farts or the heaving mass stretching way back into the arena. This was a memorable gig and it all starts flooding back, tinged by the obvious sadness that we’re unlikely to ever experience this again.

The set covers almost all the songs performed. Hymn From A Village and I Know What I’m Here For are missing. But what’s there is spot on. A band at the peak of its rather substantial power. From Tim’s emotion evident in every note, in every facial expression to Jim’s seemingly ageless expressionless grace. Saul eggs the crowd on as only he can while delivering some stunning guitar and violin performances. Adrian really stands out with some virtuoso performances. Dave’s drumming is as manic, energetic and driving as ever. Less in your face but there adding colour and shade and underpinning the sound are Mark’s keyboard and Kulas guitar and backing vocals. Andy’s trumpet is a joy to behold, an extremely welcome and sadly shortlived return. Larry Gott puts in unmistakeable performances on Protect Me and in particular Out To Get You.

Say Something, Waltzing Along, Sometimes and Laid are rattled off for starters, songs played hundreds of times before, but still fresh and invigorated as if the nerves created by the cameras drive the band on rather than stifling them. God Only Knows is possessed, some superb mixing on the visual effects and Geoff Buckley’s lighting show, simply adding to the crescendo of sound the band create.

The mastery of James is then proven beyond doubt as the pace turns full circle into Someone’s Got It In For Me and Vervaceous. Tim once told me off for saying in a review that some of the tracks on Millionaires weren’t a patch on the live versions – judge for yourself, but I think I was right. Adrian’s performance on Vervaceous is simply breathtaking.

Larry comes on for a emotive performance of Protect Me with just Tim and Jim, before picking up his slide guitar for Out To Get You, complete with false start. It’d be unfair to ask anyone to play that as well as Larry does as he’s not lost any of his brilliance, just his hair. What is great is the banter in here – comments on working with amateurs, Tim’s pretend speech about unprofessionalism when it goes wrong and then the performance is almost indescribable, so I won’t even try. You could almost miss Saul’s brilliance on the violin in the the vocal interplay between Tim and Larry – you even can forgive him his offkey backing vocals. And we don’t get the asylum story from Tim either!

There’s an inexplicable cut of Hymn From A Village that ruins the synchronisation of the show – Tim says goodbye to Larry and Saul’s equipment goes down at the end of Out To Get You and then, almost by miracle, they’re both back for Johnny Yen. Discussions on what to do next ensue – unfortunately you can’t catch what was said, but what you get is nine members of James improvising old favourite Johnny Yen, first performed in 1983, almost 20 years ago and still sounding and looking as fresh and vibrant as ever. Trumpet, violin, bass, three guitars, drums, keyboards and Tim’s semi-improvised lyrics build to an unmistakeably James crescendo. For all their power and dynamism not even U2, in my own opinion before I get lynched, can match this.

Getting Away With It (All Messed Up) motors along, building up its own momentum. The simple lighting background and judicial mixing of the video again just bring home what a great and wickedly overlooked song this is.

Tomorrow, like God Only Knows, powers along, the mixing of the video matching the pace and intensity of the song and Tim’s increasingly impassioned vocals as it builds from its opening to a blurred crescendo of drums, trumpet and guitar at full tilt. There are some strange shots apparently taken from the crowd itself.

Born Of Frustration sees Tim climbing up into the crowd to the right of the stage as the standing area heaves up and down. Andy’s calling card trumpet pervades throughout the song as the band play on as if unaware and uninterested in Tim’s wandering.

Tim returns to the stage for the final song of the main set Ring The Bells. How could a song this good only get to number 38 in the charts? Here, as ever live, it is a highlight, Saul prowling the stage, Dave battering the drums like a man possessed as the song gets faster and faster to its end. Andy adds an indecipherible rap over the top and that’s it. The band leave the stage milking the well deserved applause.

Top Of The World sees Tim and Saul up high up in the seats either side of the stage. It’d been done before on previous tours and had become a little predictable, but it works wonderfully visually on the DVD as the arena is darkened and the spotlight focuses in on them, whilst Jim, Adrian, Larry and Mark play almost nonchantly down on the stage.

Sound has the full contingent of nine back on stage again, Larry and Adrian performing together and Andy on trumpet. Stretched over nine minutes with its switches in tempo, Sound has always been an aural and visual high point of the set, no mean feat over the length of the song. Again the lighting and camera angles, particularly the close-ups of Tim’s frenetic dancing and the interplay between the band, do not disappoint. The band leave again to an even more rapturous response.

Space is a surprise – both as a choice of a second encore track and just how good it is. The live version has much more spirit and emotion than the more staid album version. It’s a little sad that Pleased To Meet You is restricted to just two tracks on this DVD as it’s a sadly neglected work. But there’s a nice shot of some of the front row singing along. Adrian’s performance again deserves a particular mention – looks like Tim got him to be the rock guitar god he always threatened to just as he was leaving.

The live show then finishes off with perhaps James three best known tracks. She’s A Star is a wonderful almost camp run through, testament of the band’s ability to write truly great songs brimming with power and passion without crossing the line to becoming overblown. There’s a lovely panning shot over the arena which is a mass of upraised arms.

Come Home is just fucking brilliant (I’m running out of words to use here, so please excuse the swearing). It almost rambles along, the cameras hone in on Tim’s pointed delivery of the vocals, there’s lots of delirious crowd shots, close ups of Mark’s wonderful and often ignored keyboard lines. The languid trumpet from Andy takes the song back to former glories and it’s like Manchester 1989-90 had never gone away.

Sit Down is an absolute mess. Despite Tim’s threat to “stay all night and play obscure b-sides” (yeah, go on then, start off with Lazy….). Mark starts off with the keyboard intro off the extended 1989 version which was sadly lost in the more popular 1991 version. Cue Tim, in a James Lasts t-shirt. singing over the keyboards, lots of joyful audience shots singing every word back before the band kick in for the chorus and the arena goes mental. The second verse is similarly hushed before another raucous chorus. The song’s taken down again, the audience drown Tim out, before another chorus and a glorious beautiful elongated end section. It might have been released three times, been played to death, be the only James song your friends know, might not be the best song musically James have ever written, but it’s the greatest anthem of unity and togetherness ever. So there!

And that’s it. The band acknowledge the crowd, the crowd acknowledge the band. Everyone smiles even though it’s a sad occasion. You could say it’s very good.

So what about the rest of the DVD?

The two documentaries are actually one – a forty five minute trip through the story of James told by the players themselves. It’s done in a similar manner to Kevin Smith’s classic Clerks with each section having its own title. Whilst there’s very little new information here, it comes with a very different and very personal slant on it. A story told from start to finish by the band from the pre-James days through to Tim’s departure. It’s also interspersed by soundcheck snippets of How Was It For You?, I Defeat and What For.

Jim, in his own inimitable jovial style and located at Man City’s Maine Road, talks about his past in Moss Side and how James came about, Tim adds his story as to how he joined and the ealrand the others add their stories as the chronology of the documentary continues. You even get the strange scene of Tim semi-singing the lines “I have a way with girls. Me being so good looking. I have a fantasy. I want to be raped by a woman”. Larry also contributes to the story of the early years.

There’s a focus throughout on the songwriting methods stemming from jams, from the Withington scout hut in the early eighties, through the late eighties at the Beehive Mills where James rehearsed (and where Dave is located for his interviews), to the sessions for Laid with Eno and Adrian’s entry during the recording of Whiplash. Saul recalls his story from the Band on the Wall club where he was “discovered” by Larry on an improvisation night.

The band talk through problems with radio stations and getting airplay, the well-documented situation with record companies and how they triumphed over adversity to finally break both daytime radio and the charts. There’s a section on Brian Eno’s contribution to the band and the recording process including snippets from the man himself. The band also talk through their gig preparation on the day of the concert including a snippet of a meeting to decide the setlist, their approach to risk-taking and improvisation and their reactions when they get on stage.

There’s also some hilarious snippets of interviews with fans, two blokes who got into James with Strip-Mine and who think Sit Down is “shite” and two women who don’t realise Tim is leaving, Jim making a confession about their reluctance to be photographed in the early years, a tourbus discussion on Tim’s love of Val Doonican and Adrian telling the stories of busking with Saul in Hull and being hit by a bottle at V98.

There’s also an honest appraisal of Tim’s departure and the band’s, and particularly Jim’s, reaction to it leaving hope for the future of James and the satisfying feeling that Tim departed on good terms rather than an acrimonious split.

The promo videos are pretty standard fare – the “clean” version of Laid (“she only sings when she’s on top”), the second version of Say Something filmed in New York (rather than the original gorilla in a cage video) and She’s A Star.

The “Hidden Bits” appear to be short interview snippets which kick in between menus.

This DVD is a fitting end to a chapter in James history and a stunning document of everything that is good about the band. It shows a band at the peak of its powers live. Rather than simply give us a live video, the band have gone the extra mile to provide us with the documentary which is both informative and interesting and the promo videos are a nice bonus as well.

Release Date:	10 June 2002
UK Chart:	n/a
Format:	Live DVD/VHS
Label:	Warner Music Vision
Catalogue:	2 x DVD release: 0927 45160-2; CD+DVD release: Warner Music Entertainment 5051442914023
Producer:	Debbie Phillips
Engineer:
Mixer:
Additional Musicians:	Andy Diagram, Larry Gott
Recorded:	Manchester Arena – 7th December 2001