Gold Mother

Product Information

Sit Down itself sums up the group’s dichotomies. It always was a tad irritating, that chorus. But it did its job, endearing a square-peg outfit to a round-hole media, smuggling astute, pop-smart lyrics under the guise of sing-along jollity. Come Home was equally well-gauged. The timing – and the Madchester explosion – meant they were ripe for fashionable remixes which further spread the word. Tim Booth might loathe the thought, but they became perceived as a less aloof, more welcoming Smiths, who wouldn’t say no to a boogie. Later they leaned towards Eno, and art with a capital A, perhaps reacting to this. With no new album in the pipeline, Fontana chose to re-release Gold Mother replacing Hang On and Crescendo with Lose Control and Sit Down. To appease those claiming rip-off, anyone who had a copy of the original album was allowed to exchange it for a new version at Our Price for the first few weeks of release. The album hit number 2 and stayed in the charts all summer. The predicted 20-30,000 sales were multiplied ten-fold. Come Home (Flood Mix) / Lose Control / Government Walls / God Only Knows / You Can’t Tell How Much Suffering (On A Face That’s Always Smiling) / How Was It For You? / Sit Down / Walking The Ghost / Gold Mother / Top Of The World / Crescendo / Hang On / Come Home (Skunk Weed Mix) / Lose Control (live at GLR) / Sit Down (live at GMEX) 2017 Vinyl Reissue: a b c d White, Michael (2017). Justhipper (The Complete Sire & Blanco Y Negro Recordings 1986 – 1988) (booklet). James. Cherry Red Records. WCDBRED697.

A remix of "Sit Down", done by Apollo 440, was released as a single in 1998. [17] The Flood mix of "Come Home", "Sit Down", "Lose Control", and "How Was It for You" were included on the band's first and fourth compilation albums The Best Of (1998) and Fresh as a Daisy – The Singles (2007). [72] [73] "Sit Down", "Gold Mother", and a remix of "Lose Control" were included on the band's third compilation album The Collection (2004). [74] sees 40 years of indie veterans James with 16 studio albums under their belt and a recent hugely successful sell out orchestral tour. As part of National Album Day, the band released two albums; Gold Mother and Laid on limited edition coloured vinyl. Such longevity is rare in the music industry and the range of diversity shown in these two albums alone is perhaps one reason why they are still going from strength to strength. If you’re a fan of Mancunian legends James, you won’t want to miss out on this. Bandmembers Jim Glennie and Saul Davies will tell the story behind their breakthrough album Gold Mother at a special Classic Album Sundays event for National Album Day and supported by Bowers & Wilkins at the Royal Albert Hall’s Elgar Room on Tuesday, the 17 th October. Find out how they created their hit singles ‘Come Home’ and ‘Sit Down’. a b James (booklet). James. Fontana/Mercury Records. 1991. 848 658-2. {{ cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) ( link)Music: Compilations & Live". James. Archived from the original on 31 December 2020 . Retrieved 27 December 2020.

Fresh as a Daisy – The Singles (booklet). James. Mercury Records. 2007. 1731846. {{ cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) ( link) British certifications – James – Sit Down". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 16 January 2021. Come Home (Flood Mix) / Government Walls / Lose Control / God Only Knows / You Can’t Tell How Much Suffering (On A Face That’s Always Smiling) / How Was It For You? / Sit Down / Walking The Ghost / Gold Mother / Top Of The World 2001 Reissue: Music: Videos & DVDs". James. Archived from the original on 31 December 2020 . Retrieved 29 December 2020.

Release Details

a b Williams, Simon (9 June 1990). "James – Gold Mother". NME. Archived from the original on 12 October 2000 . Retrieved 6 May 2020. Come Home / Government Walls / God Only Knows / You Can’t Tell How Much Suffering (On A Face That’s Always Smiling) / Crescendo / How Was It For You? / Hang On / Walking The Ghost / Gold Mother / Top Of The World 1991 Reissue: James’ 3rd album, Gold Mother, released on two LP gold vinyl (what else) was the band’s breakthrough album and this release combines the 1990 and 1991 version. For many, this was the band’s defining album and certainly the one that saw them gain commercial success, riding the wave of the Madchester scene. For me it expresses the essential nature of James with its imagination and diversity.

With the album finished, James sought to discuss promotion with Geoff Travis, MD of Rough Trade who told them that he loved the album but that they would only ever be a minority interest with an audience of 20-30,000. James asked to be released from their contract as they felt they could reach a wider audience. The recently relaunched Fontana label, a subsidiary of Phonogram (later to be swallowed by Mercury) signed James and bought the Gold Mother album as a whole from Rough Trade, who were just about to go bankrupt. a b "British album certifications – James – Gold Mother". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 30 December 2020. The emotionally complex Five-O, is one of my personal favourites, with Booth’s driving, chant-like lyrics swelling to a chorus of “if it lasts forever, hope I’m the first to die”– the ultimate declaration of love – whilst in stark contrast to this in One Of The Three, Booth sings of suicide and sacrifice.P.S. tells a tale of lies and deception in a failing relationship, “you’re sour, so sour, all hope and trust is misplaced”, whilst the racing, repetitive guitar hook of Sometimes leads to a gospel-like chorus where Booth paints a vivid picture of love and deep connection: “when I look in your eyes I can see your soul”. Following the release of Lose Control, a number 38 single, and the triumphant winter tour that included the infamous G-Mex shows, James hit the big-time with the re-release of Sit Down in March 1991, sitting at number 2 in the national charts for four weeks, being held off only by Chesney Hawkes’ The One And Only.James released their second studio album Strip-mine in September 1988, through Sire and Blanco y Negro Records. [1] While making it, two of Sire's popular acts ( the Housemartins and the Smiths) had broken up, and were anticipating James to be their next breakthrough artist. [2] The album had been delayed from release by Sire on eight different occasions, and was remixed at the insistence of the band's managers Eliot Rashman and Andy Dodd. [2] [3] Sometime later, Rashman and Dodd resigned, and McDonagh, who had managed the band previously, was reinstated. [4] Two months after the album's release, the band left Sire. [5] National Album Day returned for it’s sixth year on 14th October 2023. This year’s theme was the 1990s, celebrating the art of the album in all its forms – classic, life-changing, first, influential and the ones we just can’t live without. It saw over 40 classic albums from that decade being reissued or even appearing for the first time on vinyl in limited editions. This decade was a remarkable time for music and this event enabled fans to reconnect with some of their favourite albums of the era or even make new discoveries. a b c Gold Mother (booklet). James. Fontana Records. 1991. 848 595-2. {{ cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) ( link)