Tales from Turnpike House

Tales from Turnpike House
Studio album by Saint Etienne
Released June 13, 2005 (2005-06-13)
Recorded 2005
Genre Synthpop, alternative rock, house
Length 44:11
Label Sanctuary
Savoy Jazz
Producer Saint Etienne, Ian Catt, Xenomania
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Saint Etienne chronology
Travel Edition 1990-2005
(2004)		 Tales From Turnpike House
(2005)		 Nice Price
(2006)
Singles from Tales from Turnpike House
  1. "Side Streets"
    Released: June 6, 2005 (2005-06-06)
  2. "A Good Thing"
    Released: October 31, 2005 (2005-10-31)
  3. "Stars Above Us"
    Released: February 28, 2006 (2006-02-28)

Tales from Turnpike House is an album by British pop group Saint Etienne. Is a concept album in which the songs depict characters who all live in the eponymous block of flats in London.

Contents

Setting

The exact setting of the stories told by the album's setting is somewhat amorphous. The real Turnpike House is a high-rise block of flats in Goswell Road, EC1, an area of ex-council blocks between Clerkenwell and Upper Street.link The band had spent a lot of time in Turnpike House, as filmmaker Paul Kelly lived there during the period in which they were collaborating on What Have You Done Today, Mervyn Day?.[1] However, Sarah Cracknell has said that the building imagined in the album is "not nearly as smart" as the real Turnpike House.[2] Bob Stanley has said that he imagined the album's setting to be more suburban, "probably somewhere like Croydon or possibly Ponders End".[3] Pete Wiggs has said that his experience of living in Croydon was the inspiration for "Side Streets" and "Slow Down at the Castle" (the Castle is a water tower in Park Hill Recreation Ground).[4] However, the title of "The Birdman of EC1" refers to the postal district in which the real Turnpike House is located.

Collaborations

The album features two tracks co-written and producted by Xenomania ("Lightning Strikes Twice" and "Stars Above Us") as well as a guest vocal from 1970s pop star David Essex on "Relocate" (Essex had earlier appeared on the Saint Etienne album So Tough via sampled dialogue from the film That'll Be the Day).

Releases

Tales from Turnpike House was released June 13, 2005 (2005-06-13) on Sanctuary Records and preceded by a single for "Side Streets" on June 6, 2005 (2005-06-06). In the United States, the album was released January 24, 2006 (2006-01-24) by Savoy Jazz. Initial quantities of the UK release came with a bonus EP of children's music entitled Up the Wooden Hills. The band felt that music for young children under seven was fed into unexceptional pop music, and wanted to make music that children and parents could enjoy together. 2-disc editions of the U.S. release included instead the Savoy Nu Groove Sampler, containing six tracks from various Savoy Jazz releases, including "Side Streets" from the album itself.

As part of the reissue programme of all Saint Etienne's album Tales from Turnpike House was rereleased in a deluxe double CD edition featuring unreleased material and sleevenotes by Jeremy Deller in October 2010.

Track listing

British Release
No. Title Length
1. "Sun in My Morning"   2:41
2. "Milk Bottle Symphony"   4:03
3. "Lightning Strikes Twice"   3:45
4. "Slow Down at the Castle"   4:42
5. "A Good Thing"   4:00
6. "Side Streets"   2:56
7. "Last Orders for Gary Stead"   4:28
8. "Stars Above Us"   3:24
9. "Relocate"   3:09
10. "Bird Man of EC1"   2:47
11. "Teenage Winter"   5:45
12. "Goodnight"   2:31

Up the Wooden Hills

Bonus CD to the British Release
No. Title Length
1. "You Can Count On Me"   3:58
2. "Barnyard Brou Ha Ha"   0:59
3. "Let's Build a Zoo"   2:34
4. "Excitation"   2:12
5. "Bedfordshire"   3:58
6. "Night Owl"   2:05

Japan Release

The Japan release inserts two B-sides from the "Side Streets" single in the middle of the track listing.

Japanese Release
No. Title Length
1. "Sun in My Morning"   2:41
2. "Milk Bottle Symphony"   4:03
3. "Lightning Strikes Twice"   3:45
4. "Slow Down at the Castle"   4:42
5. "A Good Thing"   4:00
6. "The Leyton Art Inferno"   2:22
7. "Got a Job"   2:01
8. "Side Streets"   2:56
9. "Last Orders for Gary Stead"   4:28
10. "Stars Above Us"   3:24
11. "Relocate"   3:09
12. "Bird Man of EC1"   2:47
13. "Teenage Winter"   5:45
14. "Goodnight"   2:31

U.S. release

The U.S. release rearranged the track listing considerably, adding some songs while removing others. "I'm Falling" is a B-side from the second single, "A Good Thing".

U.S. Release
No. Title Length
1. "Side Streets""   2:56
2. "A Good Thing"   4:00
3. "Sun in My Morning"   2:41
4. "Milk Bottle Symphony"   4:03
5. "Dream Lover"   3:32
6. "Lightning Strikes Twice"   3:45
7. "Slow Down at the Castle"   4:42
8. "Oh My"   4:02
9. "Last Orders for Gary Stead"   4:28
10. "I'm Falling"   4:22
11. "Stars Above Us"   3:24
12. "Teenage Winter"   5:45
13. "Goodnight"   2:31

2010 Deluxe Edition

The 2010 deluxe edition included the original UK release of the album and a second disc composed of rare and unreleased material.

Tales from Turnpike House deluxe edition second disc
No. Title Length
1. "Murder in E Minor"    
2. "Take Me Home (On A Pushbike) (Previously Unreleased)"    
3. "Another Cup Of Coffee (Previously Unreleased)"    
4. "School Run (Previously Unreleased)"    
5. "You Can Judge A Book By Its Cover"    
6. "Who Pays The Rent (Previously Unreleased)"    
7. "Woodhenge (Previously Unreleased)"    
8. "Got A Job"    
9. "Must Be More (Previously Unreleased)"    
10. "Holiday Song (Previously Unreleased)"    
11. "The Leyton Art Inferno"    
12. "Missing Persons Bureau"    
13. "Inside the Hive (Previously Unreleased)"    
14. "Aqualad (Previously Unreleased)"    
15. "Book Norton"    
16. "Quiet Essex"    

Singles

Lightning Strikes Twice was mooted as a potential second single on the official website with a Xenomania Mix mentioned.

Personnel

Saint Etienne are:

with

References

  1. ^ Liner notes to the Deluxe Edition of Tales from Turnpike House.
  2. ^ Liner notes to the Deluxe Edition of Tales from Turnpike House.
  3. ^ Liner notes to the Deluxe Edition of Tales from Turnpike House.
  4. ^ Liner notes to the Deluxe Edition of Tales from Turnpike House.
Saint Etienne
Studio albums
Foxbase Alpha • So Tough • Tiger Bay • Good Humor • Sound of Water • Finisterre • Tales from Turnpike House • Foxbase Alpha Deluxe Edition
Compilations
Other releases
Singles
"Only Love Can Break Your Heart" • "Kiss and Make Up" • "Nothing Can Stop Us" • "Join Our Club" • "Avenue" • "You're in a Bad Way" • "Hobart Paving" • "Xmas 93" • "Pale Movie" • "Like a Motorway" • "Hug My Soul" • "He's on the Phone" • "Sylvie" • "The Bad Photographer" • "Lose That Girl" • "Lover Plays the Bass" • "How We Used to Live" • "Heart Failed (In the Back of a Taxi)" • "Boy is Crying" • "Action" • "Shower Scene" • "Soft Like Me" • "Side Streets" • "A Good Thing" • "Stars Above Us" • "Burnt Out Car" • "Method of Modern Love"
Films
Finisterre • What Have You Done Today Mervyn Day? • This is Tomorrow
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