1. Out to Get You

2. Sometimes (Lester Piggott)

3. Dream Thrum

4. One of the Three

5. Say Something

6. Five-O

7. P.S.

8. Everybody Knows

9. Knuckle Too Far

10. Low Low Low

11. Laid

12. Lullaby

13. Skindiving

 

Amazon.com
Along with the more overtly quirky Pavement, James sought to bring the eccentric folk-rock of the Incredible String Band into the alt-rock era, and did an especially fine job of it on this 1993 release. Still reeling from the U.K. chart success of their "Sit Down" single and Seven album, the Manchester veterans (who started out a decade earlier on their hometown Factory label) crafted this thoroughly accessible yet thoughtful collection. Especially infectious are "Sometimes," with its headlong strumming and chanted chorus, and the title track, with Tim Booth's vocals at their mannered best. Meanwhile, "Skindiving" finds the band venturing into the kind of experimental terrain that would later gain Radiohead enormous acclaim. Laid is a fine album from a chronically underrated band.

Outstanding Work

On the first listen itself this album mesmerizes you. Transcending the intersection of folkrock and pop, this album combines the magical beauty of lead singer Booth with the neat, never over-the-top production of Brain Eno. The end result is a sweet taste left after you close your CD player. What an album!!! James is an English band who rose to fame in the early nineties due to heavy rotation of single like Say Something, Sit Down etc. Until Booth left in 2001, the band released good album after album, their last classic effort being Millionairs.

Say Something from Laid was heavily featured on Mtv those days but there are scores of better songs on the disc. The album begins with a melodic chanting from Booth in the form of Out to get you. Beautiful lyrics, excellent vocal harmonies which leaves a haunting melody in your ears. Then Sometimes takes over with brilliant yet simple lyrics (sometimes when I look into your eyes, I can see your soul), Dream Thrum, One of the three all melodic rockers but the best is yet to come. FIVE-O and PS are outstanding tracks on the disc. Perhaps the best songs James ever composed!!! They have haunting melodies and hooks. Excellent songs!!!

Rest of the album is good which basically means this is a great album. ten years old and still sitting in the first rack of my CD collection, this is a divine album for lazy summer nights and cold winter ones too...