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You know what it’s like when you meet an old but distant friend sometimes who you may not have seen for a while – you ask yourself if you’re likely to see them again in the near future, or why you left it so long to rekindle the friendship? Maybe even why you were friends with them in the first place?

Well, I had similar feelings about Foxbase Alpha, the debut album from Saint Etienne. Although I liked parts of it, it wasn’t one of my favourites from the London-based trio. I preferred later collections such as You Need A Mess Of Help To Stand Alone, Sound Of Water and Tales From Turnpike House, or even the import-only The Misadventures Of Saint Etienne. And believe me, I love St Et.

But, just as the voice asks ‘What happened there?’ at the end of track five, Girl VII on the new remixed version of Foxbase Alpha, Foxbase Beta, something has; the arrival of the new reworked album has made me regard the remixed early collection of 13 tracks from 1990 as one of the group’s best.

Richard X might have something to do with it. The modern pop producer cited Foxbase Alpha as one of his favourite albums of all time, and after working with the group on This Is Tomorrow and 2009 single Method Of Modern Love, a plan was formulated to re-produce Foxbase Alpha and not so much bring it up to date, but throw off some of its clothes and reveal more of the music behind the 18-year old recordings.

And the Blackburn producer famous for working with such musical luminaries as Annie, Kelis, Sugababes and (ahem) Liberty X has certainly done that. Foxbase Beta sounds so much more, well, sparkly, rejuvenated. Always an album which conjured up images of early morning sunrises and crisp, spring days, it now shimmers, like the morning dew.

More of a companion piece to the original recording, Richard X hasn’t tampered too much with the spirit of the original album. He’s just added more musical and forgotten-about snippets from the original sessions; put absent instruments back; and made the whole thing more Sixties-sounding, and more ‘London’. Sarah Cracknell recorded new vocals for some songs, too, and even they sound brighter.

From the clarity and freshness of Only Love Can Break Your Heart, to the breeziness of Spring, from the Freddie Phillips/Trumpton-inspired London Belongs To Us to the faster-paced bounciness and stomp of Nothing Can Stop Us, he’s worked wonders. Not that there was much wrong before, I just don’t know if I ‘got’ it. I don’t know why I ‘get’ it now, but by Richard X twiddling some knobs, it’s had a hold on me over the past couple of weeks.

Available as a limited edition, numbered two-disc set (I have no. 0428) with the reworked album on one disc and a pithy directors’ commentary and bonus tracks on the other, a single-disc version is also for sale through Rough Trade records. For those who don’t know what master tapes and CDs are, there should be also a digital download album at iTunes, which along with the single-disc version, misses out on the commentary and bonus tracks.

Overall then, Foxbase Beta is a fresher and brighter than ever before version of Foxbase Alpha; a solid five stars. If you’re a Saint Etienne fan, it’s a must for your collection. New yet familiar at the same time, courtesy of Foxbase Beta, Foxbase Alpha has put on its best lippy, pulled on a boob tube, and is ready to go out partying. Like it’s 1990, of course…

The second of the Saint Etienne Deluxe Edition re-issue album packages, and a recording process that started after smash single He’s On The Phone, Continental has, until now, only been available as an expensive import. Only released in Japan in 1997, it’s arguably the most disjointed of all Bob, Pete and Sarah’s long players, but that’s because, it is in effect, a compilation album.

Largely made in the Et’s ‘wilderness years’ of 1996 and 1997, the original release included the band’s highest-positioned UK chart hit He’s On The Phone, a cover of Gary Numan’s Stormtrooper In Drag (surely a contender for the best-ever song title), and demo versions of Can’t Stop Now and Home, tracks from Sarah Cracknell’s excellent debut album Lipslide, which she was recording at the time.

As with the other Deluxe Edition re-issues in this series, the London trio have handpicked some long-forgotten, alternative version, and unreleased gems to make up the second disc in the two-disc package. Where Did Our Love Go, We Could Have It All, and Under Her Spell are all premiered here, alongside gentle B-sides Groveley Road and Is It True and faster flips including How I Learned To Love The Bomb. There’s also a demo version of 2008 re-released single Burnt Out Car (the song originally dates from Continental’s first incarnation), and the France-only single Lover Plays The Bass.

Two of the tracks here also formed part of the 1995 St Etienne Daho release, Reserection. Teaming up with French singing star Etienne Daho, the EP saw tracks from the band re-worked and given Gallic alter egos. Accident became He’s On The Phone (itself a re-working of Daho’s hit Week-End A Rome), while Suburban Autumn Lieutenant was given a new lease of life as Le Basier Français.

Saint Etienne knob-twiddler Bob Stanley likens Continental to being ‘a patchwork more than a compilation, but it all hung together, and a few people thought it was the best thing we’d done.’ While maybe not the latter, Continental more than justifies its place in the Et’s re-released series, tying up many Saint Etienne loose ends at a period when it appeared to the public that nothing much was happening with the band.

Its lack of cohesion is one of Continental’s best points, rounding up those errant bits and pieces of Saint Etienne history. As Kieron Tyler rightly states in the new liner notes that are slipped behind disc two, Continental allows the ‘wilderness years to be redefined as vital to the Saint Etienne story.’ And what of the next stops on the Saint Etienne Deluxe Edition train? So Tough and Sound of Water follow in July.

One easy way that bands make money from their back catalogues is to re-issue old albums in ‘Deluxe Edition’ sets. Throw in an extra track here, gently refreshed artwork there, and you’ve an instant collectible that will have the most ardent fan drooling in anticipation to add to their collection. I’ll admit, I’m disappointingly, a sucker for re-issued albums, as they’re essential to have on the shelf to complete that particular artist or band’s discography.

I’d like to think that Saint Etienne isn’t just in it for easy money, though. Certain people would disagree, but I’ve just taken delivery of the first two of the band’s re-issued releases, and just looking at them, they’re so much more than just a cynical way to make money. Bob, Pete and Sarah have plans to release their whole back catalogue in 2CD, new artwork, bonus track formats, and are even playing each album in its entirety live.

The first Et re-issues (hitting stores on 18 May) are their debut Foxbase Alpha from 1991, and Continental, from 1997. Widely regarded as one of their finest long players, Foxbase Alpha introduced the Saint Etienne sound to the masses, and includes hits such as Only Love Can Break Your Heart and Nothing Can Stop Us. Taking the deluxe edition route, all of the re-packaged CDs are called, er, ‘Deluxe Editions’, and feature unseen photos and memorabilia from the period of their release, as well as plenty of alternative versions of well-known tracks, and most excitingly, a sprinkling of unreleased songs.

On Foxbase Alpha, the hitherto understudies include Sally Space (which the band had all but forgotten about), the very ‘90s sounding Chase HQ, and The Reckoning, surely inspired by soundtrack supremo John Barry. There’s also the dub-tastic Speedwell and Winter in America, the wistful Parliament Hill and the 12�? version of early hit Kiss and Make Up (alongside a Sarah Cracknell version). This little lot, the other bonuses and the original re-mastered album proper should ensure there’s something for everyone.

Sounding fresh even after 18 years, Foxbase Alpha is clearly a fan favourite; the band had to recently add another live date to their album tour schedule to accommodate disappointed groupies. The Saint Etienne Deluxe Editions come in slipcases and plastic wallets, while Foxbase Alpha also comes as a very special edition box set, limited to 1,000 copies. Go grab yourself a slice of pop history.

It seems fitting that as the birds sing in the trees once more and the first signs of spring are on the way, another Saint Etienne album should be with us, as to these ears, the sunny shiny pop produced by this threesome suits that season best. No, I know this collection is not totally new, and just (another) ‘Best of’, but it’s the one that’s worth waiting for. And wait for it we have. Scheduled for a release in October, but put back until 16 February due to a fault at the pressing plant in Germany, my copy has been order for over four months.

As the group’s fourth greatest hits collection (though only two were ‘official’ releases), London Conversations is definitively not a singles package, more of a ‘Favourite of’, hand-picked by the group. All the important singles are there of course, but along with B-sides and obscure foreign releases, the 36-track issue spans two discs, or three if you order the release with the videos DVD thrown in (often described as a London-based band, the ‘London’ part of the collection’s title is more than evident in the the visual third disc).

The music more than speaks for itself. From the instantly recognisable Only Love Can Break Your Heart, to the infamous and dance-tinged He’s On The Phone (which gave the band their biggest hit, peaking at No 11), London Conversations is mostly made up of the Et’s finest work. The haunting ballad that is Hobart Paving cries on the shoulders of the trip-hop Avenue and Heart Failed (In The Back Of A Taxi), while the disco-lite Sylvie shimmies up to all out pop numbers such as You’re In A Bad Way and Who Do You Think You Are. The skiffle-esque Side Streets also gets a look in.

Of course, the electronic sound which has characterised the band’s later material is here, too. How We Used To Live and Action are perfect slices of modern electronica, while the latest Richard X-penned single, Method Of Modern Love, is surely one of the band’s career-defining and shiniest pop moments. Film theme This Is Tomorrow is a different version to the recently released cut, while Lover Plays The Bass is a French-only single A-side, found here in digital quality for the first time.

As with previous releases, the group pays as much attention to their artwork as they do their music, and London Conversations is one of their best efforts yet. The 3-disc set comes in a hardback book format, with lovingly made cardboard pages holding the audio CDs and DVD. With thoughtfully written sleeve notes, and wonderful contemporary magazine covers and images from their past, Bob, Pete, and Sarah’s history is laid out for all to see. Beautifully crafted, natch, just like the songs themselves.

Never being accepted into the mainstream and sitting on the indie fringes is perhaps Saint Etienne’s biggest virtue. The die-hard fans are almost a secret society, and this collection won’t necessarily appeal to them due to the lack of unreleased or new material, although I more than enjoyed revisiting the group’s back catalogue once more. What London Conversations most definitely is though, is a wonderfully talkative introduction to the band, and says a great deal about their 18-year musical journey.

So fickle is the world of pop. Or maybe it’s me. Two short weeks ago, I virtually hailed Lily Allen’s recent chart topper The Fear as the best track of 2009 so far, all the time knowing that my actual favourite song of the year was to hit the shelves today. Regular readers will know of my fondness for London-based Saint Etienne, so it’s no surprise that I’m greatly anticipating their latest offering, Method of Modern Love. I have been making do with a 30-second clip pilfered from Popjustice since December after all.

The electro-popsters’ releases aren’t prolific, the most recent single being Burnt Out Car, last September. So, when something new hits the online and download shops, it’s big news for their fans. Such was the case for MoML, which has been released on two CDs and old school collectable 7�? vinyl. Why such big news? Limited to 1500 copies of each format, 500 versions of every physical release have been signed by a member of the band.

Available from the Et’s online record store, it was, typically and predictably, pandemonium on the day of the track’s release for ordering. The website crashed and pages were lost, as eager buyers tried to secure hand numbered copies signed by Sarah, Bob, and Pete. Limiting the pressings to 1,500 of each format was bad enough, but through perseverance and luck, we managed to get a set. However, whether or not it will be one of the signed sets remains to be seen. Fingers crossed.

Is the song worthy of such huge demand? The emphatic answer is yes. A perfect slice of Noughties electronica, a bouncy, galloping bassline with layered synths backs up Sarah Cracknell’s smooth, soft, and silky vocals, which form around a very catchy chorus. I thought Burnt Out Car was one the band’s forgotten gems (the track originally dates from 1995), and the new version one of the musical highlights of 2008. But this ranks with their classic stuff from the early 1990s, and is quite possibly the best thing they’ve ever done.

Backed with This is Tomorrow, from the film with the same name about the Royal Festival Hall, MoML sums up Saint Etienne to a tee. The threesome have been recording the best shiny, sunny pop for over 18 years now, and have rarely disappointed. A somewhat farce to get hold of by the method of madness through which it was sold, yes, but MoML is a modern Saint Etienne classic, and a fitting addition to the band’s timeless and melodic back catalogue, which I’m looking forward to exploring again when London Conversations, Saint Etienne’s latest greatest hits album, finally hits the digital and physical record store shelves next week.