[Oops. Fell off the wagon and down a rabbit-hole the past few days. Back now, slightly the worse for wear. Withdrawal is fun. Vivid, vivid dreams. Slightly scary.]
I haven't made an entry in my "dead" bands series for a while, so maybe the time has come to take a look at the blandly-named UK group James. They started out way-the-hell back in the '80s and were seen by some (possibly even Morrissey himself) as the second coming of the Smiths. I didn't really discover them until their 1993, Brian Eno-produced album Laid, which spawned the semi-hit title track (and is still their best album, IMO).
I always thought of lead singer Tim Booth as being sort of Bono-lite. Certainly, he has an affection for falsetto, which is fine by me. But one also gets the impression that the band saw themselves as risk-taking innovators throughout their career, which I can't quite buy. True, their sound did change over time, but they remained - for the most part - a pleasant folk-pop outfit whose ultimate demise was noticed by few, and mourned by still fewer. Certainly worth a look (and a listen) on this "dry" Friday eve...
From the LP Laid, 1993 >>>
[MP3] [SaveFile] "Laid"
From the LP Whiplash, 1997 >>>
[MP3] [SaveFile] "She's a Star"
From the LP Millionaires, 1999 >>>
[MP3] [SaveFile] "We're Going to Miss You"
From the LP Seven, 1991 >>>
[MP3] [SaveFile] "Seven"
From the LP Pleased to Meet You, 2001 >>>
[MP3] [SaveFile] "Alaskan Pipeline"
From the compilation Alternative NRG, 1993 >>>
[MP3] [SaveFile] "Ring the Bells" [live]
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