The Best Of (James album) explained

The Best of James
Type:greatest
Artist:James
Cover:JamesTheBestOf.jpg
Released:[1]
Recorded:1984–1997
Genre:Alternative rock
Length:69:19
Label:Mercury/Fontana
Prev Title:Whiplash
Prev Year:1997
Next Title:Millionaires
Next Year:1999

The Best Of is the first compilation album by English rock band James, released in 1998. It contains singles from the band's studio albums Gold Mother (1990), Seven (1992), Laid (1993), Whiplash (1997), plus one track from the EP James II (1985) and two new tracks. The compilation reached number one in the UK Albums Chart.[2]

Reception

In a review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the album four out of five stars, describing it as "An imperfect collection of a frustratingly uneven band" and "a tantalizing missed opportunity", opining that the album's lack of chronological order made it "difficult to listen to [the] songs". Despite this, he went on to say that "no other James album accurately conveys [the band's] eclecticism or their musical strengths".

Awarding the album five out of five stars, Q magazine's John Aizlewood observed that "They're as stubborn (another admirable James trait) as disenfranchised mules; their audience is not growing (Whiplash sold 150,000) and they've influenced precisely nobody, but every track here – including new songs 'Runaground' and 'Destiny Calling, which unveil the mature James: "Tell us when our time is up/Show us how to die well/Show us how to let it all go" – bristles with inspiration."

Clash included "Destiny Calling" on their list of the top 10 best James songs.[3]

Track listing

All tracks written by James, except where noted.
A limited edition version contains a second CD of live material, recorded at Whitfield St Studios in London on 21 January 1998:

  1. "Runaground"
  2. "Ring the Bells"
  3. "Out to Get You"
  4. "Johnny Yen"
  5. "Lose Control"
  6. "Laid"
  7. "Sound"

Charts

Year-end charts

External links

Notes and References

  1. New Releases: Albums. Music Week. 36. 21 March 1998.
  2. Web site: JAMES songs and albums | full Official Chart history.
  3. Web site: Secrets I Can’t Keep: James – Their 10 Best Songs. Clash. Bowes, Richard. 18 January 2024. 29 January 2024. 18 January 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240118230821/https://www.clashmusic.com/features/secrets-i-cant-keep-james-their-10-best-songs/. live.
  4. Web site: James chart history, received from ARIA on 26 October 2018. ARIA. Imgur.com. 24 June 2024. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column indicates the release's peak on the national chart.
  5. Web site: End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 1998. Official Charts. 17 January 2021.