James formed in Manchester in 1982, when Paul Gilbertson (guitar), Jim Glennie (bass), and Gavan Whelan (drums) met Tim Booth (vocals) at Manchester University and asked him to join their fledgling band. During the next year, James became regulars on the local club circuit, and by 1983 they had signed to Factory, releasing their debut EP, Jimone, later that year. Two years later, their second EP, James 2, was released, and Morrissey, the lead singer of the Smiths, publicly endorsed the group, asking them to open for his band. By the summer of 1985, Larry Gott had replaced Gilbertson, and the group signed to Sire Records. Working with producer Lenny Kaye, the group recorded its debut, Stutter, that year, releasing it in early 1986 to generally positive reviews.
Over the next two years, James toured constantly, building up a solid fan base. They released their second album, the folky Strip-Mine, in 1988. The record failed to capitalize on their live following, and the band departed Sire the following year, signing with the independent Rough Trade. On their new label, James released the moderately successful "Sit Down" and the live album One Man Clapping, which climbed to number one on the indie charts. In 1990, Whelan was replaced by David Baynton-Power, and James expanded to a septet with the addition of keyboardist Mark Hunter, violinist Saul Davies, and trumpeter Andy Diagram. The new lineup signed to Fontana Records and released Gold Mother in the fall. Following a handful of minor hit singles, Gold Mother finally became a breakthrough success in the spring of 1991, when a re-recorded version of "Sit Down" -- now boasting a contemporary baggy beat -- climbed to number two on the U.K. charts and became a staple on U.S. modern rock radio. Although the success of "Sit Down" was a blessing, it also was a curse, as the single became all James were known for. The band began to rebel in concert, playing almost nothing but new material, and its next album, 1992's Seven, was perceived as a misguided stab at big arena rock.
For the follow-up to Seven, James stripped away Diagram and worked with producer Brian Eno. The resulting record, Laid, was a quieter, more ambitious album, and it received some of the band's best reviews. While the album was ignored in the U.K., it was an alternative rock hit in the U.S. on the strength of the title track, which became a crossover hit. During the Laid sessions, James recorded another album's worth of experimental music with Eno that was released in the fall of 1994 as Wah Wah. The album received mixed reviews and the group took an extended break throughout 1995, partly due to guitarist Gott's departure. In 1996, Tim Booth recorded a collaboration with composer Angelo Badalamenti (Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet) entitled Booth and the Bad Angel, which received generally positive reviews.
With guitarist Adrian Oxaal in tow, James returned in early 1997 with Whiplash, a more straightforward record that was greeted with mixed reviews. Released in 1999, Millionaires, recorded with new guitarist Michael Kulas, was initially released only in the U.K. Their spectacular follow-up, 2001's Pleased to Meet You, was also available only in the U.K. A few months later, frontman Tim Booth announced his departure from the band he founded nearly 20 years before, and James called it quits following a winter tour of the U.K. in December 2001. The break was short-lived, however, as the band re-formed in 2007 and embarked on a tour in support of the double-disc compilation Fresh as a Daisy: The Singles. The following year saw the release of Hey Ma, James' tenth studio album.
The band returned in 2010 with a pair of "mini-albums" called The Night Before and The Morning After, respectively, before late 2011 brought a short, but novel, U.K. tour (the Orchestra of the Swan and the Manchester Consort Choir were their backup bands). In 2012, the lavish and long-awaited box set The Gathering Sound was issued, and included previously unreleased audio material alongside long-unavailable video concert footage. Details of the Max Dingel-produced La Petite Mort emerged in February 2014, and this first post-Mercury studio album was released four months later in June. Dingel then returned to produce their 2016 record, Girl at the End of the World. Written in Scotland and recorded in London, the album was described by the band as "big but personal, abrasive but warming" and "ultimately uplifting." Two years later, James teamed with producers Charlie Andrew and Beni Giles for Living in Extraordinary Times.
During the 2020 pandemic, Tim Booth teamed up with his Topanga Canyon neighbor Jacknife Lee to construct the basic tracks the rest of James completed while in quarantine. The resulting All the Colours of You was released in June 2021.
Biography by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
There are other artists using the same name:
2) James is the vocalist of popular Bangladeshi band Nagar Baul. He was a member of the band Feelings and later formed the band Nagar Baul. James was raised in Chittagong and later moved to Dhaka for his singing career. Stylishly longhaired James--overwhelmingly known as the Nagar Baul (the City Bard), was the pioneer of psychedelic rock in Bangladesh. Originally a lead singer and guitarist, he has always been respected for his solo projects. He became affectionately called Guru by his fans. His tunes were bright and his singing a divergence from the archetypal tunes preferred by the commercial-type directors. His songs expressed love, rage, discontent, frustration, and happiness.
3) A Dutch rapper connected to the Fakkelteitgroep.
4) James Lee - known as James - was a former member of Royal Pirates, a South Korean band. On 2015, he got into an accident that caused him unable to play bass any longer. Hence, he decided to left the band.
James moved back to Los Angeles and decided to release music written post accident in a project called ’the Light EP’ consisted of 5 tracks. (http://jamesleeofficial.com/)
Chain Mail
James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Witness what you think you hide
I will race you through emotions
If you let me in
I made an armour plated suit
You put your lips to helmet slits
Try to suck me out the tin
I can't get out, I'm welded in
I'd run away, to brave for tears
Or sitting still to see
What lives behind the enemy lines
When you have torn away the screen
High voice, deep inside
Witness what you think you hide
I will race you through emotions
If you let me in
That body's naked as the mind
The bruises mark the site of blows
Inside my suit my body's fine
When I last looked like mine
I'd run away, to brave for tears
Or sitting still to see
What lives behind the enemy lines
When you have torn away the screen
I'm going deeper and deeper in debt
Deeper and deeper in debt
Deeper and deeper and deeper and deeper in debt
I'm not the only one in chains
I hear you creaking when it rains
Under pressure, under stress
I see you through your holy vest
That body's naked as you mind
When I last looked, it looked like mine
Oh look at the chain mail and his body guard
Look at the chain mail and his shoddy body guard
Look at the chain mail and his body guard
Chain mail
Chain mail
Chain mail
Chain mail
I'd run away
Brave for tears
And sitting still to see
What lives behind
The enemy lines
When you have torn away
When you have torn away
When you have ripped away the screen
The lyrics of James's song "Chain Mail" delve into the complexity of emotions and how people often try to hide them behind a suit of armor or a metaphorical chain mail. The high voice and deep inside represent the two sides of a person - the exterior and the interior - that sometimes contradict each other. The singer offers to race the person through their emotions if they let them in, implying that they are willing to get to know the person on a deeper level.
The line "I made an armor plated suit, you put your lips to helmet slits, try to suck me out the tin, I can't get out, I'm welded in" suggests that the singer has built up defenses to protect themselves, and the other person is trying to break through them. They are both vulnerable but cannot admit it, and this struggle could be what is causing them to feel trapped, represented by the line "I can't get out, I'm welded in".
Later on, the lyrics mention bruises caused by blows, but inside their suit, their body is fine, implying that they have been physically hurt but are trying to put on a brave face. The line "I'm not the only one in chains, I hear you creaking when it rains" could suggest that the other person is also experiencing emotional turmoil and is trying to hide it.
Overall, the song explores the idea that people often try to hide their vulnerabilities but end up feeling trapped and weighed down. The lyrics suggest that it is important to open up and be honest, even if it is scary, in order to break free from the chains we create for ourselves.
Line by Line Meaning
High voice, deep inside
My inner voice is calling out to you
Witness what you think you hide
I see through your facade
I will race you through emotions
I want to experience your feelings
If you let me in
I need your permission to get closer
I made an armour plated suit
I built a protective wall around myself
You put your lips to helmet slits
You're trying to break through my defenses
Try to suck me out the tin
You're trying to extract my emotions
I can't get out, I'm welded in
I'm trapped inside my own armor
That body's naked as the mind
Your physical and emotional states are intertwined
The bruises mark the site of blows
Your emotional scars are visible to me
Inside my suit my body's fine
I'm protecting myself from being hurt
When I last looked like mine
I can't remember who I used to be
I'm going deeper and deeper in debt
My emotional debts are piling up
Deeper and deeper in debt
I'm getting more and more emotionally strained
I'm not the only one in chains
We're all trapped by our own emotions
I hear you creaking when it rains
I feel your pain and discomfort
Under pressure, under stress
We're all struggling to keep up
I see you through your holy vest
I understand the facade you're putting up
Oh look at the chain mail and his body guard
See how we're protecting ourselves
Look at the chain mail and his shoddy body guard
We're not doing a good job of it
I'd run away
I'm tempted to escape my own emotions
Brave for tears
I'm willing to face my emotions head-on
And sitting still to see
Being still can help us understand ourselves
What lives behind the enemy lines
What's at the core of our emotions
When you have torn away the screen
When you've opened yourself up to scrutiny
Contributed by Natalie M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@soulminer
Remember owning this album back in the day. Maybe one of the best live recorded albums ever?
@carlasummers6673
It’s immaculate
@carlasummers6673
A masterpiece this album is..
And chain mail is absolutely stunning here
@bertrandricard5601
so much better than the studio version! love it
@bobgreen623
Brilliant song. There's a moment at 2:30 where it really lifts off
@mayannealves4881
essa banda é muito legal
@tilly15773
this is better than the studio version for my money...love it
@funkmasterdub
Another amazing James tune. Cheers
@stanleynorth4026
Brings back fond memories. The record is in the loft somewhere. Must dig it out.
@mikethompson5549
buying all their vinyl... prefer early stuff... but still like new stuff... quality never fades..