At one time, new bands would release singles and then go on to produce an album.Belle and Sebastian did it all round the wrong way, producing two albums before they cut this, 'Dog on Wheels', their first single.
Gaining reputation from their album releases, Tigermilk and If You're Feeling Sinister, both released in 1996, 'Dog on Wheels' sold well, entering the British top 100 (#59) and doing somewhat better in John Peel's 1997 Festive 50 (#12).
The tracks here, like many of the band's early songs, concentrate on teen angst - the dog on wheels becoming the perfect 'vehicle' or symbol of absolute innocence - but there was always elements of bathos and irony in their lyrics - or at least that's the way I heard them.
Despite being released in 97, the tracks are spare, simply constructed, and were apparently recorded before the expansion of the band that went on to record Sinister and The Boy With the Arab Strap.
It is a sound I much prefer, and for me Arab Strap just about cut it; after that, well, they were another band...
Belle and Sebastian - Dog On Wheels (1997)
Dog On Wheels
The State I Am In
String Bean Jean
Belle and Sebastian
CD rip, artwork included
If you missed it first time around, grab it here
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