As you probably know by now, The Analog Kid lives for b-sides and non-album cuts. In this continuing series, I will share some of my favorite EPs and 12″ singles from over the years in their entirety. And since it’s digital, you don’t have to worry about correctly setting the turntable speed to or 33⅓ or 45!
In my Songs From The Edge: 1991 post from 12/20/2013, I wrote the following:
James were one of Beth’s (my girlfriend at the time, and program director of SMU’s student radio station) favorite bands, which may be the main reason I never bought any of their albums in the early ’90s. She played them constantly, so I think my brain simply shut most of it out. In the late ’90s, James released a greatest hits CD and I bought a used copy.
I now own every James album. I own every James single. I even flew to Los Angeles to see them on their last tour. They are now one of my all-time favorite bands.
Beth was a very wise young lady.
Wise indeed. Simply put, I think James are the most underrated British band of all time. Long after Blur and Oasis and Pulp fizzled out, James are still together and continue to release great music. Their live shows are simply majestic, and I am hoping (and praying) for some more U.S. dates in the near future.
“Tomorrow” is taken from Whiplash, James’ 1997 “comeback” album after three long years between releases. The soaring “She’s A Star” was a wise choice as the first single from Whiplash (it became their first U.K. Top 10 song in six years), but I think “Tomorrow” is every bit its equal. The entire middle section still gives me chills each and every time I hear it. “Tomorrow” actually first appeared on 1994’s Wah Wah, an album of improvisations recorded with Brian Eno during the sessions for the 1993 Laid LP. Only James could improvise a song THIS FREAKING GOOD.
As a bonus, the U.K. CD single (the first of three, actually) for “Tomorrow” includes three of the band’s best b-sides. Both “Gone Too Far” and “Honest Pleasure” would eventually appear on the 2001 compilation B-Sides Ultra, but “All One To Me” remains unique to this release.
![Tomorrow [U.K. CD #1]](https://analogkidblog.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/tomorrow-u-k-cd-1.png)
James: Tomorrow [U.K. CD #1]
Fontana Records, 1997
1. “Tomorrow” (James/Eno)
2. “Gone Too Far” (James)
3. “Honest Pleasure” (James)
4. “All One To Me” (James)
____________________________________________________
Bonus Tracks!
The first rule of The Analog Kid blog is that if you write about a song on the Analog Kid blog, you share the song on the Analog Kid blog.
James: “She’s A Star” (James)
From the album Whiplash
Fontana Records, 1997
James: “Tomorrow” (James/Eno)
From the album Wah Wah
Fontana Records, 1994
James: “Tomorrow [Radio Edit]” (James/Eno)
From the U.K. promo CD Tomorrow
Fontana Records, 1997
The Analog Kid 
How could I have never even heard of this band?
Trust me– buy EVERYTHING. They are simply phenomenal. They just put out an amazing new album called “Girl At The End Of The World.” Tell ya what– I’ll do another James blog next week so you can check out some more of their stuff.