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| released = 6 June 1996
| released = 6 June 1996
| recorded = 4–6 March 1996
| recorded = 4–6 March 1996
| studio = [[CaVa Studios|CaVa]], [[Glasgow]]
| venue =
| studio = [[CaVa Studios]], [[Glasgow]]
| genre = {{hlist|[[Indie pop]]|[[chamber pop]]}}
| genre = {{hlist|[[Indie pop]]|[[chamber pop]]}}
| length = 41:37
| length = 41:37
| label = [[Electric Honey (label)|Electric Honey]]
| label = [[Electric Honey (label)|Electric Honey]]
| producer = {{hlist|Belle and Sebastian|Gregor Reid}}
| producer = {{hlist|Belle and Sebastian|Gregor Reid}}
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| next_title = [[If You're Feeling Sinister]]
| next_title = [[If You're Feeling Sinister]]
| next_year = 1996
| next_year = 1996
}}
}}
'''''Tigermilk''''' is the 1996 debut album from [[Scotland|Scottish]] pop group [[Belle and Sebastian]]. Originally given a limited release (1,000 copies) by [[Electric Honey (label)|Electric Honey]], the album was subsequently re-released in 1999 by [[Jeepster Records]].
{{Album ratings

The album is named after an instrumental that did not end up on the album it was later performed on Belle and Sebastian's early tours. All of the songs on the album were written by [[Stuart Murdoch (musician)|Stuart Murdoch]] between 1993 and 1996, and originally performed solo on the [[Glasgow]] [[open mic]] circuit. Though he performs on the album, trumpet player [[Mick Cooke]] was not then an official member of the band.

==Recording and production==
Belle and Sebastian came together in [[Glasgow]], [[Scotland]] in 1994 after vocalist Stuart Murdoch and bassist Stuart David met on a programme for unemployed musicians called Beatbox, funded by [[Stow College]]. In 1996, The pair reportedly enlisted the four five musicians they came across at a local café, settling on a line-up of Murdoch, David, guitarist Stevie Jackson, drummer Richard Colburn, keyboardist Chris Geddes and cellist Isobel Campbell. Their initial performances took places at venues such as church crypts, libraries and house parties.

Concurrently, Colburn, who shared a flat with David at the time, attended a music business course at Stow, run by [[Alan Rankine]] of [[The Associates (band)|the Associates]]. The end goal of the course was to take two songs from the class and record and release them through Rankine's record label [[Electric Honey (label)|Electric Honey]]. Colburn provided a demo tape Murdoch and David had recorded titled ''Rhode Island'' (later released as the ''[[Dog on Wheels]]'' EP). The college was extremely impressed and chose to support them in creating a full album.<ref name="pitchforkclassic">{{cite AV media|date=2013 |title=Belle and Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister|url=http://pitchfork.com/news/49599-pitchforktv-presents-a-documentary-film-on-belle-and-sebastians-if-youre-feeling-sinister/|time=13:20|publisher=Pitchfork Classic}}</ref> The band subsequently spent three days recording, finishing with an album's worth of songs.<ref name=Thompson184>Thompson 2000, p. 184</ref>

Murdoch recalls that the group was still quite loose knit at the time ''Tigermilk'' was recorded and that the full ensemble had not played together before getting into the studio. Many of the supporting instrument parts were shaped as the group recorded. After recording, though, "we were a group, no question."<ref name="sleevenotes">{{cite web|last1=Murdoch|first1=Stuart|title=Sleevenotes - Tigermilk|url=http://www.belleandsebastian.com/diary/sleevenotes-tigermilk|website=Belle & Sebastian}}</ref>

==Composition==
Author [[Dave Thompson (author)|Dave Thompson]], in his book ''Alternative Rock'' (2000), called it as a "gentle masterpiece, utterly in debt to Nick Drake (and a bit of Donovan too)". He said "The State I Am In", the album's opening track, "buoys the occasional sag; that and the slickly loose instrumentation, harmonies which haunt the fringe of fear, and a wealth of emotionally crippled reflection."<ref name=Thompson185>Thompson 2000, p. 185</ref> Nine of the ten songs featured on the album were recorded live over a three-day period, followed by two days of mixing. The only track not recorded during these sessions, "Electronic Renaissance", originated as a demo Murdoch made at Beatbox using [[Cubase]], and was mastered directly from a cassette recording Murdoch had made of the song being played on a local radio station, hence its [[lo-fi music|lo-fidelity]] sound. Due to its stylistic difference from the other songs, its inclusion on the album initially proved controversial.

==Release==
Electric Honey issued ''Tigermilk'' in mid-1996, initially limited to 1,000 copies, which sold out in months. The band received praise from BBC radio DJs [[John Peel]] and [[Mark Radcliffe (radio broadcaster)|Mark Radcliffe]], subsequently earning them a radio session for the latter DJ in July 1996. Colburn said "then record companies and fans started calling, and we thought 'My God, what have done?{{single double}} They soon signed to the London-based label [[Jeepster Records]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Nicholson |first1=Susan |title=Sound Scene |work=Perthshire Advertiser |date=2 July 1996 |department=Midweek Magazine |page=14}}</ref> ''Tigermilk'' was reissued in 1999; by this point, copies of the original were being sold for $600.<ref name=Thompson184/>

The album's cover photograph was taken by Murdoch and features his girlfriend Joanne Kenney.<ref name="sleevenotes"/> Kenney also appeared on the cover of the ''Dog on Wheels'' EP.

==Legacy==
{{Music ratings
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/tigermilk-mw0000049327 |title=Tigermilk – Belle and Sebastian |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=12 April 2016 |last=Erlewine |first=Stephen Thomas |author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine}}</ref>
| rev1score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/tigermilk-mw0000049327 |title=Tigermilk – Belle and Sebastian |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=12 April 2016 |last=Erlewine |first=Stephen Thomas |author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine}}</ref>
Line 30: Line 47:
| rev3score = 8/10<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://jeepster.co.uk/press/belle-and-sebastian/nme-tigermilk-2/ |title=Grrr Power |journal=[[NME]] |date=10 July 1999 |access-date=8 March 2020 |last=Segal |first=Victoria}}</ref>
| rev3score = 8/10<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://jeepster.co.uk/press/belle-and-sebastian/nme-tigermilk-2/ |title=Grrr Power |journal=[[NME]] |date=10 July 1999 |access-date=8 March 2020 |last=Segal |first=Victoria}}</ref>
| rev4 = ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''
| rev4 = ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''
| rev4Score = 8.4/10{{small|(1999)}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/record-reviews/b/belle-and-sebastian/tigermilk.shtml |title=Belle and Sebastian: Tigermilk |work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |date=July 1999 |access-date=12 April 2016 |last=Chanko |first=Chip |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060115022805/http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/record-reviews/b/belle-and-sebastian/tigermilk.shtml |archive-date=15 January 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref> <br /> 8.5/10 {{small|(2020)}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/belle-and-sebastian-tigermilk/ |title=Belle and Sebastian: Tigermilk |work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |date=1 November 2020 |access-date=1 November 2020 |last=Hogan |first=Marc}}</ref>
| rev4Score = 8.4/10 {{small|(1999)}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/record-reviews/b/belle-and-sebastian/tigermilk.shtml |title=Belle and Sebastian: Tigermilk |work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |date=July 1999 |access-date=12 April 2016 |last=Chanko |first=Chip |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060115022805/http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/record-reviews/b/belle-and-sebastian/tigermilk.shtml |archive-date=15 January 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref> <br /> 8.5/10 {{small|(2020)}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/belle-and-sebastian-tigermilk/ |title=Belle and Sebastian: Tigermilk |work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |date=1 November 2020 |access-date=1 November 2020 |last=Hogan |first=Marc}}</ref>
| rev5 = ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]''
| rev5 = ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]''
| rev5score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>Maconie 1999, p. 124</ref>
| rev5score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://jeepster.co.uk/press/belle-and-sebastian/q-tigermilk/ |title=Belle & Sebastian: Tigermilk |journal=[[Q (magazine)|Q]] |issue=156 |date=September 1999 |access-date=8 March 2020 |last=Maconie |first=Stuart |author-link=Stuart Maconie |page=124}}</ref>
| rev6 = ''[[Rolling Stone]]''
| rev6 = ''[[Rolling Stone]]''
| rev6score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/tigermilk-19990902 |title=Tigermilk |journal=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=2 September 1999 |access-date=12 April 2016 |last=Sheffield |first=Rob |author-link=Rob Sheffield}}</ref>
| rev6score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/tigermilk-19990902 |title=Tigermilk |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=2 September 1999 |access-date=12 April 2016 |last=Sheffield |first=Rob |author-link=Rob Sheffield}}</ref>
| rev7 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''
| rev7 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''
| rev7score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>Wolk 2004, pp. 59–60</ref>
| rev7score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite book |chapter=Belle and Sebastian |last=Wolk |first=Douglas |author-link=Douglas Wolk |title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide |title-link=The Rolling Stone Album Guide |editor1-last=Brackett |editor1-first=Nathan |editor2-last=Hoard |editor2-first=Christian |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |edition=4th |year=2004 |isbn=0-7432-0169-8 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/59 59–60]}}</ref>
| rev8 = ''[[The Times]]''
| rev8 = ''[[The Times]]''
| rev8score = 9/10<ref>{{cite news |url=http://jeepster.co.uk/press/belle-and-sebastian/the-times-tigermilk/ |title=Belle and Sebastian: Tigermilk (Jeepster) |newspaper=[[The Times]] |date=3 July 1999 |access-date=8 March 2020 |last=Costa |first=Maddy}}</ref>
| rev8score = 9/10<ref>{{cite news |url=http://jeepster.co.uk/press/belle-and-sebastian/the-times-tigermilk/ |title=Belle and Sebastian: Tigermilk (Jeepster) |newspaper=[[The Times]] |date=3 July 1999 |access-date=8 March 2020 |last=Costa |first=Maddy}}</ref>
Line 44: Line 61:
| rev10score = A−<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv300-00.php |title=Consumer Guide |newspaper=[[The Village Voice]] |date=28 March 2000 |access-date=12 April 2016 |last=Christgau |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Christgau}}</ref>
| rev10score = A−<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv300-00.php |title=Consumer Guide |newspaper=[[The Village Voice]] |date=28 March 2000 |access-date=12 April 2016 |last=Christgau |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Christgau}}</ref>
}}
}}
''Tigermilk'' was well-received upon its initial release, and earned a glowing review from Scottish culture magazine ''[[The List (magazine)|The List]]'', who gave the band their first national press.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://archive.list.co.uk.s3-website.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/the-list/1996-05-31/44/ | title=The List: 31 May 1996 | date=31 May 1996 }}</ref> The album has since sold over 124,000 copies.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P_uoAwAAQBAJ&q=belle+and+sebastian+nielsen+soundscan&pg=PA39|title=Belle & Sebastian's If You're Feeling Sinister|first=Scott|last=Plagenhoef|date=15 September 2007|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing USA|isbn=9781441194909}}</ref> ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' included "The State I Am In" at number 17 on their ''Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/7853-the-top-200-tracks-of-the-1990s-20-01/|title=The Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s: 20-01|website=Pitchfork|date=3 September 2010 }}</ref> The album was included in the book ''[[1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die]]''.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Robert Dimery|author2=Michael Lydon|title=1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition|date=23 March 2010|publisher=Universe|isbn=978-0-7893-2074-2}}</ref>


An eBay charity auction of the stuffed animal in the cover art of the ''Tigermilk'' album in 2019 <ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-10-01 |title=Belle and Sebastian Auction Tigermilk Cover Stuffed Animal for Charity |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/belle-and-sebastian-auction-tigermilk-cover-stuffed-animal-for-charity/ |access-date=2022-03-11 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref> was won by Lisa Carr of Washington, DC. Lisa Carr had also previously won an auction for bandleader [[Stuart Murdoch (musician)|Stuart Murdoch]]'s car in 2002 <ref>{{Cite web |title=Bell & Sebs: £4k to Save the World |url=http://drownedinsound.com/news/5223-bell-sebs--%C2%A34k-to-save-the-world |access-date=2022-03-11 |website=DrownedInSound |language=en |archive-date=21 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230321075211/https://drownedinsound.com/news/5223-bell-sebs--%C2%A34k-to-save-the-world |url-status=dead }}</ref> and an auction of the stuffed animal on the cover of ''Dog on Wheels'' in 2004.
'''''Tigermilk''''' is the 1996 debut album from [[Scotland|Scottish]] pop group [[Belle and Sebastian]]. Originally given a limited release (1,000 copies) by [[Electric Honey (label)|Electric Honey]], the album was subsequently re-released in 1999 by [[Jeepster Records]].

The album is named after an instrumental that did not end up on the album it was later performed on Belle and Sebastian's early tours. All of the songs on the album were written by [[Stuart Murdoch (musician)|Stuart Murdoch]] between 1993 and 1996, and originally performed solo on the [[Glasgow]] [[open mic]] circuit. Though he performs on the album, trumpet player [[Mick Cooke]] was not then an official member of the band.

==Recording and production==
At the time Stuart Murdoch began recruiting musicians for the band, drummer Richard Colburn was in a Music Business course at [[Stow College]] with professor [[Alan Rankine]]. Each year the class would produce one record on the college's Electric Honey label as an example to use in the course. Murdoch and Colburn provided a demo tape the group had recorded titled 'Rhode Island' (later released as the ''[[Dog on Wheels]]'' EP) and the college was extremely impressed and chose to support them in creating a full album.<ref name="pitchforkclassic">{{cite AV media|date=2013 |title=Belle and Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister|url=http://pitchfork.com/news/49599-pitchforktv-presents-a-documentary-film-on-belle-and-sebastians-if-youre-feeling-sinister/|time=13:20|publisher=Pitchfork Classic}}</ref>

Stuart Murdoch recalls that the group was still quite loose knit at the time ''Tigermilk'' was recorded and that the full ensemble had not played together before getting into the studio. Many of the supporting instrument parts were shaped as the group recorded. After recording, though, "we were a group, no question."<ref name="sleevenotes">{{cite web|last1=Murdoch|first1=Stuart|title=Sleevenotes - Tigermilk|url=http://www.belleandsebastian.com/diary/sleevenotes-tigermilk|website=Belle & Sebastian}}</ref>

Nine of the ten songs featured on the album was recorded mostly live over a three-day period, followed by two days of mixing. The only song not recorded during these sessions, "Electronic Renaissance", originated as a demo Murdoch made at Beatbox using [[Cubase]], before being mastered directly from a cassette recording Murdoch had made of the song being played on a local radio station, resulting in a [[lo-fidelity]] sound. Due to its' stylistic difference from the other songs, its inclusion on the album proved controversial.

The album's cover photograph was taken by Stuart Murdoch and features Joanne Kenney (his girlfriend at the time).<ref name="sleevenotes"/> Kenney also appeared on the cover of the ''Dog on Wheels'' EP.

==Legacy==
''Tigermilk'' was well-received upon its initial release, and earned a glowing review from Scottish culture magazine ''[[The List (magazine)|The List]]'', who gave the band their first national press.<ref>http://archive.list.co.uk.s3-website.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/the-list/1996-05-31/44/</ref> The album has since sold over 124,000 copies.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P_uoAwAAQBAJ&q=belle+and+sebastian+nielsen+soundscan&pg=PA39|title=Belle & Sebastian's If You're Feeling Sinister|first=Scott|last=Plagenhoef|date=15 September 2007|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing USA|isbn=9781441194909}}</ref> ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' included "The State I Am In" at number 17 on their ''Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/7853-the-top-200-tracks-of-the-1990s-20-01/|title=The Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s: 20-01|website=Pitchfork}}</ref> The album was included in the book ''[[1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die]]''.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Robert Dimery|author2=Michael Lydon|title=1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition|date=23 March 2010|publisher=Universe|isbn=978-0-7893-2074-2}}</ref>

An Ebay charity auction of the stuffed animal in the cover art of the Tigermilk album in 2019 <ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-10-01 |title=Belle and Sebastian Auction Tigermilk Cover Stuffed Animal for Charity |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/belle-and-sebastian-auction-tigermilk-cover-stuffed-animal-for-charity/ |access-date=2022-03-11 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref> was won by Lisa Carr of Washington, DC. Lisa Carr had also previously won an auction for bandleader [[Stuart Murdoch (musician)|Stuart Murdoch]]'s car in 2002 <ref>{{Cite web |title=Bell & Sebs: £4k to Save the World |url=http://drownedinsound.com/news/5223-bell-sebs--£4k-to-save-the-world |access-date=2022-03-11 |website=DrownedInSound |language=en}}</ref> and an auction of the stuffed animal on the cover of ''Dog on Wheels'' in 2004.


==Track listing==
==Track listing==
{{track listing
{{tracklist
| all_writing = [[Stuart Murdoch (musician)|Stuart Murdoch]]
| all_writing = [[Stuart Murdoch (musician)|Stuart Murdoch]]
| collapsed = no
| headline =
| headline =
| total_length = 41:37
| total_length = 41:37
Line 113: Line 114:


==References==
==References==
'''Citations'''
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}

'''Sources'''
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite journal |url=http://jeepster.co.uk/press/belle-and-sebastian/q-tigermilk/ |title=Belle & Sebastian: Tigermilk |journal=[[Q (magazine)|Q]] |issue=156 |date=September 1999 |access-date=8 March 2020 |last=Maconie |first=Stuart |author-link=Stuart Maconie}}
* {{cite book|last=Thompson|first=Dave|author-link=Dave Thompson (author)|title=Alternative Rock|series=Third Ear: The Essential Listening Companion|year=2000|publisher=[[Miller Freeman, Inc.|Miller Freeman Books]]|location=San Francisco, California|isbn=0-87930-607-6}}
* {{cite book |chapter=Belle and Sebastian |last=Wolk |first=Douglas |author-link=Douglas Wolk |title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide |title-link=The Rolling Stone Album Guide |editor1-last=Brackett |editor1-first=Nathan |editor2-last=Hoard |editor2-first=Christian |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |edition=4th |year=2004 |isbn=0-7432-0169-8}}
{{refend}}


==External links==
==External links==
<!-- This is a licensed stream for the album, which is allowed under Wikipedia polices -->
* [http://www.belleandsebastian.com/recordings/tigermilk Album info]
* [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB875NdHRlOFnpNDs6BMkQ5Gw5Qc6dhcc ''Tigermilk''] at [[YouTube]] (streamed copy where licensed)
* [http://www.belleandsebastian.com/recordings/tigermilk Album info] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120427125326/http://www.belleandsebastian.com/recordings/tigermilk |date=27 April 2012 }}


{{Belle & Sebastian}}
{{Belle & Sebastian}}

Latest revision as of 00:18, 23 October 2024

Tigermilk
Studio album by
Released6 June 1996
Recorded4–6 March 1996
StudioCaVa, Glasgow
Genre
Length41:37
LabelElectric Honey
Producer
  • Belle and Sebastian
  • Gregor Reid
Belle and Sebastian chronology
Tigermilk
(1996)
If You're Feeling Sinister
(1996)

Tigermilk is the 1996 debut album from Scottish pop group Belle and Sebastian. Originally given a limited release (1,000 copies) by Electric Honey, the album was subsequently re-released in 1999 by Jeepster Records.

The album is named after an instrumental that did not end up on the album — it was later performed on Belle and Sebastian's early tours. All of the songs on the album were written by Stuart Murdoch between 1993 and 1996, and originally performed solo on the Glasgow open mic circuit. Though he performs on the album, trumpet player Mick Cooke was not then an official member of the band.

Recording and production

[edit]

Belle and Sebastian came together in Glasgow, Scotland in 1994 after vocalist Stuart Murdoch and bassist Stuart David met on a programme for unemployed musicians called Beatbox, funded by Stow College. In 1996, The pair reportedly enlisted the four five musicians they came across at a local café, settling on a line-up of Murdoch, David, guitarist Stevie Jackson, drummer Richard Colburn, keyboardist Chris Geddes and cellist Isobel Campbell. Their initial performances took places at venues such as church crypts, libraries and house parties.

Concurrently, Colburn, who shared a flat with David at the time, attended a music business course at Stow, run by Alan Rankine of the Associates. The end goal of the course was to take two songs from the class and record and release them through Rankine's record label Electric Honey. Colburn provided a demo tape Murdoch and David had recorded titled Rhode Island (later released as the Dog on Wheels EP). The college was extremely impressed and chose to support them in creating a full album.[1] The band subsequently spent three days recording, finishing with an album's worth of songs.[2]

Murdoch recalls that the group was still quite loose knit at the time Tigermilk was recorded and that the full ensemble had not played together before getting into the studio. Many of the supporting instrument parts were shaped as the group recorded. After recording, though, "we were a group, no question."[3]

Composition

[edit]

Author Dave Thompson, in his book Alternative Rock (2000), called it as a "gentle masterpiece, utterly in debt to Nick Drake (and a bit of Donovan too)". He said "The State I Am In", the album's opening track, "buoys the occasional sag; that and the slickly loose instrumentation, harmonies which haunt the fringe of fear, and a wealth of emotionally crippled reflection."[4] Nine of the ten songs featured on the album were recorded live over a three-day period, followed by two days of mixing. The only track not recorded during these sessions, "Electronic Renaissance", originated as a demo Murdoch made at Beatbox using Cubase, and was mastered directly from a cassette recording Murdoch had made of the song being played on a local radio station, hence its lo-fidelity sound. Due to its stylistic difference from the other songs, its inclusion on the album initially proved controversial.

Release

[edit]

Electric Honey issued Tigermilk in mid-1996, initially limited to 1,000 copies, which sold out in months. The band received praise from BBC radio DJs John Peel and Mark Radcliffe, subsequently earning them a radio session for the latter DJ in July 1996. Colburn said "then record companies and fans started calling, and we thought 'My God, what have done?'" They soon signed to the London-based label Jeepster Records.[5] Tigermilk was reissued in 1999; by this point, copies of the original were being sold for $600.[2]

The album's cover photograph was taken by Murdoch and features his girlfriend Joanne Kenney.[3] Kenney also appeared on the cover of the Dog on Wheels EP.

Legacy

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
The Guardian[7]
NME8/10[8]
Pitchfork8.4/10 (1999)[9]
8.5/10 (2020)[10]
Q[11]
Rolling Stone[12]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[13]
The Times9/10[14]
Uncut[15]
The Village VoiceA−[16]

Tigermilk was well-received upon its initial release, and earned a glowing review from Scottish culture magazine The List, who gave the band their first national press.[17] The album has since sold over 124,000 copies.[18] Pitchfork included "The State I Am In" at number 17 on their Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s.[19] The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[20]

An eBay charity auction of the stuffed animal in the cover art of the Tigermilk album in 2019 [21] was won by Lisa Carr of Washington, DC. Lisa Carr had also previously won an auction for bandleader Stuart Murdoch's car in 2002 [22] and an auction of the stuffed animal on the cover of Dog on Wheels in 2004.

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by Stuart Murdoch

No.TitleLength
1."The State I Am In"4:57
2."Expectations"3:34
3."She's Losing It"2:22
4."You're Just a Baby"3:40
5."Electronic Renaissance"4:50
6."I Could Be Dreaming"5:56
7."We Rule the School"3:27
8."My Wandering Days Are Over"5:25
9."I Don't Love Anyone"3:56
10."Mary Jo"3:30
Total length:41:37

Personnel

[edit]

References

[edit]

Citations

  1. ^ Belle and Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister. Pitchfork Classic. 2013. Event occurs at 13:20.
  2. ^ a b Thompson 2000, p. 184
  3. ^ a b Murdoch, Stuart. "Sleevenotes - Tigermilk". Belle & Sebastian.
  4. ^ Thompson 2000, p. 185
  5. ^ Nicholson, Susan (2 July 1996). "Sound Scene". Midweek Magazine. Perthshire Advertiser. p. 14.
  6. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Tigermilk – Belle and Sebastian". AllMusic. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  7. ^ Cox, Tom (23 July 1999). "Belle and Sebastian: Tigermilk (Jeepster)". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  8. ^ Segal, Victoria (10 July 1999). "Grrr Power". NME. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  9. ^ Chanko, Chip (July 1999). "Belle and Sebastian: Tigermilk". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 15 January 2006. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  10. ^ Hogan, Marc (1 November 2020). "Belle and Sebastian: Tigermilk". Pitchfork. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  11. ^ Maconie 1999, p. 124
  12. ^ Sheffield, Rob (2 September 1999). "Tigermilk". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  13. ^ Wolk 2004, pp. 59–60
  14. ^ Costa, Maddy (3 July 1999). "Belle and Sebastian: Tigermilk (Jeepster)". The Times. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  15. ^ Aiken, Kit (August 1999). "They're grrrreat!". Uncut (27). Retrieved 8 March 2020.
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  17. ^ "The List: 31 May 1996". 31 May 1996.
  18. ^ Plagenhoef, Scott (15 September 2007). Belle & Sebastian's If You're Feeling Sinister. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 9781441194909.
  19. ^ "The Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s: 20-01". Pitchfork. 3 September 2010.
  20. ^ Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (23 March 2010). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 978-0-7893-2074-2.
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  22. ^ "Bell & Sebs: £4k to Save the World". DrownedInSound. Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 11 March 2022.

Sources

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