Saint Etienne – Tiger Bay

The copy of this CD that I have is another variant - with "M1S2" in the runout.

Picked this up in my local record shop recently, I’d only heard ‘Fox Base Alpha’ prior to buying this, I think it’s a belter, and on a beautiful pressing to boot. I do think Sarah Cracknell’s vocals are sublime.

No Like a Motorway remix on 2nd cd? At least there's one on the original. Rick Smith's footprint is all over this song

Lovely reissue, faithful indeed to the original LP.

It's well worth seeking out this pressing, sublime sound quality and a beauty to have in your collection.

My copy had A side labels on both sides of Remains Of The Day, are they all like that or was I just unlucky?

Saint Etienne officially disaproved the Plain Recordings reissues but their hands were tied and weren't even consulted. It's CDs pressed on vinyl.

Regarding previous comments, this is a US-based record label reissuing the US version of "Tiger Bay," which uniquely cut "Western Wind" and added "I Was Born On Christmas Day" and the alternate versions/remixes as bonus tracks. The cover was also unique. So none of this has been changed for this reissue. That said, the label are known for being notoriously bad with quality control, so it's not surprising they went with the only version that they were allowed to license for release - the US albums put out through Warner Bros. The US version was never released on LP, thus this is quite blatantly a pressing from the digital, CD master - they didn't even try to mask that shady move by mimicking the UK version. Had it been "officially" reissued with the oversight of Saint Etienne or their current labels, this would not be the release we see here.

https://www.discogs.com/Saint-Etienne-Tiger-Bay/release/582902

No "Western Wind" but including "I was born on Christmas Day" which is more than a touch out of place. And the sleeve! Pressing at least is good.

Absolute classic, but why change the cover to this mess for the reissue ...?

Those Saints of Etienne, on their 3rd (4th if you don't count SO TOUGH as a double album) album TIGER BAY, get much more cinematic and epic, with more emphasis on the electronics and the strings. That much is immediately evident from "Urban Clearway." But pop sensibility is still strong: "Hug My Soul" and "Cool Kids of Death" have a dancey Euro-sheen to them. But the overall mood seems darker a slower; take a look at "Like a Motorway" and "Pale Movie." For those who like their folksier touches, "Former Lover" and "Western Wind"/"Tankerville" epic are sharp updates of the usual tropes. There are weak tracks, like the dub-based "On the Shore," but these are few. Set sail!