saint etienne

To the archives!!!

This allows me to mention the Ramones today, as I must.

[in the background Dr.C starts looking cross-eyed, makes smoking gestures]

by the way robin, we miss you on alt.fan.momus!

But if you, like I did, can find _Good Humour_ with that extra disc of b-sides attached, GET IT!

Oh and He's on the phone is the work of God.

Method Of Modern Love - sadly not a Hall & Oates cover more a 'hey Call The Shots was nice maybe we can finally get that top 10 hit?'

also COLA BOY REMIX

This is GREAT.

Is that the thing Richard X was supposed to be producing for them or is that still in the pipeline?

this one is X-produced yeh

wow that's really good

Yep, thirded or fourthed or whatever. Fucking awesome!

: D

I want to believe...but it sounds a bit bland to me.

must be playing a different track for me cause zzzzzz

sarah cracknell brushed past me at a cinema the other day.

Foxbase Beta

Journey through the past, part 5.

Rumours have been flying left right and centre, but we can finally confirm that disco dynamo Richard X has taken Foxbase Alpha and re-arranged it into a brand new beast called FOXBASE BETA. Using the original masters, adding cellos, electrix, choirs, and the spirit of Brian Cant he has created something really special - spruced-up yet reverential, it is essentially a 2009 up-date of Foxbase Alpha, given a shot of vodka and a loving caress. We're chuffed. It feels unnervingly like jumping into a Tardis.

FOXBASE BETA will be issued, via the fan club, as a limited, numbered 2CD set of 3,000 copies, which will also include FOXBASE EXTRA, three unreleased recordings from the original album sessions: a just discovered coda to Girl VII (we'd forgotten it existed), a summery instrumental called Richard III, and the first, very different, take of Kiss And Make Up, which was the very first Saint Etienne recording. We cut it one afternoon in January 1990, and then Only Love Can Break Your Heart in the evening! It was all so simple then. These tracks won't be available anywhere else.

There will also be a 'directors' commentary' on the bonus disc. Informative, yes. Pithy, quite possibly.

An un-numbered, single disc edition will be available at gigs and through Rough Trade. It will also be available for digital download (with the commentary but without the bonus tracks).

For club promo, a 4-track 12" is currently at the pressing plant, including extended Foxbase Beta version of Only Love Can Break Your Heart (plus instrumental mix), the FBB version of Girl VII (grrrreat), and Gothenburg's Balearic princes Air France's mix of Spring. We'll have 200 copies of this available through the fan club. As soon as we have them we'll let you know.

Foxbase Beta will be available to pre-order on Monday 21st of September. More details next week.

England in the World Cup finals, 3 Of A Kind's Babycakes playing on my hi-fi, Foxbase Beta finally put to bed. Late summer, early autumn, and all is good.

love

Bob xx

what is that sound? some kind of metal, spoon-like implement against wood?

It was all so simple then. These tracks won't be available anywhere else.

Ah, but it's not that simple now, Bob.

looking forward to this, i was having a bit of a richard x / girls on top retrospective while i was working the other day.
kiss & make up + only love in one day, thats a pretty productive day imo.

http://assets.umusic.co.uk/saintetienne/FBBCoverMedium.jpg

Bob Stanley interview in The Quietus: http://thequietus.com/articles/02685-saint-etienne-s-bob-stanley-interview-reissues-and-the-problem-with-britpop

ok i think i am in love with that girl.

Samples of the FBB versions of "Girl VIII" and Only Love..." are up on their myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/saintetienne

I think X did a good job on Girl VIII but not on "Only Love...". That bassline is a bit tedious IMO.

Was just listening to "Method of Modern Love" and remembered the little New Order bit:
"There's no sense or reason why we're shot with a bolt of blue..."

who wrote the sleeve notes for the latest batch of deluxe versions?

also coming soon "songs for the dog and duck" ...

free 3 track live ep for signing up for the fan club right now. great 'folk' version of Like A Motorway.

richard x is working with sound of arrows too.

so foxbase beta is going on sale tomorrow, but in the e-mail i received it doesn't say what time it's going on sale, just "tomorrow morning"...

Anyone else going to the Shepherd's Bush Empire show? Annie is supporting, just like she did the last time I saw StEt live in London.

http://www.ekmpowershop8.com/ekmps/shops/saintetienneltd/tracklisting--audio-samples-4-w.asp

It's up now - surprisingly, the site is not dying under the load unlike the last few times they've tried this...

omg the new mix of Only Love Will Break Your Heart that just came out on 12" is KILLING ME - total 105 bpm balearic hotness!

choice

just plunk down your $23 on their web site they'll ship it right to your door

just plunk down your $23 on their web site they'll ship it right to your door

― Jaime Pressly and America (f. hazel), Tuesday, 30 November 2021 1:47 PM (three hours ago)

a) This presupposes that their website will actually send me an email when I request a forgotten password (hasn't happened), and
b) This also presupposes that it won't be at least an additional $23 to ship it to Australia. Which I can't confirm until I can login apparently.

Actually, maybe ochre.stores are individual to the subdomain? I'm kind of hoping it turns up on Bandcamp anyway, or general distro.

OK, I have logged in. It is a total of USD 20.28 to Australia, or a little under 30 AUD. Is that reasonable for a 4 track CD, one track of which is an edit?
Well, obviously not lol, but what is reasonable these days?

Appreciate that they have a .wav/.flac option (if you go to the page for just that item, https://saintetienne.ochre.store/format/867144-her-winter-coat), just for that reason. Shipping costs doubling (or more) the purchase price, I settle for non-tangible downloads. Oddly, the .wav price under the Download section - $2 - is for the single track, not the 4 song EP. If you scroll down to the Digital Track List section, they're individually priced at $2. Can get all three (or four, if you want the edit) for $6 (or $8).

yeah I almost just ordered the FLAC for US$2, but fuck it, I've got like 50 Saint Etienne CDs already why not get #51

Liking this EP. I have to say I really dig this ambientish phase (probably imposed by COVID) they’re in. I had lost touch with them after Finistere or so.

while we are having our usual fun dunking on their pricey fan club releases, should probably note that all proceeds from the christmas single DO go to charity

Reasonable point, well made.

That said, music buying has changed so much. I have loads of Saint Etienne CD singles, originally priced between 99p and £3.99 - I think but am not entirely sure that "Avenue" was one of the former - and I'm fairly certain I subsequently bought the accompanying albums.

The sample source for Her Winter Coat made me chuckle.

Anything on these releases essential?

https://saint-etienne-official.myshopify.com/products/pre-order-fairfax-black?pr_prod_strat=collection_fallback&pr_rec_id=6b333c8be&pr_rec_pid=7878303711460&pr_ref_pid=7878308790500&pr_seq=uniform

Fairfax High is a must if you’re into Good Humor

Ta. I must admit I *think* I own most (if not all) of "Fairfax High" without owning the actual release.

It's a superb album. Equal to if not better than Good Humor. It has a bit of the vibe of their earlier albums. Hit the Brakes is a stand out track that could have been a single.

I've got the original as the bonus CD disc to Good Humor, and most (maybe all?) the tracks are on the Good Humor reissue which I've also got, but I would have serious trouble resisting buying this if I saw it for sale in a record store.

It's easy to find on CD, either the original US release of Good Humor with bonus disc or the deluxe CD reissue from a few years back... don't think it's ever been on vinyl before though!

presales on the vinyl editions of the Character of Saint Etienne, Good Humor, and Fairfax High are live...

This year's Xmas collection is now available to order. 'Built On Sand' on vinyl + a 2-track 10" (Music For Hermione)

Gah! Music for Hermione sold out ...

new album on the horizon!

https://www.facebook.com/SaintEtienneOfficial/posts/pfbid02dyMe1b5Fq1mrho5gpqBq4oJBcjNJ31xBPGkcyndRzLJyHDzfNkwHyReUe6oYCSwEl

That's always good news.

Oh, there was also mention that The Character Of Saint Etienne is coming out on CD, next year. Not minidisc, though...

About time, re: TCoST. Feeling FOMO on that one, after asking about a CD version a few times.

Two new tracks up on Spotify (and similar).

oh really like these

Excited - really liked the last instrumental album. Hoping this will be in that vein

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzpATgKBp3Q

the b-side "daydream" (which sadly isn't on the album) is sublime

Just a quick reminder it's about to be on sale via the official shop, with the bonus CD etc

https://saint-etienne-official.myshopify.com/collections/vinyl

I set an alarm on my phone and couldn't remember what it was for, lol

Hahah well happy to provide. Note for anyone (like me) ordering the CD version that with tracking to the US, full cost is $36.

"anyone arriving within the first hour or two first six minutes should get what they want"

(I also went with the CD)

FFS. Even the CD has sold out. Some people have to go to fucking work.

if they pressed up more than 500 CD copies I'd be surprised

I am feeling more irritated than I should ... perhaps because I often enjoy their "bonus tracks" more than their main releases.

Damn, forgot about this. I was driving anyway but even so.

I mean yeah, Fairfax High is better than Good Humor

Buried in various (somewhat annoyed, for the most part) comments on their Facebook page:

to be honest we weren't expecting to sell many CDs and are quite taken aback by how many of you want them. Those were not a limited edition and will be in record shops to pre-order next week .

I am intrigued by that initial detail because this is the first instance in a long while I've heard of CD demand underestimation. Says something about the fanbase I'm sure but also may suggest something in terms of vinyl being, you know, a bit more expensive these days.

In a separate comment:

'Character Of Saint Etienne' on CD in spring too.

Yeah. Regular cd release selling out is just weird. Will get this in store eventually, just hope it’ll come with the bonus CD

The official comments indicate no bonus CD when it comes to regular sales. It was this or nothing.

Oh no :(

St Et kinda buck the trend in that quite a few of their CDs are higher price on discogs etc than the LP equivalent

Power was out here, with spotty internet, so sadly pleased I likely would have been aced out on the cd. Re: the quick selling, St. E has long been “oh, you really love us?” coy with the amounts they release versus demand. Maybe the bonus cd tracks will be collected someday. Does help cure FOMO with such a limited quantity.

Good news on The Character… finally releasing.

Lots of respect to Martin Kelly for engaging politely with all the disgruntled fans. Many good comments in his St. E Official posts, particularly the idea of a two week preorder to allow for pressing the desired quantity. I don’t know if pressing rounds to nearest hundred or thousand, but for bonus versions, seems the best way to please the most buyers, and would negate some of the scalping complaints.

From a quick look at the shops (Norman, Rough Trade), looks like it is a single CD out in the wild?

hahaha, that's a weird answer from management! shipping to the US, the CD was $35 while the vinyl was $56. a lot of fans feeling the financial pinch are gonna go for the cheaper CD if they want that exclusive bonus disc, of course it's going to sell out quickly. they wanted the bonus disc, Martin, they know the regular CD will be in shops a month from now.

exclusive Sarah Cracknell being interviewed on 6 Music with Mark Radcliffe just mentioned that Saint Etienne are working on another album ! This will be released next Summer and will be more uptempo and summery.

I have to confess that my irritation about the bonus CD has stopped me pre-ordering this.

Same