Bob Stanley (Saint Etienne)
Encyclopedia
Bob Stanley is a UK
musician
, film
producer and journalist
.
/dance
group
Saint Etienne
for which he co-writes
song
s and produces
. Live on stage, he normally plays keyboards
.
writing for amongst others NME
, Melody Maker
, Mojo
, The Guardian
and The Times
. After leaving school, Stanley worked in various record shops. While working at Virgin Records in Peterborough
he met Andrew Midgley, who later fronted the 1991 side-project Cola Boy. Stanley and Midgley produced a fanzine called Pop Avalanche in 1986. They then produced their own fanzines; Stanley wrote four issues of Caff with childhood friend Pete Wiggs
. In 1987 he sent one to James Brown
, then live reviews editor for NME. This led to Stanley's first commissioned work, a review of a Johnny Cash
show in Peterborough. After two years he moved to Melody Maker, where he wrote regularly until Saint Etienne became a full time occupation in 1991. He wrote occasionally for The Face and Mojo in the 1990s. In the 2000s he has returned to journalism and contributes regularly to The Times and The Guardian. He has also written liner notes for many reissues, including box-sets by Joe Meek
, Sandie Shaw
and The Searchers
. In 2007 with Paul Kelly
he edited Match Day, a book of football programme artwork. He is currently working on his second book, due to be published in 2012.
in 2002, Stanley, Wiggs and frequent collaborator Paul Kelly made a film to accompany the record. The resulting film, also called Finisterre, was described in The Observer
as a "cinematic hymn to London". It premiered at the ICA
in London and was screened around the world by one dot zero. In 2005 the band and Kelly were invited by the Barbican to create a film and music event, for which they made What Have You Done Today Mervyn Day, a drama-documentary set in the Lower Lea Valley
, the site for the 2012 Olympic Games. In 2007 their third London film, This Is Tomorrow
, a history of the Southbank Centre, was premiered with a live performance, including a 60-piece orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall.
Stanley has curated several film seasons for the Barbican, including Gonna Make You A Star (a series of pop documentaries) and Britain Learns to Rock (early British Rock'n'Roll movies).
called Caff
, which released 17 7" singles, all limited to 500 copies, including early singles
by the Manic Street Preachers
and Pulp
. Between 1992 and 1994, Stanley and Saint Etienne bandmate Pete Wiggs
ran the indie label Icerink Records. The most notable act to emerge from this endeavour was the girl-group Shampoo
. In 1996, Stanley ran EMIDisc, again alongside Wiggs
, backed by EMI Director of A&R Tris Penna. The label was to be an EMI sub-label devoted to new talent. The label was short-lived and the only major act to emerge was Kenickie
. Stanley and Wiggs currently have a cd imprint called Eclipse through Universal.
and soul
. With Wiggs, he ran a club called Don't Laugh in the mid-1990s in Maida Vale. Cherrybomb, a girl-group night in Bloomsbury, ran from 2006–2009.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
producer and journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
.
Saint Etienne
Stanley is best known as a member of the popPop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
/dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
group
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
Saint Etienne
Saint Etienne (band)
Saint Etienne are an English Pop group comprising Sarah Cracknell, Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs. They are named after the French football team AS Saint-Étienne.-History:Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs were childhood friends and former music journalists...
for which he co-writes
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
s and produces
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
. Live on stage, he normally plays keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
.
Journalism
He has had a long parallel career as a music journalistMusic journalism
Music journalism is criticism and reportage about music. It began in the eighteenth century as comment on what is now thought of as 'classical music'. This aspect of music journalism, today often referred to as music criticism , comprises the study, discussion, evaluation, and interpretation of...
writing for amongst others NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
, Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
, Mojo
Mojo (magazine)
MOJO is a popular music magazine published initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer, monthly in the United Kingdom. Following the success of the magazine Q, publishers Emap were looking for a title which would cater for the burgeoning interest in classic rock music...
, The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
and The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
. After leaving school, Stanley worked in various record shops. While working at Virgin Records in Peterborough
Peterborough
Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...
he met Andrew Midgley, who later fronted the 1991 side-project Cola Boy. Stanley and Midgley produced a fanzine called Pop Avalanche in 1986. They then produced their own fanzines; Stanley wrote four issues of Caff with childhood friend Pete Wiggs
Pete Wiggs
Pete Wiggs is an English musician and DJ.-Saint Etienne:Pete Wiggs is a member of the pop/dance group Saint Etienne for which he co-writes songs, produces and plays keyboards on stage...
. In 1987 he sent one to James Brown
James Brown
James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
, then live reviews editor for NME. This led to Stanley's first commissioned work, a review of a Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
show in Peterborough. After two years he moved to Melody Maker, where he wrote regularly until Saint Etienne became a full time occupation in 1991. He wrote occasionally for The Face and Mojo in the 1990s. In the 2000s he has returned to journalism and contributes regularly to The Times and The Guardian. He has also written liner notes for many reissues, including box-sets by Joe Meek
Joe Meek
Robert George "Joe" Meek was a pioneering English record producer and songwriter....
, Sandie Shaw
Sandie Shaw
Sandie Shaw is an English pop singer, who was one of the most successful British female singers of the 1960s. In 1967 she was the first UK act to win the Eurovision Song Contest...
and The Searchers
The Searchers
The Searchers may refer to:* The Searchers , a 1956 American movie** The novel it was based on, by Alan Le May* The Searchers , a music group* The Searchers , a 2009 Iranian television show* A comic from Caliber Comics...
. In 2007 with Paul Kelly
Paul Kelly
Paul Kelly may refer to:* Paul Kelly , United States criminal and founder of the Five Points Gang* Paul Kelly , US stage and screen actor* Paul Kelly , US soul singer-songwriter...
he edited Match Day, a book of football programme artwork. He is currently working on his second book, due to be published in 2012.
Film
While recording the album FinisterreFinisterre
Finisterre, Finisterra, Fisterra, or Finistère may refer to:Places* Cape Finisterre , headland in Galicia, north-west Spain, the Southern landfall of the Bay of Biscay...
in 2002, Stanley, Wiggs and frequent collaborator Paul Kelly made a film to accompany the record. The resulting film, also called Finisterre, was described in The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
as a "cinematic hymn to London". It premiered at the ICA
Institute of Contemporary Arts
The Institute of Contemporary Arts is an artistic and cultural centre on The Mall in London, just off Trafalgar Square. It is located within Nash House, part of Carlton House Terrace, near the Duke of York Steps and Admiralty Arch...
in London and was screened around the world by one dot zero. In 2005 the band and Kelly were invited by the Barbican to create a film and music event, for which they made What Have You Done Today Mervyn Day, a drama-documentary set in the Lower Lea Valley
Lower Lea Valley
The Lower Lea Valley is the southern end of the Lea Valley, surrounding the River Lea , which runs along the boundary of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets on its western bank and the London Boroughs of Waltham Forest and Newham on its eastern bank, into the River Thames. The river forms the...
, the site for the 2012 Olympic Games. In 2007 their third London film, This Is Tomorrow
This is Tomorrow
This Is Tomorrow was a seminal art exhibition in August 1956 at the Whitechapel Art Gallery, facilitated by curator Bryan Robertson. The core of the exhibition was the ICA Independent Group.-History:...
, a history of the Southbank Centre, was premiered with a live performance, including a 60-piece orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall.
Stanley has curated several film seasons for the Barbican, including Gonna Make You A Star (a series of pop documentaries) and Britain Learns to Rock (early British Rock'n'Roll movies).
Record labels
In the late 1980s/early 1990s he briefly ran a record labelRecord label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
called Caff
Caff Records
Caff Records was a short lived British independent record label run by Bob Stanley of the band Saint Etienne. The label went by the name Caff, Caff Records and Caff Corporation. Established in 1989, it is most noted for single releases by Pulp and the Manic Street Preachers...
, which released 17 7" singles, all limited to 500 copies, including early singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
by the Manic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers are a Welsh alternative rock band, formed in 1986. They are James Dean Bradfield, Nicky Wire, Richey Edwards and Sean Moore. The band are part of the Cardiff music scene, and were at their most prominent during the 1990s...
and Pulp
Pulp (band)
Pulp are an English alternative rock band formed in Sheffield in 1978. Their lineup consists of Jarvis Cocker , Russell Senior , Candida Doyle , Mark Webber , Steve Mackey and Nick Banks ....
. Between 1992 and 1994, Stanley and Saint Etienne bandmate Pete Wiggs
Pete Wiggs
Pete Wiggs is an English musician and DJ.-Saint Etienne:Pete Wiggs is a member of the pop/dance group Saint Etienne for which he co-writes songs, produces and plays keyboards on stage...
ran the indie label Icerink Records. The most notable act to emerge from this endeavour was the girl-group Shampoo
Shampoo (band)
Shampoo were a British all-girl band in the 1990s, formed by Jacqui Blake and Caroline "Carrie" Askew. They were most famous for their hit song, "Trouble".-History:...
. In 1996, Stanley ran EMIDisc, again alongside Wiggs
Pete Wiggs
Pete Wiggs is an English musician and DJ.-Saint Etienne:Pete Wiggs is a member of the pop/dance group Saint Etienne for which he co-writes songs, produces and plays keyboards on stage...
, backed by EMI Director of A&R Tris Penna. The label was to be an EMI sub-label devoted to new talent. The label was short-lived and the only major act to emerge was Kenickie
Kenickie
Kenickie were a four-piece rock band from Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England. The band were formed in 1994 and consisted of lead vocalist, guitarist and lyricist Lauren Laverne , drummer Johnny X , lead guitarist and occasional vocalist Marie du Santiago and bass guitarist Emmy-Kate Montrose...
. Stanley and Wiggs currently have a cd imprint called Eclipse through Universal.
DJ career
Stanley is known for his large collection of vinyl records. When Saint Etienne are between projects, he DJs, playing generally 1960s and 1970s pop musicPop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
. With Wiggs, he ran a club called Don't Laugh in the mid-1990s in Maida Vale. Cherrybomb, a girl-group night in Bloomsbury, ran from 2006–2009.