Their famous anthem ‘Sit Down’ is quirky as hell and a delight to listen to. I would love to hear this version sung somewhere cavernous to feel the vibration and emotion bounce around every square inch of space. Outstanding! Dipping their toes into the Israel/Palestine conflict, ‘The Lake’ has a dreamy eeriness. You feel like you are in a dream world but with a sinister undertone that keeps you uneasy. ‘She’s A Star’ has a 50s/60s feel. Think late Buddy Holly mixed with The Beatles in their Sgt. Pepper’s pomp. In a song about a woman finding and releasing her innermost power, Booth shows us his vocal range. “She’s been in disguise forever/She’s tried to disguise her stellar views/Much brighter than all this static/Now she’s coming through”, Booth puts himself in the position of the female protagonist and explores her inner voice and strength. The strings bring a great dimension to the song, creating a feeling like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon. James produced some notable and instantly recognisable hits from humble beginnings in Whalley Range, Manchester (I don’t know if they lived in a rented room) in 1982. Nineteen Top 40 singles and fourteen Top 20 albums are not bad. After all, you would not be surprised if the band needed to challenge itself, to do something against the grain. James has done just that with Be Opened By The Wonderful. James perform an orchestral set with Orca 22 and the Manchester Inspirational Voices Choir at the Acropolis in Greece as ... more Be Opened By The Wonderful (40 Years Orchestrated)(2×LP, Album, Limited Edition, Numbered, Pink Transparent & White Pinwheel Effect)

The sixth annual National Album Day on Saturday 14th October, as the music community comes together to celebrate the art of the album, sees ... Read more Shepherd's Bush Empire for Absolute Radio's 15th birthday celebration Top Of The World’ sees the protagonist struggling to balance their Life. “If I will not be faithful/I must accept betrayal/When your turn comes to leave me/Will my freeways have failed?” A song about loss, specifically concerning the death of Booth’s mother, ‘Moving On’ builds slowly. You begin to feel your heart beat a little more. Your breathing starts to become heavier. The eyes start to fill. This song takes you to a place where your experiences of loss float to the surface and take over. The album’s finale, ‘Laid’, sees Booth examining the relationships of those around him. His voice soars high and merges with the strings, flying high like a leaf a breeze whilst a gentle guitar strums below—an excellent way to end. a b Royle, Natalie (4 June 2023). "James: Be Opened by the Wonderful – album review". Louder Than War . Retrieved 22 June 2023.The Lake` was the b side to `Laid` and is maybe a hidden gem being quite reflective with shimmering strings that pictorially portray an iridescent lake or stretch of water. A wonderfully thoughtful piece which could be a metaphor for something far deeper. The joyful`She’s A Star` a song about empowerment is given a fullorchestrated workout which allows a much more emotiveimpact. One of Britain’s most enduring success stories, JAMES have released sixteen studio albums, selling over 25 million copies, with their recent run of Top 5 albums proving to be a golden era for the band. All The Colours Of You, released in 2021, was their most critically acclaimed in many years, preceded by Living In Extraordinary Times in 2018, and Girl At The End Of The World, which narrowly missed out on the top spot to Adele in 2016. Firstly the sound quality is excellent, James sound the best I've heard them sound. If you are a fan then get this record... Tonight I raise my glass to an old friend. I'm sad and brimming with happy memories – Angelo Badalamenti died yesterday evening. I spent most of 1995 working with him making the 'Booth and the Bad Angel' album over an idyllic year in New York. I was obsessed with the Julee Cruise 'Floating Into The Night' CD and h... Read more Playground Festival, Glasgow – September 2021

The brief `Why So Close` a protest song aboutworking withnuclear energy has a raw barber shop quartet texture, while the feudal `Medieval preserves its narrative folk-tinged tone. ` Disc 2: Someone’s Got It In For Me / Hey Ma / Hello / Beautiful Beaches / Why So Close / Medieval / Hymn From A Village / Say Something / Top Of The World / Moving On / Laid James have really excelled themselves, orchestrating a true time capsule of thought-provoking and memory-laden songs. One of the greatest bands of a generation keep getting better, and Be Opened By The Wonderful is the proof.copies were also retailed by Assai Records with an approved hand numbered and signed Japanese style Obi under Assai Obi Editions. The band also is touring the U.K. in April and May with an orchestra, and also has a number of festival dates set for this summer. Disc 1: Sometimes / Love Make A Fool / We’re Gonna Miss You / Tomorrow / The Lake / She’s A Star / Lookaway / Sit Down / Alaskan Pipeline Sit Down’ is a stripped-down song with Booth’s vocals enveloped with stunning strings. The song sees Booth thank two women who had greatly influenced him – singer Patti Smith and author Doris Lessing. A largely sparse arrangement like this leaves little hiding place for his voice. Good job, he nails it. ‘Alaskan Pipeline’ continues the theme of less is more. A sparse ballad, it is most notable for the music. It creates a feeling that gnaws at you, slowly bringing you to a place where you feel like crying. I don’t mind the addition of lyrics, but I would have preferred this to be an instrumental. Neal Barnard is a man of many talents and many passions. Impressively, he’s found a way to blend his work, encouraging people to eat and live well with that of his work as an artist […]

How does one become qualified to write a fictional music novel? The author of Sophomore Songs offers some clues. Growing up reading NME, doing a stint at Clash, drumming for several bands on and off, and […] Someone’s Got It In For Me’ sees Tim go full Morrissey and treats us to some serious bedsit angst. “What a state I’m in/My self-pitying/Here’s another victim singing suffering“, he wails. Musically, the song reminds me a little of Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s ‘The Power of Love’. His voice sounds like a raspy version of Holly Johnson. It’s not a bad thing, and the song benefits from it. Johnson, Rob (9 June 2023). "James Be Opened by the Wonderful review". TotalNtertainment . Retrieved 22 June 2023. Be Opened By The Wonderful was recorded at Blueprint Studios in Manchester, orchestrated and conducted by Joe Duddell with the ORCA22 Orchestra lead by Andra Vornicu featuring the Manchester Inspirational Voices choir, directed by Wayne Ellington.TH ANNIVERSARY DOUBLE ALBUM OF GREATEST HITS AND FAN FAVOURITES REIMAGINED WITH ORCHESTRA AND CHOIR a b Burn, Iam (9 June 2023). "Album Review: James – Be Opened by the Wonderful". XS Noize . Retrieved 22 June 2023. Hymn From A Village` has a similar pace and recalls its funky texture with added strings on this possible dig at the superficial music around at the time of its composition.A plea for somebody to open up gains a deeper emotional quality on `Say Something`.A hint a somebody struggling with substance abuse is maybe hinted at andthefrustration felt is almost tangible in the vocal delivery. Top Of The World` is a fascinating listen as this adaptation has the addition of woodwind and strings which offers a unique angle. The lyrical content is fairly ambiguous and to me has many inferences. We have a song about the death of a loved one with `Moving On`This orchestrated version ensures that the song is both touching and moving but also has a sense of acceptance.

No album seems to be left unturned,. Whiplash offers up one of their most instantly recognisable tunes, ‘She’s A Star’. Here, the string work on is captivating and the simplicity is beautiful – again, it demonstartes how well Booth’s voice has held up over the years. Welcome to the October 2018 edition of our monthly new music playlist, which is available to listen to and watch via YouTube. If you enjoy any of the songs featured here, we encourage you to support […] Morrissey had been raving about them in all the music press and to be fair they were pretty entertaining. They dipped in and out of my life and I last seriously listened to them on the release of their last studio album `All The Colours of You` and got to witness them perform a few cuts from the album and some classic tunes live as well. Manchester favorites James are celebrating their 40th anniversary with an album of 20 re-recorded classics and deeper cuts “re-imagined” with a 22-piece orchestra and an 8-piece choir — and they’re taking the orchestral show on the road this month in the U.K. I cannot stop listening to this album. The themes covered – such as war, climate change and death are at total odds with the beauty of the songs and the music, with the emotions and feelings of these new versions intensified ten fold by the orchestra and choir. By working once again (and this time recording with) Joe Duddell, James have given themselves and their fans the opportunity to make new musical memories whilst revisiting old ones. There are so many layers and details to these songs and I am still discovering more after numerous listens. My advice is to shut yourself away, pop on some headphones and lose yourself in the pure musical magic – let yourself be Opened By The Wonderful.

In episode #150 of The XS Noize Podcast, Mark Millar meets Guitar legend Peter Frampton to talk about his recent live album – Peter Frampton At Royal Albert Hall. Peter Frampton is one of the […] We are coming up to that time of year when the beautiful and distinctive voice of Kirsty MacColl will be blasting out in bars and shops and being played regularly on radio and TV music […] Absolute Radio have always been extremely supportive to us, so we're looking forward to helping them celebrate their 15th birthday on th... Read more Our Blog Tonight I raise my glass to an old friend. Angelo Badalamenti.