Tag Archives: song-laid

Following the success of Seven, Andy Diagram left the band to pursue other musical interests, taking the distinctive trumpet sound of the album with him.  The acoustic tour of America with Neil Young had a profound influence on the band’s sound, playing acoustically focusing the band on producing a more simple “stripped and naked” sound.

The other distinctive factor in the sound of Laid was the appointment of Brian Eno as producer. Where Seven sounded like a band striving for perfection, “Brian encouraged us to improvise, encouraged us to use takes where we didn’t know what we were doing. He made us realise that this imperfection was a good thing.” (Jim, Q 1993).

Most of Laid was recorded over a six-week period in the spring of 1993 at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios. Using two separate studios, one for the album “proper” and one for jams, the band recorded over fifty tracks, which also spurned the double album Wah Wah, which was released in 1994. The band did actually also try to record a live album at the same time playing a one-off gig at the Moles Club in Bath, but had underestimated their ability to play the new material live. Present at the show however was Peter Gabriel who approached the band to join the US WOMAD tour that summer.

Unlike previous albums, very little of Laid had been played live before it was recorded – Say Something had been in the set since April 1992 and Low Low Low had began life as a six-minute improvised trumpet epic. Read Tim’s track-by-track commentary on the album by clicking on the above link.

Laid received mixed but generally positive reviews in the music press. The stripped-down sound was seen as a welcome return to the band’s folky roots and a step back from the perceived stadium rock sound of Seven. The two singles released around the album, Sometimes and Laid, received surprisingly positive reviews, but only achieved moderate chart success.

The album peaked at Number 3 in the UK charts. Internationally, the band’s German record company initially refused to promote the album, claiming that without an obvious lead track and single it would not sell. The album went to Number 1 in Portugal. But the major breakthrough of Laid was in America where the album peaked at number 68, but sold over 600,000 copies as the band spent most of the first half of 1994 touring, starting with a number of support slots with Duran Duran followed by two headline tours, culminating in an invitation to play Woodstock 2 in August in front of 300,000 people.

• Dream Thrum :1993
• Everybody Knows :1993
• Five-O :1993
• Knuckle Too Far / Bruce Jam :1993
• Laid :1993
• Low Low Low :1993
• Lullaby :1993
• One Of The Three / You Were Born :1993
• Out To Get You :1990
• P.S. :1993
• Say Something / Carousel :1993
• Skindiving / Falsetto :1993
• Sometimes (Lester Piggott) :1993

• Laid (Version 2) (Clean)
• Laid (Version 3) (Explicit)
• Say Something (US Version)
• Say Something (Version 1)

• XS Manchester – James 'Laid' with Saul Davies (plus bonus 'Yummy' interview)
• James To Release Laid And Wah Wah Albums in Deluxe Editions – Even The Stars
• Wuss-Stock – Select
• No Folk On The Wah Tour – NME Magazine
• Woodstock 2, New York – 14th August 1994
• James Let Loose – Manchester Evening News
• Woodstock MTV Interview
• Glastonbury Festival – 25th June 1994
• Washington Post Feature
• The Musician Interview And Feature
• James To Make Ambient Football Album (Mr Agreeable Parody) – Melody Maker
• Goal Goal Goal – Unknown TV Broadcast – June 1994
• The Jessie In James – Vox
• Home James – Chicago Sun
• St Louis Post – Acoustic Tour Leaves Imprint on James
• Band Outgrows Cult Status – Wisconsin State Journal
• James On World Cup Album – NME News
• Say Something (Top Of The Pops) – 31st March 1994
• Los Angeles Hollywood Palace – 22nd March 1994
• Los Angeles Hollywood Palace – 21st March 1994
• Interview With Jo Whiley – BBC Radio 1
• James Find Another Wave – The Advocate
• More Where They Came From – Rocky Mountain News
• Say Something / Jam J – Press Release
• Happy Accident Makes It All Happen – LA Times
• Tim Booth’s Rebellious Jukebox – Melody Maker
• British Band James Returns – Seattle Times
• Mr Agreeable – Melody Maker
• Laid – Jay Leno Show – March 1994
• Laid – David Letterman Show – March 1994
• James Wins Applause In The States – Providence Journal
• MTV 120 Minutes Interview
• Vous Avez Dit James – Le Soir (French)
• Laid – Conan O’Brien Show – January 1994
• London Brixton Academy – 9th December 1993
• City Life Tim Interview
• A Typical James Gig – Tour Pamphlet from December 1993
• Best Yet To Come? – Stop Press
• Lyon Transbordeur – 22nd November 1993
• Laying Low With James – Toronto University Varsity
• Listen To James And You’ll Get Laid – London UWO Gazette
• Hey Nonny Eno – NME
• The Village View Interview
• Strobe Magazine Interview
• Laid North American Tour Dates – Press Release
• Los Angeles Roxy – 28th October 1993
• Mean Street Article And Interview
• World Cup Song Is Our Goal – Manchester Evening News
• Mercury Bets Touring Can Make James a U.S. Name – Billboard
• Larry Interview with Guitar Magazine
• Interview with Alan Pell (James A+R man)
• Sometimes – Jay Leno Show – October 1993
• The American Music Press Interview
• Telemoustique Interview (French)
• James And The Art Of Getting Laid – RCD
• La Folie Douce – Les Irrockuptibles (French)
• NME Discography
• Creem Magazine Interview
• James Daily Insider Article
• London Astoria – 28th September 1993
• Los Angeles WOMAD – 18th September 1993
• Sometimes – BBC1 Top Of The Pops – 9th September 1993
• Radio 1 Interview about Knuckle Too Far
• Laid Press Release Biography
• Sometimes – Press Release
• O Zone Interview BBC1
• The James Gang Rides Again – Entertainment Today
• Best Magazine Interview (French)
• James Tour – NME News
• Laid US Album Release – Press Release
• MTV Interview
• Melody Maker News Article on Sometimes
• What’s Eating You? – Select
• James Laid In Italy – Melody Maker
• Sometimes – Channel 4 The Beat – August 1993
• James Still Folking Around – NME News
• James Get Laid And Improvise With Eno – Melody Maker
• Kevin Westerberg on the Laid Cover – I Music
• Eno’s Wah Wah Notes
• James Support Neil Young – NME News
• Tim’s Bunk Diary – Chain Mail
• Martine McDonagh Interview with Andy Diagram – Chain Mail
• 1993 – 1996: Laid Back Years

• Woodstock 2, New York – 14th August 1994
• Portland Beatfest – 7th August 1994
• Seattle Endfest – 6th August 1994
• Glastonbury Festival – 25th June 1994
• San Diego Sunfest – 12th June 1994
• Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre – 11th June 1994
• Mountain View Shoreline Amphitheatre – 10th June 1994
• Tucson venue unknown – 8th June 1994
• El Paso venue unknown – 7th June 1994
• Lubbock venue unknown – 6th June 1994
• Houston venue unknown – 4th June 1994
• Arlington Six Flags – 3rd June 1994
• Goal Goal Goal – Unknown TV Broadcast – June 1994
• Oklahoma City venue unknown – 31st May 1994
• Lawrence Liberty Hall (KS, USA) – 30th May 1994
• Columbus venue unknown – 28th May 1994
• St Louis Mississippi Nights – 27th May 1994
• Minneapolis First Avenue – 24th May 1994
• Chicago Riviera – 22nd May 1994
• Cleveland Agora Theatre – 21st May 1994
• Toronto Ontario Place Forum – 20th May 1994
• Norfolk venue unknown – 18th May 1994
• Chapel Hill venue unknown – 17th May 1994
• Atlanta venue unknown – 15th May 1994
• Washington RFK Stadium (HFStival) – 14th May 1994
• New Haven Toad’s Place – 9th May 1994
• Boston Orpheum Theatre – 8th May 1994
• Say Something (Top Of The Pops) – 31st March 1994
• Phoenix The Grind – 27th March 1994
• Las Vegas Huntridge Theatre – 25th March 1994
• San Diego SU Montezuma Hall – 24th March 1994
• Los Angeles Hollywood Palace – 22nd March 1994
• Los Angeles Hollywood Palace – 21st March 1994
• San Francisco Marriott Hotel – 19th March 1994
• San Francisco Warfield Theatre – 17th March 1994
• Sacramento Crest Theatre – 16th March 1994
• Vancouver Commodore Theatre – 13th March 1994
• Portland La Luna – 12th March 1994
• Seattle Moore Theatre – 11th March 1994
• Boston Orpheum – 9th March 1994
• Denver Ogden Theatre – 7th March 1994
• Houston Numbers – 5th March 1994
• Dallas Deep Ellum Live – 4th March 1994
• New Orleans Tipitina’s – 1st March 1994
• Laid – Jay Leno Show – March 1994
• Laid – David Letterman Show – March 1994
• Memphis New Daisy Theatre – 27th February 1994
• Atlanta Roxy 26th February 1994
• Cincinnati Bogart’s – 24th February 1994
• Columbus, Newport Music Hall – 23rd February 1994
• Bloomington Jake’s – 22nd February 1994
• Chicago Vic Theatre – 20th February 1994
• Milwaukee Marquette University Varsity Theatre – 19th February 1994
• Detroit St Andrew’s Hall – 18th February 1994
• Cleveland Peabody’s Down Under – 17th February 1994
• New York Irving Plaza – 15th February 1994
• Washington WUST Music Hall – 14th February 1994
• Philadelphia Trocadero – 12th February 1994
• Boston Avalon – 10th February 1994
• Providence The Strand – 9th February 1994
• New Haven Toad’s Place (CT, USA) – 8th February 1994
• Toronto Opera House – 6th February 1994
• Toronto Opera House – 5th February 1994
• Montreal Club Soda – 4th February 1994
• Evanston Northwestern University – 16th January 1994
• West Lafayette Elliott Hall – 15th January 1994
• New York Radio City Music Hall – 13th January 1994
• New York Radio City Music Hall – 12th January 1994
• New York Radio City Music Hall – 11th January 1994
• Fairfax George Mason University – 9th January 1994
• West Point Eisenhower Theatre – 8th January 1994
• Hartford Civic Centre – 6th January 1994
• The Palace, Auburn Hills – 4th January 1994
• Minneapolis Target Centre – 2nd January 1994
• Laid – Conan O’Brien Show – January 1994
• York Barbican Centre – 16th December 1993
• Newport Centre – 13th December 1993
• Norwich UEA – 12th December 1993
• Portsmouth Guild Hall – 11th December 1993
• London Brixton Academy – 9th December 1993
• Gloucester Leisure Centre – 8th December 1993
• Derby Assembly Rooms – 7th December 1993
• Wolverhampton Civic Centre – 5th December 1993
• Manchester G-Mex – 4th December 1993
• Glasgow Barrowlands – 1st December 1993
• Porto Coliseum – 28th November 1993
• Lisbon Pavilhao dos Belenenses – 27th November 1993
• Madrid Pacha – 26th November 1993
• Barcelona Zeleste – 25th November 1993
• Paris, Casino de Paris – 23rd November 1993
• Lyon Transbordeur – 22nd November 1993
• Geneva Salle du Lignon – 20th November 1993
• Marseille Theatre du Moulin – 19th November 1993
• Toulouse Le Confluant – 18th November 1993
• Besancon Montjoye – 16th November 1993
• Munich Charterhalle – 15th November 1993
• Frankfurt Music Hall – 13th November 1993
• Cologne Live Music Hall – 12th November 1993
• Hamburg Markthalle – 11th November 1993
• Los Angeles Roxy – 28th October 1993
• San Francisco Slim’s – 27th October 1993
• Coimbra Pavilhao Estadio Universitario – 9th October 1993
• Sometimes – Jay Leno Show – October 1993
• London Astoria – 28th September 1993
• San Francisco WOMAD – 19th September 1993
• Los Angeles WOMAD – 18th September 1993
• Milwaukee Marcus Amphitheatre WOMAD – 12th September 1993
• Chicago WOMAD – 11th September 1993
• Buckeye Lake Centre, Thornville, OH – 10th September 1993
• Sometimes – BBC1 Top Of The Pops – 9th September 1993
• Burgettstown Starlake Amphitheatre WOMAD – 8th September 1993
• Saratoga Springs Performing Arts Centre WOMAD – 6th September 1993
• Carlyon Bay WOMAD – 28th August 1993
• Sometimes – Channel 4 The Beat – August 1993
• Bad Mergentheim Schlosshof – 18th July 1993
• Milan Assago Forum – 13th July 1993
• London Finsbury Park – 11th July 1993
• Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall – 8th July 1993
• Bath Moles Club – 21st March 1993