None.
“I had my reservations about tonight. They were well and truly dismissed about twenty seconds in however. This is James, doing what James do. A stunning team performance where they tested each other and they tested the audience throughout the entire two hour show. The musicianship is incredible. Saul Davies has a quiet night but oozes cool , Adrian Oxaal is truly stunned by the audience reaction at times and Andy continues to be intuitive, adding glittering touches to many of the songs.”
Read the full review on EvenTheStars.co.uk
“It’s time then to debut What’s It All About?, the closing track on Living In Extraordinary Times, and one of those journey songs that have so many different sections you can only identify them as coming from the same place by their dental records. It ends in a gentle acoustic strum with Tim repeating a mantra-like chorus, stood inches away from Adrian.”
Read the full review on EvenTheStars.co.uk
“What happens next is something that will live in the memory as one of the most incredible gig moments as the audience takes the chorus of new song Many Faces, which remember the vast majority of them will never have heard before and it’s not been released or even played on radio, and sing it back to the band for more than five minutes. Its chorus of “there’s only one human race, many faces, everybody belongs here” might have been written about Trump’s threat to build a wall to keep out Mexicans, but it embodies how this band write songs that are specific to Tim’s thought processes, but which allow everyone to put their own meaning to them and the two be completely compatible. In true James fashion, they probably won’t release it as a single.”
Read the full review on EvenTheStars.co.uk.
“James then crank it up for the romp through the final third act. Tim dives into the audience for How Was It For You? and is surfed aloft almost right round the King George’s Hall. Born Of Frustration provides more audience interaction as Andy pops up around the balcony like a manic trumpeting troubadour. And Attention is even better with the stronger drum beats that are the new band trademark.”
Read the full review on EvenTheStars.co.uk.
“Tim’s off into the crowd again for Born Of Frustration, but this time he scales the speaker stacks and climbs on to the balcony where he stops to dance with people as he makes his way round to be met by Andy who’s entered at the other side. There’s a moment where they stand face to face, vocal soaring with the trumpet call, and then they pass and complete their circle.”
Read the full review on EvenTheStars.co.uk.
“To say that it must be difficult for the band to choose a set list each night from their 250 tracks would be a huge understatement, but it’s a skill that they’ve perfected. Though impressed by all of the new tracks, the most memorable for the majority is likely to be ‘Many Faces’, which will soon sit alongside huge crowd pleasers ‘Sometimes’ and ‘Nothing But Love’.”
Read the full review on GIGsoupmusic.com
A compilation of Warner Group recordings from ’86-’88, containing Stutter, Strip-mine and bonus material.
CD1: Stutter:
Skulduggery / Scarecrow / So Many Ways / Just Hip / Johnny Yen / Summer Song / Really Hard / Billys Shirts / Why So Close / Withdrawn / Black Hole
Bonus Tracks:
Chain Mail / Uprising / Hup-Springs / Justhipper
CD2: Strip-mine:
What For / Charlie Dance / Fairground / Are You Ready / Medieval / Not There / Ya Ho / Riders / Vulture / Stripmining / Refrain
Bonus Tracks:
Ya Ho (Single Version) / Mosquito / Left Out Of Her Will / New Nature / What For (Climax Mix) / Island Swing / James Who? A Talk With (Interview)
| Release Name: | Justhipper: The Complete Sire & Blanco Y Negro Recordings 1986-1988 |
| Artist Name: | James |
| Release Date: | 28th July 2017 |
| Format: | Compilation Album |
| Catalogue: | WCDBRED697 |
After two singles on Manchester’s Factory label, James signed to Sire Records in 1986. The major label issued the band’s debut album Stutter, prefaced by non-album single ‘Chain Mail’, as the band were touted by the press as the next Smiths.
After moving to another Warner imprint, Blanco Y Negro, James released their second album – the more traditionally melodic Strip-mine – in 1988. Single ‘What For’ should have been a massive hit but it wasn’t. Despite being lauded by some quarters of the music press, James was eventually dropped by the label.
After a self-financed label, they signed to Rough Trade and enjoyed indie hits with ‘Come Home’ and ‘Sit Down’. Then Madchester arrived, James joined another major, Fontana, and the rest is history…
Justhipper is the first compilation encompassing all of James’ recordings for the Warner Group across the mid-to-late 80s. Both albums have been remastered and are joined by all of the band’s non-album singles A and B sides and different mixes. The package ends with a rare, promotional-only interview with the band.
Issued in July 1986, and fuelled by enthusiastic reviews, Stutter reached No. 68 in the UK charts. The album was recorded at Liverpool’s Amazon Studios and produced by Lenny Kaye, guitarist with the Patti Smith Group. In 2007, The Guardian included Stutter in their 1000 Albums To Hear Before You Die.
After protracted recording sessions in 1987 at Rockfield Studios with Hugh Jones at the helm, followed by a remix, James’ second album Strip-mine was finally issued in September 1988. Promoted by the single ‘What For’, the LP peaked at No. 90 in the UK charts.
Housed in a deluxe foldout Digipak, this is the ultimate tribute to the early years of James.
The Gathering Sound delivered a stunning anthology of James’ long musical career. It contained all the studio albums up to its release 12 years ago, plus many rarities and demos, a DVD, booklets, stickers and badges.
As well as four rarities and live discs, all the tracks from the following studio albums are included (and non-album tracks from the listed compilations) on a USB:
Rarities Disc: Willow / Say It With Flowers / Just Hipper / Mosquito / Left Out of Her Will / Doubts / Count Your Blessings / Weather Change / Pressure’s On / Jam 1 / Jam 2 / It’s a Fine Line / Hedex / Long To See / Scratch Card / I Thought You Were / All My Letters / Dust Motes
Live Disc: Folklore / Announcement / Burned / Hymn From a Village / Hang On / Maria’s Party / America / Sit Down / Sound / Honest Joe / Come Home / Johnny Yen / What For / Stutter / Fine / Bubbles / At The Seams
DVD – Come Home Live: Come Home / What’s the World / Whoops / Lose Control / Sunday Morning / Ring the Bells / Bring a Gun / Government Walls / Walking the Ghost / Next Lover / God Only Knows / What For / Sit Down / How Was It For You / Stutter
Vinyl: Sit Down / How Was It For You / Gregory’s Town / Ring Those Bells
| Release Name: | The Gathering Sound |
| Artist Name: | James |
| Release Date: | 10th December 2012 |
| Format: | Compilation Box Set |
| Catalogue: | B01G7OHLC2. Barcode: 602527531298 |
The Gathering Sound is a stunning anthology of James’ long musical career. It contains all the studio albums up to publication, many rarities and demos, a DVD, booklets, stickers and badges.
The studio albums are: Stutter, Strip-mine, Gold Mother, Seven, Laid, Wah Wah, The Best Of / Unhinged (Compilation), Millionaires, Pleased To Meet You, Fresh as a Daisy – The Singles (Compilation), Hey Ma, The Night Before, The Morning After
The music is spread over a USB back-catalogue, three CDs or rarities and live recordings, a DVD and 12″ Vinyl. All the studio albums are on a unique J-shaped USB stick apart from The Morning After The Night Before, which is on CD (as a single album as the US import version was).
Also included are a 6-page A5 booklet featuring personal contributions from each of the band members and those associated with the group, including One Of The Three curator Dave Brown.
There is a 12″ scrapbook featuring previously unseen and rare photos, memorabilia, cuttings and many other items straight out of James personal archives including a complete timeline of James’s career annotated by the band.
And finally postcards, badges and sticky satin replica backstage passes, all in a 12″ presentation box.
Not found on Spotify.
None.
See attached press clipping.
See attached press clipping.