Now Ain't the Time for Your Tears

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Now Ain't the Time for Your Tears
Studio album by
Wendy James
Released8 March 1993
Studio
GenrePop rock, alternative rock, pop punk
Length36:22
LabelMCA
ProducerChris Kimsey
Wendy James chronology
Now Ain't the Time for Your Tears
(1993) 		I Came Here to Blow Minds
(2011)
Singles from Now Ain't the Time for Your Tears
  1. "The Nameless One"
    Released: 8 February 1993
  2. "London's Brilliant"
    Released: 5 April 1993
  3. "Do You Know What I'm Saying?"
    Released: 7 June 1993
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Christgau's Consumer Guide(choice cut)[2]
Los Angeles Times[3]
NME5/10[4]
Rolling Stone(unfavorable)[5]

Now Ain't the Time for Your Tears is the debut solo album by English singer-songwriter and Transvision Vamp vocalist Wendy James, released on 8 March 1993 by MCA Records.

Background[edit]

The album was conceived after Wendy James had a chance meeting with Pete Thomas, drummer for Elvis Costello and the Attractions, during Transvision Vamp's final tour.[6] After asking Thomas if Costello might be able to help her with guidance or advice for a possible solo career, Thomas suggested she contact him.[6][7] The album was then written in its entirety, in one weekend, by Costello, with several tracks co-written by his then-wife, Cait O'Riordan.[8] James told Melody Maker in 1993, "I sketched a letter to Elvis, reasonably long and philosophical, and sent it off, thinking nothing would ever come of this, it's a ridiculous idea. I didn't hear anything for a while and then Elvis's publisher rang up and said, 'He's written you an entire album, and if you like it, it's yours'. I was astounded. It's like, imagine if your favourite artist or performer of all time has just written you, personally you, your very own album."[9]

James received a cassette of basic demo recordings and a lyric sheet from Costello in December 1991 and she recorded the material in June 1992.[9] James briefly met Costello at a party after U2's Earl's Court concert on 31 May 1992.[9] Now Ain't the Time for Your Tears was released by MCA, Transvision Vamp's former label, which James signed with as a top priority solo act.[7]

Speaking of the album's material, James told NME, "Elvis is a man with a tremendous amount of insight. I'd only met him once, but he seemed to understand perfectly everything I had gone through. Some of it is pure storytelling, but overall it's an almost conceptual album which traces the successes and failures of my own career."[7] She added to Melody Maker, "All of the songs, from the melancholy songs to the glory glory hallelujah songs, are rather cynical. And there isn't a moment on the album where you can get away with anything, because you're being asked to look at yourself in a very hard-hearted manner every step of the way. There are many times when it's cutting someone's ego, whether it's mine as the singer, or someone else's."[9]

The album's title comes from a line in the chorus of Bob Dylan's song "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll".[10] James chose the title as it was a bit of advice she gave herself.[7]

Reception[edit]

Now Ain't the Time for Your Tears was relatively unsuccessful, only peaking at No. 43 on the UK Albums Chart.[11] The singles released from the album also met with moderate to minor success, with "The Nameless One" and "London's Brilliant" peaking at Nos. 34 and 62, respectively.[12] In 1994, Costello's demos for "Puppet Girl", "Basement Kiss" and "We Despise You" were released on his "13 Steps Lead Down" EP.[8]

Upon its release, Sian Pattenden of NME gave a mixed review. She described the album as "fairly proficient, but, more importantly, dull" and added that the "only excuse one can make for this sniffle of an album [is that it] prove[s] beyond doubt Costello has a sense of humour". She added, "It's all about Wendy and her world, which is not enough for ten songs. Wendy has only two emotions: 'irritated' and 'angry'. Unfortunately, she only has one singing style, which seems to be 'trying to resist the urge to shout'."[4]

Track listing[edit]

All songs by Elvis Costello, except where noted.

  1. "This Is a Test" – 1:58
  2. "London's Brilliant" (Costello, Cait O'Riordan) – 2:29
  3. "Basement Kiss" (Costello, O'Riordan) – 4:03
  4. "Puppet Girl" (Costello, O'Riordan) – 2:48
  5. "Earthbound" (Costello, O'Riordan) – 4:32
  6. "Do You Know What I'm Saying?" – 5:16
  7. "We Despise You" (Costello, O'Riordan) – 3:21
  8. "Fill in the Blanks" – 3:14
  9. "The Nameless One" – 5:30
  10. "I Want to Stand Forever" – 4:31

Personnel[edit]

Additional musicians

Technical

  • Chris Kimsey – producer, engineer, mixing
  • Jon Astley – orchestral arrangements
  • Spencer May – assistant engineer
  • Joël Theux – assistant engineer
  • Boris Beziat – assistant engineer
  • Steve Harrison – assistant engineer
  • Chris Fogel – assistant engineer
  • David Bailey – photography
  • Ryan Art – design

Charts[edit]

Chart (1993) Peak position
Australia (ARIA)[13] 132
UK Albums (OCC)[14] 43

References[edit]

  1. ^ Henderson, Alex. "Now Ain't the Time for Your Tears Albums Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
  2. ^ Christgau, Robert (2000). Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. Macmillan Publishers. p. 148. ISBN 9780312245603.
  3. ^ Willman, Chris (20 June 1993). "In Brief". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
  4. ^ a b Pattenden, Sian (6 March 1993). "Long Play: Imperial Boredom". New Musical Express. p. 35.
  5. ^ Perone, James E. (1998). Elvis Costello: A Bio-bibliography. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 106. ISBN 9780313303999.
  6. ^ a b "Now Ain't the Time for Your Tears – The Wendy James". Wendy James. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d Staunton, Terry (13 March 1993). "Wendy's Boat Comes In". New Musical Express. p. 12.
  8. ^ a b Mason, Stewart. "13 Steps Lead Down [EP] Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  9. ^ a b c d Mueller, Andrew (6 February 1993). "The Second Coming of Wendy James". Melody Maker. pp. 24–25.
  10. ^ "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll". The Official Bob Dylan Website. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  11. ^ "Now Ain't the Times for Your Tears – Full Official Chart History – Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  12. ^ "Wendy James – Full Official Chart History – Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  13. ^ "Response from ARIA re: chart inquiry, received 13 September 2016". Imgur.com. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  14. ^ "Wendy James | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart.
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