...
This 'Best of' collection was released in 1998 and contains eighteen tracks of pure brilliance.
Track Listing
1 - Come Home (Flood Mix)
2 - Sit Down
3 - She's a Star
4 - Laid
5 - Waltzing Along (single version)
6 - Say Something
7 - Born of Frustration
8 ... Read review
Riding on the powerful wave of Manchester's early 1990's musical renaissance, James' ... more
intellectual and improvised approach complemented a dance heavy scene and catapulted the seven-piece in to the limelight. "Come Home" and "Sit Down"--James' most lucra...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Come home (Flood mix) Sit down She's a star Laid Waltzing along (single version) Say ... more
something Born of frustration Tomorrow Destiny calling Out to get you Runaground Lose control Sometimes How was it for you Seven Sound Ring the bells Hymn from the vil...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
A sweeping, 30-track career retrospective that leaves almost nothing out, Live is a much ... more
more filling meal than the two-part Best Live series, each of which contains 12 tracks. Fans will want one or the other of these packages, and will need no further elaboration on their merits. But those who just want a sampler of Taylor's hit songs might want to check this out as well. The best greatest hits package to check out is Classic Songs. --Gavin McNett
Postage & Packaging:Free! Availability:Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Whether she sings string-laden pop ballads, lively soul, or gritty electric blues, James's ... more
high-powered, enormously expressive voice displays a knack for passionate blues inflections. Emotionally charged ballads including "At Last" and "All I Could Do is Cry" find James blasting through the orchestra with unearthly wails and moans. "If I Can't Have You", a duet with Harvey Fuqua, drops the orchestra in favour of horn-driven R&B and "Something's Got a Hold On Me" is a gospel-flavoured romp reminiscent of Ray Charles. A live version of Jimmy Reed's "Baby, What You Want Me to Do" shows her raunchiest Chicago-blues style, and "In the Basement", with Sugar Pie DeSanto, is a funky workout. Also here are three classics from her soul-drenched 1967 Muscle Shoals sessions. --Marc Greilsamer
Postage & Packaging:Free! Availability:Usually dispatched within 3 to 5 weeks...
Advantages: 18 tracks of pure brilliance and some wonderful lyrics Disadvantages: None
...
In 'Sometimes' (the BEST track James have ever recorded) Tim Booth sings 'sometimes when I look in your eyes I swear I can see your soul'. The song tells the tale of a storm and a dying child caught in its thrall.
'Ring the Bells' is a song that just grows and grows, building itself up into a wonderful piece of frantic brilliance - even better when heard live with Tims lyrics once again soaring with some truly inspired words ... ...wings now I'm as tall as the sky -
When you let me drown, grew gills and fins now I'm as deep as the see -
When you let me die, my spirit's free, there's nothing challenging me'
In 'Waltzing Along', which is a different version than the slower number released on their 'Whiplash' album the immensely catchy tune carries even more beautiful lyrics - 'May your eyes be opened by the wonderful'.
James are probably one of the most under-rated bands of the past 25 years. They formed in Whalley Range, Manchester in 1981. Band members came and went in a flurry of activity until the band came across Tim Booth dancing like a complete loon at a disco they had sneaked into. They invited him to join the band as their dancer (a la Bez in the Happy Mondays) but later he became their vocalist.
This 'Best of' collection was released in 1998 and contains eighteen tracks of pure brilliance.
Track Listing
1 - Come Home (Flood Mix) 2 - Sit Down 3 - She's a Star 4 - Laid 5 - Waltzing Along (single version) 6 - Say Something 7 - Born of Frustration 8 - Tomorrow 9 - Destiny Calling 10 - Out to get You 11 - Runaground 12 - Lose Control 13 - Sometimes 14 - How was it for You? 15 - Seven 16 - Sound 17 - Ring the Bells 18 - Hymn from a Village
Perhaps the greatest known track is the standard 'Sit Down' calling all the wronged, lonely and unloved to join the singer in their despair and was released in '89 to a very luke warm British public and it only reached number 77 in the charts. Following the songs success in the clubs a couple of years later where clubbers would actually 'sit down' whenever the song was playe, it was rereleased and it soared to number 2 in the Top 40 (Chesney Hawkes kept it from the top spot). It was also released again in a remixed form by Apollo 440 in '98 and this time only made number 7.
Each song is a fantastic piece of music with some really catchy tunes and profound lyrics that often require you to actually study the words. Not in the same vain that Micheal Stipe asks you to study his lyrics (christ knows what that man's on) but in a way that can stop you and force you to listen.
In 'Sometimes' (the BEST track James have ever recorded) Tim Booth sings 'sometimes when I look in your eyes I swear I can see your soul'. The song tells the tale of a storm and a dying child caught in its thrall.
'Ring the Bells' is a song that just grows and grows, building itself up into a wonderful piece of frantic brilliance - even better when heard live with Tims lyrics once again soaring with some truly inspired words - 'When you let me fall, grew my own wings now I'm as tall as the sky - When you let me drown, grew gills and fins now I'm as deep as the see - When you let me die, my spirit's free, there's nothing challenging me'
In 'Waltzing Along', which is a different version than the slower number released on their 'Whiplash' album the immensely catchy tune carries even more beautiful lyrics - 'May your eyes be opened by the wonderful'.
James, whilst recording some truly brilliant music, could often create an album that, although interesting, seemed to swing to both sides of the extreme with some great tracks and then some that should probably have been left back in the studio in the same way the Beatles did. (I love the Beatles but sometimes .... honestly boys!) However, this collection pulls together 18 great tracks that show James on their most photogenic side.
I used to listen to this CD in the car with my wife and kids and , even though none were fans of James, everyone loved the collection and would ask for the CD when in the car with me. The fact that it was either something pleasant and likeable or Megadeth is neither here nor there!
I could go on repeating most of the lyrics from this collection and singing from the rooftops about their songwriting capabilities but I would probably bore you to tears. However, if you only treat your ears to one 'best of' CD this year then make it this one. They'll be your friends forever.
Advantages: Comprehensive round up Disadvantages: no real order to the tracks
James have been going since 1985, but only really started to achieve proper chart success around the time of the whole ‘MADchester’ scene around 1990, and subsequently tended to get lumped in with The Stones Roses et all, despite not sharing either their home town or indeed their sound. James are also seen as typical white boy, middle class art student types, right from their name to dodgy sweaters and floppy fringes. This has tended ... ...been hip like Blur or Oasis, but that hasn’t stopped them from selling millions of records and having a career that’s spanned over 16 years and doesn’t look like stopping anytime soon.
Anyway, as for the music, if you’re a fan of James you’ll love this album (and indeed own all but a couple of its tracks) and it’s a definitive starting point for anyone who is just a dabbler. Featuring all their ‘big hits’ ...
Ryan-Simpson 01.07.2001
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Best Of James, The - James
Advantages: very good songs, pretty cover Disadvantages: just a couple of so so tracks
...album is one of the best 'best ofs' I think I own. It isn't full of chart toppers and unless you already own a few James albums then you won't have heard of many of the songs. Everyone will have heard ‘Sit Down’, now an anthem, which, unbelievably, was kept from being number one the second time round by the insane Chesney Hawkes. If it did just have top tens on it, this CD would consist of a mere three songs. That’s how underrated ... ...James, before then they were known as Model Team International- how very catchy! They hail from Manchester and disbanded in, I think, late 2002. They played their last gig in Manchester and I frequently kick myself over not going to see them live. James were always kinda left out of the whole Britpop scene, unfairly I think, as I always thought their sound was very British and very poppy. However, this turned into a good thing as the death of Britpop ...
alysonwonderland 05.04.2004
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Best Of James, The - James
Advantages: Some good tracks Disadvantages: Lots of not so good ones
...'Best Of' album. All James' best can be found on the 18 (!) track album, including the singles 'She's A Star', 'Laid', 'Born Of Frustration', 'Tomorrow' and 'Destiny Calling'. The music is simplistic to day the least, but it is far too catchy to ignore, and a lot of the lyrics are excellent. I love the tracks 'Sometimes', 'Sound' and 'Lose Control', but the rest of the tracks aren't really inspiring or particularly memorable, especially the cringe-making ... ...This album's biggest problem is that it's TOO long. It has some great tracks, but it is padded out by quite a few mediocre ones, meaning you won't play it all the way through often because there's not enough to play it for - you have to skip over too many tracks, and can't just leave it playing. It's a good album, but it is it's own worse enemy at times. ...
Excelle 11.08.2000
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Best Of James, The - James
Advantages: The best of a good band - what could go wrong Disadvantages: None here
...singles. So, you'd expect The Best of James to be brilliant, right?
And you'd be correct. All the very best songs are on here, such as Sit Down, Tomorrow, Destiny Calling and Say Something. They're supported by the likes of She's a Star, Laid, Lose Control and Sound, and it all mixes very well for a good album.
Best of all, I don't think you need to be a James fan to buy this - the sound is diverse and entertaining and there is something for everyone ...
AndrewDalton 10.09.2001
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Best Of James, The - James
Advantages: All the tracks are worth listening to Disadvantages: Can't fit it on one side of a D90 cassette
It is only when you sit down and let the entire album run that you realise exactly how many hits this greatly underrated band have scored over the last decade. From the stripped down Laid to the epic Seven, they just keep coming. There are also some diverse moments instrumentally. One minute you are faced with the beauty of the piano-led She’s a Star, the next it’s brass on Born of Frustration which speaks volumes for the band’s ...
S_Osborne 14.01.2001 (30.01.2001)
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Best Of James, The - James
Originality
Lyrics
Quality and consistency...
How does it compare to ...
Value for Money
Similar reviews »
Reviews which might be of interest for "Best Of James, The - James"
*** Who is James Taylor? ***
James Taylor is a very cool guy.
He has dedicated his life to giving us a catalogue of truly exceptional songs which contribute towards a complex framework of music history. He is admired by both fans and fellow musicians.
James has experienced some pretty turbulent and difficult times in his own life and his loyal fans feel that because of this, he truly understands them.
*** Awards and recognition James has received ***
James has won numerous awards in a career that has spanned three decades. He received his first Grammy back in 1971 for best pop vocal performance, male for his remarkable recording of his friend Carole King's "You've Got a Friend".
More recently James Taylor picked up his Best Male Pop Vocal Performance trophy at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony for "Don't Let Me ...
Advantages: Timeless REAL soul music Disadvantages: Only 10 tracks
INTRO
----------
After 1980's rappers and The Smiths, James Brown is my other musical icon of choice. With a career in entertainment spanning his debut single release, "Please Please Please" in 1956 to his appearance with Will Young at this year's Olympic Torch Concert, only Cliff Richard could boast a career equal in longevity. Cliff, though, can't boast James Brown's critical kudos and influence. Of the 116 albums he's released, this effort - originally from 1981 - is one of 17 "best ofs" on the market!
WHO IS HE?
-------------------
Even if you don't know any of his music directly, the chances are that you'll have been affected indirectly by his vast 45 year output. For a start, he invented what used to be called "soul", that genre that put feeling and vocal passion before lyrics and image. He was 8 years ahead of Motown ...
Advantages: some all time classics Disadvantages: a few dud tracks, no live songs
out of sight is a greatest hits collection from the godfather of soul, James Brown. it contains all of the classics that you would expect including 'sex machine', i feel good', 'papas got a brand new bag', 'its a mans mans mans world' and 'get up offa that thing'.
there are 18 tracks here in total making this album good value for money. some of the songs dont quite live up to the same high standards as the songs mentioned before, but the song retains a funky groove throughout.
perhaps a dissapointing thing is that there are no examples of Brown's legendary live performances here. Browns band is generally very tight. the inlay includes a fairly detailed biography and some good photos of brown in his younger years.
overall this is a good album with some genuinely great tracks, there are a few weak links but it doesnt detract from ...
Product Information for "Best Of James, The - James" »
Product details
Title
Best Of James, The
Performer
James
Genre
Rock & Pop
Sub Genre
Alternative
Release Date
23/03/1998
Recomended Retail Price
14.99 GBP
Original Release Year
1998
Label / Distributor
Fontana / Universal Music
Pieces in Set
1
Studio / Live
Mixed
Stereo
Stereo
Format
Performer
EAN
731453689824
Catalogue Number
5368982
Additional notes
Album Notes
James: Tim Booth (vocals); Saul Davies (guitar, violin, percussion); Adrian Oxxal (guitar, cello); Larry Gott, Paul Gilbertson (guitar); Andy Diagram (trumpet); Mark Hunter (keyboards); Jim Glennie (bass); David Baynton-Power, Gavan Whelan (drums). Recorded between 1985 & 1998. Includes liner notes by David Cavanagh & Tim Booth. Includes rare single version tracks and 2 previously unreleased tracks. JAMES: THE BEST OF is an excellent sampling of the late output of the band that was almost too happy for Manchester. Culled mostly from James's albums from the 1990s, the 18 songs here include the smash hit "Laid," and several other UK hits that were US sleepers, including "Come Home," "Sit Down," "She's a Star," and others. Sadly, JAMES: THE BEST OF provides only one example of the band's earlier work on Factory Records. Nevertheless, the compilation attests to the wonderful pop sensibility that characterized the James sound, as well as to the lyrical depth that helped the band develop the dedicated following that enabled its survival long after the Madchester scene had floundered. James's phenomenal staying power is well documented on JAMES: THE BEST OF.
Titles on disc 1
1.
Come Home (Flood mix)
2.
Sit Down
3.
She's A Star
4.
Laid
5.
Waltzing Along (single version)
6.
Say Something
7.
Born Of Frustration
8.
Tomorrow
9.
Destiny Calling
10.
Out To Get You
11.
Runaground
12.
Lose Control
13.
Sometimes
14.
How Was It For You
15.
Seven
16.
Sound
17.
Ring The Bells
18.
Hymn From A Village
Ciao
Listed on Ciao since
15/07/2000
Compare Best Of James, The - James to other similar Rock & Pop »
![River Is Wide, The [Remastered] - Forum (The)](http://imagesb.ciao.com/iuk/images/products/small/251/prod_small-6006251.jpg)
