James were formed in Manchester in 1982 by Jim Glennie, Tim Booth, Larry Gott and Gavan Whelan. Signing, a year later, to Anthony H. Wilson's Factory label, before being snapped up by the Sire Records Company. Their folksy/indie sound found early cult status, before they became big chart toppers. Well almost, 'Sit Down' reached no. 2 in the UK singles charts, quickly followed by a no. 2 album, 'Seven'. The band split up in 2001, before re-forming some years later.
Links To Peel
Peel played the band's debut single in 1983 through the Factory label and would continue supporting their new material until 1991, when they achieved success with a new re-released version of 'Sit Down', which reached number 2 in the UK singles chart. Singer Tim Booth in an interview with The Quietus in 2016 described how John Peel's music was a lifeline during his education:
"Music became my saviour. I had been sent away to a prison-like [boarding] school and I would listen to John Peel on my headphones in bed. I realised that there was a world out there of other people expressing something from their pain. I felt very alone and music was the thing that made me feel not alone. This is why I get emotional talking about some of these albums." [1]
Interestingly the prison like boarding school which Tim Booth described was Shrewsbury School, the same place where Peel studied and boarded when he was a child.
Festive Fifty Entries
- 1985 Festive Fifty: Hymn Form A Village #28
- 1988 Festive Fifty: What For #33
- 1989 Festive Fifty: Sit Down #08
Sessions
James - Peel Session 1983
1. Recorded: 1983-10-03. Broadcast: 19 October 1983
- Vulture / The Chicken Wire / Discipline / Hymn From A Village
2. Recorded: 1986-01-12. Broadcast: 20 January 1986. Repeated: 04 February 1986, 24 February 1986, 29 December 1986
- Tin Can / Summer Song / Folklore / Sili Din
3. Recorded: 1987-09-03. Broadcast: 09 September 1987. Repeated: 25 November 1987, 30 December 1987
- What For? / Ya Ho / Stowaway / Whoops
4. Recorded: 1990-04-10. Broadcast: 30 April 1990. Repeated: 19 June 1990
- How Was It For You / Sunday Morning / Come Home
Other Shows Played
- 1983
- 22 September 1983: What's The World (7" - Jimone) Factory
- 18 March 1985: Hymn From A Village (7" - James II) Factory
- 24 July 1985: Fire So Close (12” EP – Village Fire) Factory
- 18 December 1985: Hymn From A Village (7" - James II) Factory FF #28
- 1986
- 26 February 1986: Chain Mail (7") Sire
- 28 July 1986: So Many Ways (LP - Stutter) Sire
- 30 July 1986: Johnny Yen (LP - Stutter) Sire
- 09 August 1986 (BFBS): Johnny Yen (LP - Stutter) Sire
- 01 September 1986: Withdrawn
- 02 April 1988 (BFBS): 'What For (7")' (Blanco Y Negro / Sire)
- 12 April 1988: What For (7") Blanco Y Negro
- 23 April 1988 (BFBS): What For (7”) Blanco Y Negro
- 27 April 1988: What For (7") Sire
- 09 July 1988 (BFBS): What For (7") Sire
- 20 August 1988 (BFBS): 'So Many Ways (LP-Stutter)' (Sire)
- 02 September 1988 (BFBS): 'So Many Ways (LP-Stutter)' (Sire)
- 12 September 1988: Yaho (7" - Yaho & 1) Blanco Y Negro
- 21 September 1988: Charlie Dance (LP - Strip-Mine) Sire
- 26 September 1988: Fairground (Album: Strip-Mine)' (Blanco Y Negro)
- 28 September 1988: Strip Mining (LP - Strip Mine) Sire
- 04 October 1988: Riders (LP - Strip-mine) Blanco Y Negro
- 06 October 1988 (BBC World Service): Riders (album - Strip-mine) Blanco Y Negro
- 22 October 1988 (BFBS): Strip Mining (LP - Strip Mine) Sire
- 21 December 1988: 'What For (LP-Strip-mine)' (Blanco Y Negro/Sire) FF #33
- 13 February 1989: Chain Mail (LP - One Man Clapping) One Man
- 14 February 1989: Whoops (LP - One Man's Clapping) One Man
- 15 February 1989: Johnny Yen (album - One Man Clapping) One Man
- 24 February 1989 (BFBS): 'Chain Mail (LP-One Man Clapping)' (One Man)
- 24 February 1989 (BFBS): 'Whoops (LP-One Man Clapping)' (One Man)
- 07 March 1989 (BFBS): 'Whoops (LP-One Man Clapping)' (One Man)
- 18 March 1989 (BFBS): 'Sandman (Hup-Springs) (LP-One Man Clapping)' (One Man)
- 31 March 1989 (BFBS): 'Sandman (Hup-Springs) (LP-One Man Clapping)' (One Man)
- 21 June 1989: Sit Down (7") Rough Trade
- 26 June 1989 (BBC World Service): Sit Down (7") Rough Trade
- 01 July 1989 (BFBS): 'Sit Down (12")' (Rough Trade) (JP: 'Charles Foster, still producer after all these years, says that that sounds like Peter Sarstedt. Now only those of you who are very old will remember Peter Sarstedt. There was a record called... "Where Do You Go To My Lovely?"... It was one of my least favourite records of all time. It's one of those things which, whenever there's an oldie played on the radio, about two times out of every five, it turns out to be that, and it's a terrible, smug, self-satisfied, hideous record. Really have hated it ever since I first heard it.')
- 01 July 1989 (BFBS): 'Sound Investment (12"-Sit Down)' (Rough Trade)
- 26 July 1989: Sit Down (7") Rough Trade
- Summer 1989 (Rockradio): Sit Down (7") Rough Trade
- 14 November 1989: Come Home (7") Rough Trade
- 21 November 1989: Come Home (7") Rough Trade
- 28 November 1989: Come Home (7") Rough Trade
- 09 December 1989 (BFBS): 'Come Home (7")' (Rough Trade)
- 28 December 1989: 'Sit Down (7 inch)' (Rough Trade) FF #08
- 1990
- 19 April 1990: How Was It For You? (7") Fontana
- 19 April 1990: Whoops (Live) (7" - How Was It For You?) Fontana
- 25 April 1990: How Was It For You? (7") Fontana
- 05 May 1990 (BFBS): How Was It For You? (7") Fontana
- 26 May 1990 (BFBS): 'Whoops (live) (7"-How Was It For You?)' (Fontana)
- 14 October 1990: Sunday Morning (LP - Heaven And Hell: A Tribute To The Velvet Underground) Imaginary
- 03 November 1990 (BFBS): 'Sunday Morning (Compilation CD-Heaven And Hell Volume One: A Tribute To The Velvet Underground)' (Imaginary)
- 15 November 1990 (Radio Mafia): 'Sunday Morning (Compilation CD-Heaven And Hell Volume One: A Tribute To The Velvet Underground)' (Imaginary)
- 17 November 1990: 'Lose Control (7 inch)' (Fontana)
- 07 December 1990 (BFBS): 'Lose Control (7 inch)' (Fontana)
- 1991
- 02 February 1991: So Many Ways (album - Stutter) Sire
- 09 February 1991 (BFBS): 'Billys Shirts (LP-Stutter)' (Sire)
- 26 May 1991: Withdrawn (LP - Stutter) Sire
- 07 June 1991 (BFBS): Withdrawn (LP - Stutter) Sire
- 13 July 1991: Sunday Morning (Heaven & Hell: A Tribute To Velvet Underground) Imaginary
- 06 September 1991 (BFBS): Come Home (Youths Pressure Dub Mix) [12" - Come Home (The Mixes)] Fontana
- 15 September 1991: Come Home (Youths Pressure Dub Mix) [12" - Come Home (The Mixes)] Fontana
- 20 September 1991 (BFBS): Come Home (Youths Pressure Dub Mix) [12" - Come Home (The Mixes)] Fontana
- 29 September 1991: So Long Marianne (CD – I Am Your Fan: The Songs Of Leonard Cohen) Atlantic
