Brian James (born Brian Robertson, 18 February 1955, Hammersmith, west London) is an English punk rock guitarist, who has played for several notable bands. His first band was the proto-punk outfit London SS. James moved on to The Damned, recording on their first two albums Damned, Damned, Damned and Music for Pleasure before leaving. James later formed and disbanded both Tanz Der Youth and Brian James Brain's (later known briefly as The Hellions).
In 1979, Brian James played in Iggy Pop's solo touring band, but he never played on a studio recording with him. He guested on The Saints' 1982 album, Out in the Jungle.
He would co-found and later play in The Lords of the New Church with Stiv Bators. He recorded three studio albums and one EP along with several live albums with the band, playing from 1982 until their break-up in 1989.
From 1992-96, James played guitar with the Brussels-based band The Dripping Lips. In 1992 he was invited by Scottish vocalist Robbie Kelman to co-write with him the soundtrack for the film Abracadabra, directed by Harry Cleven. The subsequent soundtrack album, produced by Kelman was released in Benelux by EMI/INDISC. The band were Robbie Kelman (vocals), James (guitar), Alan Lee Shaw (bass) and Paul Zahl (drums). Kelman brought in his friend and record producer Jimmy Miller to helm their second album, Ready to Crack. Shaw had moved on to play guitar in The Damned, and Nico Mansy replaced him on bass. An extensive North American tour was arranged, only to be later cancelled due to James' refusal to take on the touring. This caused The Dripping Lips to split. They reformed with Kelman and Shaw writing a third album.
In 2001, Brian James along with Wayne Kramer (guitar), Duff McKagan (bass), Stuart Copeland and Clem Burke (drums) as The Racketeers recorded the album Mad For The Racket.
Brian James and Dave Tregunna reformed The Lords of the New Church in 2002 - 2003 with vocalist Adam Becvare. The lineup recorded the ten-song unreleased CD Hang On and toured Europe in spring of that year. Brian James released a self titled solo album with his band The Brian James Gang in 2006. The Lords of the New Church fronted by Becvare continue to occasionally perform live and write new material when Becvare is not touring with The LustKillers.
In 2012, Brian James with former Lords Of The New Church touring keyboard player Mark Taylor released a solo acoustic album Chateau Brian.
Brian James currently resides and performs throughout the UK with The Damned bandmate Rat Scabies.
Famous quotes containing the words brian and/or james:
“You’ve just fulfilled the first role of law enforcement. Make sure when your shift is over you go home alive.”
—David Mamet, U.S. screenwriter, and Brian DePlama. Jimmy Malone (Sean Connery)
“If we remembered everything, we should on most occasions be as ill off as if we remembered nothing. It would take us as long to recall a space of time as it took the original time to elapse, and we should never get ahead with our thinking. All recollected times undergo, accordingly, what M. Ribot calls foreshortening; and this foreshortening is due to the omission of an enormous number of facts which filled them.”
—William James (1842–1910)