Greetings fellow James Fans,
I've just returned from a weekend of gigging, and I have to say that James seem to be in the best live form they've been in for years! Blackpool was an absolutely amazing show, beginning with Mark Hunter riding the famous Wurlitzer out of the stage for a rousing rendition of "Laid," and ending with a festive version of "Sit Down," complete with balloons and confetti. The new material translates well in a live setting. Along with "I Know What I'm Here For," they also performed "Fred Astaire," which is set to be the next single, "Crash," which will possibly be the third single, "Someone's Got It In For Me," and "We're Going To Miss You," all of which were well received by the audience. My personal favourite has to be "Someone's Got It In For Me," which starts out quietly and finishes massively, with a big, booming chorus. The Guildford Festival performance was a celebration as well, with Saul encouraging everyone to "Sit Down" at the end of the night.
The album, Millionaires, is due out in the UK in September. with the release of "Fred Astaire" to precede it; and I, for one, cannot wait, as it looks to be a fairly amazing and diverse record. A tour will follow in December, so get your tickets now, before they sell out. We're hoping to play host to another James Night in Manchester following the gig on December 11, so watch either this space, or the J.I.M. website, for more news as we have it.
As for those of you in North America, I'm sorry to say it looks like you may have to buy on import, as James are currently lacking a contract in your part of the world. They are actively looking for someone who will release the album, and could use some fan support to show how massive their North American fanbase really is. So get out your copies of the Best Of and get all of your friends either to write to the fan club address on the inside or to [email protected] and ask about a U.S. release and U.S. tour.
I've been hard at work doing routine maintenance on the site, having finally sorted the Fan Finder for the first time in about a year, and updating those poll results. In anticipation of the December tour, I've also uploaded a new section which allows you to send in your ultimate James setlist, in hopes they might be watching and take pity ;). I've also just completed work on a section called Come, Dip On In, which attempts to explain Tim's lyrical fascination with water and the sea, but I haven't done a very good job, so I'm hoping someone will email me with an explanation that actually makes sense. Per usual, as well, I'm looking for YOUR submissions to the site in the form of letters, pictures, or anything else you can think of.
As always, enjoy!
Justhipper and friends
July 28, 1999
Previous Messages From Justhipper:
3/20/99
1/4/99
8/24/98
7/23/98
4/4/98
1/10/98
