Halo James
| Halo James | |
|---|---|
| Origin | London, England |
| Years active | 1988–1991 |
| Labels | Epic |
| Past members | Christian James (vocals) Ray St. John (guitar) Neil Palmer (keyboards) |
Halo James were a British pop group active from 1988 to 1991. They are best known for their hit single, "Could Have Told You So", which reached number 6 in the UK Singles Chart in 1990.
Halo James formed in London. Named after the main character from the comic strip The Ballad of Halo Jones, the band were fronted by session musician/vocalist Christian James (born 21 December 1965) and included Ray St. John (guitar, bass, songwriting; formerly of Latin soul band Pride) and Neil Palmer (keyboards; formerly of short-lived synth-rock act Atomage and dance duo Two People) among its members. Their sound incorporated elements of soft rock, soul and synth-pop. Originally established as a side-project to Ray St. John's songwriting career after a chance meeting between St. John and James in early 1988 while both were doing session work in the same studio, the band was formed in November that year when Palmer, who had been a school friend of James, became involved in the project after the two other members decided that they needed a keyboard player to complete some rough demos that they were working on, and James recommended Palmer to St. John.
The band became best known for their UK Top 10 hit single "Could Have Told You So". Released at Christmas 1989 as their second single, "Could Have Told You So" peaked at #6 for two weeks in February 1990, spent nearly three months in the Top 75 and became a major success all over Europe; at the time of its release, the song garnered mainly positive reviews, and drew a fair deal of comment from reviewers due to similarities with The Walker Brothers' 1966 hit "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine (Anymore)", with its mid-tempo, wistful tune, and themes of lost and unrequited love. Halo James also received critical acclaim for their Epic Records album, Witness, which peaked at #18 on the UK Albums Chart, and went on to sell over 100,000 copies in its first year of release. Subsequently, "Could Have Told You So" regularly appeared on compilation albums for both the 1980s and 1990s. Despite garnering some radio airplay and positive reviews, the single was less commercially successful in the US, where it failed to chart on release in May 1990.
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