James Chance Albums (9)
What The Critics Say
Originally released as a ROIR cassette-only, these brutal, yet danceable, live tracks were recorded in New York at the Peppermint Lounge and the '80s Club in 1980 and '81. James Chance and the Contortions mixed punk, free jazz, and funk that has yet to be matched, epitomizing the seedy underbelly of the New York no wave scene of the period. Unlike certain Lydia Lunch performance art projects of the time, Chance provides a timeless attack by combining screeching alto sax and vocal rants with a relentless disco beat. Ornette Coleman and Ronald Shannon Jackson guitarist Bern Nix and trombonist Joseph Bowie (brother of Lester) bring jazz credentials to this late edition of the Contortions while the background vocals of the Discolitas provide the sleazy stage pageantry Chance championed. The sound quality is not great, but that only adds to the original highly charged haze under which it was made. Three of the seven tracks are covers, "That Old Black Magic" and two from James Brown, "I Got You" and "King Heroin." ~ Al Campbell, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Picking up where their previous ROIR live release left off (the excellent Soul Exorcism), James Chance & the Contortions offer another collection of their cutting-edge musical blend. Recorded live in Chicago back in September of 1981, Lost Chance may be a tad more visceral than their previous in-concert recording, but the over-the-top performances never get in the way of the music. And although the album contains traces of jazz and new wave, Lost Chance is highly recommended to funk connoisseurs -- the Contortions may have been the most underrated funketeers to ever hit the stage. Out of the album's nine tracks, three are James Brown covers ("Super Bad," "I Got You," and "King Heroin"), which would surely bring a smile to the Godfather of Soul's face. And although the whole band wails throughout, bassist Colin Wade proves to be outstanding, playing some of the most fluid and funky basslines ever committed to tape. Highlights are many, but tops would have to be "Sax Maniac," "White Cannibal," and "Hell on Earth." ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Recorded in June of 1980, Soul Exorcism proves that jazz, funk, experimental, and new wave make quite an intoxicating mix when perfected. James Chance sums up the proceedings perfectly in the liner notes, where he states that the music perfectly reveals the essence and soul of New York City (even though it was recorded in Rotterdam). Backed up by a stellar backing band, which Chance himself calls one of the most volatile units he's worked with, the Contortions simply shine. Like most other Contortions recordings, cacophony rears its head from time to time, but that's what the band uses to paint different moods and textures: it's not used haphazardly. The whole album is inspired from beginning to end, and features such great tracks as "I Danced with a Zombie," "Exorcise the Funk," and a pair of interesting covers -- Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" and James Brown's "King Heroin." [In 2007 the Roir label reissued the album as Soul Exorcism Redux. Three tracks from a 1987 demo session were added to the end of the track list along with new art work.] ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Top-notch rock from the new wave period. ~ Michael G. Nastos, All Music Guide
'James White's Flaming Demonics'
Release Date 1/1/1983
Tracks 6
Label ZE
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Flaming Demonics, James Chance's fourth album (and the third released under the James White moniker) continues the pattern set by his previous release, Sax Maniac. Overlaying brutally dissonant, atonal sax solos over spare, minimal funk-derived music, White constructed an unusual, groundbreaking sound. The album certainly won't win over all but the most adventurous, but at least, unlike the rather dry Sax Maniac, it actually shows some fire and spark (even if, clearly, White misses his classic backing band the Contortions). The most impressive song mixes Duke Ellington's "Caravan" and "It Don't Mean a Thing" with a White original, "Melt Yourself Down," and results in howling, glorious chaos. Some of the tracks can seem repetitious (in fact, some themes and ideas from previous records are reworked here), but while White's most groundbreaking work appears to be behind him, there is enough here to make Flaming Demonics, if not a classic, at least a novel listen. ~ Victor W. Valdivia, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
For Sax Maniac, James White (aka James Chance) eschews the disco and funk sounds he used on his previous album, Off-White, and instead overlays his squealing, anarchic sax solos over spare, minimalist rhythms. Chance also dropped his longtime backing band, the Contortions, in favor of an array of top New York session pros, and though the backing band is mostly top-notch, the absence of the Contortions results in rather anonymous music. The songs can be occasionally compelling (especially "Money to Burn"), but, for the most part, they are fairly indistinguishable variations on the same themes and melodies. There's nothing here that will alienate die-hard fans, but Chance's music, always an acquired taste even at its most accessible, isn't really showcased to full advantage here. For a real worthy introduction to Chance's brand of anarchic jazz terrorism, Off-White or Buy the Contortions remains a far worthier choice. ~ Victor W. Valdivia, All Music Guide
'Paris 1980 Live Aux Bains Douches'
Release Date 1/1/1980
Tracks 8
Label Invisible
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Originally released via a French label in 1980 soon after its recording, and getting a long overdue domestic issue in 2004 as part of the ZE label's reactivation, Paris 1980 Live Aux Bains Douches acts as a counterpart to the ROIR Live in New York/White Cannibal set, recorded around the same period. With a different set list to the NYC tape, as well as much clearer sound, Live Aux Bains Douches, recorded at the Paris venue of that name in front of a loudly appreciative crowd, has plenty of snarling passion from Chance and company, but also the same sense of control and skill that makes his early albums so gripping. Blasting off with the astonishing reworking of Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop Till You Get Enough" -- at once recognizable, danceable and screwed up, especially when Chance takes over on sax towards the end -- the show varies between similarly devolved covers and takes on originals. One easily gets the sense of how Chance and his band concentrated on balancing out all elements of their performance -- the soft, chanted backing vocals on "I Danced With a Zombie" act as perfect contrast to the clipped, upfront slow funk burn musically, while "Put Me Back in My Cage" builds to a fantastic, triumphant conclusion, a band totally on top of its particular, near-unique game. As on White Cannibal, two James Brown covers give Chance an opportunity to salute a particular hero -- "I Got You (I Feel Good)" gets a downright straightforward performance, with even Chance's sax solo not going too far afield, while "King Heroin," though Chance's singing is far different from Brown's, similarly keeps a slow, sorrowful mood at its core. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
In 1979 the quintessential no wave group released two albums simultaneously; Buy was effectively the Contortions' debut, originally appearing on the indie label ZE, while the same project was released as Off White under the adopted alias of James White, one of the many identities of leader James Chance. The Contortions are considered to be one of the most important and influential groups of the New York no wave scene, which spawned the crazed postmodern persona of James Chance alongside Lydia Lunch, Mars, and DNA, among others. James Chance was a sort of avant lounge lizard personality cult who led numerous projects throughout the '80s, yet he never quite topped the warped distillation of punk, funk, and free jazz presented here, making Buy a pivotal recording of the New York post-punk era. His hybrid of free jazz sax blowing and agitated funk takes the contortions up a notch from the four tracks the band contributed to the Eno-produced No New York compilation, which debuted the furious angular syncopation of transfigured funk and disco rhythms which became the Contortions' signature. Chance's vocals and discordant sax will sound strangely familiar and appealing to fans of early Roxy Music and Television. ~ Skip Jansen, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
For Off White, James Chance, a veteran of New York's avant-garde no wave scene, recast his seminal band the Contortions as a parody of a soul band, albeit one incorporating the rhythms of disco and funk rather than R&B. Thus, Chance became James White (as a nod to James Brown), the Contortions became the Blacks, and his music, previously a twisted, experimental brand of avant-jazz, became a disco/funk/free jazz hybrid. As bizarre as the fusion of Albert Ayler and Giorgio Moroder might sound, Off White works primarily because Chance commits to both sides of the music. The disco rhythms, especially on "Almost Black, Pt. 1" and "Contort Yourself" are as pounding as anything Casablanca ever released (even the production is slick and polished), while his sax solos on both those tracks are squawks and bleats that would scare off all but the most committed avant-garde hipsters. He even attempts calypso on "(Tropical) Heat Wave," mixing a languid island rhythm with intricate blasts of noise. By carefully constructing his music with such polar opposites, Chance manages to highlight how both of them have more similarities, especially in rhythm, than would appear at first listen. Off White may be an acquired taste, but listeners who dig into it will have their patience rewarded with some of the most challenging, intriguing music to emerge from the post-punk era. ~ Victor W. Valdivia, All Music Guide
