Category Archives: Biography

Oriundos de Manchester, os James começaram a dar nas vistas no final dos anos 80, quando surgiram as inevitáveis comparações com Smiths. “Sit Down” foi o primeiro single de grande sucesso, a que se seguiu a edição de “Laid”, em Setembro de 1993. Do álbum foram extraídos temas como “Say Something”, “Everybody Knows” e “Out To Get You”. Era visível o “dedo” de Brian Eno, produtor com o qual ainda trabalham. Depois de várias digressões e projectos consolidados, os James editaram “Whiplash”, em 1997. Um álbum que, mais uma vez, não foi consensual entre o público. Seguiu-se “Millionaires”, em 1999, e com ele singles que voltaram a atingir as principais tabelas europeias, como “Just Like Fred Astaire” e “I Know What I´m Here For”. O regresso de Tim Booth e companhia aconteceu em Junho deste ano, com “Pleased To Meet You”. O single de avanço, “Getting Away With It (All Messed Up)” fez furor em Agosto, sendo um dos mais tocados durante os intervalos das bandas nos festivais de verão. “English Beefcake” foi a primeira aposta da Rádio Comercial para o 11º trabalho dos James. Pelo meio, a banda lançou um álbum com os grandes êxitos, a que deu o nome de “Best Of James”. Temas como “Born Of Frustration”, “Sometimes”, “Lose Control” e “Ring The Bells”. Pretextos mais que suficientes para nova passagem da banda por Portugal, com concertos que prometem, marcados para os Coliseus de Lisboa e Porto.

“Some … had wrongly assumed that James was a band rather than a person, something that James himself had politely but firmly put right in thousands of interviews.”

Unglaublich, dass eine Band, deren Auflistung des Line-Ups und der Line-Up-Changes eine knappe Seite ausmacht, so etwas von sich behauptet!

Aber nun mal von Anfang an: 1980 trafen sich vier junge Männer – Jim Glennie (Bass), Larry Gott (Gitarre), Gavan Whelan (Schlagzeug) und Paul Gilberston (Gitarre) an der Manchester University. Fehlte nur noch ein Sänger. Die ersten Gigs spielte man noch mit weiblicher Stimme und änderte für jede Show den Namen. “Model Team International” hießen sie zum Beispiel gerade Mal für die 30 Minuten, die ihr Gig dauerte. In dieser Zeit konnten sie schon The Fall für sich begeistern und diese bei einem Gig in Manchester supporten.

1982 entdeckten die Vier dann Tim Booth in einer Uni-Disko in Manchester. Ob sie dort versuchten seinen Drink zu klauen, oder ihn beim Tanzen entdeckten ist nicht geklärt. Auf jeden Fall war er von nun an Leadsänger der Band. Und auch der endgültige Name ließ nicht mehr lange auf sich warten: Für eine der Shows gaben sie sich dann den Namen “James” und als sie ihn für die nächste wieder ändern wollten, mussten sie feststellen, dass sie schon als “James” angekündigt waren. Und so blieb es dabei. Doch noch bevor sie ihre erste Platte aufnehmen konnten, verließ Paul die Band, da sowohl er als auch die Band mit seinen Drogenproblemen nicht mehr zurecht kamen.

Im November 1982 bietet sich eine große Chance für James: Sie supporten New Order in ihrer Heimatstadt. Im Oktober 1983 folgt ihre erste John Peel Session für Radio One, im Dezember spielen sie noch mal als Vorband für New Order, diesmal jedoch in London. Im November 1984 und von Februar bis April 1985 fungieren sie auf der Tour ihrer Vorbilder The Smiths als Special Guests.

Der Plattendeal, den sie mit “Factory Records” 1985 abschließen, hält nicht wirklich lange. Man entschließt sich, noch im selben Jahr zum Label “Sire” zu wechseln. Auf diesem veröffentlichen sie 1986 ihr Debutalbum “Sutter”. Für das zweite Album “Stripmine” braucht die Band fast ein Jahr, erst im September 1988 wird es fertig. Ihr Label “Sire” versucht unterdessen, James für weitere fünf Alben zu verpflichten, was die Band ablehnt und prompt wieder labellos ist.

Nachdem man ohnehin schon Probleme mit dem Drummer hatte, treibt dieser die schlechte Stimmung auf die Spitze: Auf einem Konzert Ende 1988 versucht Gavan Sänger Tim in eine Schlägerei zu verwickeln, was das Ende seiner Karriere bei James zur Folge hatte. 1989 macht man mit Dave Baynton-Power am Schlagzeug weiter. Er ist nicht das einzige neue Mitglied in der Band, Saul Davies wird als neuer Gitarrist, der gleichzeitig auch Geige spielt (ja, Violine in einer Popband!) engagiert. “One Man Clapping” wird im März rausgebracht. Kurz darauf verstärkt man den typischen James-Sound durch die Keyboards Mark Hunters.

Für ihre folgenden Singles plus ein Album unterschreiben James einen Vertrag bei “Rough Trade”. Noch vor den Aufnahmen zur nächsten CD stößt ein weiteres Mitglied zu James: Trompeter Andy Diagram macht den Sound der Band noch unverwechselbarer. Ihre Single “Sit Down” wird in England ein riesiger Hit und schafft es auf Platz zwei der Charts, auch das Album “Gold Mother” toppt.

Man entscheidet sich schon vor Veröffentlichung des Albums, nicht weiter bei “Rough Trade” unter Vertrag zu bleiben und wechselt 1990 zu “Fontana Records”. Dort wird auch das Album “Seven” veröffentlicht, das wohl als erfolgreichstes James-Album (Platz zwei der englischen Charts) gelten kann. Eine Schwemme von Single-Auskopplungen folgen dem Longplayer an die Chartsspitze.

Unmengen von Festival-Auftritten, sowie der erste Trip nach Amerika folgen. Man supportet David Bowie, The Cure und Neil Youngs US-Tour. Hier wird auch der Kontakt zu Brian Eno hergestellt, der sich später bereit erklärt, auch James-Alben zu produzieren. Die Alben “Wah Wah” und “Laid” werden innerhalb von nur sechs Wochen in Bath eingespielt. Danach kommen plötzlich Gerüchte auf, die Band habe sich aufgelöst. Die Wahrheit sieht so aus: Sänger Tims Nebenprojekt “Booth And The Bad Angel” mit dem Film-Komponist Angelo Badalamenti hatte Prioriät. Das war alles. Und das Folgealbum “Whiplash” beweist endgültig das Gegenteil.

Doch plötzlich plagt die Band andere Sorgen: Bei einem Check der Finanzen stellt sich heraus, dass James auf einem unüberschaubaren Schuldenberg sitzen. Folgerichtig erscheint 1998 erst einmal ein “Best Of”-Album. Die folgenden Tourneen sind auch ausverkauft und James trauen sich wieder an ein neues Studio-Album heran. Ende 1999 veröffentlicht man “Millionaires”. Während die erste Single “Just Like Fred Astaire” erwartungsfroh in die Top 20 der Charts schnellt, schafft es “We’re Going To Miss You” nicht einmal in die Top 40. Ihr frischer Release “Pleased To Meet You” steht seit Sommer 2001 den Regalen.

Ob das Album James den Status der “Millionaires” beschert hat, darf bezweifelt werden, denn im Oktober wird der Ausstieg des Sängers Tim Booth bekannt gegeben. Booth möchte weiterhin Musik machen, kann sich aber auch vorstellen, Workshops zu leiten oder ins Schauspielfach hinein zu schnuppern. Sein Ausstieg beziehe sich nicht auf interne Probleme. Im Gegenteil werde er die Zeit zwischen 1999 und 2001 als die freundschaftlichste der Karriere und die kreativste seit “Laid” in Erinnerung behalten. Die übrigen Mitglieder wollen in einer noch nicht geregelten Form weitermachen. Die letzte Tour im alten Line Up geht im Dezember 2001 in England über die Bühnen.

James are often accused of being underachievers, of failing to fulfil the potential they had and not becoming as big as, say, U2. The accusations are wrong, very wrong, and the success of the band’s Best Of album in 1998 is as big a signpost as any to their popularity and achievements.

Contrary to popular belief, James were more than just lead singer Tim Booth. There is also David Baynton-Power on drums and percussion, Jim Glennie on bass guitar and backing vocals, Saul Davies on guitars and violin, Mark Hunter on keyboards, Adrian Oxxal on guitars, and Michael Kulas on backing vocals, guitar and percussion.

The James story is one of various record labels, bad luck and brilliant songs. They began, as so many bands did, on Factory, putting out their first two singles on the label in 1983. But by 1986, they’d moved to Sire to release their debut album, Stutter.

Having replaced drummer Gavan Whelan and added David, Saul, Mark and trumpeter Andy Diagram, the band released second album Strip-mine and a critically acclaimed live album, One Man Clapping and promptly signed for Phonogram.

The year was 1989 and the world began to notice James with the release of their Gold Mother album, complete with the brilliant albatross that was Sit Down. The band broke through and followed the release up with the million selling Seven in 1992.

They went on to recruit Brian Eno for their next album, a move that turned into a masterstroke when the subsequent product was the immense Laid (and it’s sister project Wah Wah), and album that also broke them in the USA.

At the cusp of greatness, Black Thursday happened. While recording the next album, Whiplash, in America, founding member Larry Gott announced he would no longer tour with James, Tim announced his plans to record his long-stalled solo project, and the UK taxman announced the unfortunate discovery of an overlooked James debt of roughly £150,000.

Despite the subsequent Greatest Hits album and two more albums, Millionaires and Pleased To Meet You, it was a blow that James never seemed to recover from. Tim Booth announced he would be leaving the band after their 2001 tour. Where that leaves the rest of the band is something we’ll just have to wait to see.

Things you might not know:

– James recorded a version of Ring The Bells for the X-Files series at a studio in Hollywood that was powered exclusively by solar energy.

– Four months after they had left the label, James received a fax from Sire demanding to know why they’d released the self-financed One Man Clapping album.

– Larry Gott doesn’t appear in the Born Of Frustration video. He was mugged the day before the shoot and sent the band manager dressed as him to take his place!

Most famous for their classic anthem Sit Down, James have now been around for 19 years, and they were known as ‘Model Team International’ until 1983. So who are the present members?

Tim Booth – lead vocals (since 1982)

Jim Glennie bass, backing vocals (since 1982)

Dave Baynton-Power – drums (since 1989)

Saul Davies – guitar, violin, backing vocals, percussion (since 1989)

Mark Hunter – keyboards (since 1989)

Adrian Oxxal guitar, cello (since 1996)

Michael Kulas – backing vocals, guitar, percussion (since 1997)

And past?

Larry Gott – guitar, keyboard, flute, backing vocals (1985-1996)

Andy Diagram – trumpet, backing vocals (1990-1993)

Gavan Whelan – drums, piano, vocals (1982-1990)

Paul Gilbertson – guitar (1982-1985)

James signed with Manchester label, Factory Records in 1983. Their early singles, “What”s The World?” and “Hymn From A Village”, and the EPs “JimOne” and “James II”, were acclaimed for their unusual mixture of folk and new wave textures.

In 1985, James began an unhappy 3 years with Sire Records, releasing the albums ‘Stutter’ and ‘Strip-Mine’. No singles from these albums were included on 1998s Best Of, perhaps due to the poor relationship between the band and Sire Records during their 3 years together.

At the end of 1988, James were looking for a new record deal, but no-one seemed to want them. They approached their bank manager for a £2000 loan to help finance the recording and release of a live album. The bank manager said no. But that wasn’t the end, the band convinced the bank manager to go and see James at a gig in Manchester. He did, and came away very impressed, offering James £3000 to fund their album. With this, One Man Clapping was released in March 1989. This live album gained favourable reviews and caught the attention of the record label Fontana, to whom James signed.

At this time, Gavin Whelan left the band and was replaced by Dave Baynton-Power, while three new members also joined the band: Saul Davies, Mark Hunter and Andy Diagram. The singles Come Home and Sit Down were re-released by Fontana, Sit Down becoming James’ biggest hit to date, reaching number 2 in the UK charts.

Gold Mother was the first album to be released under the new label, the title track, drawn from the experience of the birth of Tim Booth’s child, was about the extreme physical pain mothers go through during child birth. During the early 90s, the media attention that was focused on upcoming Manchester bands made it easier for James to go from independent to major league status.

Seven was an album of more unconventional song structures than featured on Gold Mother, so saw a lowering in James’ commercial viability, although they still retained a loyal fan-base. 1993s Laid single was the first James release to make an impression in the USA. Laid, the album, also went Gold in America, selling 600,000 copies in its first year, James being one of the few successful British bands in America during 1994.

Wah Wah was released in 1994, an experimental album of jams recorded during the sessions of Laid. This saw a 3 year break for James, during which time Tim Booth recorded an album with the American composer Angelo Badalamenti under the alias Booth And The Bad Angel.

The Top 10 single, She’s A Star, saw the return of James in 1997, followed by their Whiplash album (also Top 10). The recordings of Whiplash featured a new guitarist, Adrian Oxaal, who had replaced James’ founder member, Larry Gott. Ironically, during James’ US tour of Whiplash, Tim Booth suffered a recurring neck and shoulder injury and was bedridden for 6 weeks, meaning the majority of the tour had to be cancelled.

It took 1998s “Best Of” for many people to realise the strength of James’ music over the years. The Best Of was very successful commercially, reaching the top spot of the UK chart. On the back of this success, an Apollo 440 remix of Sit Down was released in November 1998 and made the UK number 7.

Brian Eno was back to produce James’ next album, Millionaires, which received many very favourable reviews, but just failed to reach number 1 on the album chart.

The last album with James’ current record label, Mercury, was released on 2nd July of this year, preceded by a single, “Getting Away With It (All Messed Up)”. It seemed many people had no idea that James were back, Radio 1 refused to play the single after its initial first play ‘exclusive’, but it still managed to chart respectabely at 22 on the singles chart. The album “Pleased To Meet You” failed to make the album Top 10 though, which was very disappointing. The cover features ‘James’, a fictional character made up of facial features from each of the seven member of James. There was also confusion over this, “…who is that on the front cover!?”

INTERESTING FACT?: The woman featured on the cover of ‘Whiplash’ and the inlay is not a woman. It’s a man wearing a mask.

Telewest Arena Newcastle is delighted to announce the return of JAMES to the venue on Tuesday 4th December 2001.

For two decades, this elusive, charismatic, engaging individual has been one of the great treasures of British music, sometimes taking centre stage, sometimes on the margins. Taking his inspiration from the punk and new wave explosion of the late 70’s, JAMES arrived into the early 80’s Manchester music scene along with groups such as the Smiths and Joy Division.

JAMES dazzled everyone, appearing on stage sporting bright colours, with his popular T-shirts becoming the most visible on the music scene.

The debut album ‘Stutter’ was released in 1986 followed by the highly praised 1988’s ‘Strip Mine’. ‘Gold Mother’ in 1989 proved to be the turning point with hits like ‘Come Home’ and ‘How Was It For You’ which took James to another level of success where he could routinely fill the GMEX Arena.

In March 1991, a single version of his live anthem ‘Sit Down’ reached Number Two in the charts and saw the release of the album ‘Seven’, yet another step forward in the quest for international popularity proving to be a million seller. A greatest hit’s album released in 1998 uncovered a huge wave of residual popular support and shot into the Number one slot. The new album ‘Pleased To Meet You’ is said to be his most personal to date.

Telewest Arena Newcastle’s Marketing Executive Jackie Marston said:- “With Ben Folds as support, I am sure James will re-create the atmosphere that Arena patrons enjoyed in 1999 making the show a great success”.

Origen

Manchester, Inglaterra (1982)

Discografía

(84) Strip Mine, (89) Sit Down, One Man Clapping (en vivo), (90) Gold Mother, Seven, Wah Wah, (84) Humn From A Village, (97) Whiplash, (99) Millonaire, (01) Pleased To Meet You.

Integrantes

Larry Gott (guitarra), Jim Glennie (bajo), David Baynton-Powell (batería), Tim Booth (vocalista) Mark Hunter (teclados), Saul Davies (vilin), Andy Diagram (trompeta).

Biografía

Como uno de los grupos catalogados como los nuevos Smith, James, proveniente de Manchester, se convirtió en una institución en la escena de la música alternativa inglesa durante los ochenta por medio de un estilo de pop-folk agradable. En la actualidad y luego de que Best Of Collection sorprendiera convirtiéndose en un disco doble platino, vuelven confiados a presentar un simple titulado Just Like Fred Astaire.

El simple se extrajo de Millonaires, el nuevo CD del grupo, y su productor fue Brian Eno.

James se formó en Manchester en 1982, cuando Paul Gilbertson (guitarra), Jim Glennie (bajo) y Gavan Whelan (batería) conocieron a Tim Booth en la Universidad de Manchester y lo invitaron a incorporarse a su banda.

Dos años después cuando tenían un número importante de seguidores en los clubs locales y habían lanzado dos EP’s, empezaron a actuar de apertura para The Smiths.

El álbum Strip Mine, lanzado por Sire, no pudo capitalizar el éxito que habían tenido, pero saltaron a la fama en 1989 con un lanzamiento a través de un sello independiente llamado Rough Trade.

Con este nuevo sello James lanzó Sit Down y un álbum en vivo titulado One Man Clapping que alcanzó el puesto Número Uno de los charts de música indie.

Larry Gott remplazó a Gilbertson, y en 1990 Whelan fue reemplazado por David Baynton-Powell. James se convirtió en un septeto luego de la incorporación del tecladista Mark Hunter, el violinista Saul Davies y el trompetista Andy Diagram. La nueva formación firmó contrato con Fontana Records y lanzó Gold Mother.

Gold Mother se convirtió finalmente en hit a principios de 1991, cuando una nueva versión de Sit Down que tenía un ritmo baggy más contemporáneo que la anterior, ascendió hasta el puesto Número Dos de los charts ingleses y se hizo muy popular en las radios estadounidenses.

El éxito de Sit Down fue tanto una bendición como una maldición ya que se convirtió en el único tema a través del cual el público identificaba a James. La banda se reveló en los recitales, tocando prácticamente sólo material nuevo y Seven, su siguiente álbum se interpretó como un intento fallido de hacer rock masivo.

Para la grabación que siguió a Seven, James se deshizo de Diagram y Davies y trabajó con el productor Brian Eno.

Laid, el álbum resultante, era más tranquilo y ambicioso, recibió algunas de las mejores críticas y tuvo mucho éxito en Estados Unidos.

Wah Wah, el siguiente álbum, de música experimental, y también producido por Eno, no tuvo tanto éxito y en 1985 el grupo se tomó un largo descanso.

James regresó a principios de 1997 con Whiplash, una grabación mucho más directa que tuvo críticas variadas, y ahora en el 99 presentan Millionaire.

In der Geschichte der Pop-Musik gibt es immer wieder Acts, die eine ganz besondere Stellung bekleiden. Und hierzu zählt ohne Zweifel die britische Formation James, die sich im Laufe der vergangenen zwei Dekaden eine großartige Reputation erspielt hat.

Angefangen hatte alles 1983. Gerade hatten James ihre ersten Aufnahmen eingespielt, als sie von keinem Geringeren als Morrissey als “die beste Band der Welt” bezeichnet wurden – und folgerichtig mit den Smiths auf Tour gingen. Schon bald darauf hatte James Kult-Status erreicht und 1986 erschien schließlich das Debüt-Album “Stutter”, gefolgt von dem ’88er Follow-up “Strip Mine”, mit dem James endgültig ihren gitarrengetriebenen Sound und Frontman Tim als provokanten Songschreiber und äußerst gefühlvollen Sänger etablierten.

Nach diversen Unstimmigkeiten mit ihrem Label kamen James 1989 aus ihrem Deal raus – und waren danach beinah “mittellos”. “Nach sieben Jahren standen wir nun da, lebten auf Arbeitslosen-Level, und wurden im Radio auch nicht mehr gespielt”, erinnert sich Tim. Viele Bands hätten hier wahrscheinlich aufgegeben – doch James sind aus einem anderen Holz geschnitzt. Sie versuchten sich als menschliche Versuchskaninchen für medizinische Tests in einem örtlichen Krankenhaus – und von dem Geld, was sie dafür bekamen, produzierten sie das Livealbum “One Man Clapping” auf ihrem eigenen Label. Ihr damaliger Distributor jedoch befand das Material als “Musik für Minoritäten”, ohne kommerzielle Chancen – und schickte sie wieder fort.

Es folgten personelle Umbildungen innerhalb der Formation – Saul Davies, Mark Hunter (Keyboards) und David Baynton-Power (Drums) kamen hinzu – James nahmen ein weiteres Album auf und schließlich kam “Gold Mother” auf den Markt. Ein Album, das endlich den Durchbruch markieren sollte, auf den sie schon so lange gewartet hatten: 350.000 Exemplare konnten sie allein im UK verkaufen, und der Song “Sit Down” entwickelte sich zu einer der bemerkenswertesten Hymnen der ’90er – und James wurden – zusammen mit Bands wie den Stone Roses und den Happy Mondays – plötzlich als die “Retter” der Britischen Rock Szene gehandelt…

1992 folgte das überragende Album “Seven” und übernahm die #2-Position in den Charts. Ein Jahr später kam es dann zu der äußerst innovativen Zusammenarbeit mit dem legendären Brian Eno, der dann auch das nächste Album “Laid” produzierte – inklusive der fast experimentellen Auskopplung “Wah Wah”.

Mit “Laid” schafften James dann auch in den USA eine fetten Erfolg, wo das Album 600.000 Exemplare verkaufen konnte. Und das zu einer Zeit, in der andere britische Bands extreme Schwierigkeiten hatten, sich in dem “Grunge-fixierten” Markt durchzusetzen…

Dann, auf dem vorläufigen Höhepunkt ihrer Laufbahn, kam es aber doch fast dazu, dass die Band auseinanderbrach. Denn eines Tages im Jahr 1995 beschloss Gitarrist Larry Gott – zusammen mit Tim und Bassist Jim Glennie längstes Bandmitglied – die Band zu verlassen. Auch Manager Martine wollte gehen und die Band hatte fette Steuerschulden auszugleichen. Von diesen Geschehnissen reichlich geschockt, nahmen sich James erstmal eine Auszeit – die sich dann allerdings auf drei Jahre ausdehnte und eigentlich schon wie das Ende aussah. Booth nahm zusammen mit Angelo Badalamenti ein Soloalbum auf, und eigentlich glaubte niemand mehr daran, jemals wieder etwas von James zu hören…

Doch es sollte sich erneut bewahrheiten, dass Pech und unglückliche Umstände die Band immer wieder zu neuen Bestleistungen treibt. So auch diesmal: Mit Adrian Oxaal wurde ein neuer Gitarrist gefunden und schließlich gaben James mit dem sehr melodischen Album “Whiplash” (1997) wieder ein Lebenszeichen von sich. Ein Lebenszeichen, das mit Gold ausgezeichnet wurde! Und der Band ihren größten Singlehit mit “She’s A Star” bescherte. Das dann 1998 veröffentlichte Album “Best Of James” war dann nur noch ein weiterer Beweis dafür, dass James definitiv zurück waren: “Best Of James” wurde das erste #1-Album der Band und wurde mit Doppel-Platin ausgezeichnet.

In erneuter und bewährter Zusammenarbeit mit Brian Eno (Roxy Music, Talking Heads, U2) als Producer entstand dann das Album “Millionaires”, ein weiteres künstlerisch-kreatives Highlight mit fantastischen Songs voller Licht und Schatten.

Jetzt endlich kommt das brandneue James-Album “Pleased To Meet You” – nach “Laid” und “Millionaires” das dritte Album, das unter den Fittichen von Brian Eno entstand. Und Songs wie beispielsweise das funkige “Space”, das fast hymnenhafte “English Beefcake”, die großartige erste UK-Single “Getting Away With It (All Messed Up)” oder aber das kühl-schöne “Alaskan Pipeline” zeigen allerfeinste Songwriting-Kultur mit Liebe zum Detail. Belegen, dass “Pleased To Meet You” ohne Zweifel das sowohl persönlichste als auch das beste James-Werk ist, das bisher erschienen ist. Der Sound ist zeitgemäß, trägt aber unmissverständlich die Handschrift der Band – aussagekräftig, aufregend, melodiös, mit leidenschaftlichen Vocals, kompakten Songs, treibenden Rhythmen, voller Melancholie, Freude, Ernsthaftigkeit und Optimismus. Und das alles filigran abgerundet durch die einzigartige, von Brian Eno erschaffene Atmosphäre.

Mit “Pleased To Meet You” belegen James einmal mehr das, was sie so besonders macht: Sie schreiben schlicht großartige Songs.

Throughout the history of pop, certain performers have attained the status of “enigma”, attracting respect and fascination in equal measure; Robert Johnson, Nick Drake, The Residents, Phil Spector, these are the sphinxes of pop, men and women shrouded in mystery and the unmistakable scent of greatness. Moreover, the ultimate accolade rock can bestow is that certain individuals can be known the world over by a single name; Elvis, Madonna, Prince, Lulu, Sonia, names that will live forever in the pantheon of music.

Such an individual is James. For two decades, this elusive, charismatic, engaging individual has been one of the great treasures of British music, sometimes taking centre stage, sometimes on the margins, now a bona fide star, now a cult passion but always innovating, always adapting, always wrong-footing those who think they’ve got him sussed. He has been, at different times, a folkie, a stadium rocker, a guitar hero, a torch singer, a pin-up, a recluse, a “lad”, a “hippie”, a “monk” and yet none of these labels quite fits. James new album Pleased To Meet You sees him reunited with producer Brian Eno for a record that may be his most personal to date. “I think this is the real me&ldots;whoever that is” he says, cryptically.

Little is known of James early life. Reports are confused and conflicting, only adding to the mystique surrounding this singular artist. Accounts vary wildly; some say that he attended public school in Shropshire, other accounts deviate almost comically from this, suggesting that James was a teenage tearaway on the streets of Moss Side and the terraces of Maine Road, Manchester City’s home ground. It’s also said that he spent time in Hull, Preston, North Wales and even Canada during his formative years. James smiles knowingly at any enquires about his origins merely conceding, “I’ve been around”

It was the punk and new wave explosion of the late 70s that proved a life-changing moment for the young James, alerting him to the potential of music as a force in his life.

He took his inspiration from Patti Smith’s “Horses”, Joy Division and The Fall, who took the youth under their wing, arranging many early gigs for him as a support act and via the Manchester Musicians Collective. James early gigs were inspirational, seat of the pants affairs, when he would take the stage with only the vaguest notion of what he was about to do, relying heavily on improvisation and his primitive but developing multi-instrumental skills.

James soon became the most talked about and unique voice in Manchester’s fertile music scene. He found himself courted by many labels, most ardently by Tony Wilson and the late Rob Gretton for Factory Records “I went along to see him at the State Ballroom in Liverpool supporting New Order and he was wonderful”

In November 1983, James released his debut single Jimone on Factory Records. Acclaim was instantaneous and music press covers soon followed as did a second single, the classic Hymn From A Village. The next year, he set out on a tour of Ireland with his friends and supporters The Smiths. Always very much his own man, James rejected the trappings of the rock life and became an adherent of meditation. This only furthered his reputation as a maverick.

Leaving Factory for US label Sire, a decision he now regrets, he recorded a debut album Stutter with the legendary Lenny Kaye, released in summer 1986. Travails with Sire, with whom his relationship had soured, meant that follow up Strip Mine was much delayed. This was a bad patch for James as he readily admits and he came close to retiring from the music business “There was a second when the future hung in the balance but I sort of came through it”. But times were bad for a while. Even Simply Red’s management couldn’t give him the necessary leg-up and for while he was reduced to offering himself as a human guinea pig in drug trials to pay the rent.

Then his fortunes took a sudden upsurge as did Manchester’s. James sporadic live appearances in the city had always been celebratory events but as the 80s gave way to the 90s, James’ began to enjoy his second bite at pop success. His gigs became word of mouth “events”, the hottest tickets in town and he became associated, to his amusement, with the city’s burgeoning “Madchester” scene, and found such unlikely supporters as Sean Ryder and the Happy Mondays

He had borrowed money from a friendly bank manager to finance a live album One Man Clapping in 1989 and followed this the next year with a new studio album for new label Fontana Gold Mother. It was to prove a turning point. Hits like Come Home and How Was It For You took James to another level of success where he could routinely fill the GMEX Arena. In March 1991, a single version of his live anthem Sit Down reached Number Two in the charts, held off only by Chesney Hawkes The One And Only. It was a momentous phase in the artist’s career culminating in a huge outdoor gig at Alton Towers and the album Seven. The reasons for the title remain unclear, though James has hinted that it may be a reference to his multi-faceted personality. On the continent and in the States, some critics and audiences had wrongly assumed that James was a band rather than a person, something that James himself has had to politely but firmly put right in thousands of interviews.

James turned his back on the epic stadium-rock sound of Seven for a warmly organic acoustic sound arrived at during the Autumn 1992 tour with Neil Young. This was showcased on the brilliant 1993 collaboration with Brian Eno, Laid which spawned college hits in the States and rave reviews on both sides of the Atlantic, and an experimental companion piece Wah Wah. Financial difficulties in the mid-90s almost forced retirement on James again but, ever the survivor, he bounced back. A Greatest Hits album in 1998 uncovered a huge wave of residual popular support and shot to Number One. The following year, he came back with the album Millionaires which many pundits thought was his best album to date.

They may reconsider in the wake of Pleased To Meet You. From the ethereal funk of Space to the anthemic swell of English Beefcake to the glacial beauty of Alaskan Pipeline, this is an artist at the height of his powers. The sound is distinctly contemporary but James trademarks are all in evidence; impassioned vocals, taut, muscular rhythms, melancholy and joy in equal measure and the unique atmospheric washes of Eno’s production. Eno himself found James to be an artist “reborn somehow. It’s like when people make their first album they’re full of enthusiasm and excitement and they know what they’re doing and it’s a pleasure. This was like making a first album. I think it’s the best record he’s made. The standard is so high on every song. There’s nothing where you think it could’ve been better. We’ve got too many good songs, more good songs than we can put on the record.. It’s very regressive in a way, saying, ‘Let’s go back to making a record that records an artist at his peak.'”

Unravelling James’ character is as difficult as teasing out his origins. He is the true chameleon of rock, making Bowie look more staid and more set in his ways than a Daily Mail editorial. At times, he can appear almost monastically serious, sipping thoughtfully on an Aqua Libra on the back of the tour bus. At other times, it’s hard to reconcile this with the party animal who once set off a rocket launcher from a hotel window on a US tour. He has a twenty year olds enthusiasm for his chosen field coupled with the maturity and wisdom of some twice that age. He is fickle in his allegiances, claiming to support Manchester City, Leeds Utd and Barcelona. But this flighty nature also works to his advantage; he was proficient, at the last count, on drums, bass, guitar, violin, cello, keyboards, accordion and vocals. He is also a really great dancer.

After many years of covering his tracks, sidestepping and double-talking, he seems ready to step frankly into the spotlight. He lights up a cigarette – though I was sure he didn’t smoke – and sighs “I think for a long time I’ve been leading a double life&ldots;at least. I think it’s time people finally met the real me”