One Of The Three - The James Band Archive

Category Archives: News

James Daily Insider Article

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James recorded enough for three albums with Brian Eno.

Less than half of what they recorded with producer Brian Eno made Laid, the new album James is releasing next week. It was the song Sometimes that initially piqued Eno’s interest. James delivered six hours of rehearsal tapes to Eno. Since he only worked with them for six weeks, they don’t know how much of the material he got through, but he picked the ideas he wanted developed into songs. “Sometimes it would just be 20 seconds,” says the band’s singer and songwriter Tim Booth. “We’d jam around on it a little bit.” From those snippets songs like Skindiving and Dream Thrum grew. Booth estimates they have enough material left over from the sessions with Eno for a double album. They may put some of the songs on disc next year. Eno’s involvement was just what they needed this time according to Booth as they were feeling some pressure to come up with something that would be at least as successful as their last album Seven which sold a million copies worldwide. Eno really got the ideas flowing. James just completed Peter Gabriel’s WOMAD tour and will be returning to America later this fall.

Melody Maker News Article on Sometimes

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James are back with their first single of the year.

Sometimes, released this week by Phonogram, is taken from the forthcoming album Laid, produced by Brian Eno. The b-side is a new non-album track called America, produced by Bob Margouleff for Greenpeace Records. It was recorded live in LA using solar generated power. The 12-inch and CD versions additionally contain another new track which will not appear on the album, the Brian Eno-produced Building A Charge.

The LP is due for release in September and the band tour the UK in December.

James Get Laid And Improvise With Eno – Melody Maker

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JAMES’ singer Tim Booth has been talking exclusively about the bond’s new album, “Laid” , which is scheduled for release in September. He has also revealed that during James’ six weeks in Real Life Studios, Bath, with producer Brian Eno, they recorded a double LPof impravised material, which will be released early next year.

“Eno was wonderful towork with,” says Booth. ‘We’ve always wanted to. We first approached him when we were making our very first LP, ‘Stutter’, and he told us that he was busy for the next few years, but he’d get back to us. And he did – he got back to us!”

Booth considers “Laid” a departure for James. He says, “It’s very different, very naked, big, but also vulnerable.”

He describes the LP as less elaborate than the band’s last album, “Seven”, a development he says was heavily influenced by the James acoustic tour across America last year, supporting Neil Young. The idea for the improvised double album began in the studio, when James found themselves recording songs ata surprisingly prolific rate.

“At one stage, we had 38 songs, and I had three lyrics,” says Booth. “This put a lot of pressure on me. So we got two studios going at once, and we’d just go into the second studio and play, I’d improvise a lyric, and then we’d just knock it into shape later. It’s the most exciting and rewarding thing that James hove done for a while.” Booth has also talked about becoming friendly with Neil Young during James’ support tour, and suggesting to the grizzled one that they should work together.

“He said he’d love to do it, but he didn’t think his patience was up to it!” Booth reports.

James release a single, “Sometimes” , described by Booth as “like magical realism”, on Fontana on August 31

Kevin Westerberg on the Laid Cover – I Music

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from I Music Interview with photographer Kevin Westenberg

This James photo is an extremely striking photo that I’ve always admired because you chose to put it very small but you also chose to put it in the book.

KW: The main reason that I put it in was because I was trying to decide, I had to go through everything and decide, what types of work people know me for vs. what things I really like. That was one of the albums that got big in America and because this thing is being slightly geared towards America, as well as England and Europe, I had to make a decision between all these things about what to put in. Originally I was just going to put in totally obscure things that only I like, but then I thought well that kind of defeats the purpose — you’re denying people photos that people might know you for. So I kind of compromised on this, and that ended small for various reasons having to do with layout and not really needing to put it much bigger because people have seen it as well. And it worked well with this with this sort of layout.

Do you like that photograph?

KW: Yeah, I do. I think color wise and compositionally it works. My favourite part is the white light on Tim Booth’s feet, because he’s the singer and he’s sort of the leader. He’s barefoot, so it’s kind of a Jesus image. I think it works compositionally as well. It’s a strange thing — I didn’t think it would work when we did it. I was pretty much against the dresses. I just thought, “Well, we’ll try a few and see what it’s like.” Inside I was thinking this is really naff. But we were in Marseilles, and it’s beautiful out, everyone’s happy, and it worked.

Seven Single – NME News

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JAMES, fresh from their Glastonbury appearance last weekend, issue a new EP on Monday, including three previously unreleased tracks.

The band issue a reworking of the title track of their Fontana LP ‘Seven’, backed by ‘Goalies Ball’ ‘William Burroughs’ and ‘Still Alive’. All tracks are available on CD, cassette and 33rpm seven- inch formats.

Tim Booth and co’s 30,000 capacity Alton Towers show this Saturday, also starring PiL and Galliano, has sold out and organisers wish to inform fans that no tickets will be available on the day.

Starclub Article (French)

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James Peel 45 From Seven – NME News

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JAMES, currently on tour in the US, issue the third single from their Top Ten album ‘Seven’ next Monday, backed with a couple of previously unreleased tracks and two rare remixes of ‘Come Home’.

‘Ring the Bells’ looks likely to be the group’s seventh consecutive Top 40 hit and follows the recent Top 20 success of ‘Born of Frustration’.

‘Fight’, a new track recorded especially for the single, is available on all formats, while both 12’’ and CD formats include ‘The Skunk Weed Skank’ and ‘Hugo Live Dub Challenge’ mixes of ‘Come Home’, courtesy of producer Andrew Weatherall.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for James’ show at Alton Towers on July 4 stated that tickets for the 30,000 capacity show are likely to sell out within the next month.

Tickets for the concert cost £17.50, while concert and free access to the fairground tickets are priced at £22.50. Postal applications should be sent to James Tickets, PO Box 275.

Phosphore Article (French)

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Nord Matin Article (French)

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Multitop Article (French)

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New York Times Article

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The James band know who its constituents are : “Those who feel the breadth of sadness”, “those who find they’re touched by madness” and “those who find themselves ridiculous. Those are some of the categories itemised in “Sit Down” which became a major hit in England in 1991 and had fans singing along “Sit down next to me” on Tuesday night at the Ritz. (In decorous England, fans sit down, at the Ritz people stayed on their feet)

Heartfelt, straightforward and more than a little plaintive, James speaks to sensitive teenagers (and post-teenagers) who’ll admit if alone with an album or at a concert with like-minded people that they’re not as cheerful and confident as others seem to be.

James was formed in Manchester, England in the early 1980s and has gradually accreted a style that pulls together the confessional bluntness of mope-rock, the high-minded anthems and marches of U2 and the neo-pyschedelic grooves of English rave music.

Crooning in a smooth tenor voice that echoes U2’s Bono and Morrissey of The Smiths (another Manchester band), Tim Booth sings about political disillusionment and private alienation. To battle frustration, the band urges positive action: “Stop talking about who’s to blame when all that counts is how to change.” It also suggests for the moment that listeners “leave yourself behind” temporarily for the pleasures of dancing and music. In “Lose Control” Mr Booth sings “We float on seas of disbelief while singing songs of pain relief”

For the band, relief takes the form of tuneful riffs and multiveiled vamps. James might use folk-rock guitars, percolating keyboards or U2’s martial beat; compared with most current dance bands, there’s very little funk. Its seven members can turn a simple riff into a minimalistic web of overlapping lines, stretching pop songs for dancefloor use while spotlights swivel and flash.

But Mr Booth’s singing and his sentiments hold the foreground of the songs. After a decade he seems surprisingly ingenuous and unguarded, eager to share his feelings and to reassure his listeners that while they may be unhappy, they’re not alone. Good-natured, propulsive and melodic, James never underestimates the importance of being earnest.