Customer Reviews

Belle & Sebastian - Fans Only

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

the dvd is a retrospective of one of the best bands of the last part of the 20th century, belle and sebastian. if you are looking into getting a primer on the band, i suggest you purchase "if you're feeling sinister", "the boy with the arab strap" the lazy line-painter jane box set before you delve your finances into this gem.
belle and sebastian fans are notorious for their cult-like obsession with the glasgow band, and this dvd is the perfect fix. it contains old footage of the band and connects them to newer performances to show how much the band has evolved and from 96 to as early as 98 how massive their music spread. the music they were making in 96, 60s pop with velvet underground riffs and subversive arty lyrics sung by the voice of a choir boy, might have taken their influences from bands past but they were doing nothing anyone was doing at the time.
the type of music they played weren't meant for doing promotional work or selling albums. it was for the sake of making music and "fans only" shows that side of belle and sebastian, the side that made them a mysterious group that garnered publicity by trying to avoid it. the popularity of the band also is a testament to the rabid fans across the world who spread the quality of pop music through word of mouth. this dvd is for them.
not only does it show an evolution of a band musically, but in front of the camera as the earlier videos show a shy, more twee-ish interviews which later videos show the band gaining more confidence and comfort in front of cameras, especially in a hilarious interview with some brazilian talk show.
the growth also shows in the music videos, which started out with hand-held super 8s and a casual approach that shows their sincerity, to much more expensive productions. the interesting part is that from point a and point b (where they are now), there is still a sense of excitement and fun and playfulness in their performances that are not only surprising but a pleasure to see in a world where bands generally get jaded after any type of exposure.
the one qualm (like a true idiot fanboy) of this dvd is that i would have preferred to hear the live audio of the sessions on 54th performance of "dylan in the movies" and the whole performance of stevie richards doing the beach boy's "darlin". but those are stupid complaints with what the brilliance of this dvd to this biased fan. highly recommend if you are a fan of this group.
note: after the credits, there is a bonus performance of "legal man" from the top of the pops where the monkey butler (from the "fold your hands child..." cd sleeve a/k/a stuart david) makes an appearance.

I really enjoyed this DVD because although I have
been a big fan of them, I knew very little about them. Having no cable TV or high-speed internet, I've never seen their videos, let alone knew what they look like. In some sense this DVD reintroduced me to the band that I have always loved. It tells the band's history, its members, how they write songs and lots of other things. I've always like them because they make great music, and watching this DVD make them even more loveable because I have a little more insight to their ideas, their environments and surroudings. Plus, I did not know they are all so good-looking people! I like the live shows the most so I wish they'd put more live footages in the disc. Overall I think any Belle and Sebastian fan would enjoy it, and it's the kind of DVD I do not mind watching more than a few times.

In the late 90s you were beyond hip if you were a fan of this
obscure Scottish indie band. I did not hear of them until 2001
but became an instant fan of their lush, melodic, 60s inspired sound after buying several of their albums. This DVD finally puts a human face to the somewhat mysterious group, and that face is warm, gentle and high-spirited throughout its length. It's amazing to witness the group camraderie shown in the behind-the-scenes footage here; you wonder if they have ever got into an argument in their lives! This makes the overall mood very peaceful, but by contrast the music is very vital, diverse and alive. It is fantastic to have all of the videos and so much vintage live footage collected here into a seamless whole. The charge that the DVD is disorganized or hastily put together does not seem to makes sense; I found the selection of footage and editing very seamless, which created one very unique overall
style. Highlights include a rollicking "Boy With The Arab Strap" live in Los Angeles, the ethereal "Lazy Line Painter Jane", the would-be retro-60s smash "Legal Man" (in both the promo version and a Top Of The Pops appearance), the oh-so-hip "Dylan At The Movies", the sensitive "State I'm In" and a curious Brazilian late-night talk show interview in which the band tries their best at singing in Portuguese. None of these moments are to be missed, at least by fans, which makes the title of this package very appropriate.

This DVD is an absolute essential for any Belle & Sebastian fan, but it could be enjouyed by those crazy, non-belle and sebastian fans. My fiance was not a fan and was often irritated by their music accusing it of being "bubblegummy going to the mall music." never understood such a harsh and totally untrue comment, but that was his opinion. But we watched For Fans Only together and he now very much appreciates their music and the colorful personalities that make up the band. This band, unlike so many, has so much depth and talent. i mean how many "singers, rock stars" or whatever they're calling themselves today can play one instrument, let alone several? it is lighthearted, informative for fans, the videos are great, and these elements all culminate into being a film that will become a classic in the rockumentary genre, if it hasn't already.

I feel I should preface by saying that I love this band to death. However, For Fans Only is pretty shoddy. Every negative comment listed below is pretty valid and probably more bothersome then one would expect. That being said, it's not without merit. I just wish it had been put together better.

Being a longtime fan,I was pleasantly surprised to find this on their webpage.
Since MTV no longer provides any semblence of music on their channel and since my local "alternative" radio station, LIVE 105 in San Francisco, basically sucks, I don't have a lot of access to their music or words, save the internet.
I was especially happy to see their live performance of "Boy with the Arab Strap," live from Coachella. My only complaint with this part of the DVD is when the camera focuses on Stuart Murdoch when the woman is up front playing that flute/clarinet thing. That's a beautiful part of the song and should have focused on the performer, not Stuart(who wasn't singing at that point anyway).
It was great, though, when he worked the Foo Fighters into the song and then mentioned that "it seems like summer to us..."
They should have also played the live version at Glastonbury of "The State That I Am In" instead of cutting from the live beginning to the album version. I thought it a pretty classy move to include so much footage of Isobel, too. All too many bands would've cut her out since she's no longer with them, but I think it pretty clear that she was a valuable component to the band, a fact that to me is evident in the so-so "Dear Catasrophe Waitress" release. I really like the song, "Is It Wicked Not To Care?" and the video to "I Could Be Dreaming" as well.

I waited and waited for this DVD to be released and by the time it was I'd nearly forgotten how much I wanted it.--Needless to say, I remembered a few months later. Anyhow, when I saw the Amazon box sitting on my front porch I was giddy and smiley and ready to pop it into the player. I was not disappointed. Finally, finally, I had a picture of them all. For me it was well worth the price of admission. I bounced about on my bed and sang along and was oh-so-happy. My husband came home a bit later and even though he's not a big B&S fan, he sat there with me, captivated by it all.--So I think it's well-worth having, and I'm assuming you're a B&S fan if you're reading this--so go along--buy it.

I picked this up on a whim the same day I bought the Dolby 5.1 version of Flaming Lips' "Yoshima Vs. the Pink Robots," thinking it was a comparable product (a CD with a DVD of videos. etc. included)--it is not. But this was only the first (or perhaps last) of my misconceptions. I hadn't heard a note of the band's music, and all I really knew about them was their reputation for finely crafted pop tunes that harked back to the 60's. This reputation was essentially the reason, in my ignorance, that I avoided this band for some time. "Oh great," I thought, "some ex-hippie couple doing retreads of Donovan tunes." Yet again, I was mistaken.

Belle & Sebastian, for the uninitiated, turns out to be a collective of musucians from Glasgow that seems to expand, contract, and change personnel at will. Almost all members are mulit-instrumental, giving their music a virtually unparrelled sweep and range across the folk/pop/rock spectrum. Main songwriter Stuart Murdoch is a force to be reckoned with: "The State I Am In" is probably one of the finest songs written in the 90's, ("my brother had confessed that he was gay/it took the heat off me for a while" and those are far from the best lines) and all the tunes presented here display a pitch-perfect pop sensibility.

I was enchanted and delighted enough to quickly accumulate a bevy of Belle and Sebastian CDs, and though they all have something to offer, "For Fans Only" serves well as a sort of "Greatest Hits" or "Best of" collection. And you can't argue with the 5.1 Surround sound. It's a great starting point, contrary to the DVD's title. The tunes presented here are arguably more varied and interesting than those on any given B&S CD--plus, there's more of them. Suffice to say, when I burned my own personal selection of B&S tunes, most of what got burned appears on "For Fans Only."

A word of warning: I've been highlighting the musical rather than the video aspects of this DVD with good reason. Though much of the "documetary" and live footage is interesting and enjoyable, almost all the "music-video" type footage is amateurish and nearly beside the point. But the songs themselves sparkle.

Maybe if I had been a longtime B&S fan, I'd find this set disappointing-not a lot of news here, I would guess. But it can't be beat as a welcome wagon for anyone like my former self who was curious but hesitant.

Keep in mind that this band doesn't necessarily do a whole lot of interviews. Magazine articles are fairly scarce compared to the more "popular" bands of the past ten-or-so years. With this said, one kind of has to go into watching this DVD with a sense of peeking-in on a group that simply makes music because they love doing so.

Much of the DVD is more or less a montage of clips: previously released and scrapped music videos (probably) and amateur shots of the band at work and at play. While there really is no definite line between one part of the DVD and the next, there is a definite flow present that doesn't detract from a fan or new listener enjoying the DVD. Songs are interrupted by the occasional interview clip or shot of the band doing their thing in the studio or out on the town.

There really isn't an all-too-boring part of the disc, it's all intriguing and enlightening. A band who's created a name for themselves via their clever music shouldn't go overboard with all the extras and special additions that most "best of..." and "greatest hits" DVDs of other bands would have.

I think "Fans Only" is presented in such a way that separates B&S from their peers in the sense that if you enjoy the band, you'll enjoy the smearing and blur that the whole presentation has. They've kept their music solid and smart over the years and consistency is a strong point they possess. The brilliant blend of music, dialogue, footage and video comes across as being very personal and distinct: much like their music itself.

I would have given this five stars, but I really, really, really think they should have waited a while after "Dear Catastrophe Waitress" to make it. I would love to know how the band approached their latest release and see some background behind it. Watching Trevor Horn work with the group would have been a major help in understanding how that particular album works (and sadly doesn't work!).

Yes I loved it too. The best bits are the documentary vignettes between songs where you get a glimpse of Stuart and the band at work. Bunch of band members milling about at a sound check - suddenly there in the background you hear deep reverb guitar Stevie playing "Stars of Track and Field", then Stuart M. sings a bit of "Seeing Other People" at the piano. Magic. The early interviews are endearing and would not be out of place in a Bill Forsyth movie.

Interesting to see the band race through France Gall / Serge Gainsbourg's "Poupee de Cire, Poupee de Son" but one could tire of that clip, whereas the footage of Lazy Line Painter Jane I could watch over and over.

What I really want to know is, is it only the US version of the DVD that has subtitles for all scottish-accented speech? Either way, if you like B&S at all I think you will enjoy this DVD. It's very tuneful for the eyes and ears together.