JOIN OUR CLUB: The Official Saint Etienne poll (#28 in a series) - Deadline 12th November

Chicken Soup?? The 33-second dialogue sample?

Ok that may have been a lie. I wouldn't really reveal my number one on here, where would the fun in that be that?

The poll results will be interesting for me, because I kind of lost interest after "Good humor" and never really recovered it, their albums didn't seem to be vital to the fabric of (my) life and the results poll will help guide me back into their later stuff. Their early stuff I adored and my poll will be biased towards the 90 - 98 era I know well - with some choice b-sides rather high up the list.

'Relocate' is something of a surprise

anybody gonna vote for "Tell Me Why"? I will.

For those of you who are not that familiar with St. Etienne's 'alternative' discography, I 'd like to recommend some of my favourite non-album tracks (b-sides, fanclub-only, christmas EPs, etc). Was going to post youtube links, but I don't have time.

California Snow Story
Duke Duvet
Your Head My Voice (voix revirement)
Hate Your Drug
Stranger In Paradise
Please
Southern Train
4:35 In the Morning
Keep Nothing
Puppy Love
The Way I Fell For You
We're In The City
Half Timbered
Northwestern
Through The Winter
Le Ballade De Saint Etienne
Gotta Jump

This is my top choice from their 'alternative' discography.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lf9HGXTWNtU&hd=1

My number one is on that list.

through the winter ftw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oSvRKadOBk

OK I'm posting one youtube from the tracks on my list above:

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

crap, why doesn't it embed?

Probably going on my ballot:

DJ (srsly guys the chorus is an earworm and Cracknell sounds marvelous)
Burnt Out Car
Who Do You Think You Are

yea DJ is huge. dunno if it can crack a top-20 for me tho, too much competition

Also want to rep for the original mix of 'Burnt Out Car' (can't find it on youtube). If it was up to me I would count it separately because it has nothing to do with the remix... and it's almost as amazing!

xp - DJ is definitely going to be in my ballot. Pretty sure "Over the Border" will also make it.

from WAM i'll probably be including 'last days of disco' & 'seventeen'. said it elsewhere but it sounds more and more like nearly on par with their early releases.

It's really, really good. Popular is the prime cut though, I think.

Every poll we do, I'm finding the artist is on the same trajectory - the very brightest tunes are in the early stuff, but the albums get stronger the later we go.

said it elsewhere but it sounds more and more like nearly on par with their early releases.

otm

Here is a break down of what I voted for.

Foxbase 2
So Tough 4
Tiger Bay 2
Good Humor 2
Sound of Water 1
Finisterre 1
Turnpike 3
Words & Music 2
B-side 1
One off singles 2

This is one of the few polls I've voted in where the band's recent work more than stands up to the early stuff.

i have my trax down to abt 50!

26 on my list, I can deal with that

What is Continental, incidentally?

It's a Japanese album that came out there around the time of "He's on the phone" and the Etienne De Crecy era, some tracks ended up on "Smash the system" and it got the 2 cd deluxe treatment first. A very good album, if not exactly cohesive.

It also has great sleevenotes about The Pebble Mill Effect iirc.

Hug My Soul was on my shortlist but on relistening it sounds like a big case of chorus-lets-down-verse. The transition, via a stock drumfill, takes some of the blame. It's not the drumfill per se, which works well in the intro to 'I Want To Hear It From You' by Go West. I digress...

Hug My soul stayed on my list because of the remixes..

What do we think of "Pale Movie"?

I think la la la la la la lah

and flamenco

and Sherpa Tensing

I think of it as SE's Domino Dancing - latin flavoured and I imagine it might divide opinion. The "softness of cinema seats" was nicked from something Taylor Parkes said, appearently.

recommended deep cuts:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa1wO8S06bI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cN7FSCThUN4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vWUHqbM9rk

top 3 for me, though not a deep cut:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xo4lRv51Hf0

im def voting for "are we gonna be alright", can't find a yt of it tho

I may vote for this. Would definitely vote for a version with Sarah on vocals!
http://youtu.be/CzBdXD-9F-I

Also contemplating including this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gthGa25Pabo

What's with the two Goodnight Jacks?

Deep(ish) cuts I may vote for:

4:35 in the Morning (Kid Loco Remix)
Mr Donut
Stormtrooper in Drag
I Buy American Records
Girl VII
My Christmas Prayer

Deepish cuts I may vote for:

Speedwell
Railway Jam
Calico
Former Lover
Stormtrooper In Drag
I Buy American Records
Hate Your Drug
Marble Lions
We're In The City
Sadie's Anniversary
Sycamore
B92

mr donut is klassic

former lover, marble lions, & maybe b92 are going on my list.

Sent! I've no idea what are the deep cuts and what aren't, but I've got three from the last two posts.

FBA 5; ST 1; TB 3; GH 2; C 2; F 2; TfTH 3; W&M 2

Only five ballots received so far. I'm hoping it's due to people spending some time thinking things over carefully rather than voter apathy. Hoping to get at least 20 ballots.

If you can't think of a full 20 and only want to submit a top 10 then that'd be fine. Also if you want to send an unordered ballot you can do, I'll then give 22 points to each track and 5 points for an album.

i think im putting more effort/thought into this ballot than anything since i studied for the bar exam

I suppose I should actually listen to TFTH and WAM before voting in this.

O__O

Look. I have 8 Saint Etienne albums on my shelf. That's about as many albums as I have from anyone.

Def listen to them and marinate over your ballot for a bit. I'm doing some serious listening these days trying to figure out my final 20.

Ballot sent. I appreciate that asking for more than 20 choices makes the poll harder to run but I wish there were more room for B-sides, remixes, etc.

FBA - 4, ST - 3, TB - 2, GH - 1, SOW - 1, TFTH - 2, SINGLES - 3, B-SIDES - 3, CRACKNELL SOLO - 1

Election day bump.