Amazon.co.uk Review
Considering their reputation for hating interviews and photo sessions, Belle & Sebastian's Fans Only is a surprisingly intimate affair. Over 136 minutes, the main feature documentary follows Belle & Sebastian from their inception in 1996 through every step of their six-album career, tracking the band to America, Brazil, and Japan, and hanging out with them in their hometown of Glasgow.
At times, Fans Only feels like a lovingly crafted home video, with private photos and previously unseen segments of super-8 footage merging with the commercial promos and television appearances.
It's all here: childhood snaps, Stuart Murdoch behind the wheel of an orange city bus, a song from the legendary Session At West 54th (still the holy grail for some devotees), a self-made documentary of a band rehearsal from 1999, Richard and Mick's acceptance speech at the Brits (with Richard captioned as Nick Cooke), Stevie and Stuart serenading the queue at the Bowlie Weekender, the band appearing on a Brazilian chat show, it goes on and on. Belle & Sebastian have always been a fans' band, close to those that understand them and inaccessible to those that don't. Fans Only is that relationship caught brilliantly on video.
On the DVD: Fans Only on disc also includes live versions of "Dog on Wheels", "Landslide" and "The Kids are Alright" from The Bowlie Weekender. There are questions from the band's press conference for Fold Your Hands, You Walk Like a Peasant, plus Stevie singing "Darlin'" at Coachella, a 60s' version of "Jonathan David" and a Discography. --Ian Watson
Customer Reviews:
Good Job Blair!.......2004-02-09
Blair Young has managed to capture the essence of the band that for me and thousands of Bowlie kids worldwide throug this lovely compilation of hard-to-find promos and interviews. Apparently there are still hours and hours of unused footage- enough to make another DVD!!
Covering the band's early genesis on Tigermilk through to the Storytelling albums including the loss of Isobel Campbell and Stuart David and the recruitment of Sarah Martin, Mick Cooke and Bob Kildea into the ranks, this mouthwatering package wraps up the story of the band's years on the Jeepster label and is a nice lead-in to the current Dear Catastrophe Waitress album, the band's most successful yet.
This DVD is the first music DVD to utilise the power of the format- crammed with the main feature (a mix of all the band's promo video's, interviews, outtakes from videos and other bits), a full discography, bonus selections, secret scenes and other such action, the compilers have cleverly utilised the menu screens and added full songs on them to keep you interested.
The music through out is a joy to hear- a mixture of live and studio (sometimes in the same song!!) work on the hit singles and video's, plus sundry unreleased snippets and full songs placed on the title menu's and scatterd throughout the soundtrack. In other words, everything a Belle And Sebastian fan could wish for.
Okay some of the early vids are a bit wearing thanks to their DIY nature and the bonus covers of Darlin' and The Kids Are Alright are 'you had to be there' moments, but the profile of the band on this makes it hard to believe they were ever described as 'camera shy'!!
If you're a fan of the band, this is essential stuff. If you've a passing interest, purchasing this will secure your fantatcism no end, and we'll be seing you on the Bowlie board before you know it!!
Superb.......2003-12-27
A superb DVD from a band that clearly understand what it means to be a fan. For anyone with even a passing interest in music I would recommend at least a viewing for the live-in-the-US version of "The boy with the arab strap" alone - Stuart forgets more than he remembers but the song utterly rocks. The fly on the wall footage is charming - every member of the band is cute, likeable and interesting and although as other reviewers have said, it can be a little like watching someones home videos, for some reason these ones just aren't boring.
Get it if you like em. If not, don't.
Nice........2003-11-09
Having never seen any of B+S 's videos before i found this very interesting and entertaining.It does have a bit of a family film show about it but this just adds to it's charm.The early one's seems to come across best perhaps because they are the best songs.The interviews can range from clawing to very interesting.You do get some insight into the genious of Stuart.The tour bits are particularily entertaining but i would really have like to see a live version of Lazy Line Painter Jane which has always been a show highlight.All in all though it is one of the most fulfilling music videos i have ever seen and i recommend it to everyone ,even non fans as it stands alone as a nice film.
Good fun - not earth-shattering though.......2003-11-05
The various extras are the best part of this dvd - the interviews, short documentaries and live performances are all suitably sweet and eccentric. The promo videos themselves are probably the weak link. Let's face it - if someone was to compile a list of the 200 greatest music videos ever made, I'm pretty sure that no B&S promo clips would turn up on it. THe videos are nice enough, but nothing special. Also, the tracks that B&S have released as singles/videos aren't necessarily their most memorable. So I found my interest wane during some of the videos, and during the really bizarre and entertaining live performances I sometimes found myself wishing that they'd released a live DVD instead (Maybe next time). So I guess the title sums it up pretty nicely - "Fans only". But then I'm a fan (sort of), and they seem like such sweet people, so I still cant bring myself to give this item less than 4 stars.
Recommended!.......2003-10-22
This DVD has a lot more on it than I expected. It has all the songs advertised on the box and much more, including videos of rare live performances and funny and cheerful, if not massively interesting, interviews.
It is all good quality and really varied, and I haven't even seen all of it yet so I'm sure there is more excellent material to come. The more of a fan you are of B&S, the more you will enjoy this. It's worth the money for the very best bits alone.
Customer Reviews:
Toxic avenger, Chevy Chase style.......2005-04-27
Max Fielder (Chevy Chase) has modern problems. Aside from being an overworked air traffic controller. He seems to have been thrown over by his sweetie (Patti D'ArbanVille). Sort of reconciliation is supposed to take place at a beach house with people that have strange personalities. This includes Mark (Dabney Coleman) who gets to play an obnoxious character as in most of his movies.
He is doomed until a mishap or close encounter with radioactive waist transforms him into a telekinetic terror. Will he be able to get his sweetie back? Be sure to pay attention to the restaurant scene. You will never be able to eat out again with out thinking of it.
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