News
THE SHAPE OF HISTORY
September 30, 2024
In less than a month my 10th album THE SHAPE OF HISTORY will be released and i will be out on the road again!
A 16 date in-store tour of some of the most wonderful record stores in the UK AND NOW INCLUDING CARDIFF, WALES! I have added SPILLERS to round out the tour!
Every one of these venues takes pride in delivering music to their customers, introducing new music, re-issuing music gone by and in my case… the culmination of a 10 album odyssey which began in 1986 when I co-formed Transvision Vamp!
I’m so excited to introduce everyone to the songs on my 10th Album ‘The Shape Of History’
It’s been a helluva journey, I have consistently delivered music without compromise, music I am so proud of and that I cherish, and of course, it’s the fans who’ve sustained me, built me up, been loyal to me and come on the journey with me. It means so much to me!
It’s going to be a brilliant evening! I’ll play some new tunes from ‘The Shape Of History’ and I’ll also play a selection from each of my albums! I’ll intersperse the music with conversation and questions from the audience, all unprompted!! So, it should be a fun and lively night, rounding up at the merch desk where I will sign and personalize for everyone who’s bought something of mine, and take photos too!
I cannot wait to see you all!!”
***** ADMITTANCE:
To attend the in-store performance you will need to have purchased your entry with your location of choice (the retail version of the vinyl and cd are different to the Deluxe versions on sale in my webstore!)
LINK TO ALL VENUES:
https://WendyJames.lnk.to/tickets
For a VIP experience upgrade here:
https://thewendyjames.com/product/v-i-p-the-wendy-james-gig-pass/
Come and meet Wendy before the show, hang out for a little while and have her personalize your items. (Exact logistics will differ, location to location so you’ll receive an email with instructions of where/how/when!)
And just to re-up my wonderful singles so far, taken from The Shape Of History
Here is
1. FREEDOMSVILLE
2. EVERYTHING IS MAGIC
I’m so proud of this work and very very excited for you to have the whole album!
BUY HERE:
https://thewendyjames.com/product-category/the-shape-of-history-vinyl-and-cd
your orders will reach you on 25th October, or close as dammit!
Much love and many thanks as always
Wendy xoxoxo
EVERYTHING IS MAGIC!
September 19, 2024
Here is the video for my second single ‘Everything Is Magic’ from my forthcoming 10th Album ‘The Shape Of History’
About ‘Everything Is Magic’: “I needed this song to soar, to be ethereal, uplifting and exultant, cresting a darker undertone with emotional builds and dynamics. The magnificence of human nature when it rises up in the face of adversity and meets great challenges, endures great suffering and remains graceful and humble, with awe inspiring dignity. The impermanence of one’s own existence, merely the passage of eternity. The will to remain in the light. This song does exactly what a song should do, even with no lyrics to guide you, one will feel the weight of emotions, of history, of life, sometimes lifting up, sometimes falling down and sometimes comfortably numb. Some of the lyrics are personal to me, there is a subjective truth here and I get a wry pleasure from them, but I’ve written broadly too, everyone can relate.”
Written and Produced and Mixed by Wendy James
Recording Engineer – Tomas Gagliardo assisted by Rosendo Zinny at LeMob Studios, West London, UK, Al Lawson at Mix Studios, West London, UK, Ben Rice at Degraw Sound, Brooklyn NY, USA
Mix Engineer: Jesse Nichols at Atomic Garden West Recording Studio, Oakland, CA. USA
Mastering Engineer: Frederic Kevorkian at Kevorkian Mastering Inc. Brooklyn, NY, USA
Lead & Backing Vocals – Wendy James
Lead & Rhythm Guitar, Piano, Keys, Clarinet – Alex Ward
Additional Lead & Rhythm Guitar – Louis Eliot
Piano, Organs, Keys – Dave ‘The Moose’ Sherman
Bass – Harry Bohay
Drums & Percussion – James Sclavunos
Artwork Design – Wendy Jame & Noah Eve
Photography – David Leigh Dodd
Video – David Leigh Dodd
*Buy the ‘EVERYTHING IS MAGIC’ VIP BUNDLE here: https://thewendyjames.com/…/everything-is-magic-vip…/
STREAM/BUY here: https://WendyJames.lnk.to/EIM
ALSO! MY UPCOMING IN-STORE TOUR!
Come and meet Wendy before the show, hang out for a little while and have her personalize your items. (Exact logistics will differ location to location so you’ll receive an email with instructions of where/how/when!)
To attend the in-store performance you will need to have purchased your entry with your location of choice, (****FYI – the retail vinyl and cd are different to the Deluxe versions I sell in my webstore) but once you’re in you will watch the show from a dedicated space and enjoy the full gig experience with Wendy and her band.
The whole event will include an ‘unplugged’ performance of some of the new songs and other favorites, by Wendy and her guitarist Alex.
It will also include a spontaneous Q&A session! So think of a question you’d like to ask and step up to the mic! It is bound to be a lively, funny and interesting talk!
When the performance and q&a is finished, Wendy will be at the merchandise stand to sign anything you purchase and take photos too!
*There are only 10 passes available per gig
The Dates are as follows:
25TH OCTOBER – BEYOND VINYL – NEWCASTLE (EVENING)
26TH OCTOBER – ASSAI – EDINBURGH (DAYTIME)
26TH OCTOBER – ASSAI – GLASGOW (EVENING)
27TH OCTOBER – ROUGH TRADE – NOTTINGHAM (EVENING)
28TH OCTOBER – ROUGH TRADE – LIVERPOOL (EVENING)
29TH OCTOBER – ROUGH TRADE – BRISTOL (EVENING)
30TH OCTOBER – ROUGH TRADE – LONDON (EAST) (EVENING)
31ST OCTOBER – PIE AND VINYL – PORTSMOUTH (DAYTIME)
31ST OCTOBER – A SLICE OF VINYL – GOSPORT (EVENING)
1ST NOVEMBER – VINILO – SOUTHAMPTON (EVENING)
2ND NOVEMBER – BANQUET – KINGSTON UPON THAMES (LATE AFTERNOON)
3RD NOVEMBER – TRUCK – OXFORD (LATE AFTERNOON)
4TH NOVEMBER – SOUND KNOWLEDGE – MARLBOROUGH (EVENING)
5TH NOVEMBER – CRASH – LEEDS (EVENING)
6TH NOVEMBER – ACTION RECORDS – PRESTON (EVENING)
7TH NOVEMBER – SPILLERS – CARDIFF (EVENING)
TICKETS FROM VENUES: https://WendyJames.lnk.to/tickets
So! Enjoy the second single! I think it’s BEE-U-TIFUL! And… there will be a third one just prior to the Album release, which is on OCTOBER 25TH! Mark your calendars! My fulfillment company will be shipping to make sure you have your vinyl or cd arrive on the 25th October (or, near as dammit!)
Preorder ‘The Shape Of History’ here https://thewendyjames.com/store
So get your tickets for the tour, your VIP upgrades, and preorder THE SHAPE OF HISTORY! After 3 years… we are now minus 5 weeks away from release date!
Much Love
Wendy xo
UK INSTORE TOUR 24!
September 4, 2024
TO CELEBRATE THE RELEASE OF WENDY’S 10TH ALBUM ‘THE SHAPE OF HISTORY’
Come and meet Wendy before the show, hang out for a little while and have her personalize your items. (Exact logistics will differ location to location so you’ll receive an email with instructions of where/how/when!)
To attend the in-store performance you will need to have purchased your entry with your location of choice, but once you’re in you will watch the show from a dedicated space and enjoy the full gig experience with Wendy and her band.
The whole event will include an ‘unplugged’ performance of some of the new songs and other favorites, by Wendy and her guitarist Alex.
It will also include a spontaneous Q&A session! So think of a question you’d like to ask and step up to the mic! It is bound to be a lively, funny and interesting talk!
When the performance and q&a is finished, Wendy will be at the merchandise stand to sign anything you purchase and take photos too!
*There are only 10 passes available per gig
The Dates are as follows:
25TH OCTOBER – BEYOND VINYL – NEWCASTLE (EVENING)
26TH OCTOBER – ASSAI – EDINBURGH (DAYTIME)
26TH OCTOBER – ASSAI – GLASGOW (EVENING)
27TH OCTOBER – ROUGH TRADE – NOTTINGHAM (EVENING)
28TH OCTOBER – ROUGH TRADE – LIVERPOOL (EVENING)
29TH OCTOBER – ROUGH TRADE – BRISTOL (EVENING)
30TH OCTOBER – ROUGH TRADE – LONDON (EAST) (EVENING)
31ST OCTOBER – PIE AND VINYL – PORTSMOUTH (DAYTIME)
31ST OCTOBER – A SLICE OF VINYL – GOSPORT (EVENING)
1ST NOVEMBER – VINILO – SOUTHAMPTON (EVENING)
2ND NOVEMBER – BANQUET – KINGSTON UPON THAMES (LATE AFTERNOON)
3RD NOVEMBER – TRUCK – OXFORD (LATE AFTERNOON)
4TH NOVEMBER – SOUND KNOWLEDGE – MARLBOROUGH (EVENING)
5TH NOVEMBER – CRASH – LEEDS (EVENING)
6TH NOVEMBER – ACTION RECORDS – PRESTON (EVENING)
7TH NOVEMBER – SPILLERS – CARDIFF (EVENING)
TICKETS FROM VENUES: https://WendyJames.lnk.to/tickets
VIP HERE: https://thewendyjames.com/store
Also, FYI The Official THE SHAPE OF HISTORY T-Shirt is now in production so get your order in!!
Featuring the stunning art design of the cover of the album in a hi res graphic and photo.
The t-shirt is produced in high quality 100% soft cotton in a classic unisex round neck, straight cut shape and available in S. M. L. XL. XXL.
*100% Soft Cotton Classic T-Shirt
*Unisex S. M. L. XL. XXL.
See you soon! Much love
Wendy xoxo
THE SHAPE OF HISTORY RELEASE DATE! AND THE FIRST SINGLE ‘FREEDOMSVILLE’ OUT NOW!The Shape of History
July 26, 2024
Here it is then! My 10th album!
1. Pop Art
2. Velveteen
3. Little Magnets versus The Bubble Of Babble
4. Now Ain’t The Time For Your Tears
5. Racine No.1
6. Racine 2
7. I Came Here To Blow Minds
8. The Price Of The Ticket
9. Queen High Straight
10. THE SHAPE OF HISTORY
The Shape Of History will be released on Friday 25th October and will be available digitally and on Deluxe Vinyl and Deluxe CD.
Preorder here: https://thewendyjames.com/product-category/the-shape-of-history-vinyl-and-cd/
THE FIRST SINGLE IS ‘FREEDOMSVILLE’
Wendy: “I grew up, musically, in the age of the sequencer. There was Transvision Vamp and there was Sigue Sigue Sputnik and we were both drawn into the future by Ridley Scott’s movie Bladerunner. The futuristic, seedy glamour of an overcrowded Chinatown and the high, high skyscrapers, where the masters of the universe observed and policed down below. Also Polanski’s movie ‘Frantic’, Beineix’s movie ‘Diva’, European dark electro and Klaus Nomi’s ‘The Cold Song’. I wrote Freedomsville on guitar like all my songs and in the end I didn’t use sequencers at all, it’s all real playing very rhythmically on repeat for just short of six minutes straight!”
You can buy the Freedomsville VIP Bundle here:
https://thewendyjames.com/product/freedomsville-digital-single-hi-res-artwork/
You can stream here: https://wendyjames.lnk.to/Freedomsville
THE SHAPE OF HISTORY
THE VINYL
Preorder here:
https://thewendyjames.com/product/the-wendy-james-album-10-deluxe-12-vinyl-download-signed/
A wide spine cover, double vinyl LP. One 12” vinyl and one 10” vinyl, to allow for top quality audio for all 13 brand new songs. The 12” plays at 33 1/3 rpm and the 10” plays at 45 rpm. They are packaged together with fully printed sleeves, inner sleeves and a 12 page full size booklet, containing multiple new photographs, all the lyrics, the credits and hand written liner notes by Wendy (you also get an automatic digital download)
ALBUM LENGTH – 56:30
12” SIDE A 33 1/3 RPM
1. Sweet Like Love (3:41)
2. A Happy Life (3:09)
3. Everything Is Magic (5:23)
4. May I Kiss You? (Just Enough To Get Us Into Trouble) (4:13)
5. The Crack And The Boom Of The Creeps And The Goons (3.35)
12” SIDE B 33 1/3 RPM
6. A Big Vicious Rumble (5:53)
7. Do You Dig It? Do You Love It? Is It Groovy? (3.53)
8. Don’t Let Daylight Into Magic (4:35)
9. This Declaration Of Love (4:21)
10” SIDE A 45 RPM
10. Freedomsville (5:47)
11. Step Aside Roadkill (4:36)
10” SIDE B 45 RPM
12. Thank You For The Time We Shared (2:23)
13. The Shape Of History (4:31)
THE CD
Preorder here:
https://thewendyjames.com/product/the-wendy-james-album-10-deluxe-cd-signed/
The CD is packaged like a mini vinyl! There is the outer front cover, a fully printed inner sleeve and a 24 page booklet containing multiple new photographs, all the lyrics, the credits and hand written liner notes by Wendy
ALBUM LENGTH – 56:30
1. Sweet Like Love (3:41)
2. A Happy Life (3:09)
3. Everything Is Magic (5:23)
4. May I Kiss You? (Just Enough To Get Us Into Trouble) (4:13)
5.The Crack And The Boom Of The Creeps And The Goons (3.35)
6. A Big Vicious Rumble (5:53)
7. Do You Dig It? Do You Love It? Is It Groovy? (3.53)
8. Don’t Let Daylight Into Magic (4:35)
9. This Declaration Of Love (4:21)
10. Freedomsville (5:47)
11. Step Aside Roadkill (4:36)
12. Thank You For The Time We Shared (2:23)
13. The Shape Of History (4:31)
Wendy: “My 10th album! My songwriting has always been a wide mix of sounds, which naturally reflect the different music and references I have and love. My sweet spot is mid-late 70’s downtown NYC New Wave Punk: CBGB and Max’s Kansas City. It is from this sound that my taste for sequenced and dark NY and Euro electro and no-wave evolves, original punks ‘The Stooges’, glam rockers the ‘New York Dolls’, English Punk/Pop the ‘Sex Pistols’, French Yé-Yé Girls, American 1950’s Rock and Roll, Rockabilly and 60’s Motown, Girl Groups, Phil Spector, Brian Wilson. Also Hip Hop music, original B-Boys the ‘Beastie Boys’, East Coast versus West Coast, Dr. Dre! The King of New York Lou Reed and ‘The Velvet Underground’, black rhythm and blues from 1930’s depression era America, African American slave era Spirituals and therefore Country and Bluegrass music, Willie Nelson and his fellow Outlaws! Bob Dylan, Jamaican Ska, British Northern Soul and movie soundtracks! Big scores! Big opening numbers! George Gershwin, Leonard Bernstein and the New York Skyline ‘Rhapsody In Blue’. London and The Kinks ‘Waterloo Sunset’ or Paris, Saint Germain and Serge Gainsbourg ‘Initials BB’. Movies, movie directors, literature, authors, artists, activists, all filtered through the prism of my adventures and experiences in life and in music. I work with musicians and engineers who share the same or similar references as mine. They are my fellow musicians and my friends, I trust them implicitly to push until the very last take and to always give everything they possibly have inside them.”
I have spent so much time with this music, I know it note for note and I love it and I am so happy for you to now make it your own.
Love
Wendy xo
CREDITS
Written and Produced and Mixed by Wendy James
Recording Engineer – Tomas Gagliardo assisted by Rosendo Zinny at LeMob Studios, West London, UK, Al Lawson at Mix Studios, West London, UK, Ben Rice at Degraw Sound, Brooklyn NY, USA
Mix Engineer: Jesse Nichols at Atomic Garden West Recording Studio, Oakland, CA. USA
Mastering Engineer: Frederic Kevorkian at Kevorkian Mastering Inc. Brooklyn, NY, USA
Lead & Backing Vocals – Wendy James
Lead & Rhythm Guitar, Piano, Keys, Clarinet – Alex Ward
Additional Lead & Rhythm Guitar – Louis Eliot
Piano, Organs, Keys – Dave ‘The Moose’ Sherman
Bass – Harry Bohay
Drums & Percussion – James Sclavunos
Artwork Design – Wendy James & Noah Eve
Photography and Video – David Leigh Dodd
All songs written and composed by Wendy James. Released by The Wendy James Label. P & C Wendy James 2024. All rights reserved.
