Belle & Sebastian是一支独立流行乐队，1996年一月成立于苏格兰格拉斯高。Belle & Sebastian与诸如The Smiths和Felt这类有影响力的独立乐队有很多共同之处，也受到了北方灵歌(northern soul)与放客(funk)音乐的影响。
在Jeepster Records厂牌下发行了一些专辑和EP之后，他们现在签约于英国的Rough Trade Records厂牌和美国的Matador Records厂牌。
成员
在队成员:
Stuart Murdoch: 1996–至今 (主唱，吉他和键盘)
Stevie Jackson: 1996–至今 (伴唱和吉他)
Chris Geddes: 1996–至今 (键盘)
Richard Colburn: 1996–至今 (鼓)
Sarah Martin: 1997–至今 (小提琴，键盘，吉他和伴唱)
Mick Cooke: 1998–至今 (小号和贝司)
Bobby Kildea: 2001–至今 (吉他和贝司)
前成员:
Isobel Campbell: 1996–2002 (伴唱和大提琴)
Stuart David: 1996–2000 (贝斯)
Kyle Burkett: 2000-2001 (伴唱和吉他)
Andrew Maxson: 2000-2001 (贝斯)
历史
(1996-1997) 组队与成名
在 Stuart Murdoch 遇到男低音 Stuart David之后，Belle & Sebastian于1996年一月在格拉斯高成立了。 他们与Stow 大学的音乐教授Pilar Duplack一起录制了一些demo,这些demo被该大学的音乐商业厂牌收录在以Electric Honey为名义每年发行的一张唱片中。他们创作了一些单曲之后，加之这家厂牌对这些demo印象实在很深，Belle & Sebastian (名字来源于法国作家Cécile Aubry创作的一本儿童读物Belle et Sébastien)便录制了一张完整专辑：Tigermilk。传言说“Belle”是指Isobel (Campbell)，“Sebastian”指代Stuart (Murdoch)，因为在Isobel 2002年离队之前他们已结婚多年。然而，Stuart Murdoch 否认了这一点。
Tigermilk在三天之内就录好了，一开始只准备了1000张塑胶拷贝盘。这些最开始的拷贝现在已要价400英镑了。到那时，乐队又新增了一些成员，Stevie Jackson (吉他和伴唱), Isobel Campbell (大提琴和伴唱), Chris Geddes (键盘)， Richard Colburn (鼓)。
首张专辑成功之后，Belle & Sebastian 于1996年8月签约Jeepster Records。三月之后，第二张专辑If You're Feeling Sinister发行。
在此张专辑录制之前，Sarah Martin (小提琴，伴唱)加入到乐队中。接下来，在1997年他们发行了一系列的EP。这些EP的第一张是Dog on Wheels，其中包含了正式组队前录制的四首小样。实际上，演奏这些歌曲的长期队员只包括Murdoch, David, and Mick Cooke ，后者在当时表演小号，而且几年之后才正式入队。此张EP在英国流行榜上排到了第59名。
接下来，EP Lazy Line Painter Jane 在七月发行.。这张EP在一个教堂里录制，并邀Monica Queen献声。可惜的是，这张EP差一点就进入了UK榜前40，排到了第41名。1997年的最后一张EP是发行于十月的3.. 6.. 9 Seconds of Light。此EP同时被NME和Melody Maker列为每周一歌，而且一度达到了第32名，因此也成为乐队的首个40大歌曲。
(1998-2002) 在Jeepster厂牌下继续取得成功
1998年专辑 The Boy with the Arab Strap 发行，排到了UK专辑榜的第12名。专辑录制过程中，小号手Mick Cooke被邀正式进队。发行这张专辑不久，乐队就在全音音乐奖（BRIT Awards）上获得最佳新晋乐队奖，打败了竞争对手Steps。接下来乐队又发行了EPThis Is Just a Modern Rock Song。
1999年，乐队主办了他们自己的音乐节，Bowlie Weekender。在乐队开始准备下一张唱片时，Tigermilk也由Jeepster发行了完整版本。新专辑叫做Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant，这也成为乐队的首张UK榜前10专辑。未收录的一只单曲Legal Man排到了15名，而且也使得他们首次在Top of the Pops中亮相。
随着乐队的知名度在世界范围内的提高，他们的音乐开始频频的出现在电影和电视中。2000 年的一部电影High Fidelity 提到了乐队的名字并且穿插了专辑The Boy with the Arab Strap 中的一首歌Seymour Stein 的片段。开始与2001年的英国剧集Teachers 在许多场景中都用到了他们的音乐，包括主题曲。
Stuart David 不久离开了乐队并开始专注于他的个人计划Looper和他的书籍，后者包括了The Idle Thoughts of a Daydreamer. Stuart David的位置由V-Twin的Bobby Kildea 替代。单曲Jonathan David（Stevie Jackson演唱）于2001年七月发行，紧接着乐队又在九月发行了I'm Waking Up to Us。这首曲子貌似描述了Murdoch和Campbell关系的破裂，但Murdoch 在2006年的专辑The Life Pursuit中的文案里否认了这一点。EP"I'm Waking Up to Us"中，乐队首次起用了海外制作人Mike Hurst。2002年的大部分时间里乐队都在巡演并且录制了一张原声带，Storytelling (由Todd Solondz执导的Storytelling原声). Isobel在2002年北美巡演中途宣布离队。
(2003-至今) Rough Trade厂牌下的发展
乐队在2002年离开Jeepster并签约了Rough Trade Records.。B&S在2003里完成了专辑Dear Catastrophe Waitress，由 Trevor Horn制作。这张专辑与前四张专辑相比，后期制作的成分加重了。一部记录性质的DVD, Fans Only在2003年十月由Jeepster发行，包括了增加的视频，现场片段和未发行的电影剪辑。取自专辑Catastrophe Waitress中的一首Step into My Office, Baby在2003年11月发行，而这将成为他们第一首取自专辑的单曲EP。
I'm a Cuckoo成为取自专辑的第二首单曲, 和以前的那些单曲EP相比，在电台的播放频率大大增加。而这也成为他们排名最高的一首单曲——排到了UK榜的第14名。EPBooks 随之发行, a double A-side single lead by "Wrapped Up in Books" From Dear Catastrophe Waitress and the new "Your Cover's Blown".这张EP成为乐队的第三首TOP20，与此同时，乐队同时被Mercury Music Prize 和Ivor Novello Award提名。2005年一月, B&S在由The List发起的一次投票中被选为苏格兰最伟大的乐队，打败了Simple Minds, Idlewild, Travis, Franz Ferdinand和 The Proclaimers。
2005年四月，乐队成员跟随英国慈善组织War on Want到访了以色列和巴勒斯坦。随后，乐队录制了由此次旅程所激发的一首歌曲The Eighth Station of the Cross Kebab House，而这后来成为2006年发行的一张B-side 专辑Funny Little Frog中的一首歌。.Push Barman to Open Old Wounds, 这是一张于2005年五月由Jeepster发行的单曲EP合辑，当时乐队正在加州录制他们的第七张专辑。The Life Pursuit成为他们的新专辑，由Tony Hoffer担当制作人。在2006年2月发行后，该张专辑成为他们排名最高的一张，UK榜排到第8，美国Billboard 200榜排到第65位。之前发行的Funny Little Frog也成为他们最高的单曲排名歌曲——第13名。
2006年6月，乐团与洛杉矶交响乐团合作，在好莱坞露天剧场进行了一次历史性的表演。18000张门票销售一空，开场暖场乐队是The Shins，该乐队的成员将之看作标志性的事件，用Stevie Jackson的话来讲就是“人生中最震撼的时刻。”
2006年10月，乐团成员参与了一张名为Colours Are Brighter的为孩子们准备的专辑的制作， Franz Ferdinand 和 The Kooks也参与其中。
乐团计划发表一张在1996至2001年表演的Radio One sessions的集结。
个人发展
The Gentle Waves (Isobel Campbell)
Looper (Stuart David)
The Reindeer Section (Richard Colburn, Mick Cooke and Bobby Kildea)
V-Twin (Bobby Kildea)
The Moondials (Stevie Jackson)
分类目录
专辑
Tigermilk (1996)
If You're Feeling Sinister (1996)
The Boy with the Arab Strap (1998)
Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant (2000)
Storytelling (2002)
Dear Catastrophe Waitress (2003)
The Life Pursuit (2006)
现场专辑
If You're Feeling Sinister: Live at the Barbican (2005)
合集
Lazy Line Painter Jane (boxset) (2000)
Push Barman to Open Old Wounds (2005)
Late Night Tales: Belle & Sebastian (2006)
单曲和EP
Dog on Wheels (1997)
Lazy Line Painter Jane (1997)
3.. 6.. 9 Seconds of Light (1997)
This Is Just a Modern Rock Song (1998)
"Legal Man" (2000)
"Jonathan David" (2001)
"I'm Waking Up to Us" (2001)
"Step into My Office, Baby" (2003)
"I'm a Cuckoo" (2004) Books (2004)
"Cassaco Marron" (2006)
"Funny Little Frog" (2006)
"The Blues Are Still Blue" (2006)
"White Collar Boy" (2006)
其他歌曲收集
"O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" (trad. cover) on the Xfm charity compilation It's A Cool, Cool Christmas, released November 20, 2000 on Jeepster Records
"Final Day" (Young Marble Giants cover) on the Rough Trade 25th-anniversary compilation Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before, released September 23, 2003 on Rough Trade Records
"Poupée de cire, poupée de son" (live Serge Gainsbourg cover) on the Fans Only DVD, released October 20, 2003 on Jeepster Records
"The Eighth Station of the Cross Kebab House" on the War Child charity album Help: A Day in the Life, released September 9, 2005 on Independiente Records
"Cassaco Marron" (Trio Esperança cover) on the Belle & Sebastian-compiled album Late Night Tales: Belle & Sebastian, released on February 27, 2006 on Azuli Records, and as a limited-edition 7-inch vinyl single (b/w David Shrigley's spoken-word piece
"When I Was a Little Girl") released February 13, 2006, also on Azuli
"The Monkeys Are Breaking Out the Zoo," a children's song on the Save the Children charity album Colours Are Brighter, released October 16, 2006 on Rough Trade Records
DVDs
Fans Only（2003）
书籍
Belle & Sebastian: Just a Modern Rock Story by Paul Whitelaw (biography of band featuring contributions From all members, past and present, with a cover designed by Stuart Murdoch), 2005
Put the Book Back on the Shelf: A Belle and Sebastian Anthology (compilation of comics based on individual B&S songs), 2006
原文
History
(1996-1997) Formation and rise
Belle & Sebastian were formed in Glasgow, January 1996, when Stuart Murdoch met bassist Stuart David. Together they recorded some demos with Stow College music professor Pilar Duplack, which were picked up by the college's Music Business course that produces and releases one single each year on the college's label, Electric Honey. As the band had a number of songs already and the label were extremely impressed with the demos, Belle & Sebastian (named after Belle et Sébastien, a children's book by French writer Cécile Aubry) were allowed to record a full-length album: Tigermilk. It was rumoured that "Belle" referred to Isobel (Campbell) and "Sebastian" to Stuart (Murdoch), as they were a couple for several years before Isobel left the band in 2002. However, Stuart Murdoch has said this is untrue.
Tigermilk was recorded in three days and originally only one thousand copies were pressed on vinyl. These original copies now sell for up to £400. By this time, the band had expanded to feature Stevie Jackson (guitar and vocals), Isobel Campbell (cello/vocals), Chris Geddes (keys) and Richard Colburn (drums).
After the success of the debut album, Belle & Sebastian were signed to Jeepster Records in August 1996 and If You're Feeling Sinister, their second album, was released three months later.
Just before the recording of Sinister, Sarah Martin (violin/vocals) joined the band. Following this, in 1997, a series of EPs were released. The first of these was Dog on Wheels, and it contained four demo tracks recorded before the real formation of the band. In fact, the only long-term band members to play on the songs were Murdoch, David, and Mick Cooke, who played trumpet on the EP but would not officially join the band until a few years later. It charted at a modest #59 in the UK singles chart.
The Lazy Line Painter Jane EP followed in July. The track was recorded in a church hall and features vocals From Monica Queen, and narrowly missed out of the UK top 40, peaking at #41. The last of the 1997 EPs was October's 3.. 6.. 9 Seconds of Light. The EP was made Single of the Week in both the NME and Melody Maker and reached #32 in the charts, thus becoming the band's first top 40 single.
(1998-2002) Continued success on Jeepster
1998's The Boy with the Arab Strap album followed, and reached #12 in the UK charts. During the recording of the album long time studio trumpet-player Mick Cooke was asked to join the band as a full member. Shortly after the release of the album the band were awarded with Best Newcomer (for their third album) at the BRIT Awards, beating competition From Steps. The This Is Just a Modern Rock Song EP followed.
In 1999, the band hosted their own festival, the Bowlie Weekender. Tigermilk was also given a full release by Jeepster before the band started work on their next LP. The result was Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant, which became the band's first top 10 album in the UK. A stand-alone single, "Legal Man", reached #15 and gave them their first appearance on Top of the Pops.
As the band's popularity and recognition was growing worldwide, their music began appearing in films and on television. The UK television series Teachers The 2000 film High Fidelity mentions the band and features a clip From the song "Seymour Stein" From The Boy with the Arab Strap. The UK television series Teachers which began airing in 2001 used Belle & Sebastian's music for several scenes in the show, including the theme music.
Stuart David soon left the band to concentrate on his side-project, Looper, and his book writing, which included his The Idle Thoughts of a Daydreamer. He was replaced by Bobby Kildea of V-Twin. The "Jonathan David" single — sung by Stevie Jackson — was released in June 2001 and was followed by "I'm Waking Up to Us" in November. The latter appears to describe Murdoch's relationship and breakup with Campbell, but Murdoch denied this in the sleeve notes to 2006's The Life Pursuit. "I'm Waking Up to Us" saw the band use an outside producer (Mike Hurst) for the first time. Most of 2002 was spent touring and recording a soundtrack album, Storytelling (for Storytelling by Todd Solondz). Isobel announced her departure From the band midway through their 2002 North American tour.
(2003-present) Rough Trade
The band left Jeepster in 2002 and signed with Rough Trade Records. B&S completed their album Dear Catastrophe Waitress in 2003, produced by Trevor Horn. The album showed a markedly more 'produced' sound compared to their first four LPs. A documentary DVD, Fans Only, was released by Jeepster in October 2003, featuring promotional videos, live clips and unreleased footage. A single From Catastrophe Waitress, "Step into My Office, Baby" followed in November 2003 — it would be their first single/EP taken From an album.
"I'm a Cuckoo" was the second single From the album, and picked up more radio play than any previous single or EP. It achieved their highest chart position yet, reaching #14 in the UK. The Books EP followed, a double A-side single lead by "Wrapped Up in Books" From Dear Catastrophe Waitress and the new "Your Cover's Blown". This EP became the band's third top 20 UK release and the band went on to be nominated for both the Mercury Music Prize and an Ivor Novello Award. In January 2005, B&S was voted Scotland's greatest band in a poll by The List, beating Simple Minds, Idlewild, Travis, Franz Ferdinand, and The Proclaimers, among others.
In April 2005, members of the band visited Israel and the Palestinian territories with the UK charity War on Want; the group subsequently recorded a song inspired by the trip titled "The Eighth Station of the Cross Kebab House", which would later be released as a B-side on 2006's "Funny Little Frog" single. Push Barman to Open Old Wounds, a compilation of the Jeepster singles and EPs, was released in May 2005 while the band were recording their seventh album in California. The result of the sessions was The Life Pursuit, produced by Tony Hoffer. The album became their band's highest charting release to date upon its release in February 2006, peaking at #8 in the UK and #65 on the US Billboard 200. "Funny Little Frog", which preceded it, also proved to be their highest charting single, reaching #13.
On July 6, 2006, the band played a historic show with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl. The opening act at this 18,000 seat sell-out concert was The Shins. The members of the band see this as a landmark event, with Stevie Jackson describing the gig as "the thrill of a lifetime".
In October 2006, members of the band helped put together a CD collection of new songs for children titled Colours Are Brighter, with the involvement of major bands such as Franz Ferdinand and The Kooks. A more detailed video report From STV is available here.
The group has been planning to release a compilation of their Radio One sessions that they had performed between 1996-2001.
