I Could Be Dreaming: the Belle and Sebastian song-by-song, album-by-album thread

They've made videos for at least three of the songs ("Arab Strap", "Wandering Days" and another which escapes me at the moment) which are on YouTube. "Arab Strap" is particularly entertaining

 

FYI Nice Day For a Sulk is indeed on the CD release. It's the antepenultimate track on CD1.

 

You are, of course, correct. But there was a song that we were discussing a while back that wasn't on it. Might have to go trawling.

 

I’m pretty sure it was just that one missing from the vinyl. Though it wouldn’t be a massive surprise if Japan got a load of bonus tracks.

 

Damn those Japanese! Stealing our bonus tracks!

 

Well I’ve listen to the album once and I must say that it is a very good live album and much better than the Irish album that came out on the BBC set in 2008. Mainly it has a really really nice sound and his performance is really up: it’s also edited so that, even though it is drawn from a number of concerts it almost sounds as if it’s one show. It’s really an excellent overview. It also does show very clearly the tracks that we’ve been talking recently up,

What I mean is that there is an undeniable brilliance and magic about those early tracks that really shines through on this concert.

4/5

 

As I have said before, and will continue to say, Brian McNeill and B&S is a great combination. In my opinion, despite it obviously not being new material, this is their best album since Write About Love. It's somewhat ironic that they've gone from being a great studio band who were utterly shambolic live to being a largely underwhelming band in the studio who put on a great live show. I really must make an effort to see them live when gigs are allowed again

 

I haven't heard this album yet, but I do intend to get it because the only time I've seen them live was also in 2019 so the performances might be similar and resonate with me.

Japan CD got Century Of Fakers and Expectations as bonus tracks.

 

F’s sake. I wasn’t even being serious. 2 bonus tracks!

 

Our average for What To Do In Summer:

4 (two votes)

 

Today's song is "Protecting the Hive":


Protecting The Hive' is a two-part collaboration by Belle and Sebastian that collates lyrics contributed by fans at the band's invitation, about their thoughts and feelings while in self-isolation, and funnels them to collaborative music works.

Images & Editing by Kenny MacLeod
Narrated by Stuart Murdoch and Alessandra Lupo
Music by Chris Geddes
Cello: Sarah Willson

Written by Andrea Keklak Tracy Wilson Anaís Badilla Sebastian George Anjie Cao Ana Acosta Juliette Pétriat Saydat Naser Hande Akgün Michael Bird Marc Stone Melissa Ann Cook Annabel Nijhof Brenna Ehrlich

 

Also today: "Can't Smile Without You", a cover of the barry Manilow song released on The Boaty Weekender, Vol. 1. Unfortunately it doesn't stream and I have never heard it.

 

Also today, perhaps unnecessarily, "Shh, Chi", by Citezen Bravo Raymond MacDonald and Friends -- Stuart being, presumably one of the friends. I also don't see this one on YouTube.

 

And that wraps up the thread: in the next few days I'm going to post all the song/album scores today plus amend the last playlist to add the highest rated songs from the last few weeks -- there weren't enough to make a nother playlist.

One thing that strikes me from watching that "Protecting the Hive" video is that Belle and Sebastian still are very much a living, current band and I'm sure there will be new music soon. At which time I will definitely post here again. Until then, feel free to post here whatever you want about Belle and Sebastian, we can turn this into a B&S appreciation thread...there are tons of live videos and the like on YouTube that haven't really been a part of this thread.

I'd like to thank all of you for participating: I know that the last few months have seen a loss of enthusiasm on my part and I sense it in many of you as well, but we still got through it! The fact is, B&S may have waned from the glory days but they are still a vital, talented band capable of startling me with astonishing pop beauty and even when they don't their music is never less than well-written and pleasant.

 

I'll give the video above a 5, just because.

Chris Geddes' music is actually quite nice.

 

Nice idea, but I'd never play it again - 2/5.

 

I'm hoping that they surprise us sometime this year. And not with their jazz odyssey

 

They are definitely recording something, I just hope it’s not a soundtrack to an imaginary film.

 

Thanks for keeping it going, especially through the hard times (I.e. side projects)

 

Protecting The Hive is sort of, well, sort of. Best intentions and all that. 3/5

 

I'm going to kick off my "favourite tracks" scenario with the Jeepster EPs, which are handily collected together on the double CD "Push Barman To Open Old Wounds"

Dog On Wheels EP

String Bean Jean (I would have picked The State I Am In, but that is done better on Tigermilk)

Lazy Line Painter Jane EP

Lazy Line Painter Jane (obviously)

3 . . . 6 . . . 9 Seconds of Light EP

La Pastie De La Bourgousie (although Century of Fakers is a close second)

This Is Just A Modern Rock Song EP

This Is Just A Modern Rock Song (although every track on this one is excellent)

Legal Man

Judy Is A Dick Slap

Johnathan David

Take Your Carriage Clock And Shove It (although the title track is a close second)

I'm Waking Up To Us

I'm Waking Up To Us (the b sides are pants, frankly, in my opinion)

 

What to Look For In Summer

I had only played the odd sample track from this previously. Despite fair warning, I only listened to it yesterday and didn't have time to listen to the whole thing so had to come back for the rest today. Excuse my tardiness.

I am genuinely surprised how good this is, which shows how hard it has been to overcome my breakdown in faith in the band in the early 2000s, when I last saw them live. As I have said before, I felt they "rose without trace", becoming too clean, proficient, boring and mainstream. Through this thread my faith has been somewhat restored in them as songwriters, with a cluster of really good songs particularly on the last two proper albums. But as a live act? Surely crowdpleasing banality still prevailed.

But no! These are really good performances from a band instrumentally on fire. Particularly impressive are the piano and organ flourishes, presumably from Chris. The feel is much more organic sounding than on their post-Jeepster records and it makes me think they should try recording the next record live in the studio. Or at least the instumental backing tracks.

Highlights: "If She Wants Me", "If You're Feeling Sinister", and just because it's a surprise and a pleasure to hear it at all, "Belle and Sebastian"

The bloc of 1995-6 songs in a row is an interesting choice and does get me a bit nostalgic.

The arrangement of "Before the Sunrise" is indeed a vast improvement, as discussed earlier, but it feels like it needed more rehearsal, or to be transposed to an easier key to sing in, as someone is seriously off-key (probably Stevie, if not all of them). Stevie also a bit rough on "The Wrong Girl". I think I prefer his voice when he sings lower.

The songs I disliked before I still dislike despite creditable versions: "I Can See Your Future" (though I see I was relatively polite about that when we did the album, but it was so hard to pick out highlights of that farrago- the one B & S album I have not come round to), "Nice Day For A Sulk", "Stay Loose", and "Poor Boy".

Generally the songs they picked from the recent albums were not my favourites from those albums, but the tracklisting is mostly quite random and unexpected in general and I like that about it: it avoids the predictability of too many live sets and live albums and proves B&S's strength in depth of repertoire.

No revelations but "Little Lou etc." and "I Didn't See It Coming" were more tolerable without antiseptic production and Norah Jones, and will be my preferred versions.

Interesting coda to "The Boy With the Arab Strap", but I have finally realised I can no longer listen to this song. It's been spoilt for me by overexposure combined with excessive catchiness (not their fault).

I liked the patter, though I didn't catch it all on this single listen.

4/5

 

Protecting the Hive -luscious. 4/5

 

Although Chris is the main keyboard player he is often joined by either Sarah, Sarah Wilson and/or Dave McGowan; and that's as well as Stuart's piano forays.

 

My picks:

Dog On Wheels EP

Belle and Sebastian (on the same reasoning that "The State I Am In" is better in the Tigermilk version)

Lazy Line Painter Jane EP

Lazy Line Painter Jane

3 . . . 6 . . . 9 Seconds of Light EP

La Pastie De La Bourgeoisie

This Is Just A Modern Rock Song EP

Slow Graffiti

Legal Man

Legal Man

Jonathan David

Take Your Carriage Clock And Shove It

I'm Waking Up To Us

I Love My Car