Tales from Turnpike House
Encyclopedia
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
.
, 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?. However, Sarah Cracknell has said that the building imagined in the album is "not nearly as smart" as the real Turnpike House. Bob Stanley has said that he imagined the album's setting to be more suburban, "probably somewhere like Croydon
or possibly Ponders End
". 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
). However, the title of "The Birdman of EC1" refers to the postal district in which the real Turnpike House is located.
("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
).
and preceded by a single for "Side Streets" on . In the United States, the album was released 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.
Lightning Strikes Twice was mooted as a potential second single on the official website with a Xenomania Mix mentioned.
with
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...
. Is a concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
in which the songs depict characters who all live in the eponymous block of flats in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
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 RoadGoswell Road
Goswell Road is a road in the south of the London Borough of Islington. It runs north from the border of the City of London through Clerkenwell, crossing Old Street to The Angel....
, EC1, an area of ex-council blocks between Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell is an area of central London in the London Borough of Islington. From 1900 to 1965 it was part of the Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury. The well after which it was named was rediscovered in 1924. The watchmaking and watch repairing trades were once of great importance...
and Upper Street
Upper Street
Upper Street is the main shopping street of the Islington district of inner north London, and carries the A1 road. It runs from the junction of the A1 and Pentonville Road and City Road, and runs roughly northwards past Angel tube station, then past the Business Design Centre, then splits at...
.link The band had spent a lot of time in Turnpike House, as filmmaker Paul Kelly
Paul Kelly (film maker)
Paul Kelly is an English film director, musician, photographer and designer.-Music:The son of an RAF fighter pilot - he took up flying aged fourteen, making his first solo flight on his seventeenth birthday. However, a passion for music and electric guitars eventually led him to follow a musical...
lived there during the period in which they were collaborating on What Have You Done Today, Mervyn Day?. However, Sarah Cracknell has said that the building imagined in the album is "not nearly as smart" as the real Turnpike House. Bob Stanley has said that he imagined the album's setting to be more suburban, "probably somewhere like Croydon
Croydon
Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...
or possibly Ponders End
Ponders End
Ponders End is a place in the London Borough of Enfield, North London located in an area generally known as the Lea Valley. It is roughly located in the area either side of Hertford Road between The Ride and the Boundary Public House and Wharf Road and the Southbury railway station/Kingsway...
". 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
Park Hill Recreation Ground
Park Hill Recreation Ground is a park near the centre of Croydon, London, managed by the London Borough of Croydon. It runs from Barclay Road to Coombe Road beside the railway line, with the main entrances on Water Tower Hill and Fairfield Road...
). 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 XenomaniaXenomania
Xenomania is a British songwriting and production team founded by Brian Higgins and based in Kent, England. Formed after Higgins met Miranda Cooper, Xenomania has written and produced for renowned artists such as Cher, Kylie Minogue, Dannii Minogue, Pet Shop Boys, and Sugababes...
("Lightning Strikes Twice" and "Stars Above Us
Stars Above Us
Stars Above Us is a single from the band Saint Etienne. Taken from the album Tales from Turnpike House, It was released in the US only by record label Savoy Jazz. The single was released under the mis-leading title Dance Remixes Volume 1....
") as well as a guest vocal from 1970s pop star David Essex
David Essex
David Essex OBE is an English musician, singer-songwriter and actor. Since the 1970s, Essex has attained nineteen Top 40 singles in the UK , and sixteen Top 40 albums...
on "Relocate" (Essex had earlier appeared on the Saint Etienne album So Tough
So Tough
- CD: Warner Bros. / 9 45166-2 :- CD: Warner Bros. / WPCP-5209 :- CD: Heavenly / HVNLP6CDDE :- Personnel :The liner notes list the album's personnel as follows:...
via sampled dialogue from the film That'll Be the Day
That'll Be The Day (film)
That'll Be the Day is a 1973 British film starring David Essex and Ringo Starr, written by Ray Connolly and directed by Claude Whatham. It is set in the late '50s/early '60s and was partially filmed on the Isle of Wight. A sequel, Stardust, was released in 1974.-Plot summary:Jim MacLaine's mother...
).
Releases
Tales from Turnpike House was released on Sanctuary RecordsSanctuary Records
Sanctuary Records Group Limited was a record label based in the United Kingdom and a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Until June 2007, it was the largest independent record label in the UK and the largest independent music management company in the world...
and preceded by a single for "Side Streets" on . In the United States, the album was released by Savoy Jazz
Savoy Records
Savoy Records is an American record label specializing in jazz, R&B and gospel. Starting in the mid 1940s, Savoy played an important part in popularizing bebop.Savoy Records is an American record label specializing in jazz, R&B and gospel. Starting in the mid 1940s, Savoy played an important part...
. Initial quantities of the UK release came with a bonus EP of children's music
Children's music
Children's music is used here to refer to music composed and performed for children by adults. In European influenced contexts this means music, usually songs, written specifically for a juvenile audience. The composers are usually adults. Children's music has historically held both entertainment...
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
Nu jazz
Nu jazz is an umbrella term coined in the late 1990s to refer to music that blends jazz elements with other musical styles, such as funk, soul, electronic dance music, and free improvisation...
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
Jeremy Deller
Jeremy Deller is an English conceptual, video and installation artist. He is a Turner Prize winner.Deller is best-known for his Battle of Orgreave , a reenactment of the actual Battle of Orgreave which occurred during the UK miners' strike in 1984.-Life and work:Jeremy Deller was born in London,...
in October 2010.
Track listing
Up the Wooden Hills
Japan Release
The Japan release inserts two B-sides from the "Side Streets" single in the middle of the track listing.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".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.Singles
- "Side Streets" (6 June 2005)
- "A Good Thing" (31 October 2005), later featured on the soundtrack to the 2006 Pedro AlmodóvarPedro AlmodóvarPedro Almodóvar Caballero is a Spanish film director, screenwriter and producer.Almodóvar is arguably the most successful and internationally known Spanish filmmaker of his generation. His films, marked by complex narratives, employ the codes of melodrama and use elements of pop culture, popular...
film VolverVolverVolver is a 2006 Spanish dramatic comedy film written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar. Headed by actress Penélope Cruz, the film features an ensemble cast starring Carmen Maura, Lola Dueñas, Blanca Portillo, Yohana Cobo, and Chus Lampreave...
. - "Stars Above Us" (Released as "Dance Remixes Vol. 1" - U.S. only EP) (February 28, 2006)
Lightning Strikes Twice was mooted as a potential second single on the official website with a Xenomania Mix mentioned.
Personnel
Saint Etienne are:- Pete WiggsPete WiggsPete 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...
- Bob StanleyBob Stanley (Saint Etienne)Bob Stanley is a UK musician, film producer and journalist.-Saint Etienne:Stanley is best known as a member of the pop/dance group Saint Etienne for which he co-writes songs and produces...
- Sarah CracknellSarah CracknellSarah Cracknell is an English pop singer who fronts the band Saint Etienne and is known for her light, smooth singing voice. She is the daughter of Stanley Kubrick's first assistant director Derek Cracknell.-Career:...
with
- David EssexDavid EssexDavid Essex OBE is an English musician, singer-songwriter and actor. Since the 1970s, Essex has attained nineteen Top 40 singles in the UK , and sixteen Top 40 albums...
- additional vocals - Shawn LeeShawn LeeShawn Lee , born Lee Chuang Rui, is a Singaporean actor. He first came into prominence for his award-winning performance alongside his friend and co-star Joshua Ang in the box office hit I Not Stupid.-Background and career:...
- Help - Hugh McDowellHugh McDowellHugh McDowell is an English cellist best known for his membership in Electric Light Orchestra and related acts.-Career:...
- Help - Tony RiversTony RiversTony Rivers is an English singer, best known for singing with the groups Tony Rivers and the Castaways and Harmony Grass. He also sang on albums by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, Roger Daltrey, Shakin' Stevens and Cliff Richard.Rivers went to Raine's Foundation School in Bethnal Green...
& Anthony Rivers - Vocal arrangements and all male harmony vocals.