Molly confessed:

And I cried during two of the songs. Prize to anyone who can guess which two.

My vote goes to 'The Boy with the Arab Strap' and 'Is it Wicked not to Care?' Did anyone else spot Stuart whisper 'That was gorgeous' to Isobel after she finished the song in London? I think it was that, although I'm not a professional lip reader. It might have been 'Gosh that last line is pish - you know I only allowed it on the album to make my line about stroke victims wetting themselves for the last time look good'. I don't quite see why that line is so good, Martin. But then I always thought that 'Keeping her face in a jar that she keeps my the door' was pretty overrated too. Actually, to add weight to the argument that not everyone agrees about which songs rule and which are poor, I don't much like ICHBABC at all. Seems a bit B&S by numbers to me. If every album has to start with an unaccompanied vocal, I'd prefer 'instant classic' 'A Summer Wasting'. In fact, I think this problem that Brad, Duke and Co. have with the cohesiveness of the album could be solved with some judicious track order rearranging. 'Simple Things' definitely seems out of place too. But what do I know? What I Know, by Nicholas Dastoor 'Sleep the Clock Around' makes me go all funny. I never cared much for the session version, but now it sounds like the most singular, butterflies-inducing recording in the history of pop music. When I heard it for the first time it made me feel like the band were pointing the way to an extraordinarily ambitious, expectation-confounding album. It didn't quite work out that way, but still, what a track. The song 'The Boy with the Arab Strap' is, as I'm sure you all know, so exciting and clever all at once that it makes me cry (see above). But what you might not know is that it is best heard on a Walkman striding through the London Underground system. I had an elaborate gag worked out to poke fun at that review that complained that the Nick Drake lift was a sign that the band were turning into rock-reverence bores. However, our man in Spain has somewhat stolen my thunder, so I shan't bother. Instead I shall simply attempt to score rock-reverence points by pointing out the Rolling Stones references in the not-quite-up-to-scratch 'Chick Factor'. I had lots of fun in Leeds. When did all this autograph hunting go on? After a trip to the the loo I lost everyone for a bit then spotted dreamy Keith doing his thing in the Nothern Soul room. Up I gamboled and joined in, and it was a while before I looked up and realised that I was dancing with half the band. There's a thing, I thought. Didn't speak to them, although I did offer the grumpy keyboardist a cigarette, which he accepted with a shrug. Or maybe it was a frug. Hello to everyone I met - you are all very sweet. Sarah said I was an ace dancer, for which she gains extra points. Stuart Gardiner owes me a tenner for which he loses points. I hung around till long after everyone had gone away so I could catch the first train home, because I am a cheapskate and also wanted to see how hard I was. I am sad that I was too busy being a social butterfly that I didn't get a chance to see anyone from the list in London. The sound was fine at the front. Next time, to ensure everyone gets a chance to hear the songs *and* look up Mick's kilt, I suggest we form a human pyramid, with Sarah and her wand at the top. I probably agree that unless the band are to turn into rock beasts, devise elaborate dance routines, or abandon their habit of playing musical chairs betwen songs, any venue larger that this would not be work very well. Bring on the boats. Never mind audiophile production values. To me, the dangerous signs of professionalism are most clearly shown by the blatant use of PHOTOCOPIERS to produce multiple set lists for the band. This must stop. Stuart Murdoch was giving me the eye throughout, and gave me a michievous look whilst delivering the line `Ooh, I'll settle down with some old story about a boy who's just like me'. This might not be true. Nick xxx _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list please mail "sinister@majordomo.net". To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to "majordomo@majordomo.net". For list archives and searching, list rules, FAQ, poor jokes etc, see http://www.majordomo.net/sinister +---+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" +---+ +-+ "the cardie wearing biscuit nibbling belle & sebastian list" +-+ +----------------------------------------------------------------------+