•
Rating: With this review, I start a personal retrospective on James, a legendary Manchester band in England and a cult favorite even here in Italy. The group was born in the second half of the eighties with New Wave premises and was acclaimed from many quarters, after the release of their first two albums, as the natural heir to the Smiths. As the '90s approached, there was a turning point with Gold Mother and Seven, with which the band became one of the cornerstones of the Manchester scene, or rather Madchester, a scene that also included the legendary Stone Roses. Then came brit pop and the rise of Oasis. And it's precisely when comparing them to the latter that it's unclear why, in some way, global fame went to Noel Gallagher's group and not to Tim Booth & co. Perhaps a greater boldness and a better ability to market their proposal. Undeniably, the 6 lads we are talking about are not people who cancel concerts repeatedly, do not binge on coke only to trash hotel rooms, do not announce breakups every six months. Although, in truth, there was a breakup—or rather, a pause for reflection—in 2001, and it is here that the retrospective begins: from the album Pleased To Meet You with which they parted from us at that time.
There is an ancient maxim that the best time to leave is when one has reached the peak, at the height of their glory. And James seem to have taken this maxim to heart, given that Pleased To Meet You is one of their best works, perhaps the best together with Seven. An album full of inspiration and verve (not those of Richard Ashcroft, eh), the likes of which James haven't given us in a long time.
Thirteen tracks, each better than the last, difficult to single out the peaks.
The introverted "Space" is supported by a sumptuous keyboard riff, an excellent ballad that gives way to the excellent "Falling Down", with plenty of groove and Tim Booth's irresistible falsetto. We return to electroacoustic and melancholic moods with "English Beefcake" and the subsequent tracks "Junkie" and "Pleased To Meet You", with a (very) vague hint of trip-hop. An indispensable mention goes to "Senorita", a truly irresistible song in its simplicity, as well as the immediately captivating pathos of "Gaudi", arguably the most intense track on the album. Finally, it's impossible not to mention "Getting Away With It All", which develops on an extraordinary climax, starting off quietly and gradually becoming more dramatic. Furthermore, it's the first James track I ever listened to, the song that ignited the spark for this great band.
In short, Pleased To Meet You beautifully closes a journey of 15 plus years and 9 official albums. Unmissable.
9.0
- "Space"
- "Falling Down"
- "English Beefcake"
- "Junkie"
- "Pleased To Meet You"
- "Shining"
- "Senorita"
- "Gaudi"
- "What Is God For"
- "Give It Away"
- "Fine"
- "Getting Away With It"
- "Alaskan Pipeline"
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Space (04:49)
Break my shape - in light I trust
None exist - save space and dust
None exist - just lights in time
Space divides the borderline
Don't exist just lights in time
Space divides the changing line
Space between and space inside
My four walls my shape defines
Space defines
You'd better get over yourself
You gotta get out of the frame
Gotta learn to see yourself
A total stranger
You gotta get out of the frame
Gotta give yourself a brand new name
Gotta learn to see yourself
A total stranger
It's a shock to my system
To wind up back where I have come from
It's a crime in my child's eyes
To find out life is in disguise
You'd better get over yourself
You gotta get out of the frame
Gotta learn to see yourself a total stranger
You gotta get out of the frame
Gotta give yourself a brand new name
Gotta learn to see yourself
A total stranger
It's a shock to my system,
to wind up back,
where I have come from.
It's a crime ,in my child's eyes,
To find out life,
Is in disguise
It's a shock to my system,
To wind up back, where I have come from
It's a crime,
to my child's eyes,
To find lifes' In disguise
Oh no , it's gone
It's gone, nothing to hold me
Oh no , it's gone it's gone
Nothing to hold me
Calling ,calling, calling you to see through me
03 English Beefcake (05:46)
I wish I could create myself
A kool machine designed to help
Not always hurting
Just plug me in and do the rounds
Impress your friends
Save yourself pounds
I'll not be wanting
I wish that things could be that way
But every dog must have its say
The orchestra's tuning
I understand your suffering
I felt the same sting in my heart
That's why I'm singing
Drifting away as lovers do
Heads you win and tails I lose
Nothing to say
much less to do
Unhappy me unhappy you
I know you want it all to end
Transform a love into a friend
Magicians can do
Gut feelings come
Gut feelings go
Like rivers we have no control
They just keep flowing
Yeah, I wish I could create myself
A cool machine or someone else
A lot less knowing
Drifting away as lovers do
Heads you win
And tails I lose
Nothing to say
Much less to do
Unhappy me
Unhappy you
Love can heal
And love can sting
Heads you lose
And tails I win
Unhappy me
Unhappy you
Nothing to say
And much less to do
There's nothing to say
I get in the way
Unable to break obsession
There's nothing to say
I get in the way
Still unable to break obsession
07 Senorita (03:12)
Album: Pleased to Meet You
I've been shot
In the wherewithalls
And I don't think I can stop
From all this hullabaloo
Mary jane's
On the game again
Seratonin's all I use
I just wish it were true
Don't treat me like a God
Treat me like a dog
I'll come home to you
To you
I'm addicted to you
You're my love my senorita
I'm addicted to you
Hope were gonna pull through
I'm addicted to you
You're the love that makes me younger
I'm addicted to you
Hope were gonna pull through
Pull through
Sing a prayer
Lonely nights are here
If I can't square my fears
With what I want to do
Don't treat me like a God
Treat me like a dog
I'll be good to you
To you
I'm addicted to you
You're my love my senorita
I'm addicted to you
Hope were gonna pull through
I'm addicted to you
You're the God that makes me stronger
I'm addicted to you
Hope were gonna turn blue
Turn blue
Loading comments slowly
