Dear Catastrophe Waitress

Dear Catastrophe Waitress
Studio album by Belle & Sebastian
Released	6 October 2003
Recorded	Summer 2003
Studio	Sarm West (London)
Genre	Baroque pop Indie pop twee pop
Length	48:17
Label	Rough Trade
Producer	Trevor Horn
Belle & Sebastian chronology
Storytelling (2002) Dear Catastrophe Waitress (2003) Push Barman to Open Old Wounds (2005)

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	79/100 [1]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Blender	[3]
Entertainment Weekly	C+ [4]
The Guardian	[5]
Mojo	[6]
NME	8/10 [7]
Pitchfork	7.5/10 [8]
Rolling Stone	[9]
Spin	B+ [10]
Uncut	[11]

Dear Catastrophe Waitress is the sixth studio album by the Scottish indie pop band Belle & Sebastian, released on 6 October 2003 on Rough Trade Records. It was produced by Trevor Horn.

"Stay Loose" was released to radio on 24 February 2004. ^[12] The album was nominated for the 2004 Mercury Music Prize, while "Step into My Office, Baby" was shortlisted for an Ivor Novello Award for Best Song. As of 2007, Dear Catastrophe Waitress had sold 138,000 copies in the US. ^[13]

Recording

The producer Trevor Horn became a fan of Belle & Sebastian through his teenage daughter, and particularly admired the lyrics. When the band heard he was a fan, they invited him to produce their new album. They recorded traditionally, rehearsing extensively and then recording live rather than using overdubs. ^[14] Horn, known for using electronic equipment to transform music, was seen as a surprising choice for Belle and Sebastian, who were described by the Guardian as "the last living purveyors of arts-and-crafts indie values". ^[15]

Track listing

Dear Catastrophe Waitress track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Step into My Office, Baby"	4:12
2.	"Dear Catastrophe Waitress"	2:22
3.	"If She Wants Me"	5:05
4.	"Piazza, New York Catcher"	3:03
5.	"Asleep on a Sunbeam" (Sarah Martin and Stuart Murdoch on vocals)	3:22
6.	"I'm a Cuckoo"	5:26
7.	"You Don't Send Me"	3:08
8.	"Wrapped Up in Books" (Stuart Murdoch and Stevie Jackson on vocals)	3:34
9.	"Lord Anthony"	4:14
10.	"If You Find Yourself Caught in Love"	4:15
11.	"Roy Walker" (Stevie Jackson on vocals)	2:57
12.	"Stay Loose"	6:41
Total length:		48:17

Charts

Chart performance for Dear Catastrophe Waitress

Chart (2003)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [16]	88
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [17]	58
French Albums (SNEP) [18]	76
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [19]	64
Irish Albums (IRMA) [20]	25
Italian Albums (FIMI) [21]	46
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [22]	10
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [23]	16
UK Albums (OCC) [24]	21
US Billboard 200 [25]	84

References

1. "Reviews for Dear Catastrophe Waitress by Belle and Sebastian". Metacritic . Retrieved 26 June 2019.
2. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Dear Catastrophe Waitress – Belle and Sebastian". AllMusic . Retrieved 26 February 2016.
3. Wolk, Douglas (November 2003). "Belle & Sebastian: Dear Catastrophe Waitress". Blender (21): 109. Archived from the original on 20 February 2009. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
4. Browne, David (10 October 2003). "Dear Catastrophe Waitress". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on 13 April 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
5. Lynskey, Dorian (3 October 2003). "Belle and Sebastian, Dear Catastrophe Waitress". The Guardian . Retrieved 26 February 2016.
6. "Belle & Sebastian: Dear Catastrophe Waitress". Mojo (120): 123. November 2003.
7. Thornton, Anthony (8 October 2003). "Belle & Sebastian : Dear Catastrophe Waitress". NME . Archived from the original on 6 November 2012. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
8. Plagenhoef, Scott (5 October 2003). "Belle and Sebastian: Dear Catastrophe Waitress". Pitchfork . Retrieved 26 February 2016.
9. Walters, Barry (8 October 2003). "Dear Catastrophe Waitress". Rolling Stone . Retrieved 26 February 2016.
10. Hermes, Will (November 2003). "Liberty Belle". Spin . 19 (11): 109–10. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
11. "Belle & Sebastian: Dear Catastrophe Waitress". Uncut (78): 114. November 2003.
12. "FMQB Airplay Archive: Modern Rock". Friday Morning Quarterback Album Report, Incorporated. Archived from the original on 22 March 2013. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
13. Plagenhoef, Scott (2007). Belle & Sebastian's If You're Feeling Sinister. Bloomsbury. p. 40. ISBN   9781441194909 . Retrieved 7 December 2018.
14. Horn, Trevor (13 October 2022). Adventures in Modern Recording: From ABC to ZTT (first ed.). Nine Eight Books. ISBN   9781788706032.
15. Paphides, Peter (19 October 2003). "Belle & Sebastian, Dear Catastrophe Waitress". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 19 April 2023. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
16. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 28.
17. "Dutchcharts.nl – Belle & Sebastian – Dear Catastrophe Waitress" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
18. "Lescharts.com – Belle & Sebastian – Dear Catastrophe Waitress". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
19. "Offiziellecharts.de – Belle & Sebastian – Dear Catastrophe Waitress" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
20. "Top 75 Artist Album, Week Ending 16 October 2003". GfK Chart-Track. Archived from the original on 2 May 2018. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
21. "Italiancharts.com – Belle & Sebastian – Dear Catastrophe Waitress". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
22. "Norwegiancharts.com – Belle & Sebastian – Dear Catastrophe Waitress". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
23. "Swedishcharts.com – Belle & Sebastian – Dear Catastrophe Waitress". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
24. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
25. "Belle and Sebastian Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 26 June 2021.

External links

• Dear Catastrophe Waitress listing on the band's official site, with credits, liner notes, and links to lyrics.