they’re good, I like them! lets have a chat here
PS am no coward @roastthemonaspit
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Their greatest hits album was one of my childhood obsessions, played it nearly endlessly. Destiny Calling must be one of the great entries for “new songs on Best Of albums” - popped into my head yesterday and been stuck there since
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I guess you had the best of that I linked to in the daily thread then
Did you have the two disc version that came with a live album?
no just the one disc
really got an urge to finally see them live over the last few years - just announced an Edinburgh date end of this month but I can’t make it sadly. Luckily they seem to come up here quite often
Laid was a formative album for me. Amazing album, underrated too.
Agreed on Destiny Calling, definitely warrants it’s place on the greatest hits and on the running for best greatest hits “new” song.
Actually it might be my favorite James song.
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Like most bands of the era, I’m not so fond of James once Britpop hits, but loved the likes of Come Home and Sound. Ring the Bells and How Was It For You were good too.
I’ve also found some of the really old stuff’s decent too - What For, in particular is worth checking out. For some reason, it didn’t get on to that Best of album that everyone bought.
I think a couple of them live in Scotland…possibly Jim & Saul. Also, Tim Booth is, apparently, really good pals with Gordon Strachan!
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One of my all time favourite bands and one of the few, as ours tastes have evolved, that me and the missus both have a mutual appreciation for.
Obviously the pre-reunion stuff is the best, all the way up to and including Whiplash, but they have amazing stuff on recent albums.
This song and video is deeply affecting.
Yeah, it’s brilliant isn’t it?
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Latest album is great. Seeing them in the summer too which should be good.
As I put in the other thread, Seven is a personal favourite. One thing you can’t deny, they sure know how to kick an album off:
I saw one of them in Gairloch in the highlands at one point. The guitarist/violin player, forgotten his name. He was wearing an excellent coat.
I like James but not quite enough to track down all their albums. There are some great deep cuts on the albums that I have heard though (and the Best Of is fantastic). Some of Stutter is really weird and enjoyable. I really like the Millionaires album too (bar a couple of tracks), Booth was in quite a bad place I think but it resulted in some great melancholy songs with gorgeous production. I have the dvd somewhere of what was his final concert (at the time) and it’s a great watch.
Haven’t heard much of the reunion stuff but I like ‘The Night Before’ mini album. Recent live clips look great. I’ve never seen them and really should at some point.
All i can contribute is that every time my mate gets drunk he tells me to please play Sometimes at his funeral.
That and i suppose, their role in the totally cringe Manchester Passion, but it was a cool opportunity for them I guess
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Sometimes is a perfect 10/10 song, good pick
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Them and Elbow are the masters of an opening album track.
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First band I ever saw play live (supporting The Smiths in 1985).
Never really explored their albums and they seemed somewhere between the Manchester scene and U2 to me.
They have some great songs mind, like Runaground, which feels overlooked, amazing chord progression and feel to it.
I love, love, love the 80s single tracks and One Man Clapping. “Hymn From A Village” gets its props but the rest of it all, and there’s not much, is so exhilarating. I find Stutter too spindly in its production and Strip-Mine generally too folksy, but they have their moments.
Tim Booth has magically found the perfect balance of poetic-corny-affable-meaningful, this band is a “guilty pleasure” with no guilt attached, just pleasure.
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That would be Saul. I used to go to Stirling University and used to see him around the town now and again…think he lived nearby…possibly still does!
Agree about ‘Millionaires’…not a perfect album but there are some lovely songs on it (‘Just Like Fred Astaire’, ‘Hello’, ‘Strangers’, ‘Vervaceous’, ‘We’re Going To Miss You’). That was the album after the ‘Best Of’ had done so well and I think there was a lot of tension in the band regarding what the album should be and, eventually, resulted in the first split.