So Tough
Studio album by
Saint Etienne
Released22 February 1993 (1993-02-22)
RecordedSummer – Autumn 1992
StudioRMS, London
Genre
Length48:29 (UK version)
55:40 (US version)
LabelHeavenly (UK) – HVNLP 6
Warners (US) – 9 45166
ProducerSaint Etienne
Saint Etienne chronology
Foxbase Alpha
(1991) 		So Tough
(1993) 		You Need a Mess of Help to Stand Alone
(1993)
Singles from So Tough
  1. "Avenue"
    Released: October 1992
  2. "You're in a Bad Way"
    Released: February 1993
  3. "Hobart Paving"
    Released: May 1993
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Christgau's Consumer GuideA−[3]
NME6/10[4]
Pitchfork8.9/10[5]
Q[6]
Record Collector[7]
Rolling Stone[8]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[9]
Select4/5[10]
Vox8/10[11]

So Tough is the second studio album by British band Saint Etienne, released in 1993. It is their highest-charting album to date, reaching No. 7 on the UK Album Chart.

So Tough is the first Saint Etienne album to feature Sarah Cracknell as an official member of the band.[12] It was originally intended as a concept album which starts at "Mario's Cafe" in London then travels around the world, but it ultimately came to be viewed as a solely London album.[13]

Samples and references

One of the distinctive features of the album is the use of samples between the songs. The band were keen to use linking dialogue, similar to that used on some of their favourite albums – particularly The Who Sell Out by The Who and Head by The Monkees – as well as contemporary hip hop albums that featured recurring skits.[12][14] They are taken from a variety of sources, including the films Peeping Tom, Billy Liar, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Lord of the Flies and That'll Be the Day, as well as the television series The Family and the 1958 stereo demonstration album A Journey into Stereophonic Sound. The band had intended to use a number of samples from American films, but the cost of clearing these samples led them to using primarily British samples.[14] Additionally, the song "Conchita Martinez" features a recurring sample from the opening riff of Rush's 1980 hit "The Spirit of Radio".[15] The string sounds used in the chorus of opening song "Mario's Café" are an interpolation of the piano melody from The Temptations' 1967 single "I Wish It Would Rain".

So Tough takes its title from the Beach Boys album Carl and the Passions – "So Tough".[13] "Conchita Martinez" is named after the Grand Slam-winning Spanish tennis player Conchita Martínez,[16] who later went on to win the Wimbledon singles title. The song "Mario's Cafe" was inspired by a real Kentish Town restaurant of that name.[17]

Cover

The album cover features a picture of lead singer Sarah Cracknell aged 6, taken by her father Derek Cracknell.[18]

Releases

The album was reissued as a limited edition 2-CD set with You Need a Mess of Help to Stand Alone.

The US release added "Join Our Club" (3:22), which had been a UK single in 1992. "Who Do You Think You Are" (3:49) is included on some US versions between "Here Come Clown Feet" and "Junk the Morgue". "You're in a Bad Way" (3:08) and "Hobart Paving" (4:57) are presented in their single versions, including extra instrumentation. The former is longer, while the latter features a drum pattern not present on the original version.

The album was reissued on 31 August 2009, as part of the ongoing Deluxe Editions of the band's recordings. The new release features B-sides, rare and unreleased tracks.

Track listing

1993 release

All tracks are written by Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs, except where indicated

UK CD edition (Heavenly / HVNLP6CD)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Mario's Cafe" 4:38
2."Railway Jam" 4:14
3."Date with Spelman" 0:18
4."Calico"
5:12
5."Avenue"
7:40
6."You're in a Bad Way" (substituted for the single version (3:07) on US and Japanese editions)
  • Cracknell
  • Stanley
  • Wiggs
2:43
7."Memo to Pricey" 0:23
8."Hobart Paving" (substituted for the single version (4:57) on US and Japanese editions) 5:03
9."Leafhound" 4:05
10."Clock Milk" 0:14
11."Conchita Martinez"
4:02
12."No Rainbows for Me" 3:56
13."Here Come Clown Feet" 0:22
14."Junk the Morgue" 5:12
15."Chicken Soup" 0:33
Bonus track on US edition (Warner Bros. / 9 45166-2)
No.TitleLength
16."Join Our Club"3:22
Bonus tracks on Japanese edition (Warner Bros. / WPCP-5209)
No.TitleLength
16."Join Our Club"3:22
17."Archway People"3:17

2009 reissue

UK CD edition (Heavenly / HVNLP6CDDE) – Disc one (same as 1993 UK edition)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Mario's Cafe" 4:38
2."Railway Jam" 4:14
3."Date with Spelman" 0:18
4."Calico"
  • Stanley
  • Wiggs
  • Mais
5:12
5."Avenue"
  • Catt
  • Cracknell
  • Stanley
  • Wiggs
7:40
6."You're in a Bad Way"
  • Cracknell
  • Stanley
  • Wiggs
2:43
7."Memo to Pricey" 0:23
8."Hobart Paving" 5:03
9."Leafhound" 4:05
10."Clock Milk" 0:14
11."Conchita Martinez" 4:02
12."No Rainbows for Me" 3:56
13."Here Come Clown Feet" 0:22
14."Junk the Morgue" 5:12
15."Chicken Soup" 0:33
UK CD edition (Heavenly / HVNLP6CDDE) – Disc two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Everything Flows"Norman Blake4:44
2."Railway Jam" (Vocal Version) 6:20
3."Who Do You Think You Are"
3:53
4."Some Place Else" 3:44
5."Duke Duvet" 3:12
6."Paper"
4:11
7."Johnny in the Echo Cafe" 4:01
8."Archway People" 3:21
9."California Snow Story" 4:21
10."Join Our Club" 3:18
11."Everlasting" 4:33
12."Snowplough" 3:43
13."Rainy Day Women"Bob Dylan3:57
14."Peterloo" 4:29
15."I'm Too Sexy"
5:10
16."Stranger in Paradise"
3:29
17."Hobart Paving" (Van Dyke Parks Version) 4:50

Sample credits

Personnel

The liner notes list the album's personnel as follows:[19]

Charts

Chart performance for So Tough
Chart (1993) Peak
position
European Albums (Music & Media)[20] 25
UK Albums (OCC)[21] 7
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[22] 1

B-sides

from "Avenue"
from "You're in a Bad Way"
from "Hobart Paving" / "Who Do You Think You Are"

References

  1. ^ a b Lassner, Bryan (1998). "Saint Etienne". In Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (eds.). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Detroit: Visible Ink Press. pp. 971–972.
  2. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "So Tough – Saint Etienne". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
  3. ^ Christgau, Robert (2000). "Saint Etienne: So Tough". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 0-312-24560-2. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
  4. ^ George, Iestyn (20 February 1993). "Saint Been Nothin' Yet". NME. p. 28.
  5. ^ Harvell, Jess (17 September 2009). "Saint Etienne: So Tough / Sound of Water". Pitchfork. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
  6. ^ "Saint Etienne: So Tough". Q. No. 79. April 1993. p. 88.
  7. ^ "Saint Etienne: So Tough". Record Collector. p. 98. [I]t provides bona fide belters such as 'You're in a Bad Way,' alongside countless sound collages and swirling, half-heard samples and steals.
  8. ^ White, Armond (5 August 1993). "Saint Etienne: So Tough". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 9 May 2006. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
  9. ^ Berger, Arion (2004). "Saint Etienne". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 713–14. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  10. ^ Harrison, Andrew (March 1993). "UK Gold". Select. No. 33. p. 74.
  11. ^ McLean, Craig (March 1993). "Everything Flows". Vox. No. 30. p. 56.
  12. ^ a b Lindsay, Cam (1 June 2017). "Rank Your Records: Bob Stanley Expertly Appraises Saint Etienne's Eight Full-Lengths". Vice. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  13. ^ a b Reed, John (November 1995). "Saint Etienne". Record Collector. No. 195. pp. 36–39.
  14. ^ a b Lobb, Adrian (8 September 2009). "Bob Stanley On Saint Etienne's Reissues And His Love Of Pop". The Quietus. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  15. ^ "The Spirit of Radio". Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  16. ^ Rogers, Jude (10 September 2009). "Saint Etienne: So Tough & Sound Of Water reissues". The Quietus. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  17. ^ Hann, Michael (3 August 2004). "Frying up the charts". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  18. ^ So Tough (liner notes). Saint Etienne (deluxe ed.). Heavenly Records. 2009. HVNLP6CDDE.((cite AV media)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  19. ^ a b So Tough (liner notes). Saint Etienne. Heavenly Records. 1993. HVNLP6CD.((cite AV media)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  20. ^ "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 11. 13 March 1993. p. 22. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  21. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  22. ^ "Independent: Albums" (PDF). Music Week. 13 March 1993. p. 16. ISSN 0265-1548 – via World Radio History.

External links

Saint Etienne
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Categories