Saint Etienne have revealed the artwork and tracklisting for their current single, "Tonight".As you can see from the image above, the photo captures the spirit and excitement of attending a gig by your favorite band. Also, it's an homage to The Specials as it is reminiscent of the cover art to their EP, "Too Much Too Young". Because ver Et are sticklers for detail, the photograph was also taken at a gig by The Specials.
"Tonight" will be available on March 12. It will be released on 7", 12" and as a digital download bundle. The physical configurations are being limited to 1,000 copies each. Once they are gone, no more will be pressed. Snatch yourself a copy tout de suite!
The tracklisting for the 7" single features "Tonight" on the a-side and a cover of "Manhattan" which was originally recorded by Scott Walker in his latter day period. Saint Etienne first released it in 2009 as part of "Scott Walker - 30th Century Man", a collection of Mr. Walker's finest moments as interpreted by contemporary artists.
The 12" and DL will include mixes from 2 Bears and Club Clique while Richard X turns in an old school, 1980s style extended version. Huzzah! Someone has answered my prayers.
However, it unsettles me that a CD single won't be released. Surely, their fans would prefer a shiny CD over the less viable 7" single. Why not issue four formats? Have the chart rules shifted once again? Certainly, there is a way to make it as collectable as the other formats.
Hey Vinny,
ReplyDeleteAs a music industry insider, can you tell me why acts like PSB, New Order, etc. stopped doing classic extended mixes in the early '90's? It seems to me that Saint Etienne have the right idea - have a classic '80's style extended mix and a couple of more modern remixes.
With the advent of house and garage in the late 80s, it became more acceptable to remix the bejesus out of tune to be acceptable in the clubs. As that style took hold, a full out remix package became the norm for the 12" single.
DeleteSimply put, extended versions fell out of style. I, for one, am happy to see them make a comeback.
Sigh. I grieve for the death of CDs. 29 years ago I would have hardly believed that they'd be pushed aside for -gasp- vinyl. I'm with Warren Cann on this topic. When CDs were finally prevalent, he could hardly believe that we were dependent on vinyl for so long. It seemed so… backward. But the CD was a perfect blend of specs and physical presence and durability. Downloads are fleeting and evasive if temporarily ubiquitous. They're here, there, everywhere. Cloud-dwelling ghosts of music that never fully materialize and can't be touched.
ReplyDeleteYou know I agree with you wholeheartedly on this one. Remember when the labels completely abandoned the 7" single? Full stop. Didn't even give it a second thought. Until they realized they could make money on them again.
DeleteMark my word, the CD single will see a resurgence as a collectible item. Nostalgia and greed go hand in hand.