JAMES

James are an English rock band from Manchester, who were formed in 1982. James’ current line-up consists of bassist Jim Glennie (born October 10, 1963, in Moss Side, Manchester), vocalist Tim Booth (born February 4, 1960 in Bradford, Yorkshire), lead guitarist Adrian Oxaal (born March 20, 1965 in California), drummer David Baynton-Power (born January 29, 1961, in Kent, England), rhythm guitarist Saul Davies (born June 28, 1965 in Liverpool), and trumpeter Andy Diagram (born 1959 in London). James underwent several names such as Venereal and the Diseases, Volume Distortion, Tribal Outlook and Model Team International, settling on James when they played Manchester’s legendary Haçienda and got the attention of Factory Records’ boss Tony Wilson as well as eventually supporting The Smiths (due to Morrissey being a fan). James have enjoyed a string of hit songs, such as Sit Down, Sometimes, Laid and She’s A Star, and an array of top ten albums, as well as a UK Official Album Chart Number 1 with the compilation Best of in 1998.

JAMES Songs stats

UK No1s: 0
UK Top 10s: 4
UK Top 40s: 19
UK Top 75s: 21
Weeks at No1: 0
Weeks in the Top 10: 10
Weeks in the Top 40: 52
Weeks in the Top 75: 90

JAMES Albums stats

UK No1s: 2
UK Top 10s: 12
UK Top 40s: 19
UK Top 75s: 20
Weeks at No1: 2
Weeks in the Top 10: 25
Weeks in the Top 40: 76
Weeks in the Top 75: 180

JAMES news

James Live in 2024 tour setlist

James celebrate first-ever Official Number 1 studio album with Yummy

James and Mark Knopfler enter competition for Number 1 album

Travis Scott's Astroworld scores highest new entry on Official Albums Chart

More JAMES news

JAMES Hits

Velvet Android

12th June 2021

C'mon OCC, please sort out the random images that are stuck alongside some of the singles and albums here, purporting to be their cover artwork, which even by the standards of parts of this site are really messed up. Was James' first charting single Chain Mail really a picture disc of Thomas the Tank Engine? Second single What For has a Henry James novel cover alongside it. Come Home has the film poster for The World's End for some ungodly reason. How Was It For You has... well, I don't even know what that is. And the Seven EP has a picture of the actor Stephen Mangan. What?? Destiny Calling has a picture of a book written about the band by Brian Ormond, though at least it has the same title. The album Pleased To Meet You also has the cover of an unrelated book of the same name shown. And six (SIX) separate singles here are shown with the album cover of the band's 1998 Number One album James: the Best Of, yet that album itself isn't – instead it's got the cover of The Best of Barclay James Harvest, whoever he or they are.

While we're at it, could you please untangle the chart listings for Sit Down? The original single release from 1989 only made no.77. The no.7 placing that you've folded in with it represents a completely different single, a remix version from 1998. (The famous 1991 release peaking at 2 is at least correct.)

Velvet Android

14th September 2023

Well, they're slowly improving in the last few weeks or months, at least and at last. Most of the really random things I mentioned above a couple of years ago have finally been removed, though Chain Mail is now represented by something called 80s Deep Dive, whatever that is. And the cover of The Best Of is now appearing alongside that actual album... even if it's also still shown alongside two of their other albums.