Tag Archives: album-seven

Most of the tracks that would form the Seven album were written in 1990, several were debuted on the World Cup tour and others on the December tour, with Ring The Bells, Bring A Gun and Next Lover featuring on the Come Home live video. A secret gig at Paris La Locomotive club in March 1991 saw the band start with ten new unreleased tracks from the demos they had just completed for Seven (Pressure’s On did not see the light of day until Wah Wah and Somebody Help Me remains unreleased).

The recording process for Seven did not go at all to plan. The extended success of Sit Down and the associated promotion delayed recording. The album was scheduled for the autumn originally and a massive 30-date UK tour had been announced to coincide.

Recording with Youth was a strange experience for the band. Shunning conventional methods he set the studios up with no artificial light but used candles to light the studio. The band were not happy with the sound of the initial recordings and when the studio time they had booked was completed, the album was only half-finished. Phonogram’s suggestions for producers to complete the job were rejected by the band, the job in the end going to the band themselves with the assistance of Steve Chase.

The delays meant that the album went ahead with no new product to promote, the single Sound coming out only at the very end of the tour. Audiences expecting a set full of Sit Downs were met by a peppering of the new album and some wilfully difficult selections from the band’s earlier material. Just before Christmas, the band organised a fan club show at Warrington Parr Hall where the whole album was previewed, this show being recorded for release as Seven The Live Video.

With the album finally finished, another single, Born of Frustration, was released in January followed by the album in February just as the band had set off on their first tour of America, thus being unable to put in the traditional promotional activities to coincide with the release.

The album was generally panned by the critics with lazy accusations of stadium rock being thrown at the band. The band still spring to the album’s defence – Tim said in Q in 1993 “I stand by Seven. It’s a good record. And if people have a problem with that they can fuck off”. The general consensus within band circles was that a backlash was inevitable after Sit Down whatever the band had released.

Lyrically, the band makes very strong references to the fallout of Tim’s relationship with the band’s manager Martine. The depth of feeling in some of the tracks was self-evident in Tim’s emotional reaction to some of the songs as he had been singing them live on the autumn tour.

Disappointingly the album only reached Number 2 being held off top spot by Simply Red’s Stars although it was Number 1 in the less significant Network chart.

The band toured the album around Europe in April and May which coincided with Ring The Bells as the third single which struggled to reach the Top 40, again partly down to the lack of promotion and live appearances.

The summer saw James biggest headlining live performance of their own at Alton Towers fun park on July 4, broadcast live on Radio 1. A fourth single from the album, a remix of the title track with the three new tracks added to make the EP at the band’s assistance was released the following Monday and failed to reach the Top 40, peaking at number 46.

Seven did however cement James position as one of the UK’s leading alternative bands despite the press mauling it received. It also had some consequences that would alter the course of the band – it prompted the invitation to support Neil Young on his acoustic US tour that autumn and Brian Eno to want to work with the band.

The album was reissued in 2001 and again on double heavy 180g vinyl in 2017. Read about the 2017 reissue on EvenTheStars.

• Born Of Frustration :1992
• Bring A Gun :1992
• Don’t Wait That Long :1992
• Heavens :1992
• Live A Love Of Life :1992
• Mother :1992
• Next Lover :1992
• Protect Me :1992
• Ring The Bells / Ring Those Bells :1992
• Seven :1992
• Sound :1991

Open in Spotify

• Born Of Frustration
• Ring The Bells
• Seven
• Sound

• London Town And Country Club – 16th December 1992
• Neil Young Support Slot – Press Release
• Super Channel Interview
• First We Take Manhattan – Vox
• Stately Homeboys – Select
• Alton Towers – 4th July 1992
• O-Zone Interview BBC1
• Glastonbury Festival – 26th June 1992
• Seven Single – Press Release
• Lentil As Anything – Sky Magazine
• Seven Single – NME News
• World Entertainment Tonight Feature on James
• Rock Et Folk Interview (French)
• BBC Radio 1 Interview
• Sit Down And Shoot Up The Charts – Mean St Magazine
• LA Chimes – Melody Maker
• Starclub Article (French)
• James Peel 45 From Seven – NME News
• Phosphore Article (French)
• Nord Matin Article (French)
• Multitop Article (French)
• Les Irrockuptibles Interview (French)
• Guitare Et Claviers Interview (French)
• Blah Blah Interview (French)
• Best Interview (French)
• Minneapolis First Avenue – 14th March 1992
• Chicago Cabaret Metro – 13th March 1992
• Seven US Press Release and Biography
• Ring The Bells – Press Release
• New York Times Article
• Lime Lizard Interview
• Vox Tim New York Picture
• The Band That Wanted First-Name Terms – The Independent
• Oxygen Interview (French)
• L’Etudiant Article (French)
• Le Pays Interview (French)
• Seven Album USA Release – Press Release
• MTV San Francisco Interview
• Key 103 Special
• Rock Over London Interview
• Music View Interviews
• James On A Rock And Roller Ride – Manchester Evening News
• Alton Towers – Press Release
• Seven UK – Press Release
• Seven UK Press Release And Biography
• James To The Tower – NME
• Holier Than Thou – Select
• Q Article And Interview
• Live 105 Biography
• Feels Like Seven – NME
• Today Article
• Born Of Frustration – BBC1 Top Of The Pops – 30th January 1992
• Seventh Heaven – Exit Magazine
• Born Of Frustration Press Release
• LA Gun Ordeal Shatters Star – Manchester Evening News
• MTV Interview
• The Magnificent Seven – NME
• Born Again James – NME News
• Warrington Parr Hall (evening) – 20th December 1991
• Warrington Parr Hall (afternoon) – 20th December 1991
• Gang Get Gott – NME News
• Material World – NME
• Standing Room Only – Vox
• Sound – BBC1 Top Of The Pops – 25th November 1991
• Sound – Channel 4 The Word – November 1991
• Sound Single Release – Press Release
• Going Live Interview – BBC1
• Sound – Press Release
• Norwich Gig Cancellation News – NME
• Sound Release News – NME
• Putting The Booth In – Melody Maker
• James Single – Melody Maker News
• Programme: Seven Autumn Tour (1991)
• Granada What’s New – August 1991
• London Tufnell Park Dome – 12th June 1991
• 1990 – 1992: Success At Last!

• Manchester Free Trade Hall – 17th December 1992
• London Town And Country Club – 16th December 1992
• Bristol Colston Hall – 15th December 1992
• Leeds Town And Country Club – 14th December 1992
• Glasgow Royal Concert Hall – 13th December 1992
• Osaka Club Quattro – 6th December 1992
• Osaka Club Quattro – 5th December 1992
• Kawasaki Club Citta – 3rd December 1992
• Kawasaki Club Citta – 2nd December 1992
• Kawasaki Club Citta – 1st December 1992
• Redondo Beach The Strand, Los Angeles – 24th November 1992
• Los Angeles The Palace Theater – 23rd November 1992
• Fresno venue unknown – 21st November 1992
• San Francisco Civic Centre – 20th November 1992
• Chicago World Music Theatre – 19th November 1992
• Chicago World Music Theatre – 18th November 1992
• Milwaukee Riverside Theatre – 15th November 1992
• Milwaukee Riverside Theatre – 14th November 1992
• Austin The Backroom – 12th November 1992
• Dallas Bomb Factory – 11th November 1992
• Ybor City El Pasaje, Tampa – 8th November 1992
• Brevard County Fair – 7th November 1992
• Daytona Beach Emery Riddle University – 7th November 1992
• Fort Lauderdale The Edge – 6th November 1992
• Baltimore Hammerjacks – 4th November 1992
• Montclair College – 2nd November 1992
• New York The Ritz – 1st November 1992
• Boston Channel Club – 31st October 1992
• Oswego Laker Hall – 30th October 1992
• Allentown Zebras – 28th October 1992
• Lawrenceville Rider College – 27th October 1992
• New Britain, CT, The Sting – 25th October 1992
• Chicago Riviera – 13th October 1992
• Washington Smith Centre – 3rd October 1992
• Las Vegas Bally’s – 26th September 1992
• Pacific Amphitheatre, Costa Mesa, Los Angeles – 25th September 1992
• San Diego Summer Pops Bowl – 23rd September 1992
• Los Angeles Greek Theatre – 22nd September 1992
• Los Angeles Greek Theatre – 21st September 1992
• Salem LB Amphitheatre – 18th September 1992
• Park City Park West Amphitheatre – 16th September 1992
• Denver Red Rocks – 15th September 1992
• Paris Fete De L’Humanite – 11th September 1992
• Feile Festival, Thurles – 31st July 1992
• Morlaix Tamaris Festival – 18th July 1992
• Calais Fort Le Nieulay – 12th July 1992
• Leysin Festival – 10th July 1992
• Alton Towers – 4th July 1992
• Roskilde Festival – 28th June 1992
• Stockholm Moderna Museet – 27th June 1992
• Glastonbury Festival – 26th June 1992
• Torquay Riverside Centre – 23rd June 1992
• Exeter University – 22nd June 1992
• Porto Pavilhao Das Antas – 9th May 1992
• Lisbon Coliseu dos Recreios – 8th May 1992
• Milan City Square – 5th May 1992
• Bern Stufenbau – 4th May 1992
• Frankfurt Live Music Hall – 3rd May 1992
• Copenhagen Loppen – 1st May 1992
• Hamburg Grosse Freiheit 36 – 29th April 1992
• Berlin Quartier Latin – 28th April 1992
• Cologne Live Music Hall – 27th April 1992
• Mauberge La Luna – 25th April 1992
• Paris Bataclan – 23rd April 1992
• Amsterdam Paradiso – 22nd April 1992
• San Francisco Warfield Theatre – 26th March 1992
• Los Angeles Roxy – 24th March 1992
• San Diego Sound FX – 23rd March 1992
• Phoenix Mason Jar – 22nd March 1992
• Atlanta Masquerade – 18th March 1992
• Detroit St Andrews – 16th March 1992
• Minneapolis First Avenue – 14th March 1992
• Chicago Cabaret Metro – 13th March 1992
• Boston Paradise Rock Club – 11th March 1992
• New York The Ritz – 10th March 1992
• Toronto Opera House – 8th March 1992
• San Francisco Union Square – 15th February 1992
• Manchester Polytechnic – 8th February 1992
• Born Of Frustration – BBC1 Top Of The Pops – 30th January 1992
• Warrington Parr Hall (evening) – 20th December 1991
• Warrington Parr Hall (afternoon) – 20th December 1991
• Sound – BBC1 Top Of The Pops – 25th November 1991
• Sound – Channel 4 The Word – November 1991
• Granada What’s New – August 1991
• London Tufnell Park Dome – 12th June 1991