Gold Mother (sleeve). James. Fontana Records. 1990. PHCR-1023. {{ cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) ( link) How Was It For You? preceded the album in April 1990 and achieved the band’s first Top 40 hit, reaching number 32. The album followed in June and was met with almost universal approval by the music press who were suddenly beginning to champion James again and was accompanied by a month-long tour of larger venues culminating in a triumphant performance at Glastonbury. Come Home, remixed by Flood, was re-released at the end of June and also hit number 32 in the charts. Official Albums Chart Top 75: 10 June 1990 - 16 June 1990". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 31 December 2020 . Retrieved 29 December 2020. a b c "Music: Studio Albums". James. Archived from the original on 13 May 2020 . Retrieved 27 December 2020. 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.

Unterberger, Andrew (9 August 2018). "James Frontman Tim Booth Talks Making 'One of the Best Albums of Their Lives' With New 'Living in Extraordinary Times' ". Billboard. Archived from the original on 10 August 2018 . Retrieved 17 May 2020. 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’. 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. This event is part of National Album Day which is returning on Saturday, the 14 th October and this year it is themed around the 90s. It’s a wonderful opportunity for the music community come together each year to celebrate and promote the art of the album. This year’s 90s theme will look to shine a light on a truly remarkable decade of music, from the birth of Britpop, the formation of the Spice Girls, to the trip-hop and rave cultures that enriched the decade. The Best Of (booklet). James. Fontana Records. 1998. 536 898-2. {{ cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) ( link)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:

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. Most of the writing of the album came from sessions where the band were trying out new musicians after Gavan’s departure at the band’s rehearsal studio at Beehive Mills in Ancoats. On 15 April 1991, the band's first video album Come Home Live was released, filmed at the December 1990 Manchester shows. [67] [68] Gold Mother was re-released in May 1991. "Come Home", "Crescendo", and "Hang On" were replaced by the Flood mix of "Come Home", "Lose Control", and "Sit Down". [1] Fans were able to swap their original copies for the reissues at Our Price stores. [69] The album was released in the US in July 1991 under the name James, with the addition of "Sit Down" and "Lose Control". [70] In August, the band headlined Reading Festival. [71]

Versions

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] British certifications – James – Sit Down". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 16 January 2021.