The Boy with the Arab Strap

The Boy with the Arab Strap is the third album from the Scottish band Belle & Sebastian. The inspiration for the album's name came from the band Arab Strap, who are also from Scotland and briefly toured with Belle & Sebastian. An Arab strap is a sexual device for retaining an erection.

Arab Strap were reportedly less than pleased with their inclusion in the title of the album. When questioned about it, Arab Strap's leader/singer, Aiden, said "They have a sense of humor." Malcolm, the band's instrumentalist, added, "Because Arab Strap is quite an interesting name. The words go well together. That's why we chose it as a band name. We're friends with them, but there's a limit to putting someone else's name on an album. They’re taking away something from us." He also mentioned that the album had been confused as a collaboration between the bands.^[9]

The album features several lead vocals by members of the band other than Stuart Murdoch. Stevie Jackson sings lead on both "Seymour Stein" and "Chickfactor", Stuart David gives a spoken word performance on "A Space Boy Dream" and Isobel Campbell sings lead on "Is It Wicked Not to Care?".

In October 2011, NME placed the title track at number 130 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".^[10]

Track listing

1. "It Could Have Been a Brilliant Career" – 2:23
2. "Sleep the Clock Around" – 4:57
3. "Is It Wicked Not to Care?" – 3:22
4. "Ease Your Feet in the Sea" – 3:35
5. "A Summer Wasting" – 2:06
6. "Seymour Stein" – 4:42
7. "A Space Boy Dream" – 3:01
8. "Dirty Dream Number Two" – 4:14
9. "The Boy with the Arab Strap" – 5:14
10. "Chickfactor" – 3:31
11. "Simple Things" – 1:46
12. "The Rollercoaster Ride" – 6:36

Personnel

• Stuart Murdoch - Vocals, Guitar, Keyboard
• Stuart David - Bass, Vocals
• Isobel Campbell - Cello, Vocals, Guitar
• Chris Geddes - Keyboards, piano
• Richard Colburn - Drums
• Stevie Jackson - Guitar, Vocals
• Sarah Martin - Violin
• Mick Cooke - Trumpet
• Ian MacKay - Bagpipes on track 2

Appearances in Film

The instrumental of the title track "The Boy with the Arab Strap" was later used as the theme tune for the television show Teachers. Though the title track was not played, it was referenced in the 2009 film (500) Days of Summer. Part of the song "Seymour Stein" is briefly featured in the 2000 film High Fidelity. The track was also in the movie Definitely, Maybe starring Ryan Reynolds and Isla Fisher. In the episode Return of the Shirt of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, several references are made to Belle and Sebastian, including a shot featuring the CD of The Boy with the Arab Strap.

References

1. ^ Allmusic review
2. ^ Entertainment Weekly review
3. ^ Los Angeles Times review
4. ^ Pitchfork review
5. ^ Robert Christgau review
6. ^ Rolling Stone review
7. ^ Spin review
8. ^ Sputnikmusic review
9. ^ Laurence, Alexander (2001-05). "An interview with Arab Strap". Free Williamsburg. http://www.freewilliamsburg.com/may_2001/arab_strap_interview.html. Retrieved 2006-07-03. 
10. ^ http://www.nme.com/list/150-best-tracks-of-the-past-15-years/248648/page/3