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 33⅓ or 45!
My love of James is well-documented within many posts on the Analog Kid Blog. Just the other day, I was in the car with my wife and opted to pass the time on our road trip with James’ 1997 masterpiece Whiplash. Three songs in, I asked my wife the question I always ask myself whenever I listen to James:
“Why weren’t these guys HUGE?”
I will never understand why James didn’t “break” in America, but I’m just happy that the band is still making great music almost thirty years after their first album. They just released a new record entitled La Petite Mort, and as always I was blown away upon first listen. You can check out an infectious new James tune in the bonus tracks section, but first take a listen to one of my favorite James 12″ singles: 1992’s Ring The Bells. The title track is a slice of pure pop perfection– just listen to the way the song builds back up after the mid-song breakdown. Chills. Every freaking time.
The Ring The Bells 12″ also includes two great non-album tracks (“Fight” and “Once A Friend”), along with a remix of the James classic “Come Home.” I am keeping my fingers crossed that James will play some North American shows in the near future, as I can’t afford to pond-hop to see them right now. See, they are really popular in Europe and rarely come to the States for shows– so much for the theory that Europeans have horrible taste in pop music!
![Ring The Bells [U.K. 12_]](https://analogkidblog.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/ring-the-bells-u-k-12_.png)
James: Ring The Bells [U.K. 12″]
Fontana Records, 1992
1. “Ring The Bells” (James)
2. “Fight” (James)
3. “Come Home” [Skunk Weed Skank Mix] (James)
Come Home [Skunk Weed Skank Mix]
4. “Once A Friend” (James)
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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: “Gone Baby Gone” (James)
From the album Le Petite Mort
BMG Chrysalis, 2014
James: “Waltzing Along” (James)
From the album Whiplash
Fontana Records, 1997
The Analog Kid 