This was a 2006 fan-club single, featuring "Winter," a synth-poppy love ballad, and "21st Century Christmas," a mid-tempo pop rocker that is a Cliff Richard cover. The band is on record with other Christmas specialties, going back to 1993's single "I Was Born on Christmas Day," which also included the Billy Fury cover "My Christmas Prayer," and, in 12-inch single guise, adding "Snowplough" and "Peterloo." 1995 brought fan club members Xmas '95, a disc with "A Christmas Gift to You," "Driving Home For Christmas" and "Message in a Bottle." The fans also were privvy to Xmas '98, released in January 1999, featuring "I Don't Intend To Spend Christmas Without You" and "Kofi Annan." Then came fan club EP Xmas 2003, featuring "Come On Christmas," "Snow," and "Marcie Dreams of Deptford." The band played a 2006 gig, not recorded, with a mini-set of Christmas favorites, mostly chosen from the above songs but also including "New Year" by the Sugababes. Finally, lurking on a fan club compilation called Asleep at the Wheels of Steel, is the song "Christmas 1936." Nearly all the above Christmas songs turned up on 2010's limited release CD A Glimpse of Stocking, which added seven new Christmas songs to the band's holiday playlist. And none of them are currently available unless you're willing to pay collector's prices. These folks are quite coy about Christmas.
"Through the Winter"/"21st Century Christmas," Saint Etienne (Foreign Office)
This was a 2006 fan-club single, featuring "Winter," a synth-poppy love ballad, and "21st Century Christmas," a mid-tempo pop rocker that is a Cliff Richard cover. The band is on record with other Christmas specialties, going back to 1993's single "I Was Born on Christmas Day," which also included the Billy Fury cover "My Christmas Prayer," and, in 12-inch single guise, adding "Snowplough" and "Peterloo." 1995 brought fan club members Xmas '95, a disc with "A Christmas Gift to You," "Driving Home For Christmas" and "Message in a Bottle." The fans also were privvy to Xmas '98, released in January 1999, featuring "I Don't Intend To Spend Christmas Without You" and "Kofi Annan." Then came fan club EP Xmas 2003, featuring "Come On Christmas," "Snow," and "Marcie Dreams of Deptford." The band played a 2006 gig, not recorded, with a mini-set of Christmas favorites, mostly chosen from the above songs but also including "New Year" by the Sugababes. Finally, lurking on a fan club compilation called Asleep at the Wheels of Steel, is the song "Christmas 1936." Nearly all the above Christmas songs turned up on 2010's limited release CD A Glimpse of Stocking, which added seven new Christmas songs to the band's holiday playlist. And none of them are currently available unless you're willing to pay collector's prices. These folks are quite coy about Christmas.
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