Belle & Sebastian - Fans Only Review
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. This is the definitive collection from Glasgow's Belle & Sebastian. Includes all their promo videos plus scrapped video footage, two short films outlining the band's history, interviews, TV performances, live footage, a discography section with a sample of each track, and montage sequences combining film and stills.
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Customer Reviews
Don't Get Me Wrong... - newmyry -
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.
What a Bunch of BS! - D. A. Yurchuk - West Hollywood, CA USA
Fans Only is really a collection of videos, interviews, and
guest appearances that are woven throughout - randomly it
seems at times - but the structure of it all is still exciting
enough to hold your attention, especially if you are new to
the videos.
As far as the interviews went, the dvd begins with introducing
the band in casual interviews during their everyday routines.
Then, the majority of the documentive material is more of a
here-and-there placement, within the studios and during shoots.
There are also a couple guest show appearances and performances.
I have to point out that there were some really nice moments
on the dvd with the motion graphics, including a couple pieces
specifically during the end. One is a montage where raw photos
and screenshots from various inspirations are cropped in on
to become some of the band's album covers and artwork.
Running time: 136 mins (2hrs 16 mins)
Jul 11, 2010 06:43:46
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