For a band often frozen in the public imagination as ’90s indie heroes, James have spent over four decades proving they are far more than that label suggests. Formed in 1982, the Manchester group have released 18 albums, survived industry shifts, internal upheavals, and even a five-year hiatus, emerging stronger than ever with their first No.1 studio album Yummy in 2024.
It makes sense, then, that now is the moment for a definitive look back — and Nothing But Love arrives with exactly that ambition.
This new 58-track anthology aims to be the most complete document of James’ single-driven journey to date. Where 1998’s The Best Of delivered chart success but left significant holes, and 2007’s Fresh as a Daisy – The Singles offered breadth but not quite the full picture, Nothing But Love goes deeper. Presented chronologically, it begins at the very beginning with the Jimone EP, the band’s debut and the only release to feature co-founder Paul Gilbertson. Immediately, long-missing early tracks from Stutter, Strip-mine, and Wah-Wah restore essential context to the band’s formative years.
The set isn’t purely archival either. Two new songs — “Wake Up Superman” and “Hallelujah Anyhow” — produced by Leo Abrahams, who also produced Yummy, fit seamlessly alongside the band’s later-period material, highlighting the creative momentum James are still riding. There’s also welcome space for B-sides “All Good Boys” and “I Defeat,” the latter a fan-favourite collaboration with Sinéad O’Connor, both absent from 2001’s B-Sides Ultra.
Is it fully “definitive”? Not quite. A handful of tracks featured on Fresh as a Daisy — such as “Folklore,” “Fire So Close,” and “If Things Were Perfect” — don’t make the cut, and the decision to exclude the 1998 Apollo 440 remix of “Sit Down,” which charted at No.7, will raise eyebrows among completists. But what Nothing But Love achieves is arguably more important than literal completeness: it presents James’ story with clarity, scope, and a renewed sense of shape. The inclusion of the original 1989 Rough Trade version of “Sit Down,” available here for the first time in decades, is a powerful reminder of where their breakthrough truly began.
The multiple formats further strengthen the release. The 3CD deluxe edition offers the fullest narrative sweep, complete with a booklet featuring commentary from the band. The 5LP box set expands the experience with tracks making their vinyl debut, while the 2LP colour vinyl serves as a concise highlights package for newcomers.
Ultimately, Nothing But Love reframes James not as a nostalgia act anchored to a single decade, but as a band whose catalogue is far richer, wider, and more adventurous than their mainstream reputation suggests. While no compilation could ever satisfy every die-hard fan, this is easily the most expansive, thoughtful, and satisfying retrospective the band have assembled.
A long-overdue celebration of a group who continue to defy expectations — and one that finally tells their story with the scale it deserves.
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