lambchops's Full Review: The Best Of by James (UK Band)
In all honesty, the first time I heard James was with the release of Laid. In fact, that was the first time that most Americans got a taste of the veteran baggy Brit Poppers. See, we Americans tend to be a bit slow when it comes to music sometimes. Scratch sometimes—make that usually.
Admittedly, I’m not a fan of James. Rather, it’s my younger sister who is the real fan. She actually owns every single album, single, import, etc. on every medium imaginable. I just own this CD. The Best of James. She would, in fact, be very proud of me right now (although I doubt that she would lend credence to much of what I say).
James formed in Manchester, England in 1982 when four University lads met and decided to create a band. Of the four original members, only two remained for the band’s twenty-year career. Tim Booth (vocals) and Jim Glennie (bass) stuck it out and with the help of later additions Saul Davies (violin), Mark Hunter (keyboard), Larry Gott (guitar), and David Bayton-Power (drums) went on to record a respectable number of albums ranging from 1986’s Stutter (there were earlier EP releases) through 2001’s Pleased to Meet You.
Despite a massive British fan base, James never got much support in the US. In fact, they are constantly confused as being one-hit-wonders in many circles thanks to their frenetic 1993 hit Laid. But what people need to realize is that James has always had more to offer than just one hit on one album. Peruse any online music store, you’ll see no fewer than eleven separate albums not including The Best of James or the singles and EP’s. But, for new fans, I would bet that a really good place to begin your love (or hate) would be with this career-spanning greatest hits compilation.
Before I go any further, it needs to be said that this is not a true greatest hits album. Instead, it includes some of the more popular tracks from James since 1990. To qualify as a greatest hits compilation, it would be necessary to include more songs from the albums recorded in the 1980’s from what is dubbed ‘the Factory era.’ Only one exists on the album—the last track, Hymn From a Village. Another problem with the disc is that with any career that spans two decades, the band changes style. These songs jump around too much…it may have been more productive to assemble this disc in chronological order. It would make a lot more sense.
As I already mentioned, the song that most Americans should be best acquainted with from James is Laid from the 1993 album by the same name. This is the song that introduced me to the band and turned my little sister on to Brit Pop on the whole. The thing that really put the song over the edge was producer Brian Eno’s (known for his work with U2) magical touch. The track got some MTV and college radio play, but never cracked the top 50. What it did do was expose listeners to James. The theme of Laid was a bit risqué for MTV…considering that the entire song talks about a sexually dysfunctional relationship. The upbeat tempo and Booth’s open vocals helped to make this song very easy to sing along to and even easier to appreciate for it’s inherent fun factor. Don’t remember Laid? Actually, you might:
The therapist said not to see you no more
She said you're like a disease without any cure
She said I'm so obsessed that I'm becoming a bore
Besides that track, the best of includes three other songs from Laid. These tracks are: Say Something, Out To Get You, and Sometimes. The thing about Laid on the whole is that with Brian Eno’s production James created very user-friendly music. Music easily appreciated by a range of listeners. Say Something is wistful and infectious while Out To Get You is an emotional track with an emphasis on very folky sounding pseudo-acoustic guitars. Sometimes offers a perfect combination of Booth’s voice and absolutely beautiful guitars and percussion. This is the kind of song that transcends a band. In a perfect world, listeners would remember James for creating Sometimes.
Three songs from 1997’s Whiplash make an appearance. These tracks, She’s A Star, Waltzing Along, and Tomorrow are products of what amounts to an older band. She’s A Star is melancholic and melodic. After the release of Whiplash, quite a few people paid attention to this track. In all honesty, I find it mediocre in comparison to some of the other tracks on the original album and this compilation. I do on the other hand enjoy the blues influence on Waltzing Along. Booth’s voice sounds wonderful and the unconventional instrumentation is strangely appropriate. Finally, Tomorrow seems to pay homage to New Wave music of the 1980’s. But, I like this track much more than most New Wave. Booth’s smooth, yet open, vocal style is paired perfectly with electronic music mixed with electric guitars and drums. Tomorrow is one of the best tracks on this Best of James CD.
Come Down, Sit Down, Lose Control and How Was It For You? all are products of the band’s 1990 self titled release. Come Down is a great track to introduce this collection. It’s an upbeat dance track driven by keyboards and synth beats mixed with guitars and drums. This is the same sound that would later help to expose James to Americans everywhere. A superb track. Sit Down is a very Brit Pop sounding song. It’s mid-tempo pace mixed with Booth’s expressive, controlled vocals makes this a lyrically and melodically catchy track. One of the most impressive of the eighteen on this compilation. Lose Control is probably one of my least favorite tracks from James on this album. It sounds forced and contrived and emotionless. Seriously, skip it. The final track from this 1990 release is How Was it For You? A return to dance music, but this time James incorporates rock guitars into the sound. I adore the upbeat rhythms and vocals.
1992’s Seven donated the tracks Born of Frustration, Seven, Sound and Ring the Bells. Once again, I’m reminded a bit of New Wave with Born of Frustration driven by Booth’s yowling vocals. The song is wrapped around synth beats and inaudible la-la-la-la-la’s. In this case, the strange song construction works very well. The title track, Seven is decent enough, although I can’t say that the song is as good as most of the others on this album. It lacks the emotion and inspiration required for a truly great song. Sound actually reminds me very specifically of U2 during the Joshua Tree era. The music is very similar to that of the great Irish band on Where The Streets Have No Name. The thing that makes it different (and for that matter less palatable) is the strangely placed trumpet and Booth’s vocals that in this case seem unwelcome. Ring The Bells is upbeat and simple. The acoustic guitars mixed with programmed synths and rock instruments are truly inspired. People unacquainted with James should find this track very pleasing.
Runaground, Destiny Calling and Hymn From a Village never appeared on a full-length album. Throughout James’ career, they released many singles and EP’s usually including rarities and B-sides. Runaground is a folk-rock track. I’m not impressed. Destiny Calling is a fun track with lots of sharply witty lyrics. There’s nothing particularly special about the song besides just being fun. Finally, Hymn For A Village is the oldest track on this album. It’s the only one included from the Factory era. Released as part of James 2 in 1985, other versions are available as a single. James sounds like a very different band on this track than on the other ones. It seems oddly placed and completely unappealing in the wake of the other more recent tracks. The British band really matured and developed a lot since 1985.
As you can tell, there is a lot of substance to James. They’ve since broken up…Booth just wanted to get on with his life. I suppose the band had gotten a bit stagnant in their twenty-year career. Anyhow, even if you’ve never heard of James it’s important to note that yes, they are an important band. Just take a listen to songs like Come Home, Say Something or Tomorrow and it will be apparent why people still love their work. Since there are a few songs that I don’t like nearly as much as the others (the album could have been about 4-5 tracks shorter or a double LP including a disc of early recordings and one of later recordings), I will only give it 4/5 stars. But, what I will do is recommend it to everybody in need of a decent album.
Track Listing:
1. Come Home - (Flood mix) [James – 1990]
2. Sit Down [James – 1990]
3. She's A Star [Whiplash – 1997]
4. Laid [Laid – 1993]
5. Waltzing Along - (Single version) [Whiplash – 1997]
6. Say Something [Laid – 1993]
7. Born Of Frustration [Seven – 1992]
8. Tomorrow [Whiplash 1997]
9. Destiny Calling [Destiny Calling EP – 1998]
10. Out To Get You [Laid – 1993]
11. Runaground [Runaground – 1998]
12. Lose Control [James – 1990]
13. Sometimes [Laid – 1993]
14. How Was It For You? [James – 1990]
15. Seven [Seven – 1992]
16. Sound [Seven – 1992]
17. Ring The Bells [Seven – 1992]
18. Hymn From A Village [James 2 – 1985]
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P.S. Once again, I’m dedicating an opinion to my little sister who last summer up and decided to move to London. In doing so, she’s managed to meet many of her favorite British bands. Her favorite band of all time is James. Really, I have no clue why. She’s still on her knees thanking me for the mint condition vinyl edition of the band’s first EP Jimone that I dug up for $3 at a gently used music store…
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