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Track Listings
| 1. I Fought In A War |
| 2. The Model |
| 3. Beyond the Sunrise |
| 4. Waiting For The Moon To Rise |
| 5. Don't Leave The Light On, Baby |
| 6. The Wrong Girl |
| 7. Nice Day For A Sulk |
| 8. Chalet Lines |
| 9. Woman's Realm |
| 10. Family Tree |
| 11. There's Too Much Love |
Product Description
Ambitious 2000 album from the Scottish pop ensemble! Includes "The Wrong Girl" and "I Fought In A War".
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Fold your hands... Probably one of the strangest title ever used is just an equisite record. Being a big fan of B&S, I have had underated this album like many others, feeling that their magic was fading away... lacking of the bullish honest, twisted and witty lyrics of Tigermilk, the emotional depth of Sinister and the carefree soulful feeling of Arab Strap... Wondering well... what's all about fold your hands then.
Then i listened to it a few times, dropped it to put back sinister and arab strap as top of my playlists... Till i rediscovered it recently and one have to admit that the imperfections which have quietly contributed to the cult status of B&S for being what pop band should be... honest, and outside the mediatic corruption of a happy soul... ( sorry... was about to use the lyrics of the loneliness of middle distance runner as review material... shame on me!)
Well, the arrangements of Fold your hands are near perfection ( the end of "the model" is just wonderful musically...), a wonderful blend of strings, piano, flutes, horns... the still astonishing vocal perfomance of Stuart, Isobel, Chris and co.
The Lyrics then? Ok, I'll agree that If your feeling sinister, the state that I am in or Ease your feet are ( in my opinion only..) more powerful than any of the tracks... Although, overall and after having listened to this album so many times that i feel confident enough to review it, from " I fought in a war" to "there's too much love", it covers so many aspects of life, from despair, hurt, salvation, nostalgia, hopes and hopelessness... this album is just a violent ( but gentle looking ) rollercoaster ride through the ups and downs of life.
This how B&S are growing up, Fold your hands shines on how it has been blissfully constructed. A beautiful pastoral symphony.
Then i listened to it a few times, dropped it to put back sinister and arab strap as top of my playlists... Till i rediscovered it recently and one have to admit that the imperfections which have quietly contributed to the cult status of B&S for being what pop band should be... honest, and outside the mediatic corruption of a happy soul... ( sorry... was about to use the lyrics of the loneliness of middle distance runner as review material... shame on me!)
Well, the arrangements of Fold your hands are near perfection ( the end of "the model" is just wonderful musically...), a wonderful blend of strings, piano, flutes, horns... the still astonishing vocal perfomance of Stuart, Isobel, Chris and co.
The Lyrics then? Ok, I'll agree that If your feeling sinister, the state that I am in or Ease your feet are ( in my opinion only..) more powerful than any of the tracks... Although, overall and after having listened to this album so many times that i feel confident enough to review it, from " I fought in a war" to "there's too much love", it covers so many aspects of life, from despair, hurt, salvation, nostalgia, hopes and hopelessness... this album is just a violent ( but gentle looking ) rollercoaster ride through the ups and downs of life.
This how B&S are growing up, Fold your hands shines on how it has been blissfully constructed. A beautiful pastoral symphony.
Can't wait till the next album [.......]Buy it. You will listen to this album two years after with the same pleasure - if not more!!!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Vinyl
I've had this cd from day one and it just gets better and better. Only one duff song on it - Beyond the Sunrise which no matter how I try doesn't seem to grow on me. I like all B&S cds but this one is by far the best. There's too Much Love is so heartbreakingly, engergisingly optimistic that I defy anyone to dislike it. But why do the reviews above automatically assume that the narrator of The Chalet Lines is a girl? There's a man singing it, and there's nothing gender-specific in the song - and men do get raped too.
Buy this one - you can't possibly regret it.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Vinyl
Isn't it wonderful when a band is as consistently brilliant as Belle and Sebastian? On this, their fourth album, the band hark back to the days when songs were about craft, and not about mindless riffs or electronic bleeps. But nor are the band Luddites in their approach, and an attitude akin to the worlds that existed in Bagpuss or Playschool does not exclude their occasional nods to gritty modernism, viz "The Chalet Lines", a tune whose subject matter (rape) is chillingly clothed in sweet melody.
The band go Country and Western on us with an almost Neil Youngian sensibility on several songs, and an Ennio Morricone-type chiming bell on "Beyond the Sunrise". Added to the Nick Drake, Leonard Cohen and Simon and Garfunkel influences, B & S show what an interesting amalgam they are.
The songs found here are less instant than "If You're Feeling Sinister" and are subtle "growers" in the vein of "The Boy With the Arab Strap". If the band chose to sing up a bit, then songs such as "I Fought in a War", "Don't Leave the Light on Baby" and "Women's Realm" could make them as successful as their only contemporary near-equivalents, the Beautiful South. Compared with that group, Belle and Sebastian appear fragile, willowy purveyors of gossamer-fine melodic pop/folk/indie (and The Beautiful South are hardly Megadeth!) It is this vulnerable beauty which makes B & S so wonderful.
They're not twee, they're just too gentle for this world!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Just Superb
I have all theoir other records but only just got around to picking this one up and - wow....
The sleeve notes highlight the youthful ideals of these Glaswegians being put to... Read more
The sleeve notes highlight the youthful ideals of these Glaswegians being put to... Read more
Published on 12 Dec 2008 by Dream Baby
5.0 out of 5 stars
sublime
this is the first belle and seb album i listened to, and upon relistening, i realised just how unique they are. Read more
Published on 23 Dec 2005 by "mattomatto"
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great
Paul Sheehan is completely right (see below). This is a superb album, which emulates the mid sixties West Coast sound brilliantly. Read more
Published on 22 Jan 2004 by Chandler
5.0 out of 5 stars
peerless
Probably the most charming band I can think of reach a certain level of pop perfection on this release. Read more
Published on 26 Oct 2003 by Mr. Nicholas Davies
3.0 out of 5 stars
Hmm....not sure about this one!
Don't get me wrong, I like Belle and Sebastian a lot, I just feel that this album does not compare very well to their earlier ones. Read more
Published on 30 July 2003 by "queenofteacakes"
5.0 out of 5 stars
Can they make a bad record?
The only bad words I can say about this record are "Nice day for a sulk", but I suppose they needed something light and easy-going after the tragic, harrowing... Read more
Published on 10 Oct 2001
5.0 out of 5 stars
MORE CLEVER THAN HEARSAY!!!!!!
FROM START TO FINISH THE ALBUM DELIVERS TRULY AMAZING SONGS FROM 'THE MODEL' TO 'WAITING FOR THE MOON TO RISE' TO 'THE WRONG GIRL' AND THE FINAL TRACK 'THERES TOO MUCH LOVE' IT... Read more
Published on 3 May 2001 by "grafikassasin"
5.0 out of 5 stars
Swirlingly seductive...
Pop music has always more of a capitalistic business, than the fruit of a dedicated devotion. With this album Belle And Sebastian have once again proved that pop can be not only... Read more
Published on 28 Dec 2000 by dan.rees@ntlworld.com
3.0 out of 5 stars
Very Average by their high standards.
I have been a lover of B&S since If youre feeling sinister was released and have bought everything by them I could since get my hands on, I have to say i am very dissapointed... Read more
Published on 14 Dec 2000
5.0 out of 5 stars
superb cd
A brilliant album with clever thoughtful lyrics. My favourite track has got to be 'I fought in a war', closely followed by 'waiting for the moon to rise'. Read more
Published on 10 Nov 2000 by Mr. T. D. Fay
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