News

Saint Etienne Announce Details Of Re-Releases

• 15th Sep 2010

Saint Etienne have announced details of the release of expanded and re-mastered versions of their albums Good Humour and Tales From Turnpike House on Heavenly through Universal Music Catalogue on October 25th 2010.

Both albums will be re-released as Deluxe Editions featuring the original album, an extra disc of original B-sides and unreleased material plus extensive sleeve-notes.

These are the final pair of original Saint Etienne albums to be given the deluxe re-issue treatment. The set will be rounded out in Spring 2011 with the release of Casino Classics a comprehensive collection of Saint Etienne club remixes.

Good Humor, the group’s fourth album, was originally released in April 1998 through Creation Records (and Sub Pop in the States) and reached number 18 in the UK charts – the album featured the singles Sylvie (which charted at 12) and The Bad Photographer (which charted at 22). Eschewing the samples and programmed beats that characterised their previous records, the album was recorded in Sweden at the legendary all analogue Tambourine studio with Tore Johannson (producer of the Cardigans and Franz Ferdinand) augmented by a full-band and horn section. This 11-track pop classic is steeped in vintage soul, rich piano chords, punchy bass lines and Bacharachian melancholy. The deluxe edition features a second disc featuring 15 rare and unreleased tracks and extensive sleeve-notes from Gail O’Hara and author Douglas Coupland.

Tales From Turnpike House Side, released in 2005 through Sanctuary Records is the bands most recent studio album and included the top 40 single Side Streets. Featuring lush multi layered Beach Boys-esque vocal arrangements courtesy of cult sixties figure Tony Rivers, lavish electro pop co-written and produced by Xenomania and a cameo from David Essex it is an album with a concept, rather than a concept record – the titular Turnpike House refers to a fictional block of flats whose residents provide the characters for the bittersweet songs that are a microcosmic portrait of metropolitan life. Again featuring a second CD of rarities, the sleeve-notes are provided by author Travis Elborough and Turner Prize winning artist Jeremy Deller.

The group continue to record and play live and last year performed their debut album, Foxbase Alpha, in its entirety over 2 sold-out nights at London’s Bloomsbury Ballroom. They have recently announced a trio of Christmas shows. The dates are as follows:

December
16th Glasgow ABC
17th Manchester Ritz
18th London Forum
Tickets for the shows are available via link and are priced at £16.50 in Glasgow, £17.50 in Manchester and £22.50 in London

Additionally there are plans to show a number of Paul Kelly directed Saint Etienne films. November 4th will see the screening of This Is Tomorrow, their film about the reconstruction of The Southbank Centre and on November 11th Finisterre and What Have You Done Mervyn Day will be shown. Both nights will take place at Croydon Warehouse Theatre and will feature Q&As with Paul Kelly and Bob Stanley.

Full track-listings for the 2 albums are as follows:

Good Humor

DISC 1
Wood Cabin
Sylvie
Split Screen
Mr Donut
Goodnight Jack
Lose That Girl
The Bad Photographer
Been So Long
Postman
Erica America
Dutch TV

DISC 2
Hill Street Connection
Hit the Brakes
Madeleine
Swim Swan Swim
4.35 In The Morning
Clark Co. Record Fair
Zipcode
My Name Is Vlaovic
Afraid To Go Home
La La La
Do You Love Me *
Cat Nap
Jack Lemmon
Constantly
The Emidisc Theme
4.35 In The Morning (original version)

*previously unreleased

Tales From Turnpike House
DISC 1
Sun In My Morning
Milk Bottle Symphony
Lightning Strikes Twice
Slow Down At The Castle
A Good Thing
Side Streets
Last Orders For Gary Stead
Stars Above Us
Relocate
Birdman Of EC1
Teenage Winter
Goodnight

DISC 2
Murder In E Minor
Take Me Home (On A Pushbike) *
Another Cup Of Coffee * (Mike & The Mechanics cover)
School Run *
You Can Judge A Book By It's Cover
Who Pays The Rent *
Woodhenge *
Got A Job
Must Be More *
Holiday Song *
The Leyton Art Inferno
Missing Persons Bureau
Inside The Hive *
Aqualad *
Book Norton
Quiet Essex

* previously unreleased

Official Site
www.saintetienne.com
Myspace
www.myspace.com/saintetienne