Let It Fall was a semi-improvised song performed only once as far as we are aware at Sheffield University in June 1990 on the Gold Mother tour.
| Song: | Let It Fall |
| Released: | Unreleased |
| First Heard: | Sheffield University, 14th June 1990 |
Weather Change was released exclusively as a free flexi-disc with the 1990 James UK World Cup tour programme as then was later given away on US tours.
It later appeared on the studio disc of the 2012 The Gathering Sound boxset.
| Song: | Weather Change |
| Released: | 8th June 1990 |
| Main Associated Album (or Single): | The Gathering Sound |
| First Heard Live: | Never performed live |
This fourth album by James from 35 years ago in 1990 provided their mainstream breakthrough. It features their first top 40 singles How Was It For You? and Come Home. The 1991 reissue featured a changed track list and included their number 2 single Sit Down.
Come Home / Government Walls / God Only Knows / You Can’t Tell How Much Suffering (On A Face That’s Always Smiling) / Crescendo / How Was It For You? / Hang On / Walking The Ghost / Gold Mother / Top Of The World
Come Home (Flood Mix) / Government Walls / Lose Control / God Only Knows / You Can’t Tell How Much Suffering (On A Face That’s Always Smiling) / How Was It For You? / Sit Down / Walking The Ghost / Gold Mother / Top Of The World
Come Home (Flood Mix) / Lose Control / Government Walls / God Only Knows / You Can’t Tell How Much Suffering (On A Face That’s Always Smiling) / How Was It For You? / Sit Down / Walking The Ghost / Gold Mother / Top Of The World / Crescendo / Hang On / Come Home (Skunk Weed Mix) / Lose Control (live at GLR) / Sit Down (live at GMEX)
Come Home (Flood Mix) / Lose Control / Government Walls / God Only Knows / You Can’t Tell How Much Suffering (On A Face That’s Always Smiling) / How Was It For You? / Sit Down / Walking The Ghost / Gold Mother / Top Of The World / Come Home (1990 Album Version) / Crescendo / Hang On
| Release Name: | Gold Mother |
| Artist Name: | James |
| Release Date: | 4th June 1990 |
| Format: | Studio Album |
| Catalogue: | LP – 846 189-1, CAS 846 189-4, CD 846 189-2; LP – 848 595-1, CAS 848 595-4, CD 848 595-2 (re-release); CD 548 785-2 (re-issue) |
Spurred on by the success of One Man Clapping, James recorded Gold Mother for Rough Trade in the summer of 1989, having previewed most of the tracks live on tours in March and June of that year. The album featured an expanded sound with Saul Davies on percussion and violin, Mark Hunter on keyboards and Andy Diagram on trumpet having been added to the band along with Dave Baynton-Power replacing the departed Gavan Whelan. The name of the album comes from the title track detailing the birth of Tim’s son mothered by the band’s manager Martine.
Most of the writing of the album came from sessions where the band were trying out new musicians after Gavan’s departure at the band’s rehearsal studio at Beehive Mills in Ancoats.
With the album finished, James sought to discuss promotion with Geoff Travis, MD of Rough Trade who told them that he loved the album but that they would only ever be a minority interest with an audience of 20-30,000. James asked to be released from their contract as they felt they could reach a wider audience. The recently relaunched Fontana label, a subsidiary of Phonogram (later to be swallowed by Mercury) signed James and bought the Gold Mother album as a whole from Rough Trade, who were just about to go bankrupt.
How Was It For You? preceded the album in April 1990 and achieved the band’s first Top 40 hit, reaching number 32. The album followed in June and was met with almost universal approval by the music press who were suddenly beginning to champion James again and was accompanied by a month-long tour of larger venues culminating in a triumphant performance at Glastonbury. Come Home, remixed by Flood, was re-released at the end of June and also hit number 32 in the charts.
Following the release of Lose Control, a number 38 single, and the triumphant winter tour that included the infamous G-Mex shows, James hit the big-time with the re-release of Sit Down in March 1991, sitting at number 2 in the national charts for four weeks, being held off only by Chesney Hawkes’ The One And Only.
With no new album in the pipeline, Fontana chose to re-release Gold Mother replacing Hang On and Crescendo with Lose Control and Sit Down. To appease those claiming rip-off, anyone who had a copy of the original album was allowed to exchange it for a new version at Our Price for the first few weeks of release. The album hit number 2 and stayed in the charts all summer. The predicted 20-30,000 sales were multiplied ten-fold.
The album was reissued in 2001 and again on double heavy 180g vinyl in 2017. Read about the 2017 reissue on EvenTheStars.
Japanese market version of Gold Mother contained the extra track Lazy.
Come Home / Government Walls / God Only Knows / You Can’t Tell How Much Suffering (On A Face That’s Always Smiling) / Crescendo / Lazy / How Was It For You? / Hang On / Walking The Ghost / Gold Mother / Top Of The World
| Release Name: | Gold Mother |
| Artist Name: | |
| Release Date: | 4th June 1990 |
| Format: | Studio Album |
| Catalogue: | PHCR-1023 |
This fourth album by James from 1990 provided their mainstream breakthrough. It features their huge UK #2 hit Come Home.
The Japanese market version of Gold Mother had a different catalogue number and contained the extra track Lazy.
Find out about the main UK release of Gold Mother.
A cover of The Velvet Underground’s Sunday Morning for an Imaginary Records compilation. The song was later released as a b-side to Lose Control. The album also features an unreleased Nirvana cover, Ride and The Wedding Present
Sunday Morning
| Release Name: | Heaven And Hell |
| Artist Name: | |
| Release Date: | 1st June 1990 |
| Format: | Compilation (non James) Album |
| Catalogue: | ILLCD016 |
A cover of The Velvet Underground’s Sunday Morning for an Imaginary Records compilation. The song was later released as a b-side to Lose Control. The album also features an unreleased Nirvana cover, Ride and The Wedding Present
French promo CD also features three tracks from The House Of Love and The Lilac Time
How Was It For You? / Lazy / Gold Mother (Warp Remix)
| Release Name: | Jouvenance - French promo |
| Artist Name: | |
| Release Date: | 1st June 1990 |
| Format: | Promo Album |
| Catalogue: | tbd |
French promo CD also features three tracks from The House Of Love and The Lilac Time
White label DJ promo
Come Home (Extended Flood Mix) / Come Home (Weatherall Mix)
| Release Name: | Come Home remix white label promo |
| Artist Name: | |
| Release Date: | 1st June 1990 |
| Format: | Promo Single |
| Catalogue: | JIMDJ612 |
White label DJ promo
Bring A Gun is the fourth track on James’ 1992 album Seven.
Originally aired in May 1990 during the Gold Mother tour at the height of Greater Manchester Police’s clampdown on the rave culture thriving in the city, this song attacks the policy of the Chief Constable James Anderton who advocated arming the police.
The song did make a shortlived comeback at a couple of shows in 2010.
| Song: | Bring A Gun |
| Released: | 17th February 1992 |
| Main Associated Album (or Single): | Seven |
| First Heard Live: | Brighton The Event – 14th May 1990 |
Don’t Wait That Long is the sixth track from the 1992 James album Seven.
It started life in early 1990 as a medium paced anthem and was touted as a possible single instead of Lose Control and was played on a Mark Goodier session in 1990. By the time the song surfaced on Seven, it had developed into a seven minute epic at the centrepiece of the album.
It appears to be a band favourite as it often reappears in the live set from time to time.
| Song: | Don't Wait That Long |
| Released: | 17th February 1992 |
| Main Associated Album (or Single): | Seven |
| First Heard Live: | Cambridge Corn Exchange – 13th May 1990 |
Next Lover is track eight on the 1992 James album Seven. It only features on the cassette and CD versions of the album, but was added to the vinyl for later reissues.
It was one of the first Seven tracks to be premiered, making its first appearance on the World Cup tour in the summer of 1990 but it had been demoed as early as January of that year.
Tim has always been reluctant to name the person that the song is about.
| Song: | Next Lover |
| Released: | 17th February 1992 |
| Main Associated Album (or Single): | Seven |
| First Heard Live: | Cambridge Corn Exchange – 13th May 1990 |
One-track radio promo CD
How Was It For You? (edit)
| Release Name: | How Was It For You? CD promo |
| Artist Name: | |
| Release Date: | 1st May 1990 |
| Format: | Promo Single |
| Catalogue: | JCDJ1 |
One-track radio promo CD
White label promo for original album release
Come Home / Government Walls / God Only Knows / (You Can’t Tell) How Much Suffering (On A Face That’s Always Smiling) / Crescendo / How Was It For You? / Hang On / Walking The Ghost / Gold Mother / Top Of The World
| Release Name: | Gold Mother (white label) |
| Artist Name: | |
| Release Date: | 1st May 1990 |
| Format: | Promo Album |
| Catalogue: | n/a |
White label promo for original album release