The Boy with the Arab Strap

1998 studio album by Belle & Sebastian

The Boy with the Arab Strap

Studio album by

Belle & Sebastian

Released| 7 September 1998
Studio| CaVa Studios, Glasgow
Genre|

* Chamber pop[1]
* folk-pop[2]

Length| 45:27
Label| Jeepster / Matador (USA)
Producer| Tony Doogan
Belle & Sebastian chronology
| 3.. 6.. 9 Seconds of Light
(1997)  | The Boy with the Arab Strap
(1998)  | This Is Just a Modern Rock Song
(1998)

|
|

The Boy with the Arab Strap is the third studio album by Scottish indie pop band Belle & Sebastian, released in 1998 through Jeepster Records.

## Background and recording

[edit]

Belle and Sebastian released their second studio album If You're Feeling Sinister in November 1996, two months after signing to London-based label Jeepster Records. It was issued in the United States in early 1997; the choice to do this delayed the follow-up, with the band instead opting to release a trio of EPs – Dog on Wheels, Lazy Line Painter Jane and 3.. 6.. 9 Seconds of Light (all 1997). The EPs were successively climbing the UK chart while If You're Feeling Sinister was gaining traction at colleges in the US; the band performed in America for the first time at the CMJ Festival in late 1997.[3]

Stuart Murdoch recalled the recording process for this album felt very different from the previous two. The group spent several months working on it versus the previous albums which were recorded in just a number of days. The music itself was somewhat more experimental as well as more collaborative with some tracks written by Stevie Jackson and Isobel Campbell and more members of the group contributing vocals. Stevie Jackson sings lead on both "Seymour Stein" and "Chickfactor", Stuart David gives a spoken word performance on "A Space Boy Dream", whilst Isobel Campbell sings lead on "Is It Wicked Not to Care?" and duets with Murdoch on "Sleep the Clock Around".[4]

The inspiration for the album's name came from the band Arab Strap, who are also from Scotland and briefly toured with Belle and Sebastian. An Arab strap is a sexual device for retaining an erection, a fact unknown to Murdoch at the time.[5] Arab Strap were reportedly less than pleased with their inclusion in the title of the album. When questioned about it, Arab Strap's leader/singer, Aidan Moffat said, "They have a sense of humour." Malcolm Middleton, the band's instrumentalist, added, "Because Arab Strap is quite an interesting name. The words go well together. That's why we chose it as a band name. We're friends with them, but there's a limit to putting someone else's name on an album. They're taking away something from us." He also mentioned that the album had been confused as a collaboration between the bands.[6]

## Release

[edit]

On 20 November 1999, the band made their TV debut, appearing on Apocalypse Tube.[7]

The album's cover photo was taken by Murdoch and shows band member Chris Geddes. The photo was taken as the group spent an afternoon near the River Ayr near Auchencruive.[4]

## Reception

[edit]

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
AllMusic| [2]
Entertainment Weekly| A−[8]
The Guardian| [9]
Los Angeles Times| [10]
NME| 8/10[11]
Pitchfork| 0.8/10 (1998)[12]
8.5/10 (2018)[13]
Rolling Stone| [14]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide| [15]
Spin| 8/10[16]
The Village Voice| A−[17]

In October 2011, NME placed the title track at number 130 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".[18] The album sold 200,000 units through 2006.[19]

## Track listing

[edit]

The Boy with the Arab Strap track listingNo.| Title| Length

|
|

1.| "It Could Have Been a Brilliant Career"| 2:24
2.| "Sleep the Clock Around"| 4:58
3.| "Is It Wicked Not to Care?"| 3:22
4.| "Ease Your Feet in the Sea"| 3:35
5.| "A Summer Wasting"| 2:06
6.| "Seymour Stein"| 4:42
7.| "A Space Boy Dream"| 3:00
8.| "Dirty Dream Number Two"| 4:14
9.| "The Boy with the Arab Strap"| 5:14
10.| "Chickfactor"| 3:30
11.| "Simple Things"| 1:46
12.| "The Rollercoaster Ride"| 6:36
Total length:| 45:27

## Personnel

[edit]

### Belle and Sebastian

[edit]

* Stuart Murdoch – lead vocals (all except where noted), guitar, keyboard
* Stuart David – bass, spoken word ("A Space Boy Dream")
* Isobel Campbell – cello, lead vocals ("Is it Wicked Not to Care?"), co-lead vocals ("Sleep the Clock Around", "The Rollercoaster Ride"), guitar, percussion, recorder
* Chris Geddes – keyboards, piano
* Richard Colburn – drums
* Stevie Jackson – guitar, lead vocals ("Seymour Stein", "Chickfactor")
* Sarah Martin – violin, keyboard, percussion
* Mick Cooke – trumpet

### Additional musicians

[edit]

* Ian MacKay – bagpipes on "Sleep the Clock Around"
* Neil Robertson – bass on "A Space Boy Dream"
* Gail Anderson, Claire Campbell, Eilidh Campbell, Euan Forrester, David D MacKay and Sarah Wilson – the string section on "A Space Boy Dream" and "Dirty Dream Number Two"

## Charts

[edit]

Chart performance for The Boy with the Arab Strap Chart (1998)  | Peak
position

|

French Albums (SNEP)[20] | 39
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[21] | 7
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[22] | 30
UK Albums (OCC)[23] | 12

## References

[edit]

Citations

1. ^ Butler, Will; Pollard, Alexandra (16 October 2015). "The most unforgivable Mercury album snubs of all time". Gigwise. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
2. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Boy with the Arab Strap – Belle and Sebastian". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
3. ^ Thompson 2000, p. 184
4. ^ a b Murdoch, Stuart (28 March 2016). "Sleevenotes - The Boy With the Arab Strap". Belle & Sebastian.
5. ^ "Belle & Sebastian: 'I Didn't Know An Arab Strap Was A Cock Ring'". 31 March 2014. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2015 - via YouTube.
6. ^ Laurence, Alexander (May 2001). "An interview with Arab Strap". Free Williamsburg. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 3 July 2006.
7. ^ Thompson 2000, p. 185
8. ^ Tucker, Ken (11 September 1998). "The Boy With the Arab Strap". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 13 April 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
9. ^ Sullivan, Caroline (11 September 1998). "Belle & Sebastian: The Boy with the Arab Strap (Jeepster)". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
10. ^ Hochman, Steve (29 August 1998). "Belle and Sebastian, 'The Boy With the Arab Strap,' Matador". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
11. ^ Mulvey, John (3 September 1998). "Belle & Sebastian – The Boy with the Arab Strap". NME. Archived from the original on 17 August 2000. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
12. ^ Josephes, Jason (October 1998). "Belle & Sebastian: The Boy with the Arab Strap". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 4 June 2003. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
13. ^ Plagenhoef, Scott (18 February 2018). "Belle and Sebastian: The Boy with the Arab Strap". Pitchfork. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
14. ^ Ratliff, Ben (17 September 1998). "The Boy with the Arab Strap". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
15. ^ Wolk 2004, pp. 59–60
16. ^ Wolk 1998, p. 140
17. ^ Christgau, Robert (15 December 1998). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
18. ^ "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years | NME.COM". www.nme.com. Archived from the original on 6 November 2011. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
19. ^ Plagenhoef, Scott (15 September 2007). Belle & Sebastian's if You're Feeling Sinister. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 9781441194909.
20. ^ "Lescharts.com – Belle and Sebastian – The Boy with the Arab Strap". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
21. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Belle and Sebastian – The Boy with the Arab Strap". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
22. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Belle and Sebastian – The Boy with the Arab Strap". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
23. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 June 2021.

Sources

* Thompson, Dave (2000). Alternative Rock. Third Ear: The Essential Listening Companion. San Francisco, California: Miller Freeman Books. ISBN 0-87930-607-6.
* Wolk, Douglas (October 1998). "Belle and Sebastian: The Boy With the Arab Strap". Spin. 14 (10). Retrieved 26 February 2016.
* Wolk, Douglas (2004). "Belle and Sebastian". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.

## External links

[edit]

* The Boy with the Arab Strap at YouTube (streamed copy where licensed)

* v
* t
* e

Belle and Sebastian

* Stuart Murdoch
* Stevie Jackson
* Chris Geddes
* Richard Colburn
* Sarah Martin
* Bobby Kildea
* Dave McGowan

* Isobel Campbell
* Stuart David
* Mick Cooke

Studio albums|

* Tigermilk
* If You're Feeling Sinister
* The Boy with the Arab Strap
* Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant
* Storytelling
* Dear Catastrophe Waitress
* The Life Pursuit
* Belle and Sebastian Write About Love
* Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance
* Days of the Bagnold Summer
* A Bit of Previous
* Late Developers

EPs|

* Dog on Wheels
* Lazy Line Painter Jane
* 3.. 6.. 9 Seconds of Light
* This Is Just a Modern Rock Song
* Books
* Introducing... Belle & Sebastian
* Come On Sister

Compilation albums|

* Lazy Line Painter Jane
* Push Barman to Open Old Wounds
* The Third Eye Centre
* How to Solve Our Human Problems

Live albums|

* If You're Feeling Sinister: Live at the Barbican
* The BBC Sessions
* Live 2015
* What to Look for in Summer

Late Night Tales compilations|

* Late Night Tales: Belle & Sebastian
* Late Night Tales: Belle and Sebastian Vol. II

Videos|

* Fans Only

Singles|

* "Legal Man"
* "Jonathan David"
* "I'm Waking Up to Us"
* "Piazza, New York Catcher"
* "Step into My Office, Baby"
* "I'm a Cuckoo"
* "Funny Little Frog"
* "Casaco Marrom"
* "The Blues Are Still Blue"
* "White Collar Boy"

Related articles|

* Discography
* Bowlie Weekender
* God Help the Girl
* God Help the Girl (film)
* Put the Book Back on the Shelf

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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