By the band's own admission, they were lazy. Pre 1993, I wouldn't call them lazy, but post-Laid, they were lazy. On the verge of a breakthrough in the U.S., they went into hibernation for three years only to emerge with the thoroughly average 1997 comeback disc that went nowhere. Predictably, with sales short, the band quickly issued a greatest hits compilation in 1998 to cover themselves (hmmm, sounds like a band from Dublin I know, LOL). Now U2, Peter Gabriel, Bruce Springsteen can afford (sometimes) to take years between realeases, but a band in their prime, as James was in 1994, had no business going four years between records.
And the effort on the '97 disc (so unmemorable I can't even recall its name even though I own it) was sloppy at best and the band admitted as much in subsequent interviews. The end result? Not only was the band flat broke, following bad management in their "heyday" of 1988-1994, they got DROPPED by their US record label after the greatest hits. The irony is that the last two studio albums, Millionaires and Pleased to Meet You, weren't half bad and had a couple radio-friendly tunes.
Just as pathetic in my view was James' idea of a tour of the U.S. in 1997...they scheduled a cross country tour of ~30 or so dates at modest but realistic venues with would-be pop stars Third Eye Blind opening (3EB, though they're wretched, would finish the year opening for U2!!!!). After just three west coast dates, lead singer Tim Booth allegedly hurts himself and the tour was scrapped entirely. Remarkable, then, that just two weeks later James is announced as part of a terrible Lollapalooza bill in the 11am time slot!!! Basically, the band couldn't take it slogging across the US playing 1,000 capacity clubs and took the easy money made available on Lollapalooza. Well one thing is sure - of the few people who actually did attend that mess of a festival that year, they sure weren't James fans. On a bill with outrageously eclectic acts from electronic (Orbital) to hip hop to metal (Metalica), James was the only mainstream alt-rock act and they had no "crossover" appeal to any of the other artists. Playing a 8-9 song set in the middle of the day they were universally ignored. The festival was such a disaster it led to the subsequent cancellation of Lollapalooza for a further 6 years. The billing made ZERO sense career wise. It earned them ZERO new fans. Perhaps fittingly, these Lollapalooza shows were the last James ever played in the U.S. and the only U.S. shows (save the three West Coast club dates) the band played post 1994 Woodstock.
So while they toured Europe extensively in the late 1990's, the effort in the U.S. is an 'F' as far as I'm concerned. Through bad management and a series of boneheaded decisions, the band missed chances to break the US market and build a lasting fanbase. A real shame since few 1990's catalogues are superior.