Be Opened By The Wonderful

Product Information

JAMES are: Tim Booth, Jim Glennie, Saul Davies, Adrian Oxaal, David Baynton-Power, Mark Hunter, Andy Diagram, Chloe Alper and Deborah Knox-Hewson. 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. 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. Fontaines D.C. at #1 position in UK midweek album charts | A Hero’s Death is out now on Partisan Records (22,898)

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! 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 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. Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band Add 22 European Stadium Shows to 2024 World Tour. Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band delivered “The Greatest Show on Earth” (Billboard) across Europe this past summer, […]

Notes

a b "Manchester legends James share their new single 'Love Make a Fool' ". XS Noize. 26 April 2023 . Retrieved 22 June 2023. 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 […] 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. Be Opened By The Wonderful is an anniversary album of sorts, but once the first note hits, you know you are listening to so much more. And let’s not forget about “ Sit Down,” one of James’ most popular songs. Joe Duddell’s version of the song is a testament to his talent for transforming music into something new and exciting. With layer upon layer of strings, the song has a deep richness that elevates it to a different level. It’s a song about connection and reassurance that you are never alone, and with Duddell’s arrangement, it speaks to a wider audience and resonates on a deeper level.

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. There is a subtle intricate rawness to ‘Alaskan Pipeline’ from the 2001 album Pleased To Meet You. Lyrically brutal, you would never guess the peaks and troughs of the vocals and orchestra as they transport you to a place of denial through a true tale of unrequited love. “Richness” Moving On was written by Tim after losing his mother and close friend within months of each other. Tim has described his mother dying in his arms as a beautiful experience. Of grief he says it “is an expression of how much you love that person. I embrace grief and it is a medal of love”. The feeling of love and grief and the outpouring of emotion in this version is heightened by the slower pace of the song, the soaring strings and the amazing chemistry and harmonies between Tim and Chloe’s voices. This added beauty reinforcing Tim’s view on death.

Release

A delightful album, full emotive recording via the orchestral arrangement. Pressing is dead flat, very little surface noise on either vinyl, maybe a tad more noticed on Side B but a couple of cleans and it's barely evident. Disc 1: Sometimes / Love Make A Fool / We’re Gonna Miss You / Tomorrow / The Lake / She’s A Star / Lookaway / Sit Down / Alaskan Pipeline copies were also retailed by Assai Records with an approved hand numbered and signed Japanese style Obi under Assai Obi Editions. 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. Lookaway` is fairly ethereal but speeds up while remaining fairly dreamlike. From the intro, you wouldn`t guess that `Sit Down` was one of the bands most famous signature songs but it was always gonna sound unusual as you`ve known the standard for over thirty years. A re-imagining that i`m sure I’ll come to love as I did the original.

Johnson, Rob (9 June 2023). "James Be Opened by the Wonderful review". TotalNtertainment . Retrieved 22 June 2023.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. a b Royle, Natalie (4 June 2023). "James: Be Opened by the Wonderful – album review". Louder Than War . Retrieved 22 June 2023.

So what are you waiting for? Get ready to be opened by the wonderful sounds of James and their double album “ Be Opened By The Wonderful.” It’s a must-have for fans of the band and anyone interested in discovering their unique sound. With James’ experimentation, Joe Duddell’s expert touch, and the addition of the orchestra and choir, this album is an experience you won’t want to miss. Let James take you on a musical journey like no other! 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. ` 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 celebrationa b Burn, Iam (9 June 2023). "Album Review: James – Be Opened by the Wonderful". XS Noize . Retrieved 22 June 2023.