Upcoming SubPop 20: I’m Still Waiting
posted by on May 9 at 10:41 AM
“What the hell could you be waiting for?” you ask.
I remember being in the home of former president of SubPop, Rich Jensen, back in 1998 when he announced to me that the label was signing a record deal to distribute the next few albums by the London band Saint Etienne.
I don’t know what he was expecting from me. A passive, “Cool.” Or maybe the reaction that I’m sure the deal got in the rest of the SubPop office, “Who?”
But by the look on my face, he must have known that SubPop had performed a coup that many other small labels were shooting for that year. I was beaming from ear to ear and started jumping around like a little girl who received a bottle drinking/urinating doll at christmas. What a wonderful surprise. I was ecstatic!
SubPop, the label known for it’s aggressive indie, grunge and hard-fucking-rock was signing the most important pop band to come out of London in the last 2 decades. A band that can reflect, remark on the unique culture of London and create history with the turn of a simple phrase.
My autographed copy of Good Humor/Fairfax High. Did I mention liner notes by Douglas Coupland?
So that year saw the release of the watershed in Saint Etienne’s oeuvre, Good Humor/Fairfax High, their amazing and unique double album (now available only as a single disc - just Good Humor). It is essentially the most pop album ever released in SubPop’s history, and as such, I believe is the first time, before Postal Service, that SubPop made it onto club play charts with the first single, “Sylvie”.
“Sylvie” performed live on Top Of The Pops. (Second SubPop band to perform on the venerated british chart show after Nirvana.)
The album was produced by Tore Johansson, who was coming off big hits for The Cardigans, who at the time were starting the wave of Scandinavian bands that would soon be crashing our shores. It was a brilliant time in the history of SubPop, and for their trouble, we got 2 tours of Saint Etienne to hit our city in the following years as the released the Places To Visit EP, the thrilling futuristic Sound Of Water (produced with help by Berlin mini-tech masters To Rococo Rot) and the fantastic re-mastered best of package Travel Edition 1990-2005.
It has been 10 years since this brilliant album was released. nearly 8 years since Saint Etienne has toured anywhere near the Northwest.
SubPop, it is time you honored this band and that album in particular. Fly Saint Etienne to Seattle for your 20th celebrations, and re-release Good Humor/Fairfax High in its full glory once again.
SubPop 20: I’m still waiting to get excited. Give me something to get ecstatic about. Again.
Are you serious????
Or are you high?
I wanna see Thornetta Davis and Big Chief headlining this shindig.
absolutely. totally. serious.
Speaking of waiting, why the fuck aren't The Walkabouts on the SP20 menu?
I'm hoping for Fruit Bats and Holopaw, but it's still gonna be a great time.
I remember thinking when this came out that it was absolute shite compared to Tiger Bay and Fox Base Alpha. St. Etienne shouldve called it a day around 1995. Love these guys but theyve been turning out drivel for 12 years.
I agree. The addition of the Vaselines is absolutely epic, but this (and Velocity Girl) would put that show over the edge. I've never seen Saint Etienne, but thinking about them doing "Kiss and Make Up" live is making me incredibly giddy right now.
On a side note, I put on the first disc of "Smash the System" a few days ago at the record store I work out and nearly started a riot. Everyone freaked the hell out and pulled the thing before it was even halfway through. The people I work with are idiots, apparently.
Why *are* the Walkabouts not playing this?
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