Tiger Bay (album)

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Tiger Bay
File:Tiger Bay original album cover.jpg
Original album cover
Studio album by Saint Etienne
Released 28 June 1994 (1994-06-28)
Recorded Summer – Autumn 1993
Genre Alternative dance, House, techno, ambient, electronica, folk
Length 46:16
Label Heavenly – HVNLP8
Producer Saint Etienne
Saint Etienne chronology
You Need a Mess of Help to Stand Alone
(1993)You Need a Mess of Help to Stand Alone1993		 Tiger Bay
(1994)		 I Love to Paint
(1995)I Love to Paint1995
Singles from Tiger Bay
  1. "Pale Movie"
    Released: February 1994
  2. "Like a Motorway"
    Released: May 1994
  3. "Hug My Soul"
    Released: September 1994
Reissue album art (1996)
featuring Giuditta Del Vecchio (from the film Léolo)
featuring Giuditta Del Vecchio (from the film Léolo)

Tiger Bay is the third studio album by English techno band Saint Etienne. It was released 28 June 1994 (1994-06-28) by Heavenly Records. In an interview with Record Collector, band member Bob Stanley stated that the title is a reference to the 1959 film Tiger Bay.[1]

The album is described by Bob Stanley as "an album of modern folk songs done in twentieth century styles like techno and dub".[2] "Like a Motorway", for example, blends Kraftwerk-style techno with the melody from the nineteenth century folk song "Silver Dagger". Some of the songs, such as "Marble Lions" and "Former Lover" forsake electronics for classical folk instrumentation and orchestral arrangements. One, "Western Wind", is a traditional English folk song.

Composition

The band wrote most of the songs in the Forest of Dean, in the hope that the countryside would inspire folk ideas. The original intention was for all the songs to be about death.[2]

Releases

Tiger Bay was released in the UK in June 1994. The original cover art is James Clarke Hook's "Welcome Bonny Boat", doctored to include the band members.[3]

The American edition of the album replaced the UK cover art with a photograph of the band smartly dressed at a table. It does not include the "Western Wind"/"Tankerville" suite. In place of the cut songs is the single "I Was Born On Christmas Day" and remixes by Daniel Abraham of "Hug My Soul" and "Like a Motorway".

Tiger Bay was reissued in 1996 by Creation Records, in part because of Saint Etienne's absence from the music scene, but also because of their formal move to Creation Records. The reissue featured another new cover, this time showing Giuditta Del Vecchio (from the film Léolo); the back shows a picture of the group. The inner sleeve was updated, and includes a short commentary on the album by journalist and friend of the group Simon Price, as well as a new selection of photographs with a summery theme. The album itself features a slightly shuffled track listing. "Marble Lions" is moved to appear after "Pale Movie". The second occurrence of "Western Wind" is removed completely; instead "Tankerville" fades into "Boy Scouts of America". "Former Lover" is also edited, although less noticeably, with only the opening guitar chords being removed. The reissue also features four extra tracks – "I Buy American Records", "Grovely Road", "Hate your Drug" and the single edit of "He's on the Phone".

In 2010 the album was re-released once more. The new deluxe version reinstates the original sleeve art and includes a booklet with an interview with Bob Stanley and additional bonus disc containing a number of demos and all of the b-sides.

Response

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 4.5/5 stars[4]
Pitchfork Media (8.7/10)[5]

The British release of Tiger Bay was commercially successful and reached #8[6] on the UK Album Chart. Three singles were released, but none matched the popularity of those from their previous album. The first, "Pale Movie", peaked at #28.[6] "Like a Motorway" was more disappointing, missing the top forty completely and making only #47.[6] "Hug My Soul" was released as a two-disc set and managed better, peaking at #32.[6]

"Hug My Soul" was the only single that charted in the US and reached No. 40 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart.

In a 2009 interview, Bob Stanley said that in retrospect the band should have included some more obvious singles on Tiger Bay, to be commercial: "it definitely could have done with a couple more obvious songs". He also acknowledged that the original cover was a commercial mistake.[7]

Track listing

CD: Heavenly / HVNLP8CD (UK)

All songs written and composed by Stanley and Wiggs; except where indicated. 

Original British Release
No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Urban Clearway"     3:58
2. "Former Lover"     3:49
3. "Hug My Soul"   Batson, Cracknell, Male 4:15
4. "Like a Motorway"     5:42
5. "On the Shore"     4:06
6. "Marble Lions"   Cracknell, Bund 4:35
7. "Pale Movie"     3:52
8. "Cool Kids of Death"     5:49
9. "Western Wind"   Traditional, arranged by Stanley, Wiggs 1:33
10. "Tankerville"     4:01
11. "Western Wind"   Traditional, arranged by Stanley, Wiggs 1:37
12. "The Boy Scouts of America"     2:57

CD: Warner / 9 45634-2 (US)

CD: Heavenly/Sony / 01-475962-11 (UK)

CD: Heavenly / HVNLP8CDDE (United Kingdom)

Personnel

Original credits (1994)

Alternate credits for American release

  • Tim Burgess - guest vocals ("I Was Born On Christmas Day")
  • 'Jim Bob' Wheatley - engineer ("I Was Born On Christmas Day")
  • Mark 'Spike' Stent - mixing ("I Was Born On Christmas Day")
  • Daniel Abraham - additional production and mix (for White Falcon Productions), additional programming ("Hug My Soul (Alternate Version)", "Like a Motorway (Alternate Version)")
  • Merve Depeyer - keyboards, programming ("Hug My Soul (Alternate Version)", "Like a Motorway (Alternate Version)")
  • Juan Garcia - overdub engineering ("Hug My Soul (Alternate Version)", "Like a Motorway (Alternate Version)")
  • Recorded at Scream Studios, NYC, mixed at Right Track Recording, NYC. ("Hug My Soul (Alternate Version)", "Like a Motorway (Alternate Version)")

Additional credits for 1996 British re-release

B-sides

from "Pale Movie"
  • "Highgate Road Incident"
  • "Pale Movie (Stentorian Dub)"
  • "Pale Movie (Secret Knowledge Trouser Assassin Mix)"
  • "Pale Movie (Lemonentry Mix)" (Remixed by Rick Smith from Underworld)
from "Like a Motorway"
  • "You Know I'll Miss You When You're Gone"
  • "Sushi Rider"
  • "Like a Motorway (Chekhov Warp Dub)" (Remixed by The Chemical Brothers)
  • "Like A Motorway (The David Holmes Mix)"
  • "Like A Motorway (Skin Up You're Already Dead Mix)" (Remixed by Autechre)
from "Hug My Soul"
  • "I Buy American Records"
  • "Hate Your Drug"
  • "La Poupee Qui Fait Non (No, No, No, No, No)"
  • "Hug My Soul (Twelve Inch Mix)"
  • "Hug My Soul (Motiv 8 Blackpool Mix)"
  • "Hug My Soul (Sure Is Pure Kodacolour House Mix)"
  • "Hug My Soul (Juan Kinky Hernandez Nu Bootz Groove)"
  • "Hug My Soul (Secret Knowledge Limbo Mix)"

References

  1. ↑ http://www.saint.etienne.net/ec/Tiger_Bay.disc.html
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Bob Stanley, interview with Melody Maker. Qtd. in "Like a Motorway". Saint Etienne Heaven. 29 June 2002.
  3. ↑ http://halfmanhalfbikekit.wordpress.com/2012/08/16/hebden-bridge-14-15-july/
  4. ↑ Original Allmusic review
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Scott Plagenhoef, Interviews: Saint Etienne, Pitchfork, 5 February 2009.

External links

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