Laid proved to be James’ best known and most critically revered album. Though recorded concurrently with their follow-up album (Wah Wah) in a six-week period at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Complex with producer Brian Eno, Laid was considered the more conventional, song-oriented collection. This deluxe edition adds demos, live tracks, radio sessions, B-sides, and previously unreleased rarities to better understand the era and to collect all the relevant material regarding Laid in one place. A B-side such as “The Lake” is evidence that the original 13-track album wasn’t long enough to feature all the session highlights.