James (Band)

James is an English alternative rock band that was formed in 1981 in Manchester and can be expected to Madchester scene. The most successful albums are Gold Mother by 1990 Seven of 1992 and Laid in 1993.

  • 3.1 albums
  • 3.2 Singles

Histographie

The 1980s

The band's story began in 1981 in Whalley Range, a district of Manchester. There, the music-loving Paul Gilbertson lived - inspired by post-punk bands - his buddy Jim Glennie persuaded to buy a bass guitar and start a band. In addition to several other constantly changing " musicians " the drummer Gavan Whelan was added. Together they played a few gigs under the names Venereal and The Diseases, Volume Distortion and Model Team International (later just yet: Model Team). They played a spontaneous, purely improvisational style. Your "stuff" they had built up during jam sessions.

At a student party Paul was a dancer with a rather wild dance style to Tim Booth. Paul invited him to appear as a dancer with the band. Tim accepted and quickly became the vocalist and lyricist of the band. It was quite a contrast: a student's trained with a voice and a certain artistic sensibility poems recited, and a few rough guys who scarring sparkled on their instruments. But it worked.

A short time went on, the band under the name Tribal Outlook before then in August 1982 took the name James. The idea came from Paul, who suggested that they should call themselves after one of the band members. The name Gavan was rejected because he too sounds like Heavy Metal. Paul was too modest to so much to face or his name in the foreground and Tim was afraid that he would be accused of selfishness. So there was not Jim or James. The meaning of this name was "amorphous" enough to describe the essence of the band. The band was quite clear that the people would expect only one person in the name. Accordingly alone was at a gig Tim on stage and wore a poem.

The band developed their very own style, which was influenced by any other band, and took the risk that resulted from consciously. At a gig at the Haçienda club was Tony Wilson of Factory Records in the audience. He offered the band a record deal, the band but refused. They were now a very good live band, but had doubts that they could bring their stuff in the studio on an album. Instead of a complete album (LP: long player ) they wanted more of an EP (extended player ) publish with three pieces. Your recording debut was thus the EP Jimone, which was recorded in August 1983 at Strawberry Studios in Manchester. Some of the major music magazines in the UK it was made promptly for the single of the week, and the band went as the opening act of The Smiths on Tour.

James were seen as the next big thing at the time. But it turned out completely different. Compared to the record company they had the suspicion that they are cheated by this. In addition, Paul was a drug addict, which meant that he no longer played like until then. Although Paul was a founder and the driving force of the band, the other band members saw it necessary to ask him to leave the band. Added to this was that Jim and Tim were joined in search of a spiritual experience of a sect called LifeWave. Although improved their overall well -being, this led to tensions within the band.

In March 1985, they released their second EP: James Paul II was now God has been replaced by the guitar teacher of the band, Larry, and the record company wanted to release a full album. The band members believed that it was the record company only to its own image, and switched to Sire Records.

The third release of the band was the Sit Down EP ( not to be confused with the later of the same single ), released in March 1986. In June of the same year came out the first album Stutter. The music press had but now lost interest in the band; the band released just too slow and too little material. The album remained in the UK charts also ran ( 68th place ) and the record company lost faith in the band.

The second album Strip - mine was recorded with a small budget and without significant support from the record company. It was a desperate attempt to win back the trust of the record company. Before it was published in September 1988 ( a year after the completion), there was as yet unknown radio -ready, by being remixed. The record company refused to give any promotion and the album reached so because only No. 90 Based on this experience, the band sought and found a clause in the contract, to leave the record company.

Without written record deal and by the music press broke on hard times for the band members. To earn some money, she took part in drug trials of the Manchester Royal Infirmary. This earned them a place in a TV documentary about a fallen rock stars. In any case, they had a good reputation as a live band and loyal fans. Through word of mouth, they were to tip. Better than the record sales was the sale of T -shirts. T -Shirts by James - a band that has never been in the top 40 - were to be seen everywhere in Manchester. Probably more t-shirts have been sold as plates at the time.

In order to release another album, the band needed a loan. They negotiated with bankers Royal Bank of Scotland, was not willing to give them a loan. After he had seen them live, he gave them a loan of £ 12,000. The ( live ) album One Man Clapping was recorded on 14 and 15 November 1988 at Moles Club in Bath with the help of the record label Rough Trade. Only 10,000 copies were made, so that the album is very much sought after by collectors. In March 1989, it was then released and a complete success, at least in the Indie Charts: # 1 The interest of the media woke up again.

However, there were setbacks: In November, Gavan (drums) and Tim beat on stage, whereupon Gavan was asked to leave the band. A few months later he was replaced by David Baynton - Power.

The loss of Gavans characteristic drums brought the band members to seek new musicians, to develop themselves as a band and their music on. So the following year, Saul Davies ( guitar, violin, percussion), Mark Hunter (keyboards ) and Andy Diagram (trumpet, percussion) were added. In this band only recorded in the studios Out of the Blue in Manchester and The Windings, Wrexham fourth album Gold Mother on. At the time they were at the record company Rough Trade under contract. The boss Geoff Travis was given the experience of the last singles Sit Down (June 1989) and Come Home ( November 1989) believes that it max. 20,000 to 30,000 buyers would find. The band was there a completely different view. They bought the rights to the album and announced the recording contract. A successful tour in the winter 1989/90 led to a recording contract with Fontana.

The 1990s

The new decade began with the first major record sales success: In June 1990, the fourth album Gold Mother was released. During the pre - single release Come Home just reached number 84 of November 1989 in the UK charts, the single landed How Was It for You? after all ( and as the first single the band ever) 40 which also hit number 32 Then was released in June 1990, a Flood remix of Come Home under the UK Top 32 at number. At the end of the year, the band gave two sold-out concerts at the G- Mex Centre - a converted to an entertainment venue, the former train station - even though they had no big hit so far. The breakthrough came only in March of the following year. Next, the singles were Lose Control ( UK # 38) and in March 1991 released a re-recorded version of Sit Down. Sit Down spent three weeks at No. 2 Following the success of the Flood Remix and the following two singles that were on any album, Gold Mother was published in an altered composition in May 1991 again: the pieces were crescendo and Hang On replaced by Lose Control and Sit Down. Meanwhile, there are - at least in the UK - another version, in which to the original version of the two singles have been added. The album reached number 2 in the UK charts, and sales reached about ten times of what Geoff Travis had assumed.

The rest of 1991, the band spent to absorb their cover version of Leonard Cohen's So Long Marianne for the tribute album I'm Your Fan of the French music magazine Les Inrockuptibles and the next Seven own album. In February 1992, it was released as the fifth album and reached number 2 in the UK Top 40 In July 1992, they gave a sold-out concert in front of 30,000 people at the Alton Towers theme park, which was broadcast live by BBC Radio 1. Despite this success, the media response was negative: Critics felt that the style of the seven -piece band as pompous and compared them with the Simple Minds. Then sat down in the band's opinion by that they should return to their musical roots. Since it was barely big enough that they would go in the fall of 1992 as the opening act for Neil Young in the U.S. on tour.

After returning to England in the recordings for the next album began. For the production they could win Brian Eno, who actually should already produce the first album stutter, but was already busy doing something else at the time. Eno was impressed by the improvisation and spontaneous jam sessions the band and wanted to work out the essence of the band and bring on the album. The band said afterwards that Eno she had a " journey of self-awareness " can be made. The result was two albums: the published in October 1993 Laid and published in September 1994 Wah Wah. Both albums were recorded within six weeks. Due to the withdrawal of Andy Diagram prior to the start of the studio session, there was no overproduced trumpet more, which meant that the sound was attributed to the essentials. Fans and critics were impressed by Laid and thought it was the best thing the band had released up to that point. 1994 was the band most of the time on tour in the United States. Since Wah Wah was first published almost a year after Laid, many thought it was completely new and were surprised by this " experimental album". This Wah Wah consisted basically of the pieces which had been developed for Laid only from the jam sessions. Eno was of the opinion that the improvisations were important as the pieces produced as well. He convinced the band and so was the only album with improvisations and jam sessions that has brought out the band. The fans and critics were less convinced; In both, there were mixed reactions. While Laid 3rd place had reached the charts, Wah Wah made ​​it to number 11

In November 1995, work on the new album should start. But there was something in between. That "something " was named by the band later only the "Black Thursday". There was a lot together: Larry wanted to leave the band. Likewise, her manager Martine. A tax bill over £ 250,000 appeared and Tim announced that he would take some distance from the band to record an album with Angelo Badalamenti. The rest of the band did not give up, but remembered their early days and taught in David's house a studio there in order to record the new album. Adrian Oxaal took place a Larry and Tim came over from time to time for the U.S. to contribute vocals. 1996 Tim's " digression " album Booth and the Bad Angel was published and the new James album, Whiplash in February 1997. With the album made ​​the band in the style of wah wah on, but also brought some " radio -ready " pieces. The chart Result: 9th place

Then the band went on tour. In the U.S., they met the Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist Michael Kulas, who was then a member of the band until 2001. It was not an easy tour: Tim craned his dancing on the stage the neck and had to have surgery, so some concerts failed. To this was then an argument between Jim and Tim in which it came to the subject of money. There was a brawl between the two, and for almost a year working in the band was a bit difficult.

In March 1998, the album The Best Of was released, which contained all the hit singles that had been released by Fontana. It was intended as a reminder of the chart successes of the past decade and should show the audience that there were more than Sit Down. It worked. It was the greatest album chart success: 1st place, and as a result the band was celebrated with sold-out concerts.

The tension between Jim and Tim had increased during this time. To them, it was agreed a meeting with the manager of the band Peter Rudge as a mediator to reduce. He succeeded in reducing the tensions, and the band began work on the next album: Millionaires.

The recordings for Millionaires dragged on. The album was released in October 1999. From the music press, the album was well received. The fans were however - for the first time - little enthusiastic. No wonder the album was such a way that it should be a commercial success. Some of the old fans thought that the band of the characteristic style was gone missing. The ambitious (commercial) expectations were not met, and the singles also reached only disappointing finishes, but there were approximately 150,000 albums sold: # 2 in the UK Top 40

The 2000s

In June 2001, the first last studio album, Pleased To Meet You, which had been created again under the direction of Brian Eno, and came into the UK charts at number 11 appeared. In October 2001, Tim Booth announced that he wanted to leave the band. In parting, the band played another UK tour with a final concert at London's Wembley Arena, where Brian Eno was on stage next to the former members of James Larry and Andy Diagram God with the band.

After the tour featured the band members an all band activities without officially dissolve the band.

In January 2007, the band announced that they reformed and has new material. Shortly thereafter, a UK tour was announced with the cast of 1993 for April 2007. On 16 March 2007, the band played an unannounced " comeback - gig" at the Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen in London before 250 people. Which in addition to the singles included two brand new songs by James - April 30, 2007, the best-of album " The Singles Fresh As A Daisy" appeared. On the same day there was another unannounced gig in front of 300 fans at the Academy Club, the place where Jim Glennie and Tim Booth in 1981 met for the first time. In the summer, James played on various festivals in the UK and Europe, where for the first time since 2001, the former member Andy Diagram starred again.

On 7 April 2008 appeared the new album Hey Ma, which debuted a week later at number 10 in the UK album charts in the UK.

The 2010s

On 6 September 2010, the album The Morning After was released in the UK on CD and as MP3 download and on 16 September in the U.S. 2 CD set along with the mini - LP The Night Before, which appeared on 19 April 2010 had. James received for The Morning After favorable reviews, like this one to Review on BBC Music, where the surprise of the critics was expressed that James was this album so poignant succeeded. The album was 75th for one week at number 19 of the UK Albums Top

"Laid " was in 2012 for the title song of American Pie: Reunion.

James' opening acts

A story in itself are the opening acts - ie the groups that are on the stage before the actual band - by James. In 1988, for example, the Stone Roses and the Happy Mondays. Two years later James was then the opening act of the Happy Mondays. The following year, Nirvana was an opening act for James - the band that won the first place in the Billboard album charts a month later. During the tour of 1993, Radiohead was the opening act. After the creative hiatus, it was so on. 1997 Third Eye Blind was the opening act, a year later, The Corrs and the Stereophonics, the following year, Supergrass and the Doves. In 2000, Coldplay, with the single Yellow managed a month later, the breakthrough and the next month Parachutes reached number one in the UK album charts with their debut album.

Discography

Albums

Singles

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