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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
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The BBC Sessions
by Belle & Sebastian
The two-disc set includes track recorded by the BBC between 1996 and 2001.
| LABEL: |
Matador |
| RELEASE DATE: |
18 November 2008 |
| DISCS: |
1 disc |
| GENRE(S): |
Rock, Alternative |
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
90
New Musical Express
There’s still a lot to love about B&S, but there was something magical, otherworldly even, about them during this period that this compilation captures perfectly.
90
Filter
The album serves as an excellent chart of the band's evolution. [Holiday 2008, p.91]
83
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Diehards won't be getting rid of their copies of "If You're Feeling Sinister" or "The Boy With The Arab Strap" anytime soon, but often these alternate versions are tighter and zippier than the originals, which make them a good introduction for new fans as well as welcome contrasts for long-timers.
83
Entertainment Weekly
Serious fans will covet the four excellent unreleased songs from a 2001 recording.
80
Billboard
Endearing sour trumpet and recorder notes on uptempo tracks like 'Judy and Her Dream of Horses' and a stunning 1998 version of 'Slow Graffiti' capture the essence of early Belle & Sebastian, while the four unreleased songs from 2001 find the group experimenting with funky, spoke-sung vocals ('Shoot the Sexual Athlete') and haunting atmospherics ('Nothing in Silence').
80
Uncut
Ramshackle, out of tune, fey and frail, not yet tightened by Trevor Horn, these tracks capture the essence of this band's particular genius. [Dec 2008, p.83]
80
All Music Guide
Of course, the songs are amazing, but just as impressively, Stuart Murdoch's vocals are heartbreakingly sincere and soulful, and the band definitively belie their image as shamblers by sounding tight and together.
80
Boston Globe
This collection of live radio performances from the band's early years is like a letter from an old friend long delayed in the post.
80
NOW Magazine
Performing live in the BBC studios affords the group the ability to stretch out and test the new song ideas that made these one-off recordings so sought after by the group’s most ardent sweater-clad fans. Regrettably, it’s not a comprehensive collection of their entire BBC recorded output.
80
Magnet
The band rarely strays from the album versions of songs (sometimes to a frustrating degree; would it have killed B&S to record a version of 'Sleep The Clock Around' without the annoyingly long fade-in?), but such faithful rendering doesn’t make the material predictable; rather, it shows the band at the top of its delicate game.
79
Pitchfork
Campbell's vocals sound breathless on the radio show, as she displays little vocal control, gasping for air between words and syllables. Despite that, it's still a worthy artifact.
75
The Phoenix
Songwriter Stuart Murdoch often makes good on Morrissey's promise to deliver songs that live up to their titles.
70
PopMatters
You might be surprised how much more there is to the band than 'Another Sunny Day' and 'Step Into My Office, Baby.' If you’ve been crossing the days off until the release, the last four tracks alone should justify investigation.
70
Rolling Stone
The selection is so good, the set doubles as a best-of--it's a fine intro to the group's tuneful world of lovelorn geekdom.
70
Spin
The initial 1996 sessions emphasize the droll felicity of essential early songs 'The State I Am In' and 'The Stars of Track and Field,' tightening the comedic timing and ramping up the tension, making their adolescent trauma both funnier and scarier.
68
Lost At Sea
The BBC Sessions comes on the heels of "Push Barman to Open Old Wounds," which succeeded simply because it made neat work of the "Lazy Line Painter Jane EP Box," but BBC Sessions seems to somehow simultaneously offer more and less than that compilation.
50
Tiny Mix Tapes
Truth is, there’s nothing too striking on The BBC Sessions, save for the closing four tracks.
The average user rating for this album is 9.6 (out of 10) based on 3 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
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