<P> James is an English rock band from Manchester, which was formed in 1982 and enjoyed popularity throughout the 1990s . The band's best - known singles include "Come Home", "Sit Down", "She's a Star" and "Laid", which also became a hit on American college radio . </P> <P> Following the departure of lead singer Tim Booth in 2001, the band became inactive, but reunited in January 2007 and has gone on to produce a further six albums . James's hit single "Come Home" was voted the greatest ever Manchester anthem in a radio poll . Live performance has continually remained a central part of the band's output . As of 2010, the band had sold more than 25 million albums worldwide . </P> <P> James was formed in 1982 in Whalley Range, Manchester, when Paul Gilbertson persuaded his friend Jim Glennie to buy a bass guitar and form a band with him . Their line - up solidified when Gavan Whelan joined on drums . They played a string of gigs under the names Venereal and the Diseases and later, Volume Distortion, before settling on the name of Model Team International, then shortened to Model Team . They performed mostly improvised material derived from jam sessions, supporting the Fall at an early gig at Manchester Polytechnic . Vocalists and other musicians drifted rapidly in and out of their line - up, until the band encountered Tim Booth at a student disco . Gilbertson invited him to the band's scout hut in Withington to join the band as a dancer; he was soon promoted to lead singer . After a brief period under the name Tribal Outlook, the band renamed themselves James in August 1982 . A gig at the Haçienda caught the attention of Tony Wilson of Factory Records . He offered James an album deal with Factory, but the band, by now a settled live act, were worried about tarnishing their material in the studio and settled instead for a three - track EP . Their debut release, the Jimone EP, was recorded at Strawberry Studios, Stockport, in August 1983 and released on Factory Records in September . It led to the band providing the support for The Smiths between February and April 1985 on the Meat is Murder tour . The Smiths covered James' ' What's The World' track during this tour . </P> <P> Although they were now being touted as the' next big thing', several complex issues slowed their progress . Gilbertson's drug problems presented the band with no choice but to ask him to leave . Booth and Glennie had joined a sect named Lifewave that imposed many restrictions on their lifestyle and threatened the band's stability . The band's second EP, James II, was released over a year after the first and accompanied by a feature on the cover of the NME, Gilbertson having been replaced by the band's guitar tutor Larry Gott . The first two EPs would later be collected as Village Fire . Reviews were once again positive, and Factory were eager for James to record an album with it, but the band believed Factory were purely image - based and left the label, striking a deal with Sire Records . </P>

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