Foxbase Alpha is the debut album by British band Saint Etienne, released in 1991.
The album was recorded in a style which is close to the house music sound of the time, but songs like "Nothing Can Stop Us" and "Wilson" display the group's characteristic love of '60s pop and several samples. Longer songs like "Stoned to Say the Least" and "Like the Swallow" are reminiscent of ambient house akin to The Orb. Like its follow-up So Tough, Foxbase Alph...
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Foxbase Alpha is the debut album by British band Saint Etienne, released in 1991.
The album was recorded in a style which is close to the house music sound of the time, but songs like "Nothing Can Stop Us" and "Wilson" display the group's characteristic love of '60s pop and several samples. Longer songs like "Stoned to Say the Least" and "Like the Swallow" are reminiscent of ambient house akin to The Orb. Like its follow-up So Tough, Foxbase Alpha's songs are bridged by samples from films or by short songs. At the time of recording, Sarah Cracknell was not fully part of group, and as a result she does not sing on "Only Love Can Break Your Heart", which is sung by Moira Lambert.
Foxbase Alpha was shortlisted for the inaugural Mercury Music Prize.
The album includes one of the group's best-known songs: a cover of Neil Young's "Only Love Can Break Your Heart". The cover is relatively faithful to the original but is arranged in 4/4 (as opposed to the original's waltz time), with a driving...
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