Travel Edition 1990-2005

Editorial Reviews
Album Description
Since 1990, Saint Etienne has been putting out beautiful, high concept pop music that's as clever as it is catchy. This is their first compilation, collecting songs spanning the group's 15 year career to date and from multiple labels (Reprise, Sub Pop, Beggars Banquet, etc.) It includes their hits "Only Love Can Break Your Heart", "Nothing Can Stop Us", and "Avenue", domestically unavailable tracks like "He's On The Phone" and "Burnt Out Car", and a couple of unissued gems. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Tracks:

Primrose Hill - (previously unreleased)
Only Love Can Break Your Heart
Nothing Can Stop Us
Avenue
Mario's Cafe
Hobart Paving
Hug My Soul
Like The Motorway
He's On The Phone
Burnt Out Car
Sylvie
Lose That Girl
Good Night Jack
How We Used To Live
Heart Failed (In The Back Of A Taxi)
Action
Fascination - (previously unreleased)
Finisterre

Album Description

Since 1990, Saint Etienne has been putting out beautiful, high concept pop music that's as clever as it is catchy. This is their first compilation, collecting songs spanning the group's 15 year career to date and from multiple labels (Reprise, Sub Pop, Beggars Banquet, etc.) It includes their hits "Only Love Can Break Your Heart", "Nothing Can Stop Us", and "Avenue", domestically unavailable tracks like "He's On The Phone" and "Burnt Out Car", and a couple of unissued gems.

Customer Reviews:

Great..........2006-01-07

OK, so if you're feely like a little silly dancepop, get this CD. You won't be disappointed.

My fav tunes:
1)Avenue(Edit)
2)Sylvie
3)He's On the Phone
4)Mario's Cafe

Yawn..........2005-10-31

I never thought I'd say this, but this it the worst that Saint Etienne has put out. I've always been excited to see new Saint Etienne discs, but this was bad... I felt I had been taken.

Before I'm bashed, let me explain...this CD is a repeat of a lot that has been produced already. The only new stuff was the instrumentals and they sounded a lot like existing stuff too.

For any new Saint Etienne fans, I think your money would be better spent on "Tiger Bay", "Good Humor" or a compilation disc. Even Sarah Cracknell by herself is good stuff.

Try to steer clear of this CD.

pop perfection.......2005-08-10

saint etienne fans are apt to throw around superlatives like 'pop,' 'nostalgic,' 'glittery,' and my favorite: 'sophisticated.' and i admit i count myself as one of them. fortuntely, all those superlatives are true. saint etienne, quite simply, is the *best* pop band of the last twenty years.

subpop's 'best of' release (which was hardly necessary given the number of saint etienne 'best of's' out there: 'too you to die, smash the system, etc) is a nice introduction to the band, despite some glaring omissions (how can any 'best of' not include 'you're in a bad way?' criminal!). however, given the breatdth of the saint etienne catalogue (upwards of 300 songs not including remixes -- that'd add another 150 or so), any 'best of' will fall miserably short of truly representing the band's stylistic wanderings and deviations. what's most striking about this collection is how dance-oriented it is. an overwhelming majority of the tracks selected are more suited for dance floor. 'he's on the phone,' 'like a motorway' and 'action,' for example, are prime examples of saint etienne hitting all the right groove-buttons; but saint etienne never rested on their laurels. it would have been easy for st etienne to stand back and keep churning out catchy pop songs (and really, who did it better?).

sadly, some of the et's finest moments ('the process,' 'i buy american records,' 'clark county record fair,' 'california snow story,' 'spring,' 'leafhound,' 'marble lions,' 'former lover,' etc ad naseum) will never reach the casual fan's ears. it's a shame, but i can rest assured that any saint etienne is better than no saint etienne.

in the end, this is a nice intro to those who've never had the experience of hearing the band before; but saint etienne fans, rabid and completist as we are, will most likely buy this for 'fascination' and 'primrose hill' (an acoustic intrumental version of 'soft like me) simply because we have to have it, and doesn't subpop know it. damn them. =)

Just like one reviewer once said about St. Etienne-............2005-06-04

...it's what the pop music SHOULD sound like.
I love Saint Etienne and have been in love with them for a very long time. I love their slow ballads (Carn't sleep), their dancy stuff (Hug My Soul), their instrumental songs (Dunnottar), the experimental (Interlude), and even the spoken samples between the tracks (St. Etienne fans know what I am talking about).
They are pure geniuses and I hope they keep it coming. Just remember- they are a lot more complex than they seem at first. Give them a chance and you will be more than glad.

Great for Etienne Beginners, Less So for Pros.......2005-04-26

OK, from a very pro-Etienne point of view, there are 2 separate reviews that can be written here: one for those new to St. Etienne, and those who are long-time fans.

For those of you who are new to St. Etienne, this is a great introduction. Previous 'Best Of' collections (i.e., Smash the System) are great and more inclusive, but were released before the latest 2 studio albums. This is a great collection that covers the entire span of an incredibly eclectic but unwaveringly good career. As such, if you are only going to buy one St. Etienne CD, this is not a bad choice.

For those who have known and loved St. Etienne for some time, there arise a couple of problems. First are the 2 B-sides that will lure those of us who own all of the other 'best of' songs to buy the new album (myself included) - 'Primrose Hill' is an average instrumental; 'Fascination' is a good (though not great) track, with vintage Etienne sound. The second problem for longtime fans are some of the obvious omissions (Pale Movie, Shower Scene) which may offend the sensibilities of those who care about such things. The liner notes, however, are fantastic and list all Etienne releases (including fanclub-only CDs) and almost necessitate the album's purchase of their own accord.

So, for Etienne beginners and fanatics the album is a must; for those who fall in the middle, it's more difficult to justify.

Music:

Music

music

Music

Brap

From The Musical Tree

Dvorak: Mass in D major / Sacred Songs

In the House [Box set] [Enhanced] [Import]

Help Is on Its Way [Import]

Meditation Music: "The Living Dread Rasta Resiste"

Elmo and the Orchestra

Lubomír Brabec Plays Bach in Antarctica

Electro Mayhem [Import]

Where We Walked (1966-1970)

Go Off!