Madchester was a musical and cultural scene that developed in the English city of Manchester in the late 1980s, closely associated with the indie dance scene. Indie dance saw its artists merging indie rock with elements of acid house, psychedelia, and 1960s pop.
Paul Bernard Rodgers is an English-Canadian singer, songwriter and musician. He was the lead vocalist of numerous successful rock bands, including Free, Bad Company, the Firm and the Law. He has also performed as a solo artist and collaborated with the remaining active members of Queen under the moniker Queen + Paul Rodgers, from 2004 until both parties parted ways in 2009. A poll in Rolling Stone magazine ranked him number 55 on its list of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time". In 2011, Rodgers received the British Academy's Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music.
James are an English rock band from Manchester, formed in 1982. They achieved popularity during the 1990s, with four top-10 hits on the UK Singles Chart and nine top-10 placings on the UK Albums Chart. The band's best-known singles include "Come Home", "Sit Down", "She's a Star" and "Laid". "Laid" also became a hit on American college radio. Following the departure of lead singer Tim Booth in 2001, the band became inactive, but members reunited in January 2007 and have since released a further seven albums. Live performance has continually remained a central part of the band's output. As of 2010, the band had sold more than 25 million albums worldwide.
Victor Zsasz, also known as Mr. Zsasz or simply Zsasz, is a villain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Batman: Shadow of the Bat #1. He is a sadomasochistic and psychopathic serial killer who carves a tally mark onto himself for each of his victims. A recurring adversary of the superhero Batman, Zsasz belongs to the collective of enemies that make up Batman's rogues gallery.
Alfred James Rogers, known as Pee Wee Ellis due to his diminutive stature, was an American saxophonist, composer, and arranger. With a background in jazz, he was a member of James Brown's band in the 1960s, appearing on many of Brown's recordings and co-writing hits like "Cold Sweat" and "Say It Loud – I'm Black and I'm Proud". He also worked with Van Morrison. Ellis resided in England for the last 30 years of his life.
Stutter is the debut studio album by English rock band James. Blanco y Negro and Sire Records released it on 28 July 1986. After going through multiple vocalists and guitarists, the band caught the attention of Factory Records. James released two EPs with the label; between them Larry Gott replaced guitarist Paul Gilbertson. The band supported the Smiths twice, before eventually signing with Sire. Between January and March 1986, the band recorded Stutter with Patti Smith live guitarist Lenny Kaye and engineer Gil Norton. Described as a folk rock album, the songs on Stutter tackle the topics of insects, reincarnation and being a tortured artist.
Strip-mine is the second studio album by English rock band James. It was released on 26 September 1988, through Sire and Blanco y Negro Records. After minimal touring and lack of success for their debut studio album Stutter (1986), the label was apprehensive about letting them record another album. Sessions for it were held in early 1987 at Rockfield Studios with Hugh Jones producing the majority of the album, except for "Are You Ready", which produced by Steve Power and Steve Lovell. After the recording, the release was delayed a number of times, until it was eventually remixed early the following year at London's Battery Studios. Described as a folk-pop album, the songs on Strip-mine tackled the topics of misinformation, addiction, and human mortality.
Gold Mother is the third studio album by English rock band James. It was released on 4 June 1990 on Fontana Records. With the addition of drummer David Baynton-Power, violinist/guitarist Saul Davies, and keyboardist Mark Hunter, James released the single "Sit Down" in June 1989, before going to record their next album. Sessions were held at Out of the Blue in Manchester, The Windings in Wrexham, Wales, with three band members and Nick Garside producing. Described as an arena rock and indie rock album, Gold Mother was compared to the likes of U2 and the Waterboys.
Seven is the fourth studio album by English rock band James. It was released on 17 February 1992, through Fontana Records. After writing new material in their practice space, the band began recording at The Manor Studios. The sessions lasted for several months, with the band producing the proceedings themselves. After a lack of progress, Fontana halted the sessions, and sent them to work at Olympic Studios with Martin "Youth" Glover. Half of the songs were produced by Youth, while the remainder was produced between James and Steve Chase. Described as a stadium rock album, Seven drew comparison to the likes of Simple Minds and U2.
Whiplash is the seventh studio album by English rock band James. It was released on 24 February 1997, through Fontana Records. Following the release of the band's experimental sixth studio album Wah Wah (1994), they began working on a follow-up in 1995 at drummer David Baynton-Power's home studio. Over the course of 1995 and 1996, James recorded at several studios – Westside, The Windings, Cafe Mullet, Real World, RAK, and Foel – with producers Stephen Hague, Brian Eno, and Baynton-Power. Described as electronic and folk rock release, the album mixed in elements of the band's previous two studio albums.
Lee "Muddy" Baker is a UK-based singer-songwriter, producer, performer, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist.
James Lawrence "Larry" Gott is an English musician, formerly of the band James, originating from Manchester. He is also a designer.
"We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful" is a song by English singer-songwriter Morrissey from his third studio album, Your Arsenal (1992). It was released as the lead single from the album on 27 April 1992 by His Master's Voice (HMV). It was the first Morrissey single to be co-written with guitarist Alain Whyte and produced by glam rock guitarist Mick Ronson, known for his work with David Bowie as one of the Spiders from Mars. The song peaked at No. 17 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 9 in Ireland.
Hey Ma is the tenth studio album by British rock band James. After reuniting in 2007, James went on tour until September that year, when they began recording their next recording. Taking up residence in Château de Warsy in France, the band worked on 120 pieces of music. While extra recording was done in England, sessions concluded by December. Hey Ma was a return-to-form for the band as they continued their signature sound of loud guitars and big choruses, with occasional trumpet appearances. Before the album was released, the cover was banned due to its depiction of a baby with a gun close by.
Booth and the Bad Angel was a British musical project based on the collaborative efforts of Tim Booth and the American film composer Angelo Badalamenti. Featuring Bernard Butler on guitar, the project's eponymous album was released in July 1996.
The Night Before is the 11th studio album by British rock band James, serving as the first of two mini-albums. Following the release of their 10th studio album Hey Ma (2008), the band sought to experiment and take risks for their next record. They worked on material and uploaded it to a FTP server, for download by others. After three months, Lee Muddy Baker pieced the tracks together. The Night Before is a power pop and space rock release, with individual track comparisons to U2, Joy Division and Cocteau Twins. Preceded by a UK tour, The Night Before was released on 19 April 2010. The album reached number 20 in the UK, and received a mainly favourable response from music critics, with a few of them finding it an enjoyable record.
The Morning After is the 12th studio album by British rock band James, serving as the second of two mini-albums. As their first mini-album The Night Before was being released in April 2010, the band began working on its follow-up. Spending less than a week in the studio, the band self-produced the sessions, with Lee Muddy Baker handling vocal production. The Morning After featured slower and softer songs, in contrast to the happy, upbeat ones heard on The Night Before. Preceded by festival appearances in the UK, Greece and Portugal, The Morning After was released on 6 September. The album reached number 19 in the UK, and received a mainly favourable response from music critics, with some of them stating it was the better release out of the two mini-albums. The band promoted it with tours in North America, Portugal and the UK.
La Petite Mort is the 13th studio album by British rock band James. Throughout 2012 and 2013, the band worked on a follow-up to the 2010 mini-albums The Night Before and The Morning After. After contacting producer Max Dingel, they began recording at RAK Studios in London. Preceding the album, "Moving On" was released as a single in April 2014, with La Petite Mort appearing in June through BMG and Cooking Vinyl. Coinciding with this, the band played various festivals across Europe, though some were cancelled due to Booth losing his voice. "All I'm Saying" was released as a single in November, as the band was on a UK tour.
Girl at the End of the World is the 14th studio album by British rock band James. It was released on 11 March 2016, through BMG. The band spent three weeks in the Scottish Highlands working on new material for their album. Re-enlisting producer Max Dingel, who produced their previous studio album, La Petite Mort (2014), James spent five months between May and September 2015 recording in separate blocks. Long-time collaborator Brian Eno, and former member Adrian Oxaal, contributed instrumentation to the sessions. The album reprised its predecessor's electronic-centred songs and dance rhythm sections.
All the Colours of You is the 16th studio album of English rock band James that was released on 4 June 2021 through Virgin Music Label & Artist Services. James began writing the album before the release of their 15th studio album Living in Extraordinary Times (2018); they accumulated 100 Jam sessions. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting lockdowns, the band members were stuck in different countries. Vocalist Tim Booth began working with producer Jacknife Lee at his studio in Topanga Canyon, California, where Booth acted as a liaison between the band and Lee. The album has been described as a stadium rock and electronic; its songs were influenced by the pandemic, the lockdowns, and the murder of George Floyd.
