One Of The Three - The James Band Archive

Tag Archives: song-ring-the-bells

Paris La Locomotive – 15th February 1991

Posted on

Setlist

Pressure's On / Sound / Heavens / Don't Wait That Long / Live A Love Of Life / Mother / Protect Me / Somebody Help Me (aka Singer's A Liar) / Ring The Bells / Born Of Frustration / Johnny Yen / How Was It For You? / Sit Down / Stutter

Support

n/a

More Information & Reviews

A secret warm-up show in Paris starting with many new songs from the studio sessions of what would become the Seven album, including Pressure’s On which would resurface on Wah Wah and Somebody Help Me (a.k.a. Singer’s A Liar) that was never played again or released at the time.

Manchester Piccadilly Hotel Roof – 30th January 1991

Posted on

Setlist

What For / Ring The Bells / Come Home / Sit Down / How Was It For You?

Support

n/a

More Information & Reviews

Sounds

James played an impromptu gig on the roof of Manchester’s Piccadilly Hotel last Wednesday January 30 [1991]. This was to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Beatles last ever gig which was on the roof of the Apple Records building in London’s Saville Row.

Over 5,000 people blocked off the streets around the hotel to hear James play five songs: “Come Home”, “How Was It For You?”, “Sit Down” and new song “Ring The Bells”.

The band had to cut their set short because guitarist Larry’s fingers had frozen to the fretboard! They were without trumpet player Andy who is in hospital having an operation on his foot.

James singer Tim Booth said last week “The idea was to do something a little unexpected even though it had been done a few times before. It sounded like a fun idea to spring a surprise and we only announced it at 8 o’clock that morning.”

Manchester G-Mex – 8th December 1990

Posted on

Setlist

Come Home / Gregory's Town / What's The World / Lose Control / Sunday Morning / Ring The Bells / Whoops / Government Walls / Walking The Ghost / Next Lover / Johnny Yen / Hymn From A Village / God Only Knows / What For / Sit Down / How Was It For You? / Stutter

Support

That Petrol Emotion

More Information & Reviews

This gig was filmed for the legendary Come Home Live video.

Manchester Evening News

James are a phenomenon. Selling out the massive G-Mex centre for two nights in succession is no mean feat, especially when you haven’t even had a hit single. James fans are however not drawn from the ranks of fickle teenage youth, but from those fans with taste for a more intense kind of pop experience.

The seven-piece band fall clearly within the pop lineage begun by The Smiths, inspiring the same kind of passionate, almost religious devotion.

They certainly heated up the chill of the huge ex-railway terminus with some of their classic cult singles like Come Home and What For, which seemed to transform them a year or two ago from a student-type band to one with a massive groundswell of support – anthems of solidarity for alienated misfit youth, though plenty of them were alienated further through being cut off through the atrocious weather.

Unlike many of the Manchester bands, James’ lyrics, courtesy of the charismatic singer Tim Booth are intelligent and complex. But they can have a singalonga quality as well and the massed hordes sang with fervour to numbers like Government Walls and God Only Knows. In fact, Booth grabbed the camera from the crew filming the band and turned it on the crowd. They, said the star of the show, were the real stars of the show.

London Brixton Academy – 6th December 1990

Posted on

Setlist

Johnny Yen / Lose Control / Sunday Morning / Ring The Bells / Government Walls / Bring A Gun / Gregory's Town / What For / Walking The Ghost / Next Lover / Hymn From A Village / Come Home / God Only Knows / How Was It For You? / Stutter / Sit Down

Support

n/a

More Information & Reviews

None.

Glasgow Barrowlands – 4th December 1990

Posted on

Setlist

What For / Goin Away / What's The World / All My Sons / Government Walls / Lose Control / Sunday Morning / Heavens / Ring The Bells / Johnny Yen / God Only Knows / Gregory's Town / Bring A Gun / Come Home / Sit Down / How Was It For You? / Stutter

Support

n/a

More Information & Reviews

No review.

Newcastle Mayfair – 3rd December 1990

Posted on

Setlist

Johnny Yen / Lose Control / Ring The Bells / Sunday Morning / Goin Away / What's The World / Pitiful / All My Sons / God Only Knows / Next Lover / Sit Down

Support

n/a

More Information & Reviews

No review.

Ring The Bells / Ring Those Bells

Posted on

Ring The Bells is track two on the 1992 James album Seven.

It was first aired on the World Cup tour of 1990, after which it became a fixture in the James setlist, appearing in the Come Home video. An obvious choice as the follow up to Sit Down, it was rejected in favour of the less immediate Sound.

Tim often tells a story of a group of kids in an American religious cult that used the song as their anthem and their inspiration to break free from their parents.

Ring The Bells was also released as in live acoustic form on the 1994 Greenpeace compilation CD “Alternative NRG” and this version of the track was also featured in an episode of the X-files. It remained a band favourite in acoustic performances, appearing on the Unhinged bonus CD with the Best Of.

A demo version of the track from January 1990 entitled Ring Those Bells appeared on the 12″ that formed part of the 2012 The Gathering Sound boxset.

Details

LyricsListenReleaseAvailable OnGigsGuitar Tabs
Ring ring the bells
Wake the town
Everyone is sleeping
Shout at the crowd
Wake them up
This anger's deeper than sleep

Got to keep awake to what is happening
I can't see a thing through my ambition,
I no longer feel my God is watching over me
Got to tell the world we've all been dreaming
This is not the end, a new beginning
I no longer feel my God is watching over me

Break break the code
Concentrate
Let the doors swing open
See through all your walls
All your floors
Now you're in deeper than sleep

Got to keep awake to what is happening
I can't see a thing through my ambition,
I no longer feel my God is watching over me
Got to tell the world we've all been dreaming
This is not the end, a new beginning
I no longer feel my God is watching over me

When you let me fall
Grew my own wings
Now I'm as tall as the sky
When you let me drown
Grew gills and fins
Now I'm as deep as the sea
When you let me die
My spirit's free
There's nothing challenging me

Song:Ring The Bells / Ring Those Bells
Released:17th February 1992
Main Associated Album (or Single):Seven
First Heard Live:Newcastle Mayfair – 3rd December 1990
Played at:
James - Ring The Bells

Taken from the album Seven

Written and peformed by James

Main Riff:

e-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
B-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
G-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
D-5-5-5-5-5--5-5-5-5-5--5-5-5-5-5--5-5-5-5-5--5-5-5-5-5--5-5-5-5-5--2-2-2-2--5-5-5-5--
A-7-7-5-5-3--3-3-3-3-3--5-5-7-7-5--5-5-5-5-5--7-7-5-5-3--3-3-3-3-3--3-3-3-3--5-5-5-5--
E-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Middle Riff:

e----------------------3-3-3--------3-3--------3-3--------3-3-------------------------
B--3/5--5-5-5-5-3---3--------5p3h5------5p3h5------5p3h5------5p3h5-3---3h5p3---------
G-----------------5---------------------------------------------------5---------------
D-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Outro Riff:

e-7/8-8-7h8-7h8--8/10-10-8h10-8h10--12-10--10/12-12-10h12-10h12--12-13--7/8-8-7h8-7h8-
B-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
G-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
D-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Song Structure:

Larry's Main Riff opens the song, while Saul strums the chords C G F C G (C G Am F during the intro and outro) on an acoustic guitar throughout the song (actually in the album version I think he uses a capo at the 5th and plays the chords G D C G D (G D Em C during the intro and outro), but hey, it's the same thing).
During the Middle Bit (just before "When you let me fall") Larry plays the Middle Riff.
When the vocals cease Larry plays the Outro Riff repeatedly.

Lyrics/Chords:

C G Am F

C G Am F


C G
Ring ring the bells

F
Wake the town

C G
Everyone is sleeping

C G
Shout at the crowd

F
Wake them up

C G
This anger's deeper than sleep



Got to keep awake to what is happening

I can't see a thing through my ambition,

I no longer feel my God is watching over me

Got to tell the world we've all been dreaming

This is not the end, a new beginning

I no longer feel my God is watching over me



Break break the code

Concentrate

Let the doors swing open

See through all your walls

All your floors

Now you're in deeper than sleep



Got to keep awake to what is happening

I can't see a thing through my ambition,

I no longer feel my God is watching over me

Got to tell the world we've all been dreaming

This is not the end, a new beginning

I no longer feel my God is watching over me



When you let me fall

Grew my own wings

Now I'm as tall as the sky

When you let me drown

Grew gills and fins

Now I'm as deep as the sea

When you let me die

My spirit's free

There's nothing challenging me


[Remember, chord progression changes to C G F Am during the outro]



Transcribed by Alex Carter 2001.

alex@shandy3000.fsnet.co.uk