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| Now Ain't the Time for Your Tears | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 8 March 1993 | |||
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| Genre | Pop rock, alternative rock, pop punk | |||
| Length | 36:22 | |||
| Label | MCA | |||
| Producer | Chris Kimsey | |||
| Wendy James chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Now Ain't the Time for Your Tears | ||||
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Now Ain't the Time for Your Tears is the debut solo album by English singer-songwriter and Transvision Vamp vocalist Wendy James, released on 8 March 1993 by MCA Records.
The album was conceived after Wendy James had a chance meeting with Pete Thomas, drummer for Elvis Costello's backing band the Attractions, during her final tour with her band Transvision Vamp. [1] After asking Thomas if Costello might be able to help her with guidance or advice for a possible solo career, Thomas suggested she contact Costello. [1] [2] The album was then written in its entirety, in one weekend, by Costello, with several tracks co-written by his then-wife, Cait O'Riordan. [3] James told Melody Maker in 1993, "I sketched a letter to Elvis, reasonably long and philosophical, and sent it off, thinking nothing would ever come of this, it's a ridiculous idea. I didn't hear anything for a while and then Elvis's publisher rang up and said, 'He's written you an entire album, and if you like it, it's yours'. I was astounded. It's like, imagine if your favourite artist or performer of all time has just written you, personally you, your very own album." [4]
James received a cassette of basic demo recordings and a lyric sheet from Costello in December 1991 and she recorded the material in June 1992. [4] James briefly met Costello at a party after U2's Earl's Court concert on 31 May 1992. [4] Now Ain't the Time for Your Tears was released by MCA, Transvision Vamp's former label, which James signed with as a top priority solo act. [2]
Speaking of the album's material, James told NME , "Elvis is a man with a tremendous amount of insight. I'd only met him once, but he seemed to understand perfectly everything I had gone through. Some of it is pure storytelling, but overall it's an almost conceptual album which traces the successes and failures of my own career." [2] She added to Melody Maker, "All of the songs, from the melancholy songs to the glory glory hallelujah songs, are rather cynical. And there isn't a moment on the album where you can get away with anything, because you're being asked to look at yourself in a very hard-hearted manner every step of the way. There are many times when it's cutting someone's ego, whether it's mine as the singer, or someone else's." [4]
The album's title comes from a line in the chorus of Bob Dylan's song "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll". [5] James chose the title as it was a bit of advice she gave herself. [2]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [6] |
| Christgau's Consumer Guide |  [7] |
| Los Angeles Times | [8] |
| NME | 5/10 [9] |
| Q | [10] |
| Select | 3/5 [11] |
Now Ain't the Time for Your Tears was relatively unsuccessful, only peaking at No. 43 on the UK Albums Chart. [12] The singles released from the album also met with moderate to minor success, with "The Nameless One" and "London's Brilliant" peaking on the UK Singles Chart at Nos. 34 and 62, respectively. [13] In 1994, Costello's demos for "Puppet Girl", "Basement Kiss" and "We Despise You" were released on his "13 Steps Lead Down" EP. [3]
Upon its release, Siân Pattenden of NME gave a mixed review. She described the album as "fairly proficient, but, more importantly ... dull", and said that "the only excuse one can make for this sniffle of an album" is that it shows "Costello has a sense of humour". Pattenden added, "It's all about Wendy and her World, which is not enough for ten songs. Wendy has only two emotions: 'irritated' and 'angry'. Unfortunately, she only has one singing style, which seems to be 'trying to resist the urge to shout'." [9] Ira Robbins of Rolling Stone was also critical, calling Costello's songs "certainly worth listening to" while opining that James "does them no justice." [14]
All songs by Elvis Costello, except where noted.
Additional musicians
Technical
| Chart (1993) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA) [15] | 132 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [16] | 42 |
| UK Albums (OCC) [17] | 43 |
Declan Patrick MacManus, better known by his stage name Elvis Costello, is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, author and television host. According to Rolling Stone, Costello "reinvigorated the literate, lyrical traditions of Bob Dylan and Van Morrison with the raw energy and sass that were principal ethics of punk", noting the "construction of his songs, which set densely layered wordplay in an ever-expanding repertoire of styles." His first album, My Aim Is True (1977), is widely regarded as one of the best debuts in popular music history. It spawned no hit singles, but contains some of Costello's best-known songs, including the ballad "Alison". Costello's next two albums, This Year's Model (1978) and Armed Forces (1979), recorded with his backing band the Attractions, helped define the new wave genre. From late 1977 until early 1980, each of the eight singles he released reached the UK Top 30. His biggest hit single, "Oliver's Army" (1979), sold more than 500,000 copies in Britain. He has had more modest commercial success in the US, but has earned much critical praise. From 1977 until the early 2000s, Costello's albums regularly ranked high on the Village Voice Pazz & Jop critics' poll, with This Year's Model and Imperial Bedroom (1982) voted the best album of their respective years. His biggest US hit single, "Veronica" (1989), reached number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Almost Blue is the sixth studio album by the English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello, and his fifth with the Attractions—keyboardist Steve Nieve, bassist Bruce Thomas and drummer Pete Thomas. It was recorded in May 1981 in Nashville, Tennessee, and released in October the same year. A departure from Costello's previous works, it is a covers album composed entirely of country music songs, including works written by Hank Williams and George Jones. The project originated with Costello's desire to record a collection of covers after his two previous studio albums commercially underperformed following Armed Forces (1979).
This Year's Model is the second studio album by the English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello, released on 17 March 1978 through Radar Records. After being backed by Clover for his debut album My Aim Is True (1977), Costello formed the Attractions—keyboardist Steve Nieve, bassist Bruce Thomas and drummer Pete Thomas —as his permanent backing band. Recording sessions took place at London's Eden Studios in eleven days between late 1977 and early 1978. Nick Lowe returned as producer, and Roger Béchirian acted as engineer. Most of the songs were written prior to the sessions, and debuted live during the latter half of 1977.
Mighty Like a Rose is the 13th studio album by the British rock singer and songwriter Elvis Costello, released in 1991 on compact disc as Warner Brothers 26575. The title is presumably a reference to the pop standard "Mighty Lak' a Rose", and although that song does not appear on the album, the words of its first stanza are quoted in the booklet of the 2002 reissue. It peaked at No. 5 on the UK Albums Chart, and at No. 55 on the Billboard 200.
Transvision Vamp were an English pop rock band. Formed in 1986 by Nick Christian Sayer and Wendy James, the band enjoyed chart success in the late 1980s, particularly in 1989. James, the lead singer and focal-point of the group, attracted media attention with her sexually charged and rebellious image. The band had 10 UK chart hits and also enjoyed considerable success in Australia. Transvision Vamp's top single was 1989's "Baby I Don't Care", which reached number three in the UK and Australian charts.
King of America is the tenth studio album by the English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello, released on 21 February 1986. Co-produced by Costello and T Bone Burnett, the album originated following a series of tours the two made under the name "the Coward Brothers". Recording took place in mid-1985 at various studios in Los Angeles, California, with a group of American session musicians dubbed "the Confederates". Selected by Burnett, they included Ray Brown, Earl Palmer and former members of Elvis Presley's TCB Band. Costello's regular backing band, the Attractions, were intended to appear on half of the album before poor sessions led to them appearing on only one track, "Suit of Lights".
Wendy Patricia James is an English singer-songwriter most notable for her work with the pop band Transvision Vamp.
Christopher Kenneth Kimsey is an English musician, engineer, and record producer, best known for his work with the Rolling Stones.
Brutal Youth is an album by English musician Elvis Costello, released in 1994. It contains the first recordings Costello made with his band the Attractions since Blood and Chocolate (1986). Brutal Youth was the third, and most recent of Costello's albums, to peak at number two in the UK Albums Chart, following on from Armed Forces (1979) and Get Happy!! (1980).
The River in Reverse is a collaboration album by Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint, released in 2006. It received a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album.
Velveteen is the second studio album by English rock band Transvision Vamp, released in June 1989 by MCA Records. The album includes the single "Baby I Don't Care", which reached number 3 in the United Kingdom and Australia. Velveteen reached number 1 on the UK Albums Chart and number 2 in Australia, where it became the 39th best-selling album of the year.
Pop Art is the debut studio album by the English pop rock band Transvision Vamp. It was released in October 1988 and features the band's first top ten hit "I Want Your Love". The album reached No. 4 in the UK, and peaked at No. 13 in Australia, where it was the 25th highest-selling album of 1989.
Little Magnets Versus the Bubble of Babble is the third and final album by UK pop rock band Transvision Vamp. The album was released in 1991, two years after their UK No. 1 album Velveteen.
"13 Steps Lead Down" is a song written and performed by new wave musician Elvis Costello that was first released on his 1994 album Brutal Youth. Written quickly during a day-long session, the song features lyrics referencing El Escorial and the twelve-step recovery movement. The track is one of those on Brutal Youth that features the reunited Attractions, Costello's longtime backing band.
"The Nameless One" is the debut solo single from former Transvision Vamp lead singer Wendy James. It was released in the first quarter of 1993 as the lead single from James' debut solo album Now Ain't the Time for Your Tears. Written by Elvis Costello, the song marked a more alternative direction in sound, slightly different from the pop/rock stylings of Transvision Vamp. The single met with limited success, only peaking at number thirty-four on the UK Singles Chart and spending just three weeks in the top one-hundred.
"London's Brilliant" is a song by former Transvision Vamp lead singer Wendy James. It was released in 1993 as the second single from her debut solo album Now Ain't the Time for Your Tears and was written by Elvis Costello and his then wife Cait O'Riordan. The single was unsuccessful upon release, peaking at a low number sixty-two on the UK Singles Chart.
"Do You Know What I'm Saying?" is the third and final single released from Wendy James' debut solo album Now Ain't the Time for Your Tears. The single was released in 1993 and was written by Elvis Costello.
Number One is the first album released by indie rock band Racine. The band was fronted by Wendy James, who was notable for previously being the lead singer of the late 1980s pop/rock band Transvision Vamp.
I Came Here to Blow Minds is the second solo album by former Transvision Vamp and Racine lead singer Wendy James. It was originally released in October 2010 as a digital album, but saw a physical release in March 2011.
Lost on the River: The New Basement Tapes is an album produced by T Bone Burnett featuring a collective of musicians recording under the moniker The New Basement Tapes—Elvis Costello, Rhiannon Giddens, Taylor Goldsmith, Jim James and Marcus Mumford.
