Stutter (album)

Stutter
A painting of a hand against several shades of yellow and red
Studio album by
Released28 July 1986
RecordedJanuary–March 1986
StudioAmazon, Liverpool
GenreFolk rock
Length39:51
LabelSire, Blanco y Negro
ProducerLenny Kaye
James chronology
Village Fire
(1985)
Stutter
(1986)
Strip-mine
(1988)
Singles from Stutter
  1. "So Many Ways"
    Released: June 1986

Stutter is the debut studio album by English rock band James. Blanco y Negro and Sire Records released it on 28 July 1986. After going through multiple vocalists and guitarists, the band caught the attention of Factory Records. James released two EPs with the label; between them Larry Gott replaced guitarist Paul Gilbertson. The band supported the Smiths twice, before eventually signing with Sire. Between January and March 1986, the band recorded Stutter with Patti Smith live guitarist Lenny Kaye and engineer Gil Norton. Described as a folk rock album, the songs on Stutter tackle the topics of insects, reincarnation and being a tortured artist.

Stutter received generally positive reviews from music critics, some of whom commented on James' musicianship. It peaked at number 68 in the United Kingdom, to the annoyance of Sire. The album appeared on several publications' best-of-the-year album lists including The Face, NME, and Spex. "So Many Ways" was released as the lead single in June 1986 followed by an appearance at the WOMAD Festival. The band embarked on a brief tour of the UK and Europe. Stutter was reissued on CD twice, in 1991 and 2017; its tracks "So Many Ways" and "Johnny Yen" were included on the band's compilation album Fresh as a Daisy – The Singles (2007).