James were always a singles band. They follow a great tradition of English artists such as The Jam, Madness and The Smiths in being perennially on Top of the Pops with a series of absolute bangers week in, week out. Laid captures this moment quite perfectly.
And so what we have here is a series of singles that I’d pretty much forgotten about and don’t ever trouble any FM radio stations these days. That’s a shame. James were always a lot more cleverer than some of their counterparts with their song writing. Plus they had the balls to back this up with Tim Booth up front.
There’s some pretty grand sweeping statements on this album. Sometimes is a great example, building up the sound and creating an almost industrial image of life in a Northern time.
The bass playing on Say Something is exquisite. The track just bounces along, making a very painful lyric somehow uplifting. That’s quite a feat.
Respect for early 1993 gender-swapping vibes.
⭐ ⭐ ⭐