An extract from Higher Than The Sun looking at how Saint Etienne scored a hit single without anyone realising...
![]( "Saint Etienne - Nothing Can Stop Us")
Perhaps surprisingly, there was less anticipation surrounding Saint Etienne’s projected debut album. In the context of the times, however, this was somewhat more understandable; although at this stage the general public probably still saw little difference between Saint Etienne and the legions of early nineties faceless dance acts, sessions for their debut album – mostly held at Ian Catt’s home studio using an Atari ST computer – had already produced an unexpectedly large volume of material and some very diverse sounds, rooted in the indie dance style but ranging from a folky harpsichord waltz to shimmering guitar noise more typical of the shoegazing bands. One of the more striking tracks was a soul-influenced number built around a sample from Dusty Springfield’s 1967 single I Can’t Wait Until I See My Baby’s Face, and much like Primal Scream's reworking of Slip Inside This House, it had succeeded in transplanting the essence of sixties sounds into a thoroughly modern context.
Stanley and Wiggs had built it up from there into a full song, and were looking for a new guest vocalist when Stanley’s then-girlfriend Celina Nash played them a record by dance act Lovecut db, featuring vocals by her Windsor acquaintance Sarah Cracknell. Though initially seen as just another in their intended revolving door of collaborators, Cracknell – who by this time was thoroughly immersing herself in retro chic – found she had much in common with Stanley and Wiggs, and they in turn were impressed by her immediate grasp of their musical aims. By the time that Nothing Can Stop Us was released as a single in May, she was as good as installed as the third member of Saint Etienne.
For all of its ‘beat boom’ samples and colourful flute flourishes, not to mention a video that consciously pushed the trio as a ‘band’ in a series of psychedelically-tinted comic escapades around Central London , Nothing Can Stop Us– which pushed even closer to the top forty, eventually stalling at number fifty three – was nonetheless released as a double a-side with Speedwell, a more conventional dance track with wordless soulful male vocals , indicating both an eagerness to experiment and a willingness to cater for wider audiences that ‘indie’ was traditionally supposed to exclude . This was even more true of another track that Stanley and Wiggs had recorded with Cracknell, which had recently surfaced on a white label 12” distributed to DJs.
Consciously modelled on Japanese techno-pop, though with a substantial Glam Rock influence, particularly in the backing vocal chants, the catchy and naggingly repetitive 7 Ways 2 Love was clearly a huge hit in the waiting. However, both Stanley and Wiggs were understandably concerned about the effect that something that might be seen as little short of a novelty hit might have on their slowly building reputation, and Heavenly fully agreed . With this in mind, 7 Ways 2 Love was re-recorded with band associates Andrew Midgeley and Janey Lee Grace on vocals, and licensed to major label Arista Records. Credited to Cola Boy, the slightly retitled 7 Ways To Love was an instant radio hit and climbed to number eight in early July . This had the unexpected benefit of creating a flurry of press interest in the fact that Saint Etienne had scored a hit in ‘disguise’, which would afford the band their first ever feature in Smash Hits, though even then they were not quite as able to enjoy its success as fully as they perhaps should have been; lacking the necessary Musicians’ Union membership credentials, Stanley, Wiggs and Cracknell were prevented from participating in Cola Boy’s mimed performance of the track on Top Of The Pops.
![]( "Cola Boy - 7 Ways To Love")
Higher Than The Sun - the story of Screamadelica, Foxbase Alpha, Bandwagonesque, Loveless and Creation Records' first attempt at taking on the world - is available as a paperback here or as an eBook here.
Perhaps surprisingly, there was less anticipation surrounding Saint Etienne’s projected debut album. In the context of the times, however, this was somewhat more understandable; although at this stage the general public probably still saw little difference between Saint Etienne and the legions of early nineties faceless dance acts, sessions for their debut album – mostly held at Ian Catt’s home studio using an Atari ST computer – had already produced an unexpectedly large volume of material and some very diverse sounds, rooted in the indie dance style but ranging from a folky harpsichord waltz to shimmering guitar noise more typical of the shoegazing bands. One of the more striking tracks was a soul-influenced number built around a sample from Dusty Springfield’s 1967 single I Can’t Wait Until I See My Baby’s Face, and much like Primal Scream's reworking of Slip Inside This House, it had succeeded in transplanting the essence of sixties sounds into a thoroughly modern context.
Stanley and Wiggs had built it up from there into a full song, and were looking for a new guest vocalist when Stanley’s then-girlfriend Celina Nash played them a record by dance act Lovecut db, featuring vocals by her Windsor acquaintance Sarah Cracknell. Though initially seen as just another in their intended revolving door of collaborators, Cracknell – who by this time was thoroughly immersing herself in retro chic – found she had much in common with Stanley and Wiggs, and they in turn were impressed by her immediate grasp of their musical aims. By the time that Nothing Can Stop Us was released as a single in May, she was as good as installed as the third member of Saint Etienne.
For all of its ‘beat boom’ samples and colourful flute flourishes, not to mention a video that consciously pushed the trio as a ‘band’ in a series of psychedelically-tinted comic escapades around Central London , Nothing Can Stop Us– which pushed even closer to the top forty, eventually stalling at number fifty three – was nonetheless released as a double a-side with Speedwell, a more conventional dance track with wordless soulful male vocals , indicating both an eagerness to experiment and a willingness to cater for wider audiences that ‘indie’ was traditionally supposed to exclude . This was even more true of another track that Stanley and Wiggs had recorded with Cracknell, which had recently surfaced on a white label 12” distributed to DJs.
Consciously modelled on Japanese techno-pop, though with a substantial Glam Rock influence, particularly in the backing vocal chants, the catchy and naggingly repetitive 7 Ways 2 Love was clearly a huge hit in the waiting. However, both Stanley and Wiggs were understandably concerned about the effect that something that might be seen as little short of a novelty hit might have on their slowly building reputation, and Heavenly fully agreed . With this in mind, 7 Ways 2 Love was re-recorded with band associates Andrew Midgeley and Janey Lee Grace on vocals, and licensed to major label Arista Records. Credited to Cola Boy, the slightly retitled 7 Ways To Love was an instant radio hit and climbed to number eight in early July . This had the unexpected benefit of creating a flurry of press interest in the fact that Saint Etienne had scored a hit in ‘disguise’, which would afford the band their first ever feature in Smash Hits, though even then they were not quite as able to enjoy its success as fully as they perhaps should have been; lacking the necessary Musicians’ Union membership credentials, Stanley, Wiggs and Cracknell were prevented from participating in Cola Boy’s mimed performance of the track on Top Of The Pops.
Higher Than The Sun - the story of Screamadelica, Foxbase Alpha, Bandwagonesque, Loveless and Creation Records' first attempt at taking on the world - is available as a paperback here or as an eBook here.