(From band's official website - http://www.belleandsebastian.com/ )

Coming ten years after going public with their debut album, 'Tigermilk,' Belle and Sebastian's sold out show with the L.A. Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl offered both a fitting way to mark the anniversary but also served as a reminder of the group's longevity and decade of quiet achievement.

The arenas and contexts could not have been more different. In 1996, the musical climate in the U.K. did not look promising (Oasis were the biggest band in the U.K. and Britpop / lad culture was rampant) for the modestly brilliant songs on 'Tigermilk.'

These had been assembled by Stuart Murdoch over the preceding years, and were brought into focus by his recruitment of kindred spirits, Stevie Jackson (guitar), Isobel Campbell (cello), Richard Colburn (drums), Chris Geddes (keyboards) and Stuart David (bass).
Recorded for Electric Honey Records - as part of a Stow College student project - 1000 copies of the album were pressed on vinyl.

The launch took place in CaVa Studios in Glasgow and within a few weeks there was not a copy of the record to be found. In pre-E Bay times, copies were later selling for around the 500 mark. Word spread quickly, and the band responded by setting to work immediately on a follow up.

By this point signed to Jeepster Records in the U.K. and the short-lived, The Enclave in the US, and with new member Sarah Martin (violin) in tow, 'If You're Feeling Sinister' has subsequently been hailed as the group's masterpiece, though reaction at the time was more muted.

This was partly down to an avoidance of traditional rock routes. Touring was not high on the agenda. Instead there were occasional one-off shows, including an American debut at CMJ and a show at the BAM festival in Barcelona. Equally, there was little media profile, with band members rarely photographed or interviewed. The album's success - built over a number of years and culminating in a 'Don't Look Back' performance at the Barbican in 2005 - was built mainly on word of mouth and genuine fan excitement.

If 'Sinister' is seen as the benchmark album, its successor, 'The Boy With the Arab Strap' was the one which singularly did most to raise the band's profile, helped by a run of singles/ EPs which culminated in '3..6..9 Seconds of Light' reaching the U.K. top 40. The singles from the Jeepster era were later compiled on the 'Push Barman to Open Old Wounds' set in 2005. Trumpet player, Mick Cooke, who had featured as a session player on the previous albums was by now a full-time member of the band, with Stuart David heading in the opposite direction to form Looper.

'The Boy With The Arab Strap' debuted at 12 in the U.K. charts and propelled them towards a Brit Award in 1999 for 'Best Newcomer.' Even though it was their third album, this and Pete Waterman's reaction suggested that the band had finally reached the fringes of the mainstream.

They also embarked on their first batch of international touring, with a few dates in Europe and the USA, before a period of reflection and stepping back from the growing feeding frenzy surrounding them.
Yet if 1999 and 2000 were quiet years by the standards of those preceding them, it was only relative. The Bowlie Festival, curated by the band at Camber Sands featured Mercury Rev, The Flaming Lips, Teenage Fanclub, Godspeed You Black Emperor and a cast of hundreds. It sold out. John Peel and Jarvis Cocker Dj-ed.

Side projects were undertaken (Stevie and Chris with V-Twin, Mick with the Amphetameanies, Isobel with the Gentle Waves and Richard with Snow Patrol) and work on the fourth album, 'Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like A Peasant' commenced.

Although it was a lengthy process and the results at the time perceived as something of a disappointment, time has served the record well. It was their first top ten album in the U.K. and its preceding single, 'Legal Man,' (not on the album) made the top twenty and it remains the band's biggest seller in the U.S.A..
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