this statement was taken from the JAMES website: "Tim's Statement Regarding His Departure From James Dear friends,
After much deliberation I have decided it's time for me to leave JAMES. When we started the band we always said we'd give it a year and see how it went. If you had told me we'd last nearly 20 years I'd have asked you what drugs you were on. I am leaving on a high. The tour is selling well and will be a great farewell party. For the last two years we have been getting on better with each other than ever before. We have made a C.D that I believe to be our best since Laid; yes I have heard that reviews state otherwise but by not reading them I keep myself in a blissful bubble of ignorance. Although some of the Summer gigs were a bit hit and miss the last gig we did, in Athens was one of the best we have ever done.
So why am I leaving? Well because I want to stop while we are on top. To leave great memories knowing that I feel proud of just about everything we have done. And I am leaving because it feels like THE RIGHT TIME. This is an intuitive decision enabling me to let go of a huge commitment and make space for something new to come in. I am sure the press will try and find all kinds of smaller reasons and many of them may be factually true. But this is the greater truth.
I am mid-way through a screen play - which may just be for an audience of one. I am looking forward to teaching creativity workshops, to act and create some new music. If you want to keep in touch, my own web-site should be running by December at timbooth.net.
I don't know what the rest of the guys are going to do but I want to thank them for an amazing ride and for taking my departure so well. For those of you who hate award acceptance thank you's turn away now. I want to thank all the musicians who have ever played in James throughout our various incarnations. Also massive thanks to Peter Rudge, Brian Eno, Traci, Geoff, Simon, Louise, Laurie, Nicola, Neil, Richard, Marsha, Martine, Michael, Joyce, Martin, Angelo and other allies too numerous to mention or remember. I've also got to thank my own personal crew of Kate, Ben, Mepps and Avril.
And finally you. The quality of your listening has enabled us to produce quality. Your faith in us has lifted us to higher levels. It seems like you have managed to always see us through the smokescreen of hipness and cool that the music industry is drowning in. Thank you for listening. Much love.
Tim "
www.jamestheband.com
― Todd, Monday, 19 November 2001 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink
― Jeff, Monday, 19 November 2001 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink
― Nicole, Monday, 19 November 2001 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink
― Lord Custos, Monday, 19 November 2001 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink
― gareth, Monday, 19 November 2001 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink
― Alacrán, Monday, 19 November 2001 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink
― Daniel, Monday, 19 November 2001 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink
― Ally, Tuesday, 20 November 2001 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink
― Dr. C, Tuesday, 20 November 2001 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink
It's somewhat surprising that this appears to be the only thread dedicated to these guys. My entry point (surprise surprise) for these records was Eno -- to that end, in retrospect, I was maybe a bit underwhelmed by Laid despite (or perhaps because of) all the hype, but I've been really enjoying the two later-era Eno-produced records of late, Millionaires and Pleased to Meet You -- both of which have great tunes, fabulous Eno production touches and really put Tim Booth in the best light. I also think Wah Wah is a bit under-appreciated.
Also, other than where they're from, I've never heard The Smiths connection in the least.
What say ILM?
― Naive Teen Idol, Friday, 14 September 2012 16:39 (8 months ago) Permalink
― controversial cabaret roommate (Nicole), Friday, 14 September 2012 16:56 (8 months ago) Permalink
Love "Laid," "Wah Wah," "Whiplash" and "Millionaires" whole-heartedly. Never really heard the early stuff save the hits, "Please To Meet You" is OK. "Hey Ma" not bad. Can't get into the most recent stuff. Saw them live a year or two ago and they were awesome.
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 14 September 2012 17:10 (8 months ago) Permalink
This song is awfully pretty, with nice Eno backing vox:
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 14 September 2012 17:12 (8 months ago) Permalink
80s singles, I'll DJ "Hymn" and "Hup-Springs" > choice tracks from "Pleased to meet you" (i.e. "Getting away with it") > lots of "Laid" and "Wah Wah" > various other singles. I don't like many of their albums as a whole and would even say many of them are "bad" ("Gold Mother" for example), but tracks like "Seven", "Sometimes", "Johnny Yen", "She's a star", are all so nice and individually good. Tim is a spotty lyricist but when he's on I think he's as good as many of his heroes. "Pleased to meet you" is their best album imo.
Andy Diagram went on to play w David Thomas which is an interesting lateral move
― Why can't I be food? (Ówen P.), Friday, 14 September 2012 17:45 (8 months ago) Permalink
"Please To Meet You" is OK.
AllMusic says it's their best -- and lots of listening suggests they may be right. For instance:
Millionaires is great, too, tho. Where Laid today sounds maybe a bit staid from a both song and production standpoint, Millionaires and PTMY each feel far more ambitious -- in part bc Eno imposes his 70MM approach to U2 (for example, the riff of "Just Like Fred Astaire," the chorus of "We're Gonna Miss You") and the playful DX7/vocoder electronics from his later period ("I Know What I'm Here For," "Vervaceous") on top of what I think are the best pure "tunes" of James' career (I should note that from everything I've read, Eno didn't show up to the Millionaires and PTMY sessions until they were well underway -- so I don't want to give too much credit for the sound of these records to him).
Regardless, I think both of these records (and the band by and large) are really underrated.
― Naive Teen Idol, Friday, 14 September 2012 18:08 (8 months ago) Permalink
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 14 September 2012 18:10 (8 months ago) Permalink
<3 millionaires
I met TB on a resort island in NY when I was about 17 and he was a lot older. He then spent the week hanging out with one of my good friends. It was very strange and sort of creepy in retrospect.
― (✿◠‿◠) (ENBB), Friday, 14 September 2012 18:13 (8 months ago) Permalink
"Smiths connection"
I saw james live when they supported, um...
― Mark G, Friday, 14 September 2012 19:51 (8 months ago) Permalink
Been listening to "Pleased to Meet You" a bunch. Still think it's sort of oddly sequenced and just somehow ... off, but there are plenty of lovely moments to go around.
I'm really surprised how either underrated or overlooked Eno's longtime collaboration with the band was. Four albums, lots of good b-sides, a real subtle but still prominent presence on all the records. They even got him to sing live at one of their (then) farewell shows, which is one of half dozen times he's sung live in the past 25 years or something.
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 16 September 2012 20:57 (8 months ago) Permalink
I just remember that moment in Swollen Appendices where he gets mad at their violinist
― E.I.E.I. (Ówen P.), Sunday, 16 September 2012 21:10 (8 months ago) Permalink
i liked born of frustration a lot at the time. the lyrics dont really hold up for me now, but the woo-woo's are something else.
― how's life, Monday, 17 September 2012 11:17 (8 months ago) Permalink
Another bunch of stuff from around that time I wouldn't go back to, but I'd save "Come Home" from the charity dumper...
― Mark G, Monday, 17 September 2012 11:57 (8 months ago) Permalink
Pleased to Meet You is easily my favourite James album. Space is such a great opener love the way he sings "It's a shock to my system" Getting Away With It could well be my favourite single of theirs, shame it came out when no-one really cared. Hey Ma had some moments but was quite patchy. White Boy was a great single.
Born of Frustration was a great single, always thought Coldplay ripped off the tune for Clocks.
― Kitchen Person, Monday, 17 September 2012 12:53 (8 months ago) Permalink
Laid is one of those records that's probably quite high in my personal canon if I ever remember it exists, if that makes sense. This thread is doing a good job persuading me to give PTMY a try.
― a regina spektor is haunting europe (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 17 September 2012 13:07 (8 months ago) Permalink
whoa:
In a review of the album in 1999, Q Magazine stated:[2]
'While musically different, a similar burning sense of an idea whose time has come runs through Parklife, Urban Hymns, Everything Must Go, OK Computer and (What's the Story) Morning Glory?. These are the albums that, if there’s any justice, Millionaires will be cited alongside when the great British rock records of this decade are counted.'
― a regina spektor is haunting europe (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 17 September 2012 13:10 (8 months ago) Permalink
There's a big drop-off in that list, the next one was "All Change"
...
― Mark G, Monday, 17 September 2012 13:47 (8 months ago) Permalink
The genealogy of "The Joshua Tree" -> five Eno+James records -> "Viva La Vida" is so apparent to my ears and Tim Booth is my favourite singer/lyricist of the bunch.
― E.I.E.I. (Ówen P.), Monday, 17 September 2012 13:48 (8 months ago) Permalink
I "Millionaires" is my favorite James after "Laid."
Amazing that "Millionaires" and "Pleased To Me You" did not even get US release, afaik.
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 17 September 2012 14:32 (8 months ago) Permalink
iirc I had to have someone buy Millionaires for me while they were on a trip to England.
― (✿◠‿◠) (ENBB), Monday, 17 September 2012 14:33 (8 months ago) Permalink
I downloaded it in MP2 format
― E.I.E.I. (Ówen P.), Monday, 17 September 2012 15:12 (8 months ago) Permalink