Brian James | |
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 James performing in 2012 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Brian Robertson |
| Born | 18 February 1955 Hammersmith, London, [1] England |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, guitarist, songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar, vocals |
| Years active | 1974–present [2] |
| Labels |
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| Formerly of |
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Brian James (born Brian Robertson, 18 February 1955) [3] [1] is an English punk rock guitarist, who is best known for being a founding member of The Damned as well as of The Lords of the New Church. [4]
He began his musical career playing in several proto-punk bands including London SS and The Subterraneans, in addition to glam rock band Bastard. James moved on to The Damned, writing almost all the material on their first two albums ( Damned Damned Damned and Music for Pleasure ) before leaving at the end of 1977.
In the following years James formed the short-lived Tanz Der Youth together with Andy Colqhoun on bass, Hawkwind and Chicken Shack's Alan Powell on drums and Tony Moore ( previously of Iron Maiden ) on keyboards. They toured with Black Sabbath on the Never Say Die! Tour (Black Sabbath) and released the single "I'm Sorry, I'm Sorry" / "Delay" in 1978. [5] [6] James then played in Iggy Pop's solo touring band (1979) and recorded his first two solo singles, "Ain't That a Shame" (1979) and "Why? Why? Why?" (1982), both with Stewart Copeland on drums. He also guested on proto punk forerunners The Saints' 1982 album, Out in the Jungle . [7]
He would later co-found and play in The Lords of the New Church with Stiv Bators. The band recorded three studio albums and one EP, along with several live albums, from 1982 until their break-up in 1989. [8]
James reunited with The Damned for two shows at The London Town and Country Club UK ( now renamed O2 Forum Kentish Town ) in June 1988 .
Over a decade after his first solo single, he used the time without a band to record his eponymous solo debut album for the New Rose label in 1990. It featured long-time collaborators Malcolm Mortimore on drums and Alan Lee Shaw on bass. [9]
From 1992 to 1996, James then played guitar with the Brussels-based band the Dripping Lips. In 1992 he was invited by Scottish vocalist Robbie Kelman to co-write the soundtrack for the film Abracadabra, directed by Harry Cleven. The subsequent soundtrack album, produced by Kelman, was released in Benelux by EMI/INDISC. The band was composed by Robbie Kelman on vocals, James on guitar, Alan Lee Shaw on bass and Paul Zahl (ex-Flamin' Groovies) on drums. Kelman brought in his friend and record producer Jimmy Miller to helm their second album, Ready to Crack. Shaw had moved on to play guitar in The Damned, and Nico Mansy replaced him on bass. [10]
In 2001 James recorded the album Mad for the Racket with MC5's Wayne Kramer (guitar), Duff McKagan (bass), Stewart Copeland and Clem Burke (drums) as Racketeers. [11] Following that, James, together with Dave Tregunna, reformed The Lords of the New Church in 2002–2003 with vocalist Adam Becvare. The lineup recorded the ten-song unreleased CD Hang On and toured Europe in spring of that year. [12]
When this incarnation of the Lords was over and done, Brian formed another solo outfit: The Brian James Gang. With Brian James on vocals and guitar, the remaining rhythm section of Dave Tregunna (bass) and Steve Murray (drums), the band was completed by Austen Gayton as additional guitarist. Within a year they released the Single New Rose 2006 and a self-titled full length album. [13]
In 2012 he released a solo acoustic album Chateau Brian with former Lords of the New Church touring keyboard player Mark Taylor. [14] In 2013 he revisited the material he played in his Damned years, both live by performing throughout the UK with Damned bandmate Rat Scabies and by re-recording nine Damned songs for his third solo album, Damned If I Do. [15] 2015 saw the release of a new studio album, The Guitar That Dripped Blood, which featured guest appearances from Cheetah Chrome and Adam Becvare. [16]
October 2022 saw James reunite with Scabies, Sensible and Vanian for five Damned Shows in the UK.
The Damned are an English rock band formed in London in 1976 by lead vocalist Dave Vanian, guitarist Brian James, bassist Captain Sensible and drummer Rat Scabies. They were the first punk band from the United Kingdom to release a single, "New Rose" (1976), release a studio album, Damned Damned Damned (1977) and tour the United States. Nine of the band's singles charted on the UK Singles Chart Top 40.
Damned Damned Damned is the debut studio album by English punk rock band the Damned. It was released on 18 February 1977 by Stiff Records. Produced by Nick Lowe, Damned Damned Damned was the first full-length album released by a UK punk group. The album peaked at No. 34 on the UK Charts.
The Dead Boys are an American punk rock band from Cleveland, Ohio. The band was among the first wave of punk, and regarded by many as one of the rowdiest and most violent groups of the era. They were formed by vocalist Stiv Bators, rhythm guitarist Jimmy Zero, bassist Jeff Magnum, lead guitarist Cheetah Chrome, and drummer Johnny Blitz in 1975, with the later two having splintered from the band Rocket From The Tombs. The original Dead Boys released two studio albums, Young Loud and Snotty, and We Have Come for Your Children.
Sham 69 are an English punk rock band that formed in Hersham in Surrey in 1975. They changed their musical direction after seeing the Sex Pistols play live in early 1976. They were one of the most successful punk bands in the United Kingdom, achieving five top 20 singles, including "If the Kids Are United" and "Hurry Up Harry". The group's popularity saw them perform on the BBC’s Top of the Pops, and they appeared in the rockumentary film, D.O.A.. The original unit broke up in 1979, with frontman Jimmy Pursey moving on to pursue a solo career.
Steven John Bator, known professionally as Stiv Bator and later as Stiv Bators, was an American punk rock vocalist and guitarist from Youngstown, Ohio. He is best remembered for his bands Dead Boys and The Lords of the New Church.
The Lords of the New Church were a British-American rock band. A supergroup, the line-up originally consisted of four musicians from 1970s punk bands. This line-up comprised vocalist Stiv Bators, guitarist Brian James, bassist Dave Tregunna and drummer Nick Turner. Launched in 1981, the band released three studio albums prior to their dissolution in 1989. During this time, they underwent several line-up changes.
Damn Yankees were an American rock supergroup formed in New York City, in 1989. Consisting of singer/guitarist Tommy Shaw of Styx, singer/bassist Jack Blades of Night Ranger, guitarist Ted Nugent of the Amboy Dukes, and drummer Michael Cartellone.
"New Rose" is the first single by British punk rock band The Damned. It was released on 22 October 1976 on Stiff Records, and in 1977 in the Netherlands, Germany and France.
"Problem Child" is a single by English punk rock band the Damned, released on 30 September 1977 by Stiff Records as a preview for the band's second studio album, Music for Pleasure. The tracks were produced by Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason, and were the first to be released featuring new member Lu Edmunds. The single again failed to chart in the official UK Top 75, though it did reach No. 27 on the NME chart, which used a different sample of record shops.
Music for Pleasure is the second studio album by English punk rock band the Damned. It was released on 18 November 1977 by Stiff Records. The album failed to chart in the UK.
The Game is an album by Oi! band Sham 69, released in 1980. The album was recorded in the French Alps with overdubbing and mixing completed at Rock City Studios, Shepperton.
Feels Good to Me is the only solo studio album by former Yes and King Crimson drummer Bill Bruford. The band Bruford grew out of the line-up assembled for this album. The album features guitarist Allan Holdsworth, bassist Jeff Berlin, keyboardist Dave Stewart, and ECM stalwart Kenny Wheeler on fluegelhorn. Bruford also enlisted singer-songwriter Annette Peacock and Brand X guitarist John Goodsall. Dave Stewart was a pivotal figure in the music of the Canterbury scene with groups like Egg, Hatfield and the North and National Health, but despite his strong playing presence, the album does not sound much like the Canterbury bands, and is instead closer to contemporaries Brand X.
Live at the 100 Club is a live album by The Damned, recorded on 6 July 1976 at London's 100 Club. The album was released in 2007, originally included as a bonus disc with the 30th Anniversary Deluxe version of The Damned's debut album, Damned Damned Damned, and later on vinyl, limited to 1,000 LPs.
Live in Toronto is a live album by the band King Crimson, released by Discipline Global Mobile records in 2016. The album was recorded on 20 November at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Toronto, Canada during the band's The Elements of King Crimson tour of 2015. It is the second full-length release by the current seven-piece incarnation of the band and featured new compositions never before released by the band on record.
The Wanderers were a short-lived British punk rock band consisting of Stiv Bators and members of Sham 69, and active between 1980 and 1981. They recorded one album before splitting up.
The Lords of the New Church is the debut studio album by the British-American rock band the Lords of the New Church. It was released in 1982 by Illegal Records in the United Kingdom and by I.R.S. Records in the United States.
Is Nothing Sacred? is the second studio album by the British-American rock band the Lords of the New Church, released in September 1983 by I.R.S. Records. The album's two singles, "Live for Today" and "Dance with Me", reached #91 and #85 on the UK Single Chart, respectively.
The Method to Our Madness is the third studio album by the British-American rock band the Lords of the New Church, released in November 1984 by I.R.S. Records. It is also the last studio album to feature the band's original line up of Stiv Bators, Brian James, Dave Tregunna and Nick Turner. The album peaked at #158 on the US Billboard 200.
Killer Lords is a compilation album by the British-American rock band the Lords of the New Church, released in 1985 by Illegal/I.R.S. It features material from their three studio albums, two previously unreleased songs and a non-album single. The album peaked at #22 on the UK Indie Chart.
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