FANS ONLY is an excellent companion to Belle and Sebastian's albums. It features all of Belle and Sebastian's videos while on the Jeepster/Matador label (they recently switched to Rough Trade) and also some interesting live performances. These segments are linked together by vintage footage of the band that seems to have been shot for TV a few years ago and by photographs of the band. This DVD is valuable to the fans of this notoriously publicity-shy band.
Many of the early videos have a similar feel to each other, but they gradually become more accomplished. "Jonathan David," "Lazy Line Painter Jane," "Is It Wicked Not to Care?" and "The Wrong Girl" (which features Norman Blake of Teenage Fanclub) are some of the best of the videos. The interviews provide a history of the band told from their own perspective, which is certainly interesting. The title gives fair warning, however; casual listeners probably won't find much of interest here. The obsessive, rabid fans (such as myself), however, should be thrilled with FANS ONLY. I give it a 9/10 because of the high quality of content and because I plan to watch it often.
Many of the early videos have a similar feel to each other, but they gradually become more accomplished. "Jonathan David," "Lazy Line Painter Jane," "Is It Wicked Not to Care?" and "The Wrong Girl" (which features Norman Blake of Teenage Fanclub) are some of the best of the videos. The interviews provide a history of the band told from their own perspective, which is certainly interesting. The title gives fair warning, however; casual listeners probably won't find much of interest here. The obsessive, rabid fans (such as myself), however, should be thrilled with FANS ONLY. I give it a 9/10 because of the high quality of content and because I plan to watch it often.
