Eno made recordings of the rehearsals to assess the quality of the songwriting. In early 1993, Eno and engineer Benedict Fenner visited the band at their practice space in Beehive Mill in Manchester to witness their productivity over three-to-four days. In August 1992, Eno telephoned the band, saying he liked their music and went to the UK work with them. Eno became interested in the band after hearing a rough version of "Sometimes (Lester Piggott)". Eno listened to the tapes while on holiday after his wife said she was a fan of James. The band sent Eno a letter and six hours' worth of rehearsal tapes. Tim Booth said Eno was "a bit busy and he’d call back in a couple of years". James had wanted to work with producer Brian Eno since their debut studio album Stutter (1986). Production įurther information: Wah Wah (album) § Background and conception After returning to the UK, James started writing material for their next album. Their record company was angered by this decision and threatened to withdraw funding for the tour until the company's staff attended one of the band's shows. They continued touring the US, playing acoustically instead of playing electric shows as they had intended. James supported Neil Young on nine of his US west-coast shows, where the band played acoustically. įollowing this, trumpeter Andy Diagram, who wanted to have other opportunities and missed his girlfriend, left the band, which continued as a six-piece outfit. The band played their only UK headlining show of 1992 to a crowd of 30,000 at the Alton Towers leisure park. "Born of Frustration" was successful on the United States Billboard Alternative Airplay chart, where it reached number five. It peaked at number two in the UK while three of its four singles – " Sound", " Born of Frustration", and "Ring the Bells" – reached the top 40 of the UK singles chart. James' fourth studio album Seven, which was released in February 1992, sold a million copies worldwide. Laid also appeared on best-of album lists compiled by media including Les Inrockuptibles, NME and Select while the eponymous song appeared on best-song-of-the-decade lists by PopMatters and uDiscoverMusic. "Sometimes (Lester Piggott)" and "Laid" both charted within the top 40 in the UK "Laid" performed well on three Billboard component charts, most notably peaking at number 67 on the Hot 100. It was later certified gold in the UK and the US, as was "Laid" in the UK. The album peaked at number three in the UK, and also charted in Australia and the US. Laid received generally positive reviews from music critics, many of whom commented on Eno's production. Laid has been re-pressed on vinyl three times it was reissued on Compact Disc (CD) in 2001, and again in 2015 as a standalone release and as part of a box set with Wah Wah. After this, the band supported Duran Duran in the US before embarking on their own US tour. " Laid" was released as the album's second single on 1 November 1993 and was followed by a tour of the UK the following month. Around this song, James toured the US as part of the WOMAD festival. The lead single from Laid was "Sometimes (Lester Piggott)", which was released on 30 August 1993. Laid has more stripped-down sound than their past releases that was inspired by their work with Young. The sessions also resulted in the experimental sixth studio album Wah Wah (1994). James recorded for six weeks at Real World Studios in Box, Wiltshire, and The Windings in Wrexham, Wales.
After returning to the United Kingdom, the band began writing for their next album, engaging Brian Eno. Following the departure of trumpeter Andy Diagram, the band toured the United States as a support act for Neil Young. It was released on 27 September 1993 through Fontana Records.
( Britain ) A paved area at the side of a highway designated for drivers to stop in, for emergency parking, or where vehicles can wait, with larger lay-bys possibly having facilities like food vendors or public telephones.