Tag Archives: 1992
Best Interview (French)
March 1992
Ring The Bells single released. Starting in Toronto, James first North American tour is a massive success with 11 sold-out shows.
San Francisco Warfield Theatre – 26th March 1992
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Los Angeles Roxy – 24th March 1992
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Steven Daly, NME
Somehow James managed to omit one tiny detail on their rise to the top – they forgot to visit the USA. The group has been kept at an arm’s length by the sceptics, just another English hype to be given the cold, appraising eye when they venture across the foam. So here’s the magnificent seven, making their LA debut in an intimate boite set among the tattoo parlours and Heavy Metal whorehouses of Sunset Strip.
A roar from the faithful and polite applause from the assembled industry ponytails (goatees if they’re really daring) greet James’ appearance on the Roxy’s tiny stage. No crowd-pleasers they open with “Ex-Lover” building slowly through “Love Can Mean Anything” and “Hymn From A Village” before Booth mounts the monitors, flailing in familiar style. Obviously relishing the small room, James seem less than anxious to justify their British reputation, veering from likeably loose to rehearsal-room casual.
An urgent “Sound” moves things up a gear, though, and the band emphasise the point with “Come Home”; while “How Was It For You?” provokes a bout of moshing, which Booth regards with concerned bemusement.
Though James are currently labouring under accusations of stadium pomp and invidious comparisons, their return to human scale performance recalls a rarely-mentioned precursor. Booth’s stubbornly limited vocal range, and the locked-in rhythmic tension that chases each song to an orgasmic climax recalls no other than Live 69-era Velvet Underground in expanded form.
Tim Booth returns for the encore sporting a “james suck” T-shirt, and the band casually convert the few remaining doubters with a searing “Born of Frustration”. Though it now sounds almost perfunctory, “Sit Down” provokes a couple of dozen enthusiasts to invade the stage and assume the customary position. “What do you think this is? A hippy sit-in?” Booth intones dryly. “You’re just a bunch of sentimentalists” he adds before relinquishing the mic : “Now you entertain us.” The band falls silent for the ritual singalong until Larry distractedly starts to noodle away at the American national anthem.
And that’s all folks. James decide they’ve had enough, and shuffle off on an oddly desultory note, Los Angeles loves James, but it’s not clear if the feeling is mutual.
Ring The Bells
San Diego Sound FX – 23rd March 1992
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Ring The Bells
Summary
Ring The Bells was the third single off the album Seven. It reached 37 in the UK Singles Chart.
Track List
7″ JIM11- Ring The Bells / Fight
CAS JIMC 11- Ring The Bells / Fight
12″ JIM 1112- Ring The Bells / Fight / Come Home (Skunk Weed Skank Mix) / Once A Friend
CD JIMCD 11- Ring The Bells / Fight / Come Home (Skunk Weed Skank Mix) / Come Home (Hugo Live Dub Challenge)
Details
Release Name: | Ring The Bells |
Artist Name: | |
Release Date: | 23rd March 1992 |
Format: | Studio Single |
Catalogue: | 7" JIM11; 12" JIM 1112; CD JIMCD 11; CAS JIMC 11 |
Following the release of Seven, the band went to America for their debut tour followed by a three week tour of Europe. In order to maintain the band and the album’s profile back in the UK, Ring The Bells was chosen as the third single off the album.
The single was backed on all formats by Fight, a five minute anti-war song premiered at the Reading Festival warm-up at Camden Underworld in August 1991 which was given a dance makeover by producer Pearson Glance. Also included on the single were two mixes of Come Home. The Skunk Weed Skank Mix had been heard previously as the Weatherall mix on the 1990 single release but the Hugo Live Dub Challenge remixed by Hugo Nicholson was unique to the CD release. Once A Friend, a vitriolic two-minute attack on an ex-girlfriend and an outtake from the Seven sessions appeared on the 12″ vinyl only.
The artwork for the single was another John Carroll watercolour and this piece was used in the single’s video with sections of the picture superimposed and brought to life over the band’s performance of the song at Warrington Parr Hall on the Seven live video.
Ring The Bells was generally ignored by the radio and press in the UK as the band were not around to do any promotion. It failed to get a Radio 1 A-listing and reviews tended to focus on slagging off the band without even mentioning the song.
The single entered the chart at a very disappointing number 38 and disappeared from the Top 40 the following week.
Reviews
Melody Maker
I don’t begrudge James their success. There have probably been two occasions (If Things Were Perfect and Come Home) in their career (and doesn’t that seem like the right word?) when I found them more than mildly loveable. I don’t particularly mind that their last two singles really did sound like Simple Minds as everyone kept saying. What does bother me is that musically Ring The Bells sounds so small, so village fete. The only function the instruments have at all seems analogous to a dinner-suited announcer at a high-class ball – “Ladies and Gentlemen, presenting Mr Timothy Booth! (cue fanfare)” – before the entrance of the man with an ego the size of East Anglia. They can do better. And maybe, when they’ve sold enough shirts and filled enough stadia, they will.
Press Release
James: Ring The Bells Press Release March 1992
James have a new single – ‘Ring The Bells’ – released by Fontana on March 23rd. Taken from their current Top Ten album ‘Seven’, this is set to become the group’s seventh consecutive Top Forty hit.
The single is backed on the twelve inch and CD by Andy Weatherall’s legendary mixes of ‘Come Home.’ The ‘Skunk Weed Skank Mix’ was previously only available as an underground twelve inch while the ‘Hugo Live Dub Challenge’ has never been available at all before.
‘Once A Friend’, the bonus track on the twelve inch is a new song recorded during the ‘Seven’ sessions, while ‘Fight’, the extra track on all formats is another new track specially recorded for this single.
James are currently on a sell-out club tour of America.
Their only British date this year is their summer extravaganza at Alton Towers on 4th July.
- 7″ JIM 11 RING THE BELLS / FIGHT
- 12″ JIM 1112 RING THE BELLS / FIGHT / COME HOME (SKUNK MIX) / ONCE A FRIEND
- CASSETTE JIMC 11 RING THE BELLS / FIGHT
- CD JIMCD 11 RING THE BELLS / FIGHT / COME HOME (SKUNK MIX) / COME HOME (HUGO LIVE DUB)
- Come Home :1989
- Fight :1992
- Once A Friend :1992
- Ring The Bells / Ring Those Bells :1992
Once A Friend
Once A Friend is a b-side from the 1992 James single Ring The Bells. It also features on the 2004 compilation album The Collection.
It was an outtake from the Seven sessions and only featured on the 12″ single version of Ring The Bells, maknig it one of the few songs released through Fontana/Mercury that was unavailable on CD. The release of The Collection in 2004 rectified this.
Details
You were created just to tease
You never loved you just diseased
I put my faith in you
Swallowed all you schemes
You fooled us all with easy love
Your body folds into a bed
Your spirit's stuck inside your head
I put my faith in you
Turned you into god
You were once my friend
Never again
Once my friend
Never again
Once my friend
Never again
You showed me all the things I liked
I'll turn defense into attack
I'll make you wish you're still on song
I put my trust in you
Turned you into god
You were once my friend
Never again
Once my friend
Never again
Once my friend
But never again
No never again
You were always running me down
I was always in the way
Sick of being understanding
Now I'm gonna make you pay
Now I'm gonna make you pay
Now I'm gonna make you... pay
Song: | Once A Friend |
Released: | 23rd March 1992 |
Main Associated Album (or Single): | Ring The Bells |
First Heard Live: | Never performed live |
- Ring The Bells :Studio, Single, 1992
- The Collection :Compilation, Album, 2004
- 1992 Singles & B-Sides :Compilation, Album, 2023
- Can't find any records of performances.
Phoenix Mason Jar – 22nd March 1992
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Atlanta Masquerade – 18th March 1992
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Detroit St Andrews – 16th March 1992
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