saint etienne

Very excited about a new album! The vinyl box looks nice, but I already have, um... three different editions already.

yeah much as this looks nice etc part of me is already wondering what they might line up for its 30th anniversary

I got more into FBA recently, as I had got on the bus for "So Tough" and found everyone's feelings for FBA were the same as mine for ST/YNAMOHTSA.

I got FBB, and found I liked it more than FBA, I did wonder if they'd do "So Tougher" but I guess not.

that richard x remix of Girl VII is all-time deathless yoga flame 4ever

This didn't seem to be a perfectly planned reissue. I did the interview with Bob on a Monday night at the end of Sept. On the Thursday, their manager emailed me saying they needed to copy by the following Tuesday at the latest. Which, given that I was flying to Georgia and back within that timeframe for work, presented some logistical issues. So it's only a Q&A. However, I am pleased to say that it should be the only ever set of Saint Etienne sleevenotes ever to mention Judas Priest. My payment for it is that Bob and missus will buy me and my wife a curry.

What was wrong with the Plain re-issues?

they were 'virtually bootlegs' that 'did not use the master tapes'

or so they said.

"My payment for it is that Bob and missus will buy me and my wife a curry."

This is the start of a rocky road ...

"yeah much as this looks nice etc part of me is already wondering what they might line up for its 30th anniversary"

I must admit this has set me off wondering if I've ever been pleased with a box set (with novelty things rather than just a handy collection of albums) ... I don't think I have been.

correct me if i'm wrong but i think Plain is one of those vinyl companies that simply takes what is basically the CD version of the original release and presses them to vinyl. also iirc their pressing of Tiger Bay was just the pressing of the U.S. CD release, including the alternate takes of Hug My Soul and Like a Motorway. which i think hints at where they're coming from.

The previous box for the album had that Match Day CDR of football songs on it and I admit I would enjoy giving that an ear...

I think that one was an 'if you're very very lucky' edition.

i.e. Yeah, me neither.

I don't know much Saint Etienne besides Fox-Base Alpha, "Avenue", Good Humor and the sick remix of El Perro Del Mar's "Walk On By". Which album should I go to next?

So Tough
Finisterre
Words and Music

We Need A Mess Of Help To Stand Alone is pretty strong. I'd pick So Tough, then A Mess of Help.

Can't really go wrong with 'So Tough'.

Parts of all the other records are fine too. 'Tiger Bay' has a couple of Underworld-assisted tracks that are fantastic, especially "Like a Motorway".

Still think one of their finest moments is this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pBaIK3EIjk

I assembled a best-of a few days ago.

my first one was Good Humor, which feels like a stylistic outlier in their catalog but at the time was for me very eye-opening, and it remains an important record in my life. It's not necessarily my favorite release of theirs, I'd probably put the first three + Words and Music above it now. But I like its dry-sounding yet warmhearted Euro pop.

Would be fun to poll their b-sides and non-album tracks... so many amazing songs. Archway People, Madeleine, Clark Co. Record Fair, Star, Burnt Out Car, Hate Your Drug...

Controversial (?) :
https://noisey.vice.com/en_ca/article/rank-your-records-saint-etienne-bob-stanley

Not controversial. Just wrong.

good humor is my fav record of theirs also

Surprised "Fox base Alpha"is so low down, but then again I prefer the "Fox base Beta' remix version so hey hey (wtm)..

Foxbase and So Tough being so low is really surprising to see. I'm disappointed he put Sound Of Water so high up, that's their only below average album for me.

his take makes sense, though I disagree.

top tier: foxbase, so tough, tiger bay, good humor, fairfax high, mess of help, continental
middle tier: finisterre, turnpike house, words and music, fairy tales
bottom tier: sound of water

I'd have put Tiger Bay up higher, but reading that I can see why..

Oh, and "I love to paint" has been good to me..

All kinds of wrong. I'd more or less flip his ranking

My order would currently be..

1. So Tough
2. Foxbase Alpha
3. Tales From Turnpike House
4. Words & Music
5. Tiger Bay
6. Good Humor
7. Finisterre
8. Sound Of Water

Foxbase Alpha
So Tough
*you need a mess of help to stand alone*
Tiger Bay
Good Humor
Sound of Water
Words and Music
Finistere
Tales from Turnpike
--

One of the odd things about that was we went to clear the samples we put in between tracks, and it was almost impossible to clear any American samples. The only thing we could was Rush let us use the sample from "The Spirit of Radio." They were very kind and said, "We can't imagine why you'd want to ruin your very beautiful song with a horrible guitar sound."

wow I've been working my way thru their entire discography and "Sound of Water" is GREAT, I think I like it more than "Good Humor"?

also ugh there are so so so many overlapping compilations! At this point the 2nd discs on all the Deluxe Editions are prob the definitive way to go, no?

Good Humour isn't a favorite. I also prefer SOW and – better – Finisterre.

Sound of water is amazing!!

Yeah Stevie, the deluxe editions mop everything up pretty nicely

I don't think fan club discs "I love to paint" and "built on sand" were incorporated, though

looks like they're about to re-release all the deluxe editions, too. which is good because they're getting expensive in the secondhand market.

oh thank god

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/jun/07/saint-etienne-10-of-the-best

the first 3 major fan club comps were re-released in their "boxette" set a few years back. i think their xmas songs were all compiled too, in 'a glimpse of stocking'.

i want to fill in the gaps on my deluxe sets. i've got foxes alpha/so tough/tiger bay/finisterre. the good humor one, not sure if i need that...i have the original 2-cd release w/fairfax high, iirc the deluxe is the same?

shit, i need to sell my duplicates real quick then

v strange that the deluxe Tiger Bay edition doesn't have "He's On The Phone" or "Grovely Road" from the superior 1996 Creation Records rerelease

Yeah last year I decided I finally need to get those deluxes (and everything else) and realized a number of them only go for crazy money. (Thankfully I had the cash; yay freelance work.)

deluxe edition of good humor has 4 or 5 more tracks beyond what's on fairfax high, yeah.

v strange that the deluxe Tiger Bay edition doesn't have "He's On The Phone" or "Grovely Road" from the superior 1996 Creation Records rerelease

― he not like the banana (Stevie D(eux)), Wednesday, June 7, 2017 9:04 AM (three minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

well idk how much the band had to do with that configuration so it makes sense to me; it makes an already-disjointed record way more disjointed, much as it's my preferred sequence

v strange that the deluxe Tiger Bay edition doesn't have "He's On The Phone" or "Grovely Road" from the superior 1996 Creation Records rerelease

They're on the Continental deluxe edition.

oh you meant it's weird that they're not on the bonus disc, sorry steve

ahhhh I see, it's "Groveley" on Continental and "Grovely" on Tiger Bay and it looked like it was literally only available on 1996 Tiger Bay and on no other compilation or deluxe ed

tbh with 2-3 versions of each album I like the idea of the deluxe eds presenting a "canonical" sequence on disc 1 and putting all of the other additional songs from other territories on disc 2

i guess i missed the US tour announcement

https://consequenceofsound.net/2017/03/saint-etienne-announce-first-us-tour-in-five-years/

still tix for NYC

why u hate third coast saint etienne, houston and new orleans want to love you