Let It Come Down (James Iha album)

Last updated
Let It Come Down
JamesIhaLetItComeDown.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedFebruary 10, 1998 (1998-02-10)
Recorded1997
Genre Alternative rock
Length40:16
Label
Producer
James Iha chronology
Let It Come Down
(1998)
Look to the Sky
(2012)

Let It Come Down is the first solo album by American guitarist James Iha. [1] It was released in 1998, during which Iha was still with the Smashing Pumpkins, before the release of Adore . Iha took on a more acoustic country sound reminiscent of the songs he contributed to the Pumpkins, notably shying away from the darker sound of Billy Corgan's songwriting.

Contents

Iha had said that the quieter tone of the songs reflected the fact that many of them were written in his hotel rooms during the Smashing Pumpkins tours, and he did not want to disturb other guests by playing too loudly.

"Be Strong Now" was released as a 4-track single, featuring the bonus studio tracks "Falling", "My Advice" and "Take Care", and as a two-track promo single where the other track is a 12-second call out hook. Both versions of the "Be Strong Now" single feature the same cover. There is also an extended promo version of the single called "Be Strong Now (With Intro)" lasting 3:35. The song "Jealousy" was released as a promo single, without any B-sides.

The album was remastered and re-issued in February 2012 with the three tracks previously released as B-sides added as bonus tracks.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Entertainment Weekly C+ [3]
Pitchfork 4.9/10 [4]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [5]

The Guardian wrote that "Iha has regressed to a state of wistful, whimsical child-likeness... Sample sparingly and you can float away on reveries of psychedelic summer afternoons." [6]

Track listing

All tracks are written by James Iha

No.TitleLength
1."Be Strong Now"2:48
2."Sound of Love"3:56
3."Beauty"3:44
4."See the Sun"3:59
5."Country Girl"3:01
6."Jealousy"3:26
7."Lover, Lover"3:21
8."Silver String"3:53
9."Winter"4:25
10."One and Two"3:31
11."No One's Gonna Hurt You"4:12
Japanese bonus track
No.TitleLength
12."My Advice"3:15
2012 remaster
No.TitleLength
12."My Advice"3:37
13."Take Care"2:30
14."Falling"3:56

Personnel

Additional personnel

Production

Charts

Chart performance for Let It Come Down
Chart (1998)Peak
position
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [7] 53
UK Albums (OCC) [8] 76
US Billboard 200 [9] 171

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References

  1. Diehl, Matt (Feb 1998). "Let It Come Down". Interview. Vol. 28, no. 2. p. 38.
  2. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Let It Come Down – James Iha". AllMusic . Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  3. Snierson, Dan (February 13, 1998). "Let It Come Down Review | Music Reviews and News". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  4. Schreiber, Ryan (December 31, 1999). "James Iha: Let It Come Down: Pitchfork Record Review". Pitchfork . Archived from the original on June 11, 2008. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  5. Kemp, Mark (February 7, 1998). "James Iha: Let It Come Down". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  6. Sullivan, Caroline (6 Feb 1998). "This week's pop CD releases". The Guardian. p. T018.
  7. "Swedishcharts.com – James Iha – Let It Come Down". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  8. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  9. "James Iha Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 17, 2020.