Blog: 2022

Photos by Trust A Fox, Tom Martin, Stewart Howie, Alison Waterfield. Setlist photo Andy Diagram.

Such sad news hearing of the passing of Paul Ryder.

We had the pleasure of playing with the Mondays in December last year, and to think this could happen so soon.

A true legend who gave the Monday’s their groove and sculpted their sound, and as a fellow bass player, a personal inspiration to me.

The whole of James send our heartfelt best wishes and condolences to Paul’s family. Much love. – Jim

Photos by Trust a Fox Photography.

Dick Rabel was our front of house soundman, the guy that makes the gig sound great.

Dick loved working with us, and us him.

He loved our anarchic approach and revelled in the spontaneity and unpredictability that scared off lesser soundmen.

His beaming grin appearing in the dressing room after the show to grace us with compliments, selflessly bouncing back any praise aimed at him right back at you.

A kindhearted and generous man who made the magic happen.

Our thoughts are with his family.

Sleep well friend.

From all of James

Dick Rabel by Trust A Fox Photography

Tim adds, “The very wonderful Dick Rabel has died. Dick came out of retirement to work with us and did our sound at our summer festivals for the last number of years until this summer. A beautiful big-hearted man – we will miss him deeply.”

Photos by Elly Lucas Photographics.

Tonight I raise my glass to an old friend. I’m sad and brimming with happy memories – Angelo Badalamenti died yesterday evening.

I spent most of 1995 working with him making the ‘Booth and the Bad Angel’ album over an idyllic year in New York. I was obsessed with the Julee Cruise ‘Floating Into The Night’ CD and hoped to make something as sensual and strange with him. He wanted to make a rock album with me, he won out!

The album flowed. I brought in the recently ex-Suede guitarist Bernard Butler who made magic happen and he brought in a pre-‘OK Computer’ Nigel Godrich to engineer the mixes. Recordings with James had been wonderful, but there was always a pressure, a pressure that was absent here. I was taking a year out from James (who had kindly stepped in to play with us on the ‘Later’ sessions).

Angelo and I worked in a studio reeking of the 50s, close to Times Square, run by his friend Artie. We worked in the times between great meals and storytelling.

His break had some writing songs for Nina Simone. The musical style he became famous for – inspired by the Cocteau Twins.

One day he played me 20 national anthems on the piano whilst talking about how each anthem reflected the national characteristics of its people.

His uncle Tony had served time as a mafia hitman and Angelo’s impersonation of him, a dead murderous glare, became a game we played daily. The winner was whoever could hold the glare longest without cracking up. We still play ‘Uncle Tony’ in our household.

He gave me the clapped out Fender Rhodes that he had created all the music for Twin Peaks on. My friend Lenny Kaye kept it in his lock-up in New York for five years, until he bumped into Angelo at a party and gave it back! I moved to America the following year and asked Lenny to ship it to me…

I insisted his name be in the album title, that he be on the front cover. In retrospect I saw him as a father figure, I couldn’t get enough of him.

It was a rich time for me, living by Central Park and pursuing my soon-to-be-wife. The song ‘Please Fall In Love With Me’ was an unabashed attempt to seduce her. She recently admitted it worked.

I’m sure I was not the only one to assume from hearing his music, that he might have a dark personality, but the man was all heart, our collaboration a rich pleasure. Angelo was mischievous and eternally young at heart.

He left a big impact on me – an impact that makes my heart smile and my soul sing.

Nothing but love.
Tim xxx