| The Boy with the Arab Strap | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 7 September 1998 | |||
| Studio | CaVa Studios, Glasgow | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 45:27 | |||
| Label | Jeepster / Matador (USA) | |||
| Producer | Tony Doogan | |||
| Belle & Sebastian chronology | ||||
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The Boy with the Arab Strap is the third studio album by Scottish indie pop band Belle & Sebastian, released in 1998 through Jeepster Records.
Belle and Sebastian released their second studio album If You're Feeling Sinister in November 1996, two months after signing to London-based label Jeepster Records. It was issued in the United States in early 1997; the choice to do this delayed the follow-up, with the band instead opting to release a trio of EPs – Dog on Wheels , Lazy Line Painter Jane and 3.. 6.. 9 Seconds of Light (all 1997). The EPs were successively climbing the UK chart while If You're Feeling Sinister was gaining traction at colleges in the US; the band performed in America for the first time at the CMJ Festival in late 1997. [3]
Stuart Murdoch recalled the recording process for this album felt very different from the previous two. The group spent several months working on it versus the previous albums which were recorded in just a number of days. The music itself was somewhat more experimental as well as more collaborative with some tracks written by Stevie Jackson and Isobel Campbell and more members of the group contributing vocals. Stevie Jackson sings lead on both "Seymour Stein" and "Chickfactor", Stuart David gives a spoken word performance on "A Space Boy Dream", whilst Isobel Campbell sings lead on "Is It Wicked Not to Care?" and duets with Murdoch on "Sleep the Clock Around". [4]
The inspiration for the album's name came from the band Arab Strap, who are also from Scotland and briefly toured with Belle and Sebastian. An Arab strap is a sexual device for retaining an erection, a fact unknown to Murdoch at the time. [5] Arab Strap were reportedly less than pleased with their inclusion in the title of the album. When questioned about it, Arab Strap's leader/singer, Aidan Moffat said, "They have a sense of humour." Malcolm Middleton, the band's instrumentalist, added, "Because Arab Strap is quite an interesting name. The words go well together. That's why we chose it as a band name. We're friends with them, but there's a limit to putting someone else's name on an album. They're taking away something from us." He also mentioned that the album had been confused as a collaboration between the bands. [6]
On 20 November 1999, the band made their TV debut, appearing on Apocalypse Tube. [7]
The album's cover photo was taken by Murdoch and shows band member Chris Geddes. The photo was taken as the group spent an afternoon near the River Ayr near Auchencruive. [4]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A− [8] |
| The Guardian |  [9] |
| Los Angeles Times | [10] |
| NME | 8/10 [11] |
| Pitchfork | 0.8/10 (1998) [12] 8.5/10 (2018) [13] |
| Rolling Stone | [14] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [15] |
| Spin | 8/10 [16] |
| The Village Voice | A− [17] |
In October 2011, NME placed the title track at number 130 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years". [18] The album sold 200,000 units through 2006. [19]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "It Could Have Been a Brilliant Career" | 2:24 |
| 2. | "Sleep the Clock Around" | 4:58 |
| 3. | "Is It Wicked Not to Care?" | 3:22 |
| 4. | "Ease Your Feet in the Sea" | 3:35 |
| 5. | "A Summer Wasting" | 2:06 |
| 6. | "Seymour Stein" | 4:42 |
| 7. | "A Space Boy Dream" | 3:00 |
| 8. | "Dirty Dream Number Two" | 4:14 |
| 9. | "The Boy with the Arab Strap" | 5:14 |
| 10. | "Chickfactor" | 3:30 |
| 11. | "Simple Things" | 1:46 |
| 12. | "The Rollercoaster Ride" | 6:36 |
| Total length: | 45:27 | |
| Chart (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| French Albums (SNEP) [20] | 39 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [21] | 7 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [22] | 30 |
| UK Albums (OCC) [23] | 12 |
Belle & Sebastian are a Scottish indie pop band formed in Glasgow in 1996. Led by Stuart Murdoch, the band has released twelve studio albums. They are often compared with acts such as the Smiths and Nick Drake. The name "Belle & Sebastian" comes from Belle et Sébastien, a 1965 children's book by French writer Cécile Aubry later adapted for television. Though consistently lauded by critics, Belle & Sebastian's "wistful pop" has enjoyed only limited commercial success.
Jeepster Records is an English, London-based independent record label, founded in 1995, and specializing in British indie and alternative bands, particularly Glasgow-based acts. It is most notable for its signing of Belle and Sebastian and Snow Patrol.
Tigermilk is the 1996 debut album from Scottish pop group Belle and Sebastian. Originally given a limited release by Electric Honey, the album was subsequently re-released in 1999 by Jeepster Records.
Arab Strap are a Scottish indie rock band whose core members are Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton. The band were signed to independent record label Chemikal Underground, split in 2006 and reformed in 2016. The band signed to Rock Action Records in 2020.
If You're Feeling Sinister is the second album by the Scottish indie pop band Belle and Sebastian. It was released in 1996 on Jeepster Records in the United Kingdom and in 1997 by Matador Records in the United States. It is often ranked among the best albums of the 1990s, including being ranked #14 in Pitchfork's list of Top 100 Albums of the 1990s.
Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant is the fourth album from the Scottish group Belle & Sebastian released in 2000.
Electric Honey was founded in 1992 and is Glasgow Kelvin College's in-house record label run by Ken McCluskey, Douglas MacIntyre and formerly Alan Rankine along with students from the HNC/D Music Business course. The label celebrated its 25th year in 2017 with many events including the release of the debut album "Any Joy" from Scottish six-piece indie rock band; "Pronto Mama."
Dear Catastrophe Waitress is the sixth studio album by Scottish indie pop band Belle & Sebastian, released on 6 October 2003 on Rough Trade Records. Producer Trevor Horn, former member of the Buggles and producer of groups like Yes and Frankie Goes to Hollywood, oversaw the production of the album, and gave it a more polished, pop-friendly sound, which stood in sharp contrast with their previous lo-fi, folky albums. In particular, the danceable track "Stay Loose" proved to be the first in a series of songs that further diverged from their roots.
Dog on Wheels is the debut EP by Belle & Sebastian, released in 1997 on Jeepster Records. The four recordings on the EP actually pre-date the band's début album Tigermilk, produced whilst bandmembers Stuart Murdoch and Stuart David were on the Beatbox music course at Stow College, Glasgow. Murdoch, David and Mick Cooke are the only long-term members to play on the songs, though Cooke only appears on the title track. The drums were supplied by David Campbell, whilst Brian Nugent played flute on "String Bean Jean", and Gerry Campbell, a tutor at Beatbox, provided keyboards on "The State I Am In" and "Belle & Sebastian" as well as lead guitar on "String Bean Jean". Other contributors to the E.P. include Mark McWhirter, Michael Angus and David Mackenzie, though their roles have not been confirmed.
"Legal Man" is the debut single of Scottish indie pop band Belle and Sebastian. The track features Isobel Campbell, Sarah Martin, and Rozanne Suarez on vocals and Snow Patrol drummer Jonny Quinn on congas. The cover artwork—designed by Andrew Symington—features band members Stevie Jackson and Campbell along with Adrienne Payne and Suarez. Two B-sides were released with the single: "Judy Is a Dick Slap", an instrumental, and "Winter Wooskie", which was the last time bass player Stuart David sang lead vocals before departing the band in 2000.
Isobel Campbell is a Scottish singer, songwriter and cellist. She rose to prominence at age nineteen as a member of the indie pop band Belle & Sebastian, but left the group to pursue a solo career, first as The Gentle Waves, and later under her own name. She later collaborated with singer Mark Lanegan on three albums. Her latest studio album, There Is No Other, was released in 2020.
Storytelling is the fifth studio album by Scottish indie pop band Belle and Sebastian. It is the score to the Todd Solondz movie Storytelling. Belle and Sebastian experienced many problems in communication with Solondz while scoring the film, and as such only about six minutes of their music was actually used in the movie. The album contains five tracks that are recorded dialogues. The instrumental track "Fuck This Shit" uses the prosody of the title phrase in a number of different keys but never the words themselves. The album was the band's final release on Jeepster, as they went on to sign a deal with Rough Trade the following year.
The Life Pursuit is the seventh studio album by Scottish indie pop band Belle & Sebastian. It was released in Europe on 6 February 2006 by Rough Trade Records and in North America on 7 February 2006 by Matador Records.
The Green Fields of Foreverland is the first studio album by Isobel Campbell's solo project, The Gentle Waves. It was originally released through Jeepster Records on 5 April 1999.
Swansong for You is the second studio album by Isobel Campbell's solo project, The Gentle Waves. It was originally released through Jeepster Records on 6 November 2000. It peaked at number 13 on the CMJ Radio 200 chart.
Stephen Jackson is a Scottish musician and songwriter. He plays lead guitar and sings in the Glasgow-based indie band Belle and Sebastian.
Stuart David is a Scottish musician, songwriter and novelist. He co-founded the band Belle and Sebastian and was a member from 1996 to 2000, and then went on to front Looper (1998–present). He has published five novels – Nalda Said, The Peacock Manifesto, Peacock's Tale, Jackdaw & the Randoms and Peacock's Alibi – and one volume of memoir, In The All-Night Cafe, chronicling the formation of Belle and Sebastian.
Fans Only is a rockumentary following the development of Belle & Sebastian during their time with Jeepster, from 'If You're Feeling Sinister’ to ‘Storytelling’. It features videos, live performances, interviews, out-takes, TV appearances, early documentary footage, exclusive material and behind the scenes insights into the evolution of the band. The front cover features band member Stuart Murdoch's wife, Marisa Privitera.
Introducing... Belle & Sebastian is an EP released by Belle & Sebastian in 2008 on Jeepster Records. The EP was compiled from the band's earlier material, ranging from their debut in 1996 to 2001.
Belle and Sebastian Write about Love is the eighth studio album by indie pop group Belle and Sebastian, released on 11 October 2010. It was the second collaboration between the band and Tony Hoffer, who had produced their previous album, The Life Pursuit (2006).
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