Sinister: FAQ list again...

[Keith Watson]

Belle and Sebastian : Frequently asked Questions

1. What is Tigermilk, where can I get a copy?

Tigermilk is the bands first album and was released around about May 1996.
It was released as part of a Stow College
course whereby Alan Rankine (of the Associates) fronts up the cash to
record a single every year, although with
Belle and Sebastian they decided that there was enough material for an
album, hence Tigermilk. There were only 1000
copies pressed and so the record is worth a lot of money now. The band have
always mantained that Tigermilk will
be re-released at some point, and this will definitely be the case,
currently some time in 1999.

2. Who is the guest singer on Lazy Line Painter Jane?

The female singer on Lazy Line Painter Jane is Monica Queen, formerly of
countryish Glasgow band Thrum. Thrum
released a record a few years ago, about 1994 I think.
Last I heard she was recording with her own band which is called "Monica",
or at
least that's what it was called in February 1997.

Here's a list of releases.
"Purify" 7", "Thrum" / "Here I am" / "So glad" 12"/CDs
and the "Rifferama" LP/CD

3. What is "Elvis" in A Century of Elvis.

No-one knows bar the author really, but it's probably a cat, perhaps a
tortoise, maybe actually Elvis, maybe it's
Tortelvis from Dread Zeppelin who knows, and to be quite honest, who cares.

4. Who is in the band...

Stuart Murdoch - singing guitar, trumpet apparently now, for the twin lead
trumpet effect.
Isobel Campbell - singing, cello, various
Sarah Martin - violin, weird things
Stevie Jackson - Guitar, piano, singing.
Stuart David - Bass
Mick Cooke - Trumpet, various
Chris Geddes - keyboards
Richard Colburn - Drums

Neil Robertson has been known to play bass on Stuart David's "Spaceboy
Dream", which brings me on to...

5. What other bands have members of Belle and Sebastian involved in?

There's quite a number of things here. I'm sure it's not complete either,
it's just what I can remember off hand.

Chris Geddes :
currently V-Twin and Golden Rodeo (think that's what they're called).
Has played on Arab Strap records. V-Twin have released two singles (to my
knowledge), Gifted, and
a 12", In the land of the Pharoes.

Mick Cooke :
Used to play with Hardbody, who released two singles on Epic (On your own,
Hazel's hob). Now plays with the Karelia
and the Amphetameanies. Has also played on releases by Mojave 3,
Ex-Cathedra. Probably others too.

Stuart Murdoch :
Played on releases by Polarbear and Arab Strap.
Previously : (Early) Digger$, Lisa Helps The Blind, Rhode Island.

Richard Colburn :
Has played with Polarbear/Snowpatrol

Isobel Campbell :
Has played on Arab Strap records, also played on the Snowpatrol record and
sings her own songs.

Stuart David :
Stuart David has a side project called "Looper". There has been one single
released on Sub-pop singles club called
"Impossible things" and there is an album planned.

6. What records have been released?

Tigermilk (LP) May 1996
If you're feeling sinister (LP) November 1996
Dog on Wheels (EP) April 1997
Lazy Line Painter Jane (EP) June 1997
3,6,9 Seconds of Light (EP) October 1997
The Boy with the Arab Strap (LP) September 1998

7. What's that song at the end of the 3,6,9 seconds of light EP called.

It's called "Songs for Children".

8. What about all these unreleased songs that people keep belting on about
in order to make themselves look smart?

Pocketbook Angel
London has let me down
Hurley's having dreams

These are little demos of old songs that will as far as we know, never
ever be released as Belle and Sebastian.

Loneliness of the middle distance runner
Modern Rock song
Rhoda

People around the place have tapes of various different versions of
these, they've been kicking around for a while
and they may well be released reasonably soon, there are numerous different
versions
of the Loneliness of the middle distance runner.

I Know where the summer goes
The Gate

These two will probably be a part of the next single... Which they are, as
the next single contains

This is just a modern rock song
The gate
I know where the summer goes
Slow Graffiti

Here's another piece by Peter Miller :

One of the rarest Belle and Sebastian related recordings is a home produced
demo of "To Sir With Love", the Lulu song from the film of the same name.
The recording features the plaintive voice of Stuart Murdoch alone with his
Casiotone keyboard, and is rumoured to be heartbreakingly beautiful. From
the same recording session comes one of Murdoch's earliest attempts at
songwriting, but no one can remember what it's called. It mentions "She Made
Me Realise" by My Bloody Valentine. Efforts to locate these recordings have
proved unsuccesful so far.


9. What sessions have they done on the radio?

The first session was around about September 1996 here Mark Lamarr sat in
for Mark and Lard at night... They played

Judy and the dream of horses
Like Dylan in the movies
The State that I am in
The stars of track and field

The second was about February 1997 on Mark + Lard's program again and
they played :

I could be dreaming
Seeing other people (slow version)
We rule the school
Modern Rock song

The third was on Steve Lamacq's evening session and they played :

Lazy Line Painter Jane
Sleep the clock around
Slow Graffiti
Seymour Stein

They did one of Stevie Jackson's tracks "Wrong Love" one night when the
evening session was live from Glasgow. Apparently this is now called "Wrong
Girl", will it be
called "Wrong Sheep" at some point in the future?

The fourth less well known session was on Peter Easton's Radio Scotland
music program where he played :

The Loneliness of the middle distance runner
Slow Graffiti
Modern Rock song.



10. Who is Tigermilk dedicated to?

Tigermilk is dedicated to Lawrence Bradby, who's a friend of Stuart's. I
dunno how frequently asked this question
is, but it certainly was asked frequently recently as regards a competition
on French radio.



11. Are Belle and Sebastian twee?

No, they rock.



12. Dog on Wheels, what's the story there then? Well it's not really Belle
and Sebastian on that EP, as you'll see if
you have a look at who played on it. Here's the story:

All the songs on the EP were recorded some
time, either at the end of '95, or start of '96, at Beat Box studios, which
is where Stuarts Murdoch and David were doing a doley sound engineering
course at the time. Pretty much everyone who plays on it were on the course
as well, apart from Mick. One of the guys who ran the studio was Alan
Rankine, of Stow College, and Electric Honey Records, which is where he
came in.

  So hopefully that'll put an end to the word of loads of hoary old session
musicians playing on it, just kids who
were on the course. Makes the recording of that EP sounds less like an
episode of Rock School doesn't it.


13. Le Pastie de la Bourgeousie - what does it translate as? Apparently,
what it's supposed to translate as
is "The Apathy of the Upper Class", however it doesn't, so we're told by
reliable French people... Doh! And yes it
was sprayed on the wall at Charing Cross for a while, it's in the video for
Dog on Wheels, there was another graffiti
of the same thing done by a bloke from the Yummyfur apparently, next to
Greggs the Bakers on Byres road.


14. Who's on the covers of the records?

Tigermilk : Joanne Kenney
If you're feeling sinister : Ciara MacLaverty
Dog on Wheels : Joanne Kenney
Lazy Line Painter Jane : Thea Martin
3,6,9 Seconds of Light : Stuart Murdoch and Victoria Morton
The Boy with the Arab Strap : Chris Geddes


15. Are there any differences between UK and US versions of any of the
records?

No, apart from the fact that the UK pressing of "The Boy with the Arab
Strap" is slightly heavier vinyl than
the US version. Basically - you'd have to be a bit sad to buy them both.


Many thanks to Andreas Hering, Mick Cooke, Chris Leonard, Philippe Garnier
and Peter Miller for help with this.

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