You Need a Mess of Help to Stand Alone (album)
You Need a Mess of Help to Stand Alone is the first compilation album released by British band Saint Etienne, released in 1993. It compiles singles and b-sides released by the group during the period 1990 to 1993, most notably the non-album singles; "Kiss and Make Up" (1990), "Speedwell" (1991), "Join Our Club/People Get Real" (1992) and "Who Do You Think You Are" (1993). The compilation's title is derived from the song of the same name by the Beach Boys.
| You Need a Mess of Help to Stand Alone | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | November 1993 | |||
| Recorded | 1990-1993 | |||
| Genre | Indie pop, ambient house, synthpop, electronica | |||
| Length | 49:02 | |||
| Label | Heavenly Records (HNLP7) | |||
| Producer | Saint Etienne | |||
| Saint Etienne chronology | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
Receiving good reviews, the compilation was released in November 1993 as on CD, Cassette and LP formats. Artwork was designed by Anthony Sweeney with photography by Aude Prieur and James Fry. Before its release as a standalone compilation album, the disc was originally packaged in a 2CD limited edition reissue of So Tough (HVNLP6CDX).
All tracks have since been released on other compilations and deluxe editions of the group's studio albums rendering the compilation technically obsolete.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Stanley and Wiggs; except where indicated.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Who Do You Think You Are" | Des Dyer, Clive Scott | 3:55 |
| 2. | "Archway People" | 3:21 | |
| 3. | "California Snow Story" | 4:20 | |
| 4. | "Kiss and Make Up (Extended Version)" (Featuring Donna Savage) | Robert Wratten, Michael Hiscock | 6:19 |
| 5. | "Duke Duvet" | 3:12 | |
| 6. | "Filthy" (Featuring Q-Tee) | Stanley, Wiggs, Mais | 5:31 |
| 7. | "Join Our Club" | 3:17 | |
| 8. | "Paper" | Sarah Cracknell, Maurice Deebank | 4:09 |
| 9. | "People Get Real" | 4:45 | |
| 10. | "Some Place Else" | 3:42 | |
| 11. | "Speedwell" | 6:31 |
- Tracks 2, 3 and 5 are b-sides to "You're In A Bad Way"
- Tracks 8 and 10 are b-sides to "Avenue"
- Track 6 is the b-side to "Only Love Can Break Your Heart"
- Track 11 is the b-side to "Nothing Can Stop Us"
Personnel
The liner notes list the album's personnel as follows:
- Debsey - additional vocal ("Who Do You Think You Are")
- Donna Savage - vocal ("Kiss and Make Up")
- Q-Tee - vocal ("Filthy")
- Aude Prieur - booklet photography
- James Fry - Saint Etienne picture
- Anthony Sweeney - design
- Author Unknown - liner notes (extract from Brian Clough, Folk Hero)
References
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