Wah Wah
Encyclopedia
Wah Wah, the sixth full-length release by the Manchester
indie rock
group James
, was produced by Brian Eno
during the same six-week session as Laid
. Although the group had always been keen on improvisation, both as their principal songwriting method and onstage, this was their first (and, thus far, only) album to be composed entirely of such material. It was Eno's idea that the group's improvisations should be recorded, having told them that he regarded this music as having equal importance to the finished songs birthed from it. However, the group told Stuart Maconie
(for their authorised biography Folklore) that the album caused disagreements, particularly over Tim Booth
's wish to redo some vocals and over how to deal with the finished record - originally planned as a giveaway with early copies of Laid, it was eventually issued as a limited edition several months later.
One track, Jam-J was chosen as a single, and released as a double-A side
, along with "Say Something" from the album Laid.
The track "Tomorrow" was later re-recorded from scratch and placed on the band's next release, the album Whiplash
as well as being culled as the second single from that record.
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
group James
James (band)
James are a British rock band from Manchester, England. They formed in 1982 and were active throughout the 1980s, but most successful during the 1990s. Their hit singles include "Come Home", "Sit Down", and "She's a Star" as well as their American College Radio hit "Laid"...
, was produced by Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
during the same six-week session as Laid
Laid
Laid is the sixth studio album by British alternative rock band James. It was released on October 5, 1993. It was the first of several collaborations between the group and Brian Eno, who produced all but one of the album's tracks – in Stuart Maconie's authorised biography of the group, Folklore,...
. Although the group had always been keen on improvisation, both as their principal songwriting method and onstage, this was their first (and, thus far, only) album to be composed entirely of such material. It was Eno's idea that the group's improvisations should be recorded, having told them that he regarded this music as having equal importance to the finished songs birthed from it. However, the group told Stuart Maconie
Stuart Maconie
Stuart Maconie is an English radio DJ and television presenter, writer, journalist, and critic working in the field of of pop music and popular culture. He is currently a presenter on BBC 6 Music, where he hosts an afternoon show five times a week , alongside Mark Radcliffe, called the Radcliffe...
(for their authorised biography Folklore) that the album caused disagreements, particularly over Tim Booth
Tim Booth
Timothy John Booth is an English singer, dancer, and actor best known as the lead singer from the band James.-1980s:Booth was born in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England and attended Shrewsbury School...
's wish to redo some vocals and over how to deal with the finished record - originally planned as a giveaway with early copies of Laid, it was eventually issued as a limited edition several months later.
One track, Jam-J was chosen as a single, and released as a double-A side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
, along with "Say Something" from the album Laid.
The track "Tomorrow" was later re-recorded from scratch and placed on the band's next release, the album Whiplash
Whiplash (album)
Whiplash is the seventh studio album by British alternative rock band James. It contained the top ten hit "She's a Star" which re-established the group commercially...
as well as being culled as the second single from that record.
Track listing
- Hammer Strings
- Pressure's On
- Jam J
- Frequency Dip
- Lay the Law Down
- Burn the Cat
- Maria
- Low Clouds (1)
- Building a Fire
- Gospel Oak
- DVV
- Say Say Something
- Rhythmic Dreams
- Dead Man Whistling
- Rain
- Basic Brian
- Low Clouds (2)
- Bottom of the Well
- Honest Joe
- Arabic Agony
- Tomorrow
- Laughter
- Sayonara