Belle & Sebastian are a Scottish band who are well known to the minorities. Readers of the music press will have undoubtedly heard their name mentioned. The Belle & Sebastian buzz seems to spread via word of mouth rather than anything else, and their second LP, "If You're Feeling Sinister" has sold over 40,000 in this way. No massive marketing budget needed, as this melodic group are so good they don't appear to need it. Influences include the similarly melodic Nick Drake, and their debut LP Tigermilk underlines this. Belle & Sebasitan look set to become bigger, even with the ignorance of radio stations prevaling.
Belle & Sebastian are:
Stuart Murdoch, Stevie Jackson, Stuart David, Richard Colburn, Sarah Martin, Chris Geddes, Mick Cooke, Isobel Campbell.
Belle & Sebastian started out by recording a limited edition LP for a college project. The LP was called Tigermilk. Most were given away free to friends, or sold at live shows. Some were sold via mail order, but they couldn't actually get rid of them - they thought they would be stuck with them forever. Eventually they got a distribution deal and the LP made it into the shops. Finally all the copies sold out, and then a strange thing happened. Suddenly, everybody wanted a copy. Without warning, this LP had become one of the most collectable items ever. The Belle & Sebastian word had spread. People were listening. If you are looking for an original copy, a good price would be around £120, but then you would be lucky.
Belle & Sebastian and their record company, Jeepster, have now re-issued Tigermilk on CD and Vinyl. The album was released on July 12th in the UK, and preceeds the fourth studio album from the band, which is set to be released around the turn of the century.
"If You're Feeling Sinister" has now sold in the region of 40,000 copies, 
not bad for a (relatively) unheard of group! Music lovers worldwide have discovered the greatness of Belle & Sebastian, as have I. I must admit, I only dicovered B & S mid 1997, some time after their first album proper came out. I hope long term fans do not resent me for this, as I would like to share this fantastic music with as many people as possible. One thing is left to say : Go out and buy their stuff! First try "If You're Feeling Sinister" on Jeepster records, which is easy to get hold of. Then try the four EPs, "Dog On Wheels", "3..6..9...Seconds Of Light", "Lazy Line Painter Jane" and "This Is Just A Modern Rock Song". Then, if you are as hooked as me, get "Tigermilk" and "The Boy With The Arab Strap" as well.
The Boy With The Arab Strap, the group's thrid LP, was released on the 7th September 1998. The album shot into number 12 in the UK Album chart, a remarkable achievment for a supposedly 'uncommercial' group. The album is a more diverse affair compared to "If You're Feeling Sinister", and this helps make for another great album. The standout tracks, for me, are : A Summer Wasting, Sleep The Clock Around, The Rollercoaster Ride and Dirty Dream Number Two.
Belle & Sebastian - Tigermilk (Click here to purchase) 1) The State I Am In
2) Expectations
3) She's Losing It
4) You're Just A Baby
5) Electronic Renaissance
6) I Could Be Dreaming
7) We Rule The School
8) My Wandering Days Are Over
9) I Don't Love Anyone
10) Mary Jo
Belle & Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister (Click here to purchase)
1) The Stars Of Track And Field
2) Seeing Other People
3) Me And The Major
4) Like Dylan In The Movies
5) The Fox In The Snow
6) Get Me Away From Here, I'm Dying
7) If You're Feeling Sinister
8) Mayfly
9) The Boy Done Wrong Again
10) Judy And The Dream Of Horses
Belle & Sebastian - The Boy With The Arab Strap (Click here to purchase)
1) It Could Have Been A Brilliant Career
2) Sleep The Clock Around
3) Is It Wicked Not To Care?
4) Ease Your Feet In The Sea
5) A Summer Wasting
6) Seymour Stein
7) A Space Boy Dream
8) Dirty Dream Number Two
9) The Boy With The Arab Strap
10) Chickfactor
11) Simple Things
12) The Rollercoaster Ride
Belle & Sebastian - Dog On Wheels (Click here to purchase)
1) Dog On Wheels
2) The State I Am In
3) String Bean Jean
4) Belle & Sebastian
Belle & Sebastian - Lazy Line Painter Jane (Click here to purchase)
1) Lazy Line Painter Jane
2) You Made Me Forget My Dreams
3) Photo Jenny
4) A Century Of Elvis
Belle & Sebastian - 3..6..9 Seconds Of Light (Click here to purchase)
1) A Century Of Fakers
2) Le Pastie De La Bourgeoisie
3) Beautiful
4) Put The Book Back On The Shelf
Belle & Sebastian - This Is Just A Modern Rock Song (Click here to purchase)
1) This Is Just A Modern Rock Song
2) I Know Where The Summer Goes
3) The Gate
4) Slow Graffiti
You can buy all the above from CDnow (click below), the prices are surprisingly cheap.
Vote Results
Since February I have been asking you for your favourite B & S songs. Because I am starting university, the vote will be temporarily stopped. It will be resumed again soon. The favourite song so far is Get Me Away From Here, I'm Dying with a massive 51 votes. Click here to view all of the votes cast (as of 15th/September/99).
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