Tag Archives: song-once-a-friend

Following the release of Seven, the band went to America for their debut tour followed by a three week tour of Europe. In order to maintain the band and the album’s profile back in the UK, Ring The Bells was chosen as the third single off the album.

The single was backed on all formats by Fight, a five minute anti-war song premiered at the Reading Festival warm-up at Camden Underworld in August 1991 which was given a dance makeover by producer Pearson Glance. Also included on the single were two mixes of Come Home. The Skunk Weed Skank Mix had been heard previously as the Weatherall mix on the 1990 single release but the Hugo Live Dub Challenge remixed by Hugo Nicholson was unique to the CD release. Once A Friend, a vitriolic two-minute attack on an ex-girlfriend and an outtake from the Seven sessions appeared on the 12″ vinyl only.

The artwork for the single was another John Carroll watercolour and this piece was used in the single’s video with sections of the picture superimposed and brought to life over the band’s performance of the song at Warrington Parr Hall on the Seven live video.

Ring The Bells was generally ignored by the radio and press in the UK as the band were not around to do any promotion. It failed to get a Radio 1 A-listing and reviews tended to focus on slagging off the band without even mentioning the song.

The single entered the chart at a very disappointing number 38 and disappeared from the Top 40 the following week.

Reviews

Melody Maker

I don’t begrudge James their success. There have probably been two occasions (If Things Were Perfect and Come Home) in their career (and doesn’t that seem like the right word?) when I found them more than mildly loveable. I don’t particularly mind that their last two singles really did sound like Simple Minds as everyone kept saying. What does bother me is that musically Ring The Bells sounds so small, so village fete. The only function the instruments have at all seems analogous to a dinner-suited announcer at a high-class ball – “Ladies and Gentlemen, presenting Mr Timothy Booth! (cue fanfare)” – before the entrance of the man with an ego the size of East Anglia. They can do better. And maybe, when they’ve sold enough shirts and filled enough stadia, they will.

Press Release

James: Ring The Bells Press Release March 1992

James have a new single – ‘Ring The Bells’ – released by Fontana on March 23rd. Taken from their current Top Ten album ‘Seven’, this is set to become the group’s seventh consecutive Top Forty hit.

The single is backed on the twelve inch and CD by Andy Weatherall’s legendary mixes of ‘Come Home.’ The ‘Skunk Weed Skank Mix’ was previously only available as an underground twelve inch while the ‘Hugo Live Dub Challenge’ has never been available at all before.

‘Once A Friend’, the bonus track on the twelve inch is a new song recorded during the ‘Seven’ sessions, while ‘Fight’, the extra track on all formats is another new track specially recorded for this single.

James are currently on a sell-out club tour of America.

Their only British date this year is their summer extravaganza at Alton Towers on 4th July.

• 7″ JIM 11            RING THE BELLS / FIGHT
• 12″ JIM 1112        RING THE BELLS / FIGHT / COME HOME (SKUNK MIX) / ONCE A FRIEND
• CASSETTE JIMC 11         RING THE BELLS / FIGHT
• CD JIMCD 11      RING THE BELLS / FIGHT / COME HOME (SKUNK MIX) / COME HOME (HUGO LIVE DUB)

• Come Home :1989
• Fight :1992
• Once A Friend :1992
• Ring The Bells :1992

Open in Spotify

• Come Home (Flood Mix)
• Come Home (Original)
• Ring The Bells