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Tiger Bay | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 28 February 1994 | |||
Recorded | Summer – Autumn 1993 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 46:16 | |||
Label | Heavenly – HVNLP8 | |||
Producer | Saint Etienne | |||
Saint Etienne chronology | ||||
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Singles from Tiger Bay | ||||
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Reissue album art (1996) | ||||
Tiger Bay is the third studio album by English indie dance band Saint Etienne. It was released 28 February 1994 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.[2]
The album is described by Bob Stanley as "an album of modern folk songs done in twentieth century styles like techno and dub".[3] "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.
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.[3]
Tiger Bay was released in the UK in February 1994. The original cover art is James Clarke Hook's "Welcome Bonny Boat", doctored to include the band members.[4]
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".
The Japanese edition of the album was retitled as 哀しみ色のムーヴィー (Pale Movie), and included the bonus tracks "Who Do You Think You Are" and "Pale Movie (Lemonentry Mix)".
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.
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [5] |
Chicago Tribune | [6] |
Robert Christgau | [7] |
Entertainment Weekly | B+[8] |
Mojo | [9] |
Pitchfork | 8.7/10[10] |
Q | [11] |
Record Collector | [12] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [13] |
Select | 4/5[14] |
Smash Hits | [15] |
Vox | 8/10[16] |
The British release of Tiger Bay was commercially successful and reached #8[17] on the UK Albums Chart. Three singles were released, but none matched the popularity of those from their previous album. The first, "Pale Movie", peaked at No. 28.[17] "Like a Motorway" was more disappointing, missing the top forty completely and making only No. 47.[17] "Hug My Soul" was released as a two-disc set and managed better, peaking at No. 32.[17]
A reviewer for Music & Media praised Tiger Bay and said "Pale Movie" was "a hit in the waiting room".[18]
"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.[19]
All tracks are written by Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs, except where noted
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Urban Clearway" | 3:58 | |
2. | "Former Lover" | 3:49 | |
3. | "Hug My Soul" |
| 4:15 |
4. | "Like a Motorway" | 5:42 | |
5. | "On the Shore" | 4:06 | |
6. | "Marble Lions" |
| 4:35 |
7. | "Pale Movie" | 3:52 | |
8. | "Cool Kids of Death" | 5:49 | |
9. | "Western Wind" | Traditional | 1:33 |
10. | "Tankerville" | 4:01 | |
11. | "Western Wind" | Traditional | 1:37 |
12. | "The Boy Scouts of America" | 2:57 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Urban Clearway" | 3:58 | |
2. | "Hug My Soul" |
| 4:15 |
3. | "Former Lover" | 3:49 | |
4. | "Like a Motorway" | 5:42 | |
5. | "On the Shore" | 4:06 | |
6. | "Marble Lions" |
| 4:35 |
7. | "Pale Movie" | 3:52 | |
8. | "Cool Kids of Death" | 5:49 | |
9. | "I Was Born on Christmas Day" |
| 3:11 |
10. | "The Boy Scouts of America" | 2:57 | |
11. | "Hug My Soul" (alternative version) |
| 4:23 |
12. | "Like a Motorway" (alternative version) | 5:25 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Urban Clearway" | 3:59 | |
2. | "He's on the Phone" |
| 4:06 |
3. | "Former Lover" | 3:37 | |
4. | "I Buy American Records" | 2:48 | |
5. | "Hug My Soul" |
| 4:15 |
6. | "Like a Motorway" | 5:43 | |
7. | "Grovely Road" |
| 3:38 |
8. | "On the Shore" | 4:06 | |
9. | "Pale Movie" | 3:53 | |
10. | "Hate Your Drug" | 3:45 | |
11. | "Marble Lions" |
| 4:35 |
12. | "Cool Kids of Death" | 5:46 | |
13. | "Western Wind" | Traditional | 1:32 |
14. | "Tankerville" | 3:52 | |
15. | "The Boy Scouts of America" | 3:10 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Urban Clearway" | 3:58 | |
2. | "Former Lover" | 3:49 | |
3. | "Hug My Soul" |
| 4:15 |
4. | "Like a Motorway" | 5:42 | |
5. | "On the Shore" | 4:06 | |
6. | "Marble Lions" |
| 4:35 |
7. | "Pale Movie" | 3:52 | |
8. | "Cool Kids of Death" | 5:49 | |
9. | "Western Wind / Tankerville" | 7:12 | |
10. | "The Boy Scouts of America" | 2:59 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Urban Clearway" (demo) | 5:32 | |
2. | "Black Horse Latitude" |
| 4:23 |
3. | "I Buy American Records" | 2:52 | |
4. | "Hate Your Drug" | 3:50 | |
5. | "You Know I'll Miss You When I'm Gone" |
| 2:59 |
6. | "Sushi Rider" |
| 2:58 |
7. | "Hug My Soul" (demo) |
| 4:27 |
8. | "The Wedding of Stacy Dorning" |
| 2:49 |
9. | "Deborah's French Feast" | 2:18 | |
10. | "Western Wind" (demo) | Traditional | 3:58 |
11. | "Pale Movie" (demo) | 4:29 | |
12. | "La Poupee Qui Fait Non (No No No)" |
| 3:59 |
13. | "Highgate Road Incident" | 2:10 | |
14. | "My Christmas Prayer" | Billy Fury | 3:27 |
15. | "I Was Born on Christmas Day" |
| 3:12 |
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From "Pale Movie"
From "Like a Motorway"
From "Hug My Soul"
Chart (1994) | Peak position |
---|---|
European Albums (Music & Media)[20] | 30 |
Scottish Albums (OCC)[21] | 17 |
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[22] | 31 |
UK Albums (OCC)[23] | 8 |
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[24] | 1 |