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James, who were formed in Manchester way back in 1983, are "a cult group whose cult includes potentially everyone"... Singer Tim Booth describes the new single 'Laid' (due for release 1st November '93) as "daft and uplifting".Jointly the lowest-charting single on Now 26, which might come as a surprise to some, as it's one of the better-known James songs even in Britain, and the closest they ever came to a hit in the US. It's also the title track from one of their most successful albums, famously one of two they recorded simultaneously with Brian Eno on production.
Knowing how long he's been in the business, it's probably a bit unfair on Tim Booth that he's long seemed to me to be a second-rate Bono, but on this track he seems more of a second-rate Michael Stipe, though it can only be a coincidence that this song shares the yodelling motif of R.E.M.'s 'Sidewinder'. It's arguable that this, no less coincidentally, anticipates the sexuality themes of R.E.M.'s next album, Monster. The trouble is that pop stars who try to stray into this sort of area usually seem to think they're being a lot more clever and edgy than they are, and actually singing the phrase "messed about with gender roles" shows how awkward his lyrics can be. The rest of the song has a slightly lopsided quality that's actually sort of endearing, but as is too often the case for me, Booth seems to get in the way. I bet he hated having to replace the word "comes" for the radio edit too.
Also appearing on: 20, 21, 36, 37, 41, 43
Available on: Laid
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