Too Young To Die (The Singles Collection 1991-1995) - Saint Etienne > Reviews > Hug Their Soul

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Originality
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Advantages:	fantastic 'perfect pop', timeless
Disadvantages:	none

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Whether you describe them as crafting 'perfect pop', or say they make 'indie-dance' music, Saint Etienne have proved to be one of the more versatile British acts of the 1990's and early 00's. The trio have made some of the finest pop records produced over the last ten years or so, and although they have struggled to truly break the mainstream, they have a solid international fan-base and continue to make superb music even now.

Perhaps the best introduction into Sarah Cracknall, Pete Wiggs and Bob Stanley would be their 1995 compilation 'Too Young To Die' which showcases 14 of the bands songs from the early 1990's.

The opening track is a cover version of Neil Young's 'Only Love Can Break Your Heart'. I must confess that I heard Saint Etienne's version first, and think it's superior to the original. A song that's both sad and uplifting at the same time, it appears in its released format here. However, it is probably now better known in a remixed version which strips out most of the vocals and adds in a deep bassline. Still, the version here epitomises the Saint Etienne sound.

The second track in is yet another cover, although the Field's 'Kiss and Make Up' is a much less well known song than 'Only Love Can Break Your Heart'. An upbeat song about, er, kissing and making up, Cracknell's sweet and simple vocals shine against a lilting piano sequence.

'Nothing Can Stop Us Now' from the 'Foxbase Alpha' album continues in much the same vein as the previous track, with its simple one-not piano sequence. However, Cracknall's vocals are spoken rather than sung in the verses, before launching into the triumphant and uplifting chorus. Incidentally, the start of the song is introduced by what sounds like a northern club DJ, vaguely reminiscent of one of Peter Kaye's characters in his Channel 4 sh...

'Join Our Club' is more clubby than the previous tracks, although Sarah Cracknall's vocals remain as fragile and simplistic as ever whilst singing the 'ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-da-da' chrous. There is also a fantastic Asian guitar half way through the song as well - a change in direction, but still with the all the hallmarks of the Saint Etienne sound.

The opening of track 5 'People Get Real' features a voice saying 'get on the floor and look real sexy', and this is about as apt as you can get for this one. A 60's tinged melody, it is a little more repetitive than some of the others on the album, but still sounds great 10 years after it was made.

One of my favourites off the album is 'Avenue'. Another one-note piano chorus drives the song, although Cracknall's emotional and somewhat sad vocals make the song. A beautifully crafted song, it reached #40 in the charts whilst 'Ebeneezer Goode' was #1. Hmmm...

'You're In Bad Way' turned out to be the band's biggest hit at that point in time when it was released in 1993, and the band even performed it on Top Of The Pops. Much more commercial than anything they'd released before, it was a kitsch 60's style 3 minute wonder, which featured the fantastic line 'get your kicks watching Bruce on the old 'Generation Game''. It also managed to pack in a steel drum into the mix!

'Who Do You Think You Are' was a return to the sounds of 'Nothing Can Stop Us' although featured a slightly more memorable crescendoing chorus of 'who do you think you are, you try to push me a bit too far'. And before you think it, it bears no resemblance to the Spice Girls song of the same name...

'Hobart Paving' is another highlight on the album. A bit of a tear-jerker, it features some unusual lyrics, such as 'paper folded outside the loo' and 'rainfalls like Elvis did, although I think it's all about running away'. Despite sounding as if it should have been the soundtrack on some acid-trip programme featured on late night Channel 4, I think it's features my favourite Saint Etienne chorus, and really paints a picture of emotions. It also features a really nice brass instrumental, which I think is unique amongst the other songs on the album.

Awkwardly juxtaposed against the melancholy 'Hobart Paving' is the upbeat one-off track 'I Was Born On Christmas Day', which features a duet between Cracknall and Tim Burgess from The Charlatans. I never liked this song first time round, and it does sound a bit out of context with the rest of the album. However, play it around the 24th of December while its snowing outside, and you can't help but smile... Oh yes, and I reckon it's the only song ever to namecheck Eurodisney...

Before the Ricky/J Lo/Enrique Latino bandwagon had rolled into town, Saint Etienne tried their hand at a Spanish rhythm with 'Pale Movie'. Another classic Saint Etienne 'la la la la la la la' chorus fits on perfectly to a darker sounding backing track. I also think that the writers of 'Summer Of Love' by Steps must also be very familiar with the song judging by the fact that they managed to mimic large portions of it on the fivesome's inferior song...

'Like A Motorway' is apparently the most popular song of the fans of Saint Etienne according to their official web-site. However, I'm not sure it's their strongest song. Although the electro backing is a bit different, and is a style complemented perfectly by Sarah's understated vocals, I think it lacks a little bit of the usual St Et charm...

However, if it's charm that required, it's in great supply in 'Hug My Soul', another classic pop song. Cracknall's vocals are subdued in the verses, before a mightily beautiful chorus is unleashed from out of nowhere. The strings throughout the song lift the track, and the result is something amazing. Although it wasn't their biggest moment commercially, it is one of their better known tracks, thanks to a controversial video which featured the lead singer getting 'friendly' with a bear...

The final track was their biggest ever proper hit in their own right, reaching #11 in November 1995. A more dancey number than some of the preceding tracks, it still has a touch of class that sets it apart from other songs that were on the charts at around the same time. It also features a rap by Etienne Daho half way through in French, which is one of those bizarre musical interludes that you'd expect from a band like Saint Etienne. Apparently, the band hooked up with Daho after he was curious to find out more information about the trio because they shared the same name...

In their career, which now spans 3 decades, they have achieved 14 Top 40 hits, 11 of which are featured on this album.

I think that you would be struggling to find a greatest hits compilation as strong as this by a British band - there isn't one weak track amongst them, and just goes to show that they did (and still do) have unfulfilled potential chartwise.

Although the band have been described as having a superiority complex, and being yawningly retro, their later albums are more abstract and all the less accessible for it. I think that their best work was from early on in their career, and this compilation probably shows the best examples of that period. After all, any band that manages to sing about Bruce Forsyth and Eurostar and sound cool at the same time must deserve some credit...