Whiplash is the seventh studio album by English rock band James. It was released on 24 February 1997, through Fontana Records. Following the release of the band's experimental sixth studio album Wah Wah (1994), they began working on a follow-up in 1995 at drummer David Baynton-Power's home studio. Over the course of 1995 and 1996, James recorded at several studios – Westside, The Windings, Cafe Mullet, Real World, RAK, and Foel – with producers Stephen Hague, Brian Eno, and Baynton-Power. Described as electronic and folk rock release, the album mixed in elements of the band's previous two studio albums.
Preceded by the release of Whiplash lead single "She's a Star" in February 1997, James went on a United Kingdom tour the following month. The second single "Tomorrow" was released in April 1997; that same month, the band embarked on a tour of the United States. Shortly into the tour, frontman Tim Booth strained his neck, and later discovered that he had ruptured his C6 and C7 discs, causing the tour to be cancelled. The third single "Waltzing Along" was released in June 1997, coinciding with a stint on Lollapalooza until August of that year, when they appeared at the Reading Festival.
Whiplash received generally positive reviews from music critics, some of whom noted James' attempt to mix their older sound with newer elements. It peaked at number 9 in the UK, while its singles all reached the UK top 30, the highest being "She's a Star" at number 9. Whiplash was later certified gold in the UK, and "She's a Star" was certified silver in the same territory.
Background In 1993, James worked with producer Brian Eno, and released their fifth studio album Laid. Despite being relatively unsuccessful in the band's native United Kingdom, the album was a success in the United States due to the title-track "Laid" becoming a crossover hit. The band began working on material for their next album in August 1994, around an appearance at Woodstock '94. Up to this point, the band had spent the preceding three years touring the US consistently. They set up in a barn close to Woodstock, New York, and played improvised songs.
Wah Wah, an album of experimental music born out of the Laid recording sessions, was released in late 1994. On 16 November 1994, the band met up at The Windings in Wales to start writing for their next album.Maconie 2000, p. 225 The day would later be known as James' 'Black Thursday': guitarist Larry Gott expressed interest in leaving the band to design furniture; frontman Tim Booth revealed his plans to record an album with composer Angelo Badalamenti; and the band learned that they owed several years' worth of back taxes, totalling £250,000. Shortly afterwards, Martine McDonagh, who was the mother of Booth's son, ceased to be the band's manager.
Production In early 1995, James recorded with Eno at Westside studio in London and The Windings for a period of two weeks. Following this, Gott officially left the band, with Booth stating that Gott "hated the whole fame thing even more than the rest of us."Sprague 1997, pp. 15, 26 Booth spent most of 1995 in New York City recording the Booth and the Bad Angel album with Badalamenti. Due to the mounting pressure of the debt, Gott's departure, Booth being occupied, and the rest of the members living across the country, Baynton-Power took charge of their new album.Maconie 2000, p. 229 He told bassist Jim Glennie to set up a recording studio at his house, dubbed Cafe Mullet.Maconie 2000, p. 230 Baynton-Power purchased two TASCAM recorders, a mixing desk, monitors, and other recording equipment. Marking a change from their previous writing sessions, every member of the band contributed to the process, instead of being led by Booth. Out of the initial jam sessions, the band took vocal and melody samples, and reworked the songs around them.
Violinist-guitarist Saul Davies referred to Cafe Mullet as "an environment where people could try new ideas and write songs", which resulted in three-to-four songs from "a weird mishmash of live playing and technology". Progress on material was slow overall, and continued through to the end of 1995. Lacking the confidence to continue, the band invited Eno to help them. Glennie said Eno "didn't want to babysit us", and said he would join them occasionally to make sure things were progressing. While this was occurring, Booth and Badalamenti had moved recording from New York City to Liverpool and London. Phonogram, the owner of James' label Fontana Records, was growing concerned with the album and the lack of a big-name producer.Maconie 2000, p. 231 With the creation of "Avalanche" and "Play Dead", the band, with Booth in tow, recorded with Stephen Hague in January and February 1996 at Real World Studios in Box, Wiltshire, and concluded at RAK Studios in London. Coinciding with this was the introduction of guitarist-celloist Adrian Oxaal of Sharkboy. He had known Davies when the pair played in a youth orchestra when they were both 16. Oxaal had previously seen James live in 1984, and was invited to join over the phone by Davies. Oxaal did some minor overdubs at Foel Studios in Wales.Maconie 2000, p. 232
Booth said Eno was "very much into immediacy, into seeing what he can disrupt", while Hague was "just the opposite, which made for a fascinating mix".Sprague 1997, p. 26 At RAK, they rented two rooms to work in: the first room where Hague and the band recorded and editing songs; the now-mobile Cafe Mullet was set up in the other, which allowed Baynton-Power to decompile the tracks and experiment with them, with one-to-two other members. Eno appeared once a week in an overseer role, and is credited in the album booklet as "occasional co-production and frequent interference". Richard Norris served as the main engineer throughout recording, with additional engineering from Steve Williams, Baynton-Power, keyboardist Mark Hunter, Sam Hardaker, and James Brown. At the various studios, the band was assisted by Graeme Robinson and Alex Seel at RAK, Jaqui Turner at Real World, and Dave Green at Westside. The final recordings were produced by Hague, with co-production from Eno, and Baynton-Power acting as associate producer. The songs were mixed at RAK by Hague and Mike Drake, before being mastered by Ian Cooper at Metropolis Mastering.
Composition Musically, the sound of Whiplash has been described as electronic, and folk rock, with an approach that mixes the styles of Laid and Wah Wah.Wright 1997, p. 18 The album also contains elements of trip hop, and several songs are in a drum and bass style, while Booth's breathy vocals have been compared to those of Bono. The stylistic change was attributed to Gott's departure, Booth's work with Badalamenti, and the band's new writing methods. Glennie theorized it was due to the members' changing music interests, and discovering dance music. All of the songs are credited to the band, except for "Tomorrow", which also credits Eno. Eno and Hague both contributed keyboards and backing vocals to the recordings, while Andy Duncan provided percussion. Davies came up with the string arrangements on "Tomorrow" and "Play Dead"; Audrey Riley acted as the string leader for the former.
"Tomorrow" channels the up-tempo drumming pattern as heard in "Laid", and its overall guitar riffs and uplifting lyrics drew comparison to the U2 songs "Where the Streets Have No Name" and "With or Without You" (1987). An earlier version of the song appeared on Wah Wah, whereas this version featured a string arrangement courtesy of Davies. The subsequent track "Lost a Friend" continues in the same style as "Tomorrow", and details a person falling asleep while watching a television, whose their dreams become part of the entertainment.Wright 1997, p. 19 It was partially influenced by violence in the 1995 films Seven and Heat. The country-like "Waltzing Along" is a darker song in the vein of Laid track "Knuckle Too Far", and utilizes a three-beat waltz in the timing of 4/4.Maconie 2000, p. 236
"She's a Star" sees Booth singing in falsetto, while being accompanied by a piano, slide guitar, and Beatlesque vocal harmonies. Its title comes from Booth's ex-girlfriend whose middle-name was Zurina, which Booth claimed meant star in Indian. The song discusses a woman "coming into her own power, a stellar view of life with a different energy to the male world," and drew comparison to latter-day Suede. "Greenpeace" is a jungle track concerning environmentalism; initially written as a folk song, the final version is a movement in three parts: the first features a music box, affected by echo, and Booth discussing the unconcerned public; the second incorporates bells while Booth sings about big businesses; and the third sees Booth singing in a falsetto about the Earth. A sample of Eno screaming is used over the course of the song, while the creaking noise heard in the track was achieved by rubbing a marble cutting board against a brick wall.
"Go to the Bank" discusses the use of consumerism as a method to cope with heartbreak and depression. It opens with a violin part, before shifting into drum and bass. The song's lyrics were improvised by Booth in a single take, and sung through a boss compressor.Maconie 2000, p. 237 The atmospheric rock song "Play Dead" was originally titled "Whiplash". Booth called it an electronic ballad that he croons over, while Davies considered it to be an industrial version of the Walker Brothers. "Avalanche" began as a sample that the band worked on at Baynton-Power's house, and eventually turned into a full song, while the lyrics for "Homeboy" are taken mostly from "Fishknives", a Laid outtake which the band had left unfinished at the time due to a lack of music to accompany it.
"Watering Hole", which initially began as "Angel", saw the band move into dub territory. The closing track, "Blue Pastures", is anchored around a bassline and a lone guitar part, with drums appearing briefly. The song was first worked on during the Laid sessions, with some improved lyrics. The band worked on it again two years after those sessions to complete the track, adding more lyrics in the process. Booth wrote it about a man who commits suicide by intentionally laying in snow in the Lake District; before the album's release, the husband of a friend of Booth's had died in the exact same manner. The song was played at the man's funeral, which prompted his wife to inquire as to how Booth knew it would happen.
Release Booth learned that their label had only one more release spot empty in their schedule for the rest of the year. He was told that if the Booth and the Bad Angel album was released first, the James album would have to be delayed for five months, whereas if the latter was released first, Booth and the Bad Angel would not appear for a year and a half. Badalamenti said he would be unable to promote at an unknown date in the future, but was able to do it now. After informing Glennie of the situation, he told Booth to go ahead with the release of his album.Maconie 2000, p. 233 Booth and the Bad Angel was eventually released in August 1996. In November 1996, Whiplash was announced for release early next year. In January 1997, the band played three club shows in London.
Whiplash was released on 24 February 1997, through Fontana Records. The artwork features model Rebekah Couper-Noules wearing a mask, which the band thought to be a "strong image." By the time of the album's release, label president Ed Eckstein, who liked James, had been replaced by Danny Goldberg, who had no interest in the band, which resulted in little future promotion for them in the US. Goldberg had been previously sacked from a film project with Badalamenti a few years prior, which Booth said resulted in the album's failure in the US.