Belle and Sebastian The Boy with the Arab Strap
Sunday, July 20th, 2008
The Boy with the Arab Strap is the third (and arguably most successful and best) album by Belle and Sebastian. It was first released in 1998.
The name is actually based off of another band called Arab Strap, though the context in which the name is used in the title proved a little insulting: an ‘Arab Strap’ is a device used to maintain erections. Arab Strap did not find the reference as amusing as Belle and Sebastian but no legal action has ever been taken over the issue.
The title song, “The Boy with the Arab Strap”, has since been used as the theme song for British television comedy Teachers, and “Seymour Stein” in the film High Fidelity.
The Boy with the Arab Strap contains the following songs:
“It Could Have Been a Brilliant Career”
“Sleep the Clock Around”
“Is It Wicked Not to Care?”
“Ease Your Feet in the Sea”
“A Summer Wasting”
“Seymour Stein”
“A Space Boy Dream”
“Dirty Dream Number Two”
“The Boy with the Arab Strap”
“Chickfactor”
“Simple Things”
“The Rollercoaster Ride”