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/)
Come Home
James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh what a Christmas to have the blues
My baby's gone I have no friends
To wish me greetings once again
Cries will be singing Silent Night
Christmas carols by candlelight
Please come home for Christmas
If not for Christmas by New Years night
Friends and relations send salutations
Sure as the stars shine above
But this is Christmas, yes Christmas my dear
It's the time of year to be with the one you love
So won't you tell me you'll never more roam
Christmas and New Years will find you home
There'll be no more sorrow, no grief and pain
And I'll be happy, happy once again
Ooh there'll be no more sorrow, no grief and pain
And I'll be happy, Christmas once again
Oh I'll be happy, Christmas once again
In James's song Come Home, the singer is experiencing a sad Christmas and New Year's as his lover has left him and this is the first Christmas without her. He's lonely, and even his friends are not there to wish him greetings again. He's hoping that his lover will come back for Christmas or at least by New Year's night so they can be together. He misses her incredibly and wants her back to share the happiness of the holiday season with him.
The song speaks to the profound sense of loneliness and yearning that many people feel during the holidays, particularly those who have lost their loved ones or who are far from home. It's a poignant song that resonates with anyone who's ever hung a stocking with the faint hope that this will be the year that their special someone comes back home.
Line by Line Meaning
Bells will be ringing this sad, sad New Years
The new year is approaching, but it will not be a joyous occasion for me.
Oh what a Christmas to have the blues
It's Christmas, but I'm not feeling happy or festive due to my current situation.
My baby's gone I have no friends
My loved one is no longer with me, and I am alone without any close companions.
To wish me greetings once again
I don't have anyone to offer me holiday greetings and well wishes.
Cries will be singing Silent Night
Although others may be singing carols, I am feeling sad and alone.
Christmas carols by candlelight
The traditional holiday festivities are happening around me, but I am not participating.
Please come home for Christmas
I am longing for my loved one to return and spend the holidays with me.
If not for Christmas by New Years night
If my loved one can't make it back for Christmas, I hope they will be home by the new year.
Friends and relations send salutations
Even though I am alone, I am still receiving messages of good wishes from acquaintances and relatives.
Sure as the stars shine above
I can always count on these messages to come from those around me, much like the stars shining in the sky.
But this is Christmas, yes Christmas my dear
Despite the well wishes, Christmas just doesn't feel complete without my loved one by my side.
It's the time of year to be with the one you love
Christmas is traditionally spent with loved ones, and I am feeling the emptiness of not having mine around.
So won't you tell me you'll never more roam
I am asking my loved one to make a promise to always be there for me, especially during the holidays.
Christmas and New Years will find you home
I am hopeful that my loved one will come back soon and be with me for the rest of the holiday season.
There'll be no more sorrow, no grief and pain
If my loved one returns, my sadness will dissipate and I will feel happy again.
And I'll be happy, happy once again
Overall, I just want to experience happiness again, especially during the holidays.
Ooh there'll be no more sorrow, no grief and pain
All I want for Christmas is to be rid of these negative emotions and feel happy once again.
And I'll be happy, Christmas once again
If my wishes come true, I will be able to truly enjoy the holiday season once again.
Lyrics © DistroKid, BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Charles Mose Brown, Gene Redd
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@zackc2857
It's that time again when I lose my friends
Go walkabout, I've got the bends from pressure
This is a testing time when the choice is mine
Am I a fool for love or foolish with desire
You can throw him out you can spit on him
Call what he does a sin if it makes you feel better
And I can't believe you're all I'll ever need
And I need to feel that you're not holding me
And the way I feel just makes me want to scream
Come home, come home, come home
Come home, come home, come home
After thirty years I've become my fears
I've become the kind of man I always hated
I am pulled apart, and my swollen heart
Has flipped out of the pan into the fire
I am in love insane with a sense of shame
That I threw stones at the condemned and
Now I'm slated
And I don't believe you're all I'll ever need
And I need to feel that you're not holding me
And the way I feel just makes me want to scream
Come home, come home, come home
Come home, come home, come home
Come home, come home, come home
@3vogaming221
James most underrated band of the 90s indie era ,,,
Some absolute belters in their collection ,
Big respect ✊.
@stewartlancaster6155
underrated by whom ?
@paulmartin7993
@@stewartlancaster6155div
@stokes8762
You know what's really underrated? Not calling every band under the sun underrated.
@gaspanda
one of those bands that don't seem to be remembered as much, but when you listen to their back catalogue there is a surprisingly large number of indie classics
@Amaterasu_990
Loving James even more than I did in the 90s right now! <3
@Burns1993Joe
What a superb band! So underrated! Thank god for YouTube that we can find these hidden gems a generation later.
@najet5775
Classic song now, great lyrics & melodies. Melancholic somehow. Love and never tire of it
@anadjukovic2465
The best band ever that no one talk much about :(
Became my favorite just a couple weeks ago after seeing them at Pier17 in NYC
Never knew about “James” before :(
@alangoodman7755
Going to see them in Bingley in 2 weeks