----- Original Message ----- 
From: <wigout6@juno.com>
> Pardon my ignorance, but is the album Good Humor (which I've been 
> playing heavily lately) an example of "early St. Etienne"?  I think 
> it's fabulous (esp. Mr. Donut), but don't know where it fits into 
> their discography.  Can someone please provide a brief rundown on 
> their albums, and which others are worth picking up?  Thanks in 
> advance.

No, GOOD HUMOR is the start of the second St. Etienne era, where the 
records are much less dance oriented and have a softer vibe that 
reflects the trio's shared interests in '60s sunshine pop and easy 
listening stuff.  The albums that have followed are in the same 
general ballpark: those are 2000's SOUND OF WATER, 2002's FINISTERRE 
and last year's TALES FROM TURNPIKE HOUSE, which features 
contributions from David Essex and Tony Rivers. (This last has just 
been released in the states in a much different edition than the UK 
original, lacking the second EP of original children's songs, and 
replacing three tracks with new material.)  I like the new one best of 
what they've done since GOOD HUMOR, followed probably by SOUND OF 
WATER and a bit of a rarity called THE MISADVENTURES OF ST. ETIENNE 
that's the soundtrack of an obscure indie film and is therefore mostly 
atmospheric instrumentals.

The other three proper St. Etienne studio albums (not including EPs 
and compilations, which are legion) are 1992's FOXBASE: ALPHA (one of 
my favorite albums of all time), 1993's SO TOUGH and 1994's TIGER BAY. 
As I say, FOXBASE: ALPHA is just absolutely magical, but it requires a 
fondness for electronic dance music that you may or may not have. 
However, any album that kicks off with an acid-house version of Neil 
Young's "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" has to be reckoned with.  The 
other two early albums are the weakest of the band's career, I think. 
They don't have the freshness of the debut, and they're not as 
wide-ranging and stylistically diverse as the era that started with 
GOOD HUMOR.

S