Saint Etienne are an English band from London, formed in 1990. The band consists of Sarah Cracknell, Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs. They became associated with the UK’s indie dance scene in the 1990s, beginning with the release of their debut album Foxbase Alpha in 1991. Their work has been described as uniting 1990s club culture with 1960s pop and other disparate influences. The name of the band comes from the French football club of AS Saint-Etienne.
During the early 1990s the group enjoyed extensive coverage in UK music weekly papers NME and Melody Maker and gained a reputation as purveyors of “pure pop” in the period immediately prior to the Brit-Pop explosion. So Tough reached No. 7 in the UK Albums Chart. Their most popular singles of this period were “You’re in a Bad Way” and “Join Our Club” (which reached No. 12 and No. 21 in the UK Singles Chart).
A Glimpse of Stocking is a fan club-only release by Saint Etienne. It includes every Christmas song recorded by the band and contains seven exclusive new songs. “Gonna Have A Party”, “Welcome Home”, “Snowbound on the Southbank”, “Fireside Favourite”, “No Cure for the Common Christmas”, “Wintertime Love” and “Unwrap Me” are exclusive to this record.
This limited release album wasn’t too surprising for those already fans of Saint Etienne. It was a fun collection of past fan releases and covers of other Christmas songs, in the standard style anyone came to expect from the band. But only 3,000 copies were made, and for an extra expense, buyers could get a signed Christmas card and a personalized song.
