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St Etienne - A Profile
By far the most dextrous of those bands cursed with the "indie-dance" label in the mid-90s, and one of the few to maintain genuine support in both camps. Pete Wiggs (b. 15 May 1966, Reigate, Surrey, England) and music journalist Bob Stanley (b. 25 December 1965, Horsham, Sussex, England) grew up together in Croydon, Surrey, England. In the early 80s, the pair began to experiment with party tapes, but did not make any serious inroads into the music business until forming Saint Etienne in 1988, taking their name from the renowned French football team. Relocating to Camden in north London, the pair recruited Moira Lambert of Faith Over Reason for a reggae-inflected cover version of Neil Young's "Only Love Can Break Your Heart".Issued in May 1990 on the aspiring Heavenly Records label, the single fared well in the nightclubs and surfaced on a magazine flexi-disc remixed by labelmates Flowered Up (who appeared on the b-side) in July. Another cover version, indie guitar band the Field Mice's "Kiss And Make Up", was given a similar dance music overhaul for Saint Etienne's second single, fronted this time by New Zealand vocalist Donna Savage of Dead Famous People. Then came the infectious, northern soul-tinged "Nothing Can Stop Us" in May 1991. Its strong European feel reflected both their name, which helped attract strong support in France, and their logo (based on the European flag).
It also benefited from Sarah Cracknell's (b. 12 April 1967, Chelmsford, Essex, England) dreamy vocals, which dominated Saint Etienne's debut, Foxbase Alpha, released in the autumn. Cracknell had formerly recorded with Prime Time. "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" was reissued alongside the album, and provided them with a minor chart hit.
Throughout the 90s the only critical barb that seemed to stick to Saint Etienne with any justification or regularity was that they were simply "too clever for their own good", a criticism that Stanley clearly could not abide: "The image that the media has built up of us as manipulators really makes us laugh".
So Tough revealed a rich appreciation of the vital signs of British pop, paying homage to their forerunners without ever indulging in false flattery. Tiger Bay, heralded as a folk album, transcended a variety of musical genres with the sense of ease and propriety that Saint Etienne had essentially patented. The medieval folk/trance ballad "Western Wind", and the instrumental "Urban Clearway", redolent of, but not traceable to, a dozen prime-time television themes, were just two of the bookends surrounding one of the greatest albums of that year. It was followed by a fan club-only release, I Love To Paint, limited to 500 copies.
Their biggest UK hit, reaching number 11, was "He's On The Phone" which promoted the excellent compilation set Too Young To Die.
In 1997, Sarah Cracknell released a solo album, having previously recorded a duet with Tim Burgess of the Charlatans, "I Was Born On Christmas Day", released at the end of 1993 in a failed attempt to mug the Christmas singles market. The band recorded their comeback, Good Humor, in Sweden. Despite being another quality, pop-orientated release the album met with an indifferent commercial response. They returned in late 1999 with the vinyl only EP, Places To Visit. To Rococo Rot contributed some minimalist arrangements to the following year's Sound Of Water, an edgy and ambitious return to form.
Fast forward a few years, and St Etienne's latest album 'Tales from Turnpike House' is being described by many as their best ever.
www.sanctuaryrecords.co.uk/saintetienne
Written: 28th Jul, 05
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