Manchester indie survivors JAMES will be releasing their first ever box set on December 10th, 2012. Entitled The Gathering Sound, the box set covers the band’s career to date and includes all eleven studio albums on a unique j-shaped USB stick. The band are also touring with Echo & The Bunnymen in April next year. Tour dates below..
This strictly limited edition, deluxe 12”x12” box set contains:
– the 4GB USB stick (featuring all eleven studio albums plus the non-album “best of” tracks in hi fidelity FLAC format with access to 320 kbps MP3 files),
– three CDs (one CD of live rarities, one CD of studio rarities and one CD which combines the recent, critically-acclaimed The Morning After and The Night Before albums),
– a DVD of Come Home (featuring the show from the Manchester GMEX 92 on DVD for the first time),
– a heavy 12” 180gsm black vinyl featuring four previously unreleased demos from the Gold Mother era,
– a 12” gatefold sleeve that houses the vinyl, the CDs and DVD,
– a 16 page A5 booklet (featuring sleeve-notes from the band plus contributions from Gordon Strachan, Peter Kay, Bernard Butler, Richard Reed Parry (Arcade Fire), Michael Stipe and Brian Eno
– a 44 page 12”x12” scrapbook (featuring previously unseen and rare photos, memorabilia, cuttings and many other items straight out of James personal archives including a complete timeline of James’s career annotated by the band),
– four art-cards,
– four button badges
– four sticky satin replica backstage passes.
James aficionados should note that the box set heralds the release of 32 previously unreleased recordings including 12 completely unreleased songs (Willow, Doubts, Count Your Blessings, Jam 1, Jam 2, It’s A Fine Line, Hedex, Scratchcard, I Thought You Were, Announcement, At The Seams, Gregory’s Town), the first ever official release of live and studio material from 1982, first appearances on CD of the Sire era b-sides and the Weather Change flexi-disc from the 1990 tour programme, exclusive release of BBC archive material from key James shows from the 1990s, and, of course, the legendary Come Home video of the triumphant Manchester G-Mex performance that broke James in 1990 – on DVD. Interestingly, Jim Glennie from the band (who James are named after) reveals that the band unearthed literally bin-bags of tatty cassettes of demos (including their second demo) and concerts that they found particularly difficult to archive and which they managed to listen to only once before sending them off with the instruction: just master, don’t play!
The band will be heading out on The Gathering Sound Tour of the UK in April 2013 with very special guests Echo & The Bunnymen.
Saturday 13.04 Glasgow SECC
Monday 15.04 Newcastle O2 Academy
Tuesday 16.04 Sheffield O2 Academy
Wednesday 17.04 Bristol Colston Hall
Friday 19.04 London O2 Brixton Academy
Saturday 20.04 London O2 Brixton Academy
Monday 22.04 Bournemouth O2 Academy
Tuesday 23.04 Leeds O2 Academy
Thursday 25.04 Birmingham O2 Academy
Friday 26.04 Manchester Arena
What’s your favourite James single? I’ll go for
