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JAMES
Getting Away With It...Live (Sanctuary)
Reviewed by Erick Mertz
James has always been a band noted for their energetic live performances. Any one who has experienced them live can attest to the stunning harmony that existed between band members, and how well they communicated that to the crowd. Whether their venue was a rainy mountain top green or a throbbing subterranean night-club, James always seemed to seize what was unique in the moment and run with it.
James' newest double disc release on Sanctuary records "Getting Away With It...Live" is an effort which seeks to capture that timeliness. The tracks represent a wide swath from the band's eclectic catalog, ranging from their first single "Hymn For A Village" to material from UK only releases like "Millionaires." The band has always given great credence to improvisation over polished rehearsed material and that emphasis is reflected in how each song performed live receives a unique twist on the studio version. "Laid," the band's anthem of playfully dysfunctional sexuality, is significantly faster and electric while "Tomorrow" sounds more raw and spontaneous. Songs like "Protect Me" and "Top Of The World" get a boost in tempo while retaining their quiet sensuality. There are stretches of inventive aural interplay with the tracks "Sound" and "Space" and a humorous moment when the band laughs and jokes with the crew after a microphone goes out. When the opening to "Out To Get You" fails to go off right, the band restarts the song and does so without any sense of pretension. "I don't want to miss this moment," says lead singer Tim Booth. In true James fashion, the set is meticulously arranged for maximum dramatic effect. The opening sequence of "Say Something" / "Waltzing Along" / "Sometimes" / "Laid" whips the crowd into an instant frenzy while closing with a hushed, sing along infused version of longtime favorite "Sit Down" captures the essence of James live: utter satisfaction combined with the audience's pine for more.
After the encore, Booth announces that this is the band's "long farewell" and indeed it proved to be. After the December 7th, 2001 show, members of the band invited the hometown Manchester crowd over for milk and cookies then amicably went their separate ways. Spurred on by the desire to pursue new musical endeavors and frustration in regards to a lagging response from American record companies, James went out with a spirited representative concert. Although it is fair to say that no CD can fully capture the electricity of one of their shows, this one comes oh so close.
© 2002 - Erick Mertz