The Gathering Sound

The Gathering Sound


Three decades and counting…

It is with the greatest pleasure and pride we announce that this autumn James will release their first box set, encompassing the whole of their 30 year history.

The Gathering Sound heralds the debut of twelve previously unreleased songs, including lost classic Gregory’s Town, Scratchcard, their second ever demo Willow, Count Your Blessings, I Thought You Were, the thrillingly titled Jam 1 and Jam 2, and excerpts from the infamous (perhaps even scandalous) ‘Whiplash Tapes‘. All told, this is the first official release of a of 33 live recordings and demos from the early 80s right through to the present day – with some of the earliest material having been recently unearthed in a time capsule (in the form of dusty bin bags) in Jim’s attic.

This deluxe set includes 3 CDs, a DVD, a 12″ record, and a custom J-shaped USB stick, in addition to some fun historical goodies, writings, exclusive photos, and artwork.

Live rarities include highlights from the 1992 Alton Towers gig before a crowd of 30,000 ecstatic (if somewhat sodden) James fans, Glastonbury 1990, Brixton Academy, Manchester Apollo, London Town & Country and more, as well as vintage live favourite Burned, recorded at Moles Club in Bath in 1988, which was previously only available on the long out-of-print collector’s choice One Man Clapping.

This glorious package also features the first CD pressing of Sire-era b-sides and the Weather Change flexidisc from the 1990 tour programme, exclusive release of BBC archive material from historic concerts in the 90s, and the DVD premiere of the celebrated Come Home Live video filmed at the euphoric Manchester GMEX show in 1990, featuring fifteen songs which will bring back memories for so many of you who braved the winter storms to be there.

The 12″ x 12″, beautifully boxed set The Gathering Sound opens to reveal:

  • Unique J-shaped 8GB USB stick, containing all ten full length studio albums plus four non-album ‘Best Of’ tracks in both high fidelity 16-bit FLAC format and 320kbps MP3, plus 24 promo videos in MP4 format so you can watch them on your computer or move to your mobile devices for portable viewing
  • Three CDs: one of live rarities from 1982 to the present, one of studio rarities including home-recorded demos from the early 80s, and a third CD combining 2010′s superb mini-albums The Morning After and The Night Before on one disc
  • DVD of the long-deleted Come Home Live video originally released in 1991, featuring 15 tracks from the legendary homecoming show at GMEX in 1990
  • Heavyweight 180gsm vinyl 12″ featuring four previously unreleased demos from the Gold Mother era, in a special gatefold sleeve that houses the four discs along with the record
  • 16-page A5 booklet of sleeve notes written by the band, with contributions from fans, friends, peers and partners in crime
  • 12×12 scrapbook filled with rare and unseen photos, memorabilia, press cuttings, and many other items straight out of the band’s personal archives, as well as a James timeline they have annotated
  • Four art cards, four button badges, four sticky-backed satin replica backstage passes
  • The first 500 box sets ordered through us directly via the Universal Box Set Store will include a gorgeous 12″ square piece of artwork signed by all seven band members.
  • All pre-orders through us include a free instant download of three extra unreleased demos – Dust Motes, Make For This City, and Lookaway - these are exclusively ours and will not be available elsewhere.