POLLercoaster Ride - ILM Artist Poll #94 - Belle and Sebastian - Discussion/Campaigning Thread

Interesting, esp. since the northern (as opposed to southern) soul stuff is a much bigger (or clearer) influence, but now that you mention it, yeah, some of his fills seem Cropper-y, esp. in stuff like "Step Into My Office, Baby." Regardless, I always thought Stevie got the award for most improved, as both player and writer, as the band has gone on.

I was amazed at how much they downplayed Rich Colburn in the Sinister film. I think he's a fantastic drummer.

colburn mostly downplayed himself, which as a self-taught drummer i get. but yeah he’s great

The first 4 minutes of this reminds me how good they were
live in this era but also what a great song Le Pastie De La Bourgeoisie is
https://youtu.be/UCK3CLwAE98

the how to solve our human problems stuff is all so fun. less cohesive and consistent than girls in peacetime but they're eps, imo it's by design. there is probably a solid eleven track life pursuit-ish album in there though. also "we were beautiful" is completely awesome and i have no idea if i have room for it in my ballot

I just noticed another song missing from the Google Doc: "Wrong Love" from the BBC Sessions.

It's basically a simpler arrangement of "The Wrong Girl", no?

yes

Fun fact: 86 different tracks have received votes so far.

oh shit it's happening!

They are a perfect polling band, with the nooks and crannies of the early EPs, generous output but also steadfast classics.

just submitted my ballot

she thought it would be fun to try photography
she thought it would be fun to try pornography
she thought it would be fun to try most anything
she was tired of sleeping

Dylan in the Movies would be my #1 had they recorded it with Cooke's trumpet.

you could invert my entire ballot and it'd still make sense as a ranking

too many good b&s songs

looong xp, but i just bumped into the piece referred to by:

the horn solo in "judy" is maybe the single most joyous moment for me in their catalogue

the near-juxtaposition of that section to the first, faulting recorder bit is so effective for me. agreed, it’s grand.

Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance is surprisingly much better than i remembered? it's still a bit bloated and doesn't have anything quite as great as "I Didn't See It Coming" but i certainly prefer it to The Life Pursuit and Write About Love. "Play For Today" is the highlight

man "Sweet Dew Lee" from How to Solve Our Human Problems is great? really wasn't expecting something that good after how ignored those EP's seemed to be

I have that peacetime big box, made 4 cds out of it, it's basically four EPs and works that way.

Might get around to the new album at some point.

the rest of How To Solve Our Human Problems is generally forgettable but "Best Friend" is quite nice too at least

Ballot sent. That was tough.

I've not really paid much attention to the Left Banke before. 1) They're great and b) well, listen for yourself!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBv64sXY-Gs

have relistened to the albums through Fold Your Hands and the first three EPs so far

the most indelible track of these records, for me, is still the title track on If You're Feeling Sinister

not sure it's their best but it's the one that's still stuck in my head 20+ years later

The incidental playground noises somehow boost it to a whole other level.

I know for me it’s all nostalgia, can't really be objective, but in the 7 releases I’ve revisited so far I'm not sure there’s one I like better - although The State I’m In, The Rollercoaster Ride, Stars of Track and Field, Lazy Line Painter Jane, The Boy With the Arab Strap are all close seconds

listening to it again The Rollercoaster Ride reminds me a little of the hushed harmonies of Yo La Tengo

I remember thinking at the time DCW was a new beginning for them, but that was the point I lost touch

looking forward hearing it again

That slow version of "Seeing Other People" is interesting. The limitations of their singing are really on stark display, but it's still so endearing.
I don't know if this is what fgti was referring to upthread as "slack", but if so, it was a key element of their early appeal. Combine this with their mysteriousness in the pre-napster era, and it really did feel like some kind of private club.

Boring administration note: if folks wish to enter a unranked ballot of n < 30 selections (I've received some already), I think I'll use the average value of the first nth places listed in the original post (rounded down) for each selection. eg. 25 each for an unranked 15.

I don't wish to actively encourage this, tbh, as I'm lazy, but this seems fairer than using the flat 17 points mentioned up top for every situation.

So. Am I being stupid? Can someone tell me (and her) - how did Lazy Line Painter Jane get her name?

It’s a good question. I think the lyric refers to her just as ‘lazy jane’ before the ‘wondering how you got your name’ bit so maybe when it comes to her wondering, there’s no ‘line painter’ about it.

The video has her making mischief with a number of lines, starting with a Stevie Jackson’s yellow line painting in the road but who knows if all that was in SM’s mind when he wrote it.

I think LLPJ was the first B&S song I heard and I said something like “take this off; it sounds like Deacon Blue”

She is also, in SM's mind, 'Painter Jane', as noted in the sleeve notes (see the column to the right here), not just 'Lazy Jane'.

Latest in my "discoveries":

The first B&S release I didn't buy was the Step Into My Office Baby single. Only now do I find the absolute gem Desperation Made A Fool Of Me hidden away on the B-side. Can I squeeze this on?

you definitely should

I've been a good citizen and sent a ballot with 30 tracks :)

managed to narrow it down to 30 tracks, now comes the hard part

Man, the last quarter-or-so of Push Barman is a SLOG. Except for the hilarious “I Love My Car.”
― Mr. Snrub, Tuesday, November 27, 2018 5:20 PM (six days ago)

only ever listened to these tracks in the context of the EPs, but I see that the last quarter of Push Barman also includes Jonathan David, Take Your Carriage Clock and Shove It, The Loneliness of a Middle Distance Runner, and I’m Waking Up to Us.

.

Jonathan David tuneless???
― brimstead, Tuesday, November 27, 2018 6:05 PM (six days ago) 
If anything it has too much tune
― brimstead, Tuesday, November 27, 2018 6:05 PM (six days ago)

ha ha. this is one of my favorite B&S songs. all three tracks on this record are nice

I’m Waking Up to Us is another one with a surfeit of chord changes

think Chinaski's Cat Stevens comparison for that one is right

ha ha. this is one of my favorite B&S songs. all three tracks on this record are nice

Bless. You better vote. :)

In other news...
Updated Fun Fact: 102 different tracks have now received votes.

This is tough.. I haven’t even gotten to their last couple records yet. But general consensus says they’ve been coasting since Life Pursuit. Gonna struggle through.

That stretch from “Expectations” to “I Could be Dreaming” on Tigermilk is an absolute murderer’s row.

"coasting since Life Pursuit" is absolutely not accurate

Write About Love and How To Solve Our Human Problems are pretty inconsistent but have some all-time highs in "I Didn't See It Coming" and "Sweet Dew Lee", listen to those two songs at the very least, and Girls in Peacetime is very solid, I easily prefer it to The Life Pursuit

"Coasting" probably isn't accurate, but I bet the poll results will show that most of the songs that resonate with fans happened before that. There are still some really well-written songs, but they're more of a fungible commodity in the post-Life-Pursuit era. That said, don't skip on checking out "Everything is now (part 2)".

Also, maybe it's just me, but I don't think that a single run through an album would give me a clear picture... my favorite tracks often end up being different than the ones I liked on the first pass.
(disclaimer: the first time I heard "The Loneliness of the Middle Distance Runner" I loved it immediately and haven't revised that opinion. so i guess sometimes it is dead obvious.)

I bet the poll results will show that most of the songs that resonate with fans happened before that.

Sure, but it's always pretty much impossible to tell whether this is just because those are the songs we heard when it was new and we were receptive, or some intrinsic quality in the songs. Can we please be objective? No, ha ha.

That said, don't skip on checking out "Everything is now (part 2)".

Yep – that and Fickle Season have found their way on to this old timer's ballot.

"Same Star" is my fave from those EPs, but I need to give em another crack before I vote.

Finished the discography now and beginning a final run-through before submission.

Girls in Peacetime really is terrific, so full of ideas - and good ones too - think it will find a place on my LPs ballot for sure.

Not impressed with How to Solve Our Human Problems though. Some tracks are quite novel-sounding, Cornflake in particular is one of the most unsettling, discordant things they've ever done, but it still sounds half-baked, just a seed that could possibly grow into something better. Other stuff - most of the third EP and Too Many Tears in particular - have this slick, characterless production which sucks all the life out of the songs, it's like the opposite of the church hall atmosphere they evoked early on.