Smash the System: Singles and More by Saint Etienne (Compilation, Indie Pop): Reviews, Ratings, Credits, Song list - Rate Your Music
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Smash the System: Singles and More
By Saint Etienne
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ArtistSaint Etienne
TypeCompilation
Released17 September 2001
RYM Rating 3.96 / 5.00.5 from 215 ratings
Ranked#23 for 2001, #1,521 overall
Genres
Descriptors
mellow, female vocalist, melodic, atmospheric, rhythmic
Language English
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Track listing

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Previous in discography: Interlude
Interlude
Songs for Mario's Cafe
Next in discography: Interlude

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Issues

2 Issues

2 Issues

Credits

Credits

7 Reviews

fairyeee Aug 11 2010 4.00 stars
Not an extremely solid listening experience, but I can't give less than four to a compilation that includes "Carnt Sleep", "Avenue", "You're in a Bad Way" (still their most obvious 'pop classic'), "Who Do You Think You Are", "Hug My Soul", "He's on the Phone", "Burnt Out Car", "Woodcabin", "Sylvie", "Lose That Girl", "The Bad Photographer", "Goodnight Jack" and "Jack Lemmon." Well, I could, if the compilation also included a lot of crap; and though Smash the System does contain a couple of relatively crappy numbers as well, still that doesn't ruin the whole. "52 Pilot" was interesting to hear: I swear that from the very first second on I was certain that Sean O'Hagan has had something to do with it.
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 Shelter417 Jun 25 2010 4.50 stars
Saint Etienne are one of those bands that's capable of making truly great tracks...but only rarely. So surrounding the perfect pieces of pop that are "People Get Real," "Mario's Cafe," "You're in a Bad Way," and "Pale Movie" are tracks that come depressingly close to being Great ("Spring," "Jack Lemmon"), decent songs ("Kiss And Make Up") and some horrible tunes (a good portion of disc 2).

I guess my 4.5 rating testifies either to my own flawed rating system or the greatness of the, um, great tracks here. Either way, it's a fascinating listening experience, if only because it's so sonically consistent and so aesthetically inconsistent.
Published
RaggaR May 11 2010 4.50 stars
What can i say? Despite of their British background Saint Etienne's way of mixing French orientated music mixed with other music styles such as Dance music makes this "Smash The System: Singles And More" a high quality compilation worth checking out! Guaranteed! A happy realization full of energetic, excellent tracks.
Published
Magic_Moments May 22 2008 4.00 stars
Based on albums like Foxbase Alpha, Tiger Bay, and the close-to-masterpiece So Tough, the first disc include many of the finest moments in pop music of the early 90s, but large parts of the second disc is a little too pale and too disco for my liking. Still, for the occasionally listener this is surely a decent compilation.
Published
vauxhall1964 Nov 07 2007 5.00 stars
simply the finest British pop group of the last 15 years.
Published
Mangopongo May 30 2007 4.50 stars
A must for every pop fan.

Absolute classic: Hobart Paving

Other great tracks: Only Love Can Break Your Heart, Nothing Can Stop Us, Join Our Club, Who Do You Think You Are, Like a Motorway, He's on the Phone, Lost That Girl

Also: Kiss and Make Up, Mario's Cafe, Hug My Soul, Cool Kids of Death, Wood Cabin, Sylvie, The Bad Photographer, Goodnight Jack
Published
Rogier Mar 29 2006 4.00 stars
Cheerful English pop at its best!

"Kiss and Make up" never released on an album is here. As is the last vinyl single I ever bought "Your're in a Bad Way" from the album So Tough .
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Catalog

Ratings: 215
Cataloged: 293
Track rating sets:Track ratings: 7
Rating distribution
Rating trend
Page 1 2 3 4 .. 6 7 .. 9 10 .. 12 13 .. 15 >>
10 Jun 2023
tragic_kingdom  3.00 stars Average Student
29 Mar 2023
MystikSpiral  5.00 stars
21 Feb 2023
Beatniks  4.50 stars
27 Dec 2022
glissenin  3.50 stars the in-laws (1979)
12 Nov 2022
moozymathers  3.00 stars Sonic equation
22 Sep 2022
seisdecadas Digital4.00 stars
16 Jul 2022
Borealiscape CD4.00 stars
8 Jun 2022
RiversideVolume CD▼4.00 stars Very Good
  • 4.00 stars 1.1 Only Love Can Break Your Heart
  • 4.00 stars 1.2 Kiss and Make Up
  • 4.00 stars 1.3 Nothing Can Stop Us
  • 4.00 stars 1.4 Spring
  • 4.00 stars 1.5 Carnt Sleep
  • 4.00 stars 1.6 Filthy
  • 3.50 stars 1.7 Join Our Club
  • 4.00 stars 1.8 People Get Real
  • 3.50 stars 1.9 Paper
  • 4.00 stars 1.10 Avenue
  • 4.00 stars 1.11 Mario's Cafe
  • 4.00 stars 1.12 You're in a Bad Way
  • 4.00 stars 1.13 Archway People
  • 4.00 stars 1.14 Who Do You Think You Are
  • 3.50 stars 1.15 Hobart Paving
  • 4.00 stars 1.16 Pale Movie
  • 4.00 stars 1.17 Hug My Soul
  • 4.50 stars 2.1 Like a Motorway
  • 4.00 stars 2.2 Cool Kids of Death
  • 3.00 stars 2.3 The Process
  • 4.00 stars 2.4 He's on the Phone
  • 4.00 stars 2.5 Angel
  • 3.50 stars 2.6 Burnt Out Car
  • 4.00 stars 2.7 Shad Thames
  • 4.00 stars 2.8 Wood Cabin
  • 4.00 stars 2.9 Sylvie
  • 4.00 stars 2.10 Lose That Girl
  • 3.50 stars 2.11 The Bad Photographer
  • 4.00 stars 2.12 Goodnight Jack
  • 3.50 stars 2.13 Madeleine
  • 4.00 stars 2.14 4.35 in the Morning
  • 3.50 stars 2.15 Jack Lemmon
  • 3.50 stars 2.16 Saturday
  • 4.00 stars 2.17 52 Pilot
9 May 2022
you_destructive  4.50 stars 100 years for me, 1000 years for you
4 Apr 2022
SvetlanaMonsoon  4.00 stars Sponge-Worthy
13 Nov 2021
telescopiez  4.50 stars
9 Nov 2021
fbcaird CD4.00 stars
24 Feb 2021
Starless Digital4.00 stars
11 Nov 2020
HichamVanborm  1.50 stars Bad
5 Jul 2020
suppai  3.50 stars
Cover art for Smash the System: Singles and More by Saint Etienne
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Previous
Next
Previous in discography: Interlude
Interlude
Songs for Mario's Cafe
Next in discography: Interlude
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Track listing

Credits

23 Lists

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    Contributions

    Contributors to this release: jlebre, hextonfool, germannnn, horse_tears, enowilson, owen144, jlynne1219, jkra3168, aslikein, shockadelica, truelovewontwait
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