Belle and Sebastian released their first two albums in 1996: Tigermilk, recorded over three days, and If You're Feeling Sinister, recorded in a week, at the peak of the chamber pop movement. At first, some critics in Britain's music weeklies tied the band into the subgenre, yet the group was too pretty, too delicate, to bear that label. Through their first two years of public existence, the band shielded their personalities, submitting publicity photos featuring a girl, who was a friend of the band and reluctantly posing for photo shoots. Furthermore, they performed in odd venues, playing not only the standard coffeehouses and cafes, but also homes, church halls, and libraries.
Prior to the formation of Belle and Sebastian, Murdoch suffered from a protracted battle with chronic fatigue syndrome, which forced him to drop out of school and spend seven years living in his parents' home crippled by his condition.Whilst in his parents home, Murdoch wrote a short story about a boy named Sebastian and a girl named Isabelle based on the names from Madame Cecile Aubery's children's book Belle et Sebastian. On New Year's Day 1996, Stuart attended a party at which he met a young singer and cellist named Isobel Campbell. In a letter to his brother Fraser, Murdoch explained how he was making a single for Stow college at the end of February. Murdoch opted to use the name Belle&Sebastian for the project because it was occupying him at the time. Murdoch took to songwriting as an escapism from the four walls surrounding him in his room and eventually recorded demos with bassist Stuart David whom he met at a government training programme called Beatbox. Murdoch quickly met a series of other musicians through social and musical circles in his hometown Glasgow and they agreed to help with the Stow project. The members he found for this initial lineup were Stevie Jackson (guitar), Mick Cooke (trumpet), Chris Geddes (keyboards), Stuart David (bass), Richard Colburn (drums), and Isobel Campbell (cello). The Stow College record was to be issued by Electric Honey, but it turned into a full album. The course instructor Alan Rankine determined that Murdoch had enough good material to record a full LP and could do so if they could get it all done in three days, studio time allotted for the single. Murdoch and his musicians rose to the challenge and recorded ten tracks putting the songs in order as they would appear on the record and mostly completing them in just a few takes.
In May of 1996, Belle and Sebastian self-released their debut album, Tigermilk, on Electric Honey Records. Only 1,000 copies of the album, which was only pressed on vinyl, were released, but it unexpectedly became a sensation, earning terrific word of mouth throughout the UK. As a result, the band became slightly more than a school project — it became an actual band. If You're Feeling Sinister, released on the independent Jeepster label, followed in November of 1996. By the time the album was released in America on the EMI subsidiary The Enclave, it had earned considerable critical acclaim in the U.K. — not only from music weeklies, but from newspapers like The Sunday Times and magazines like The Face — and a large cult following; by some accounts, Tigermilk was being sold for as much as 75 pounds. Over the course of 1997, word of mouth continued to grow in America, even as the band pulled out of an American tour because The Enclave went bankrupt and closed.
As the band cult continued to build in 1997, Belle and Sebastian released three EPs — Dog on Wheels (May), Lazy Line Painter Jane (July), and 3.. 6.. 9 Seconds of Light (October). Each subsequent EP placed higher on the indie charts and received great critical acclaim. Later in the year, violinist Sarah Martin became a member of the band. By the end of the year, the group finalized an American deal with Matador Records, issuing The Boy With the Arab Strap in September 1998. The following year saw the eagerly anticipated wide re-release of Tigermilk, the album that started it all. It was the biggest selling album but is unpopular with the group themselves. Following completion of 2000's Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant, Stuart David left Belle and Sebastian to focus full-time on his solo project, Looper, being replaced by Bobby Kildea of V-Twin. In 2001, the group released two EPs — Jonathan David and I'm Waking Up to Us — and recorded the soundtrack for Todd Solondz's film Storytelling. Just before the soundtrack's release in spring 2002, Belle and Sebastian embarked on a comprehensive tour of the United States and Canada before returning to Europe for the summer festival season. Midway through the tour, Isobel Campbell left the band, citing the usual differences.
Another major change that soon took place was the band leaving Jeepster and Matador to sign with Rough Trade, with their next record, late 2003's Dear Catastrophe Waitress, produced by the inimitable Trevor Horn (who also produced Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Yes, and scores of others). The record spawned the brilliant "Step into My Office, Baby" and "I'm a Cuckoo" singles, the latter of which was the group's biggest U.K. hit, reaching number 14 in early 2004. After a long worldwide tour that found Belle and Sebastian reaching new levels of success, they retired to Scotland and began preparing for the recording of their seventh full length album, The Life Pursuit, released in 2006.
In 2010, they released their eighth full length album, Write About Love.
Official website: www.belleandsebastian.com
Questions
Belle and Sebastian Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Question, how many MC's do you know like this?
The type who can freestyle, check it I must insist
But before I stop my mic check and cock back my fist
The LP gots to MC
[Wild Child]
Ya down to wait for the background chatter when I surrond the fake
Drop a soundpiece on ya ear using my mic arithmetic
To getting up my flows while I'm using my mic equipment
LP will like uplift you with beats and lyrics that shift you
Predict you need help so may The Force be with you
Since rap is like a court dismissing you like a jury
When it comes to West Coast underground,
Lootpack's enlisted yearly
Ya best be concerned if you heard that I said I
It's confirmed Jack must return like Jedi
On the cuts is DJ Romes, rocking beats my nigga Madlib
[Madlib]
Come like this with an abstract jab
Niggas mad 'cause I plan to be green forever
(Cuz whatever the cause) we'll get taken out never
You'll end up gettin' caught up in our circle
Hemmed up 'cause you forgot to put your limbs up
You can catch me with my SP or my pad and my pen
Mixed with Hen, Heineken, Juice and Gin
The California weed blend to get you open like stunts
This is dedicated to them niggas that front
Chorus:
Question, how many MC's do you know like this?
The type who can freestyle, check it I must insist
But before I stop my mic check and cock back my fist
The LP gots to MC
[Madlib]
In any city, country, state, or any center
The instrumental inventor be all up in the winter
Summer, spring, fall, never hit you with no gimmicks
Original loop beat patterns back the lyrics
So when we start to invent, niggas know the flava
Hit you off with no intent, than flip ill demented
(Well how you feel about most niggas?)
Most ya niggas comin out with that same old shit
My niggas on that brain sick
When it comes to lyrical wetting, its kinda like armaggedon
Suckers be gettin beheaded, shredded so nigga forget it
Ya fake MC's make me want to laugh
Ya niggas out for the cash but in a year y'all niggas pass
[Wild Child]
Now ease down off the treble and go threes up on the bass and
We'll drop universal for the whole Likwit organization
y'all gonna be facing (soundpieces) forms of manifestation
We'll run up in ya station and give messages to the nation
We're gonna start to neglect wack MC's who lack respect
As the lost art resurrects, I'll make all y'all want to eject
Wackness, for the simple fact Jack is
Sending this out to all of my 805 abstract friends
Chorus: 2x
Question, how many MC's do you know like this?
The type who can freestyle, check it I must insist
But before I stop my mic check and cock back my fist
The LP gots to MC
The song "Questions" by Belle and Sebastian is not the song represented by the given lyrics. The lyrics belong to a song of the same name by hip-hop group Lootpack. The song features two rappers, Wild Child and Madlib, rapping about their craft and their abilities to freestyle and create music using their equipment. The chorus asks how many MCs can rap like they do and emphasizes the importance of the LP, or the album, to showcase their skills as artists.
The song features complex and intricate rhymes, with both rappers boasting about their abilities to create and perform music. Wild Child uses metaphors, comparing his ability to "surround the fake" to dropping "a soundpiece on ya ear using my mic arithmetic", while Madlib boasts about his ability to create original beats without relying on gimmicks. Both rappers mention their equipment, with Madlib referring to his SP (sampling drum machine), pad, pen, and alcohol, which he combines to create "original loop beat patterns". The chorus is catchy and emphasizes the importance of the LP in showcasing their skills as artists.
Line by Line Meaning
Question, how many MC's do you know like this?
The song poses a question about the rarity of MC's who can freestyle.
The type who can freestyle, check it I must insist
The song emphasizes the significance of MC's who are able to freestyle well.
But before I stop my mic check and cock back my fist
Before the song moves on, it reminds listeners that the LP must still MC.
Let's collaborate with the sounds of fate, gather round the plate
The song calls for a partnership and unity with the sounds of destiny.
Ya down to wait for the background chatter when I surrond the fake
The song asks listeners to be patient for the noise to settle when fakeness is detected.
Drop a soundpiece on ya ear using my mic arithmetic
The song describes a unique skill in producing music with rhythm.
To getting up my flows while I'm using my mic equipment
The song talks about the importance of using the right equipment to enhance one's musical creations.
LP will like uplift you with beats and lyrics that shift you
The song claims that the LP will raise listeners up with their music and inspire them with creative lyrics.
Predict you need help so may The Force be with you
The song recognizes the challenges that people face and offers them hope through a reference to Star Wars.
Since rap is like a court dismissing you like a jury
The song compares the harsh treatment of bad rappers to a court case thrown out by a jury.
When it comes to West Coast underground, Lootpack's enlisted yearly
The song highlights the popularity of the Lootpack as an underground West Coast group.
Ya best be concerned if you heard that I said I
The song suggests that listeners should pay attention to what the MC is saying.
It's confirmed Jack must return like Jedi
The song compares the desire to come back to music like the return of a Jedi in Star Wars.
On the cuts is DJ Romes, rocking beats my nigga Madlib
The song gives credit to DJ Romes and Madlib for producing the music.
Come like this with an abstract jab
The song describes an unconventional way of attacking musically.
Niggas mad 'cause I plan to be green forever
The song acknowledges the criticism of wanting to continue making money through music.
(Cuz whatever the cause) we'll get taken out never
The song is confident that no matter what the reason is, they will never be defeated.
You'll end up gettin' caught up in our circle
The song warns that those who oppose them will eventually become trapped by their power.
Hemmed up 'cause you forgot to put your limbs up
The song uses a metaphor to describe the experience of being caught off guard and losing badly.
You can catch me with my SP or my pad and my pen
The song tells listeners where they can find Madlib making beats.
Mixed with Hen, Heineken, Juice and Gin
The song notes that Madlib enjoys making music while drinking alcoholic beverages.
The California weed blend to get you open like stunts
The song references the use of marijuana to be more creative and open-minded (like stunts).
This is dedicated to them niggas that front
The song is directed to the people who act like something they're not (front).
In any city, country, state, or any center
The song implies that the group is known and respected in any place they go.
The instrumental inventor be all up in the winter
The song refers to Madlib as an innovative producer who is always working (even in winter).
Summer, spring, fall, never hit you with no gimmicks
The song assures that the music they make is forever free of tricks.
Original loop beat patterns back the lyrics
The song remarks that the beats are unique and support the lyrics perfectly.
So when we start to invent, niggas know the flava
The song tells listeners to expect something different and original from them.
Hit you off with no intent, than flip ill demented
The song claims to give listeners a good time with their music, unexpectedly and crazily.
(Well how you feel about most niggas?)
The song asks listeners what they think about other rappers.
Most ya niggas comin out with that same old shit
The song is critical of rappers who don't innovate and make the same kind of music.
My niggas on that brain sick
The song suggests that their group has something different and creative (brain sick) about them.
When it comes to lyrical wetting, its kinda like armaggedon
The song uses a metaphor to describe a powerful lyrical performance (lyrical wetting) like the end of the world (armageddon).
Suckers be gettin beheaded, shredded so nigga forget it
The song discusses the fate of terrible rappers and how they should be forgotten.
Ya fake MC's make me want to laugh
The song finds bad rappers amusing (want to laugh).
Ya niggas out for the cash but in a year y'all niggas pass
The song criticizes rappers who are only in it for the money and have no longevity in their careers.
Now ease down off the treble and go threes up on the bass and
The song suggests a change in the volume by reducing the high-pitched treble and increasing the bass.
We'll drop universal for the whole Likwit organization
The song promises a hit song for the whole Likwit crew and their fans.
y'all gonna be facing (soundpieces) forms of manifestation
The song warns listeners that they should be ready to face different versions of their music.
We'll run up in ya station and give messages to the nation
The song imagines a scenario where they take over the airwaves with their music and send messages to the country.
We're gonna start to neglect wack MC's who lack respect
The song declares that they will begin to disregard bad rappers who don't deserve respect.
As the lost art resurrects, I'll make all y'all want to eject
The song identifies a revival of a dying art form and how more people will be attracted to it.
Wackness, for the simple fact Jack is
The song criticizes weak rapping in general (wackness) by using a reference to the movie 'The Shining.'
Sending this out to all of my 805 abstract friends
The song dedicates this message to their friends and fans in the 805 area code, and recognizes their difference (abstract).
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: James Chamberlain, Ricardo Brown, Terrace Martin, Carson Chamberlain
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Segi gise
♥️
Captain Crispy
So sad and why there is no cd album version on youtube idk
RNV2729
lootpack is the shit check out madlib
Witch King Malory
totally the wrong song.... however its brilliant!
phiik
thats the spirit !!!
Ardakapalasan
Not really the LateNightTales version (which is way better)
Captain Crispy
Do you have the really old cd version too bc its lhe best and not on youtube at all. That cd is the soundtracks of my life bruh