Wednesday 18 September 2019

My Pondering Days are Not Over/This is Just a Modern Rock List etc


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.

  1. The State I Am In
  2. Get Me Away From Here I'm Dying
  3. My Wandering Days Are Over
  4. Piazza, New York Catcher
  5. Nobody's Empire
  6. I'm A Cuckoo
  7. The Chalet Lines
  8. Winter Wooskie
  9. This Is Just A Modern Rock Song
  10. If She Wants Me
  11. The Stars Of Track And Field
  12. Lazy Line Painter Jane
  13. The Fox In The Snow
  14. Take Your Carriage Clock And Shove It
  15. The Boy With The Arab Strap
  16. The Loneliness Of A Middle Distance Runner
  17. Sleep The Clock Around
  18. There's Too Much Love
  19. We Rule The School
  20. The Ghost of Rockschool
  21. You Made Me Forget My Dreams
  22. I Didn't See It Coming
  23. I Don't Love Anyone
  24. Judy And The Dream Of Horses
  25. I'm Waking Up To Us
  26. Dog On Wheels
  27. The Wrong Girl
  28. Dress Up in You
  29. Family Tree
  30. It Could Have Been A Brilliant Career
  31. String Bean Jean
  32. A Century Of Fakers
  33. Like Dylan In The Movies
  34. The Boy Done Wrong Again
  35. Wrapped Up In Books
  36. Belle & Sebastian
  37. Electronic Renaissance
  38. I Could Be Dreaming
  39. I Know Where The Summer Goes
  40. Is It Wicked Not To Care
  41. Photo Jenny
  42. Play for Today
  43. If You're Feeling Sinister
  44. Dirty Dream Number Two
  45. The Cat with the Cream
  46. I Want the World to Stop
  47. Your Cover's Blown
  48. We Were Beautiful
  49. Another Sunny Day
  50. I Love My Car
  51. Mayfly
  52. Calculating Bimbo
  53. Mornington Crescent
  54. If You Find Yourself Caught In Love
  55. You're Just A Baby
  56. I Can See Your Future
  57. A Space Boy Dream
  58. Expectations
  59. I Fought In A War
  60. Storytelling
  61. The Blues Are Still Blue
  62. Funny Little Frog
  63. Seymour Stein
  64. Lord Anthony
  65. Mary Jo
  66. Stay Loose
  67. Seeing Other People
  68. A Summer Wasting
  69. Sister Buddha
  70. Asleep On A Sunbeam
  71. Dear Catastrophe Waitress
  72. She's Losing It
  73. Beautiful
  74. Legal Man
  75. Act of the Apostle
  76. Act of the Apostle II
  77. Jonathan David
  78. The Model
  79. You Don't Send Me
  80. I'll Be Your Pilot
  81. Step Into My Office, Baby
  82. Ever Had a Little Faith?
  83. Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John
  84. Ease Your Feet In The Sea
  85. Don't Leave The Light On Baby
  86. Marx And Engels
  87. Suicide Girl
  88. The Gate
  89. Black And White Unite
  90. The Girl Doesn't Get It
  91. Women's Realm
  92. Wandering Alone
  93. Sunday's Pretty Icons
  94. Le Pastie De La Bourgeoisie
  95. The Rollercoaster Ride
  96. Write About Love
  97. Chickfactor
  98. (I Believe in) Travellin' Light
  99. Safety Valve
  100. Me And The Major
  101. White Collar Boy
  102. A Century Of Elvis
  103. Best Friend
  104. There is an Everlasting Song
  105. Paper Boat
  106. Everything Is Now (Part Two)
  107. The Party Line
  108. Put The Book Back On The Shelf
  109. Slow Graffiti
  110. Judy Is a Dick Slap
  111. Big John Shaft
  112. Allie
  113. Read the Blessed Pages
  114. To Be Myself Completely
  115. Simple Things
  116. We Were Never Glorious
  117. A Plague on Other Boys
  118. Blue Eyes of a Millionaire
  119. Too Many Tears
  120. This Letter
  121. The Book of You
  122. Night Walk
  123. Roy Walker
  124. Desperation Made A Fool Of Me
  125. The Everlasting Muse
  126. Same Star
  127. Waiting For The Moon To Rise
  128. Nice Day For A Sulk
  129. Did the Day Go Just Like You Wanted?
  130. Song for Sunshine
  131. I'm Not Living in the Real World
  132. Today (This Army's for Peace)
  133. We Are the Sleepyheads
  134. Fiction
  135. Poor Boy
  136. Scooby Driver
  137. Your Secrets
  138. Cornflake
  139. Enter Sylvia Plath
  140. Sweet Dew Lee
  141. Beyond The Sunrise
  142. Everything Is Now
  143. Jill Pole
  144. Wait and See What the Day Holds
  145. Stop, Look and Listen
  146. The Life Pursuit
  147. Show Me the Sun
  148. I’ll Keep It Inside
  149. The Eighth Station of the Cross Kebab House
  150. Mr. Richard
  151. For the Price of a Cup of Tea
  152. Passion Fruit
  153. Sukie in the Graveyard
  154. Come on Sister
  155. Sister Buddha (Intro)
  156. Love on the March
  157. Consuelo
  158. Fickle Season
  159. (My Girl's Got) Miraculous Technique
  160. The Colour’s Gonna Run
  161. Another Day, Another Night
  162. Long Black Scarf
  163. I Don't Want To Play Football
  164. Last Trip
  165. Heaven in the Afternoon
  166. I Took a Long Hard Look
  167. Perfect Couples
  168. The Power of Three
  169. Meat and Potatoes



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