Saint Etienne-London Conversations

Saint Etienne were purveyors of a groundbreaking mix of various British indie styles and straight-up dance music. The ensemble--comprised essentially of old friends Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs, with the addition of Sarah Cracknell as the permanent vocalist--formed in the early 1990s, and garnered both critical and commercial acclaim for its intelligent, witty, and highly danceable amalgamation of nearly the entire spectrum of British pop music. Over the course of its existence Artist have dabbled in everything including electronica, club sounds, '60s pop, reggae, indie-pop, and even folk.

Saint Etienne:

Sarah Cracknell (vocals, percussion); Bob Stanley, Pete Wiggs (keyboards, synthesizers).

London Conversations - The Best Of Saint Etienne

It's hard to believe that nearly two decades have passed since one time Heavenly Social mainstay Bob Stanley started Saint Etienne with fellow capital based DJ Pete Wiggs. Initially nothing more than a side-project for their more dance-orientated pop, Saint Etienne went on to become something of a household name by making easy-listening 1960s pop fashionable again, simultaneously adding 'kitsch' to the list of sub-genres we still see bandied around today.

Somewhat surprisingly, Saint Etienne never actually achieved a Top Ten single - but even though their commercial success never quite matched the critical platitudes, their music continues to attract a whole new generation of followers, particularly now, in the dance-heavy climate the UK's guitar underground currently finds itself in.

London Conversations compiles thirty-five of their best known songs, making it the nearest thing to a Saint Etienne anthology you're likely to find. Although some may argue that their presence in the grand scheme of musical development is hardly worthy of such a hefty collection, it would be fair to say that the majority of this record stands the test of time well, the older material even more so than those songs taken from most recent record Tales From Turnpike House.

"One of the Decade's Best"