There’s been a new Belle and Sebastian album, of sorts,
lately – a film soundtrack called ‘Days of the Bagnold Summer’ with a few new
songs, a few old songs, a few instrumentals.
They’re always keeping busy – a month or two ago was their
Boaty Weekender, a festival on a cruise ship, which sounds like simply one of
the most fun things ever if one were a little younger and flusher.
Continuing to love Belle and Sebastian is easy, but
continuing to think their releases hit the heights of the early days is, of
course, harder. But there are still plenty of good material if you’re willing
to hear it.
Of course, the striking thing listening back to the first
three albums and the first four EPs is that every song, every single one,
sounds like a classic, even the ones you thought at the time were a bit more
filler. I’d say (of course I would) that, along with Super Furry Animals,
theirs is the most consistent and strongest collection of music from Britain,
if not anywhere, in the second half of the 90s.
Since around 2005, there’s certainly been a lot more filler,
a lot more “this is a fun idea, let’s call it a song” as well as a few more
unsuccessful attempts at the epic. But, honestly, I think they’re managing it
all better than most bands.
For me, calling B and S the Smiths of our generation makes
total sense – definitely more people would be saying that if they’d stopped in
2000. Still, I’m very glad they didn’t. The gradual development from supposed
enigmatic collective of sickly recluses to transatlantic, disco-shiny festival headliners
may have sacrificed something, but it’s still not to be sniffed at.
Anyway, this is, simply, a list of all the Belle and
Sebastian songs released (I think) from my favourite to least favourite. There
are still songs I like a great deal in the 120s, there are a few pleasant ones
after that, and then, at the bottom, there are a few which may be a bit regrettable.
But, hell, it’s a great bunch of songs all in all.
- The State I Am In
- Get Me Away From Here I'm Dying
- My Wandering Days Are Over
- Piazza, New York Catcher
- Nobody's Empire
- I'm A Cuckoo
- The Chalet Lines
- Winter Wooskie
- This Is Just A Modern Rock Song
- If She Wants Me
- The Stars Of Track And Field
- Lazy Line Painter Jane
- The Fox In The Snow
- Take Your Carriage Clock And Shove It
- The Boy With The Arab Strap
- The Loneliness Of A Middle Distance Runner
- Sleep The Clock Around
- There's Too Much Love
- We Rule The School
- The Ghost of Rockschool
- You Made Me Forget My Dreams
- I Didn't See It Coming
- I Don't Love Anyone
- Judy And The Dream Of Horses
- I'm Waking Up To Us
- Dog On Wheels
- The Wrong Girl
- Dress Up in You
- Family Tree
- It Could Have Been A Brilliant Career
- String Bean Jean
- A Century Of Fakers
- Like Dylan In The Movies
- The Boy Done Wrong Again
- Wrapped Up In Books
- Belle & Sebastian
- Electronic Renaissance
- I Could Be Dreaming
- I Know Where The Summer Goes
- Is It Wicked Not To Care
- Photo Jenny
- Play for Today
- If You're Feeling Sinister
- Dirty Dream Number Two
- The Cat with the Cream
- I Want the World to Stop
- Your Cover's Blown
- We Were Beautiful
- Another Sunny Day
- I Love My Car
- Mayfly
- Calculating Bimbo
- Mornington Crescent
- If You Find Yourself Caught In Love
- You're Just A Baby
- I Can See Your Future
- A Space Boy Dream
- Expectations
- I Fought In A War
- Storytelling
- The Blues Are Still Blue
- Funny Little Frog
- Seymour Stein
- Lord Anthony
- Mary Jo
- Stay Loose
- Seeing Other People
- A Summer Wasting
- Sister Buddha
- Asleep On A Sunbeam
- Dear Catastrophe Waitress
- She's Losing It
- Beautiful
- Legal Man
- Act of the Apostle
- Act of the Apostle II
- Jonathan David
- The Model
- You Don't Send Me
- I'll Be Your Pilot
- Step Into My Office, Baby
- Ever Had a Little Faith?
- Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John
- Ease Your Feet In The Sea
- Don't Leave The Light On Baby
- Marx And Engels
- Suicide Girl
- The Gate
- Black And White Unite
- The Girl Doesn't Get It
- Women's Realm
- Wandering Alone
- Sunday's Pretty Icons
- Le Pastie De La Bourgeoisie
- The Rollercoaster Ride
- Write About Love
- Chickfactor
- (I Believe in) Travellin' Light
- Safety Valve
- Me And The Major
- White Collar Boy
- A Century Of Elvis
- Best Friend
- There is an Everlasting Song
- Paper Boat
- Everything Is Now (Part Two)
- The Party Line
- Put The Book Back On The Shelf
- Slow Graffiti
- Judy Is a Dick Slap
- Big John Shaft
- Allie
- Read the Blessed Pages
- To Be Myself Completely
- Simple Things
- We Were Never Glorious
- A Plague on Other Boys
- Blue Eyes of a Millionaire
- Too Many Tears
- This Letter
- The Book of You
- Night Walk
- Roy Walker
- Desperation Made A Fool Of Me
- The Everlasting Muse
- Same Star
- Waiting For The Moon To Rise
- Nice Day For A Sulk
- Did the Day Go Just Like You Wanted?
- Song for Sunshine
- I'm Not Living in the Real World
- Today (This Army's for Peace)
- We Are the Sleepyheads
- Fiction
- Poor Boy
- Scooby Driver
- Your Secrets
- Cornflake
- Enter Sylvia Plath
- Sweet Dew Lee
- Beyond The Sunrise
- Everything Is Now
- Jill Pole
- Wait and See What the Day Holds
- Stop, Look and Listen
- The Life Pursuit
- Show Me the Sun
- I’ll Keep It Inside
- The Eighth Station of the Cross Kebab House
- Mr. Richard
- For the Price of a Cup of Tea
- Passion Fruit
- Sukie in the Graveyard
- Come on Sister
- Sister Buddha (Intro)
- Love on the March
- Consuelo
- Fickle Season
- (My Girl's Got) Miraculous Technique
- The Colour’s Gonna Run
- Another Day, Another Night
- Long Black Scarf
- I Don't Want To Play Football
- Last Trip
- Heaven in the Afternoon
- I Took a Long Hard Look
- Perfect Couples
- The Power of Three
- Meat and Potatoes
