St. Etienne - Search and Destroy

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I bought "Smash the System" yesterday. Having completely ignored them since the ace "Foxbase Alpha" for no good reason, I have to say that in the main it's damn fine pop!

What do you reckon are the jewels and clunkers in their sizeable ouevre (tracks, albums...)?

― Dr. C, Thursday, 20 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

surely this one has been done before?

anyway, Too Young To Die (singles 1990-1995) is pretty much perfect. perhaps not a duff track here (possibly the overrated Like A Motorway, but thats pretty good too). He's On The Phone is superb.

other faves, Marios Cafe from So Tough. the albums proper have always been patchy affairs, but that doesn't detract from them really, you have to have the singles comp first though i reckon.

i saw them get a really bad review for the singles comp, which suggested that they just didn't do 'chart pop' as well as actual 'real' europop outfits. i'm not sure whether that was missing the point really (were they trying to do europop but with some kind of self-conscious 60s continental 'panache'?). anyway, this is still a real favourite of mine.

― gareth, Thursday, 20 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Yeah, this has been done. Perhaps we could turn this into a "what should have been on Smash The Syetem" thread?

Here's the track list: Only Love Can Break Your Heart / Kiss And Make Up / Nothing Can Stop Us / Spring / Carn't Sleep / Filthy / Join Our Club / People Get Real / Paper / Avenue / Mario's Cafe / You're In A Bad Way / Archway People / Who Do You Think You Are / Hobart Paving / Pale Movie / Hug My Soul / Like A Motorway / Cool Kids Of Death / The Process / He's On The Phone (radio edit) / Angel (broadcast mix) / Burnt Out Car (balearico mix) / Shad Thames / Wood Cabin / Sylvie / Lose That Girl / The Bad Photographer (radio mix) / Goodnight Jack / Madeleine / 4.35 In The Morning (kid loco mix) / Jack Lemmon / Saturday / 52 Pilot

Among others, I would have included: 'The Official Saint Etienne World Cup Theme' (cos I've never heard it and refuse to pay the ridiculous amounts the record now sells for second hand) 'London Belongs To Me'/'Like The Swallow' (best one-two punch of the 90s?) The Aphex Twin mixes on the 'Who Do You Think You Are' 12 inch The PDM mix of 'The Sea'

Destroy: People Get Real, anything that Kid Loco has something to do with.

― Jeff, Thursday, 20 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Do you mean this thread?

― Bob C, Thursday, 20 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Isn't it the PFM remix of 'The Sea'? That's one beautiful piece of music.

― Omar, Thursday, 20 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I liked their cover of "Only Love Can Break Your HEart", though I prefer Neil Young's original.

― Kodanshi, Thursday, 20 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

kill kill kill the 'casino classics' remix album

― bounder, Thursday, 20 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The world is changing. Historical events take place. We are on the verge of a world war......and what are you talking about? Whether trivial pop bands are classic or dud. You are pathetic. All of you. Get some perspective you apolitical ignorants.

― Christie Malry, Thursday, 20 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

And you were looking for political insight here?

Yes, why don't we all do away with anything that's trivial and not connected to the tragic events in order to discuss issues that have been discussed ad nauseaum *and* by people who are far to have any knowledge beyond what "news reporters" and "experts" have been repeating. Changing the world starts by doing something positive around your immediate environment, be nice to people you meet, be helpful or bring a smile upon someone's face, not by coming up with battle plans and scenarios about an impending war over which we have no control. I'm gonna live my life, be a better person and hopefully that would be contagious enough to change something. I sympathize that maybe you need to put your life on hold in order to discuss these issues, but you've come to the wrong place. Good luck with whatever will appease you.

― alex in montreal, Thursday, 20 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Christie, everything is really scary at the moment, and people oftne need to do things to try and take their minds off the enormity of events. at the same time, many of the people here are talking about these issues, here, here, here, here

― gareth, Thursday, 20 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

As Gareth said, we're doing both -whilst no doubt you're in some sort of anguished limbo waiting for the world to end. Don't presume that no-one cares about what's going on, Christie. If you've ever been here before, you'll have seen that last week all contributers to ILM/ILE had no doubt about what was important.

― Dr. C, Thursday, 20 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Dude hey, ignore Christie, I mean it's rather obviously trolling - let's think this thru. A poster COMES onto a board about MUSIC and then rails people for TALKING ABOUT MUSIC. Just ignore it, not worth the time.

Just buy the singles collection and maybe a copy of the Sylvie single but that's not really that necessary. If you like the singles collection then go out and buy Tiger Bay, both versions. Then you are sorted officially for the rest of time.

Destroy: almost all post-He's On The Phone material.

― Ally, Thursday, 20 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

back to St Et:
Search: Andrew Weatherall's remix of "Only Love..."

― m jemmeson, Thursday, 20 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Destroy: almost all post-He's On The Phone material.

total agreement. it seems such a shame, with that being such a wonderful single, that they just suddenly ended being so good.

― gareth, Thursday, 20 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Maybe it's just a case of completely blowing one's load. Now they are all "adult" and "intelligent" in the absolute worst definitions of those words possible.

― Ally, Thursday, 20 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Destroy: All of it.

― Julio Desouza, Thursday, 20 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Both versions of Tiger Bay?? Surely the US version is all of the UK version plus bonus tracks?

Post-HOTP: "Burnt Out Car", "Sylvie", "We're In The City", "How We Used To Live" and "Heart Failed" are all very much worth having.

― Tom, Thursday, 20 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The great thing about Too Young To Die (which is clearly one of my favorite albums ever) is that even though the singles are just arranged chronologically, they all make perfect sense as a long- player.

My favorite moment is transitioning from the mood built up in "Hobart Paving" to "I Was Born On Christmas Day" -- not only is the first drum fill a great tension-release, but some of the melancholy carries over to make the song as bittersweet as it should be.

And "He's On The Phone" makes probably the best closing song any album ever had.

― Ian, Thursday, 20 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Both versions of Tiger Bay?? Surely the US version is all of the UK version plus bonus tracks?

The two versions I have are almost completely different versions from each other.

― Ally, Thursday, 20 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

7 ways to love by Cola Boy (or St Etienne in disguise).

― Billy Dods, Thursday, 20 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I have someone's copy of Too Young To Die in my car, and I think it's junk, aside from the last song. Me and Ramon driving around singing along to every word of "He's On The Phone" is one of the most incongruous, nonsensical images ever, though.

― Otis Wheeler, Thursday, 20 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

BTW, Ian, I heard Leelee Sobieski gos to your school, you should hook me up.

― Otis Wheeler, Thursday, 20 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Yes you DO have SOMEONE'S copy of Too Young To Die in your car, SOMEONE'S copy that has been gone missing for SEVERAL WEEKS now because SOMEONE'S fiance keeps "forgetting" to give it back to her. You also have SOMEONE'S copy of the Best of Human League and The Best Of Soft Cell. ASSHOLES. No Leelee for you. I saw Katie Holmes on the street the other day, I woulda hooked you up except for this CD thievery bullshit goin' down.

― Ally, Thursday, 20 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

And what are you talking about? Whether trivial pop bands are classic or dud.

This is doubly funny because this is so clearly a search and destroy thread.

― Nitsuh, Thursday, 20 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Yeah dude, I could give you Liliane's phone number but I'm kinda feeling my conscience today.

― Ian, Thursday, 20 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Christie Malry, BTW, takes his or her name from the novel 'Christie Malry's Own Double-Entry' by the great B.S. Johnson. It has recently been made into a truly terrible movie w/a soundtrack by Luke Haines.

Here's another vote for 'Too Young To Die' as one of the best 'Greatest Hits' albs of all time - esp. 'He's On The Phone'.

― Andrew L, Thursday, 20 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I refuse to allow anyone to hook up anyone else with Otis until he returns ALL of my CDs. As per me. Anyone not complying with this policy will be extinguished.

― Ally, Thursday, 20 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Search: Everything under the name Saint Etienne.
Very best songs of the 1990s: 'People Get Real', 'London Belongs To Me', 'Like A Motorway'.
Best album: 'Sound Of Water'.

Destroy: Nothing whatsoever.NOTHING.

― DavidM, Thursday, 20 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Oooh! Can we get Atomic Kitten to hook Otis up with someone?

― Dan Perry, Thursday, 20 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

NO!!! NO ONE IS HOOKING UP WITH OTIS UNTIL HE RETURNS MY CDS!!!!!!!!!!

― Ally, Thursday, 20 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Yeah, but if AK hooks Otis up with someone, you have to destroy them. Surely that's worth waiting a couple of extra weeks for your CDs? The needs of the many outweight the needs of the few, etc.

― Dan Perry, Thursday, 20 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I would like to apologize for abbreviating Atomic Kitten and accidentally exposing a link between them and Ally.

― Dan Perry, Thursday, 20 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Damnit, now everyone knows why I won't destroy Atomic Kitten. Curses to you, Dan. And anyhow, they don't directly affect me so I don't care if they are destroyed or not, therefore my CDs win.

― Ally, Thursday, 20 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Have you heard their version of "Eternal Flame"?

― Dan Perry, Thursday, 20 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Back to Saint Etienne...

I was wondering why I everyone dislikes "Hug My Soul" so much, or seems to. Every time I listen to it I'm more convinced that it was one of their crowning moments - totally precious and yet enormous-sounding and sweepingly universal.

― Tim, Friday, 21 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Hug My Soul is fantastic, it sounds all crashing and shit. Wh ohates it?

― Ally, Friday, 21 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I don't ohate it! I love it!

― The Crying Boy, Friday, 21 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Next time tell me when a really fun thread happens and I'm not around, dammit.

― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 22 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

one month passes...

i lURVE hug my soul........"Wont u hug my soul"???....I cant get enuff of em at the mo'

― Michael Bourke, Saturday, 3 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Still dont like that song tho'

― Michael Bourke, Sunday, 4 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Smash The System is a great comp, I don't even need Too Young To Die anymore. I'm going to bring it to work and just leave it there cos theres no use for it elsewhere.

― Ally, Monday, 5 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

one year passes...

as great as He's On The Phone is, i am beginning to wonder if Ultracynic's Nothing Lasts Forever is even better

― gareth (gareth), Thursday, 2 January 2003 22:13 (twenty-three years ago)

ten years pass...

Anyone managed to successfully download the Casino Classics bonus disc, from the re-issue?

― djh, Tuesday, 29 January 2013 20:30 (twelve years ago)

I have it.

― brotherlovesdub, Tuesday, 29 January 2013 20:44 (twelve years ago)

Did you have to wait for an age, with the message "please wait - loading software"?

― djh, Tuesday, 29 January 2013 20:51 (twelve years ago)

two weeks pass...

Weird. Never did manage to download the bonus disc. Or get a reply from the help part of the download website.

― djh, Tuesday, 12 February 2013 21:20 (twelve years ago)

two years pass...

just found out that the "I Wish They Wouldn't Laugh" sample is from Alan Bennett's A Woman Of No Importance. momentarily cheered me up in amongst the gloom of the piece.

― piscesx, Friday, 8 January 2016 19:17 (ten years ago)

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