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/)
Gospel Oak
James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the forward fake
And I hold it to your eyes
And the wind is spurned
To the trees
And spurning on your charms
On your door
And the man is coming all old
And when when the crime is over
Who is safe
Who is safe
And who is gospel oak
On the glamorous night
Each cragged end
And the murderer core survived
From the tunes today
It's sold your space
And I don't know your crime
From the board is slain
And honoured tall
And the wind it is so cold
And they're dueling on a foreign race
Foreign race
Foreign raced it all
So make cupped to me now
It's a long long lazy raves down streets' names
Don't give yer cap to me now
From the raging cloth and the ranging klaxon changed
Raise down
Your soul
Your down
In bloom
Raise down
Hear slay
On and on
Human race
Don't give up on me now
No don't give up on me now
Now now so alone
You're already gone
When your face yours away
When you breeze on everyone.
The lyrics of "Gospel Oak" by James are quite abstract and open to interpretation, but they seem to be touching on themes of deception, crime, safety, and isolation. The song opens with the singer acknowledging both the "prophet" and the "forward fake" and holding something up to someone's eyes, which could represent revealing the truth to someone. The wind is described as "spurned" to the trees, perhaps suggesting a feeling of rejection or betrayal.
The chorus of the song asks a series of existential questions, particularly around safety and who can be considered "safe" when crime occurs. The phrase "gospel oak" is repeated, which could refer to a specific place or concept, or simply be a phrase used for its interesting sound. The second verse mentions a "murderer core" surviving and someone's space being sold, adding to the sense of danger and possibly corruption. The lines "they're dueling on a foreign race" and "raise down hear slay" further contribute to the feeling of turmoil and conflict.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I see the prophet
I perceive the religious leader
And the forward fake
And the deceptive person who is ahead of me
And I hold it to your eyes
And I bring it up for your observation
And the wind is spurned
And the wind is rejected
To the trees
As it blows toward the trees
And spurning on your charms
And shunning your attractive qualities
And the ways are laughing on
And the paths are mocking
On your door
At your doorstep
And the man is coming all old
And the man is approaching in his old age
And when when the crime is over
And when the crime has ended
Who is safe
Who is protected
Who is safe
Who is protected
And who is gospel oak
And who is a believer of Gospel Oak
On the glamorous night
During the fancy evening
Each cragged end
Every rough edge
And the murderer core survived
And the killer's essence remained
From the tunes today
From today's music
It's sold your space
It took your place in popularity
And I don't know your crime
And I am unaware of your wrongdoing
From the board is slain
From the committee member who was killed
And honoured tall
And celebrated largely
And the wind it is so cold
And the wind is bitterly cold
And they're dueling on a foreign race
And they are fighting against a race from a foreign country
Foreign race
Race from another land
Foreign raced it all
It was won by the foreigners
So make cupped to me now
So come close to me now
It's a long long lazy raves down streets' names
It is a slow and lazy wander down the streets
Don't give yer cap to me now
Don't give up on me now
From the raging cloth and the ranging klaxon changed
From the angry crowd and the blaring alarm that has stopped
Raise down
Lower down
Your soul
Your essence
Your down
Your demise
In bloom
In full growth
Raise down
Lower down
Hear slay
Perceive the deathblow
On and on
Continuously
Human race
Mankind
Don't give up on me now
Don't abandon me now
No don't give up on me now
No, don't leave me now
Now now so alone
Feeling lonely now
You're already gone
You've already left
When your face yours away
When you turn your face away
When you breeze on everyone.
When you breeze past everyone
Contributed by Arianna S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.