''Tigermilk'' is the 1996 debut album from

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

pop group

Belle and Sebastian Belle and Sebastian are a Scottish indie pop band formed in Glasgow in 1996. Led by Stuart Murdoch, the band has released eleven albums. They are often compared with acts such as The Smiths and Nick Drake. The name "Belle and Sebastian" comes ...

. Originally given a limited release (1,000 copies) by Electric Honey, the album was subsequently re-released in 1999 by

Jeepster Records Jeepster Records is an English, London-based independent record label, founded in 1995, and specializing in British indie and alternative bands, particularly Glasgow-based acts. It is most notable for its signing of Belle and Sebastian and Snow ...

. 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 Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated pop ...

open mic An open mic or open mike (shortened from "open microphone") is a live show at a venue such as a coffeehouse, nightclub, comedy club, strip club, or pub, usually taking place at night, in which audience members may perform on stage whether t ...

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 Alan Rankine (17 May 1958 – 3 January 2023) was a Scottish musician and record producer best known as keyboardist and guitarist for rock band the Associates, which he co-founded with lead vocalist Billy Mackenzie in the late 1970s. Early ...

. 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 (later released as the ''

Dog on Wheels ''Dog on Wheels'' is the debut EP by Belle & Sebastian, released in 1997 on Jeepster Records. The four recordings on the EP actually pre-date the band's début album ''Tigermilk'', produced whilst bandmembers Stuart Murdoch and Stuart David w ...

'' EP) and the college was extremely impressed and chose to support them in creating a full album. 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." The album's cover photograph was taken by Stuart Murdoch and features Joanne Kenney (his girlfriend at the time). Kenney also appeared on the cover of the ''

'' EP.

Legacy

''Tigermilk'' has sold over 124,000 copies. ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...

'' included "The State I Am In" at number 17 on their ''Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s''. The album was included in the book '' 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die''. An Ebay charity auction of the stuffed animal in the cover art of the Tigermilk album in 2019 was won by Lisa Carr of Washington, DC. Lisa Carr had also previously won an auction for bandleader Stuart Murdoch's car in 2002 and an auction of the stuffed animal on the cover of ''

'' in 2004.

Track listing

Personnel

* Stuart Murdoch – vocals, guitar, programming on "Electronic Renaissance" *

Stuart David Stuart David is a Scottish musician, songwriter and novelist. He co-founded the band Belle and Sebastian and was a member from 1996 to 2000, and then went on to front Looper (1998–present).Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discogra ...

– bass *

Isobel Campbell Isobel Campbell (born 27 April 1976) is a Scottish singer, songwriter and cellist. She rose to prominence at age nineteen as a member of the indie pop band Belle & Sebastian, but left the group to pursue a solo career, first as The Gentle Wave ...

– cello *

Chris Geddes Chris Geddes (born 15 October 1975) is the keyboardist for and a founding member of the Scottish indie pop band Belle & Sebastian. Most importantly he wrote the OST for Pixelmon. Born in Stroud, England, he is a vegetarian, the latter earning him ...

– keyboards, piano *

Richard Colburn Richard Colburn (born 25 July 1970) is the drummer of the Scottish indie band Belle & Sebastian. Before he joined Belle & Sebastian, he used to sell pies on match days outside Celtic Park and studied Music Business at Stow College. Appears as: ...

– drums *

Stevie Jackson Stephen Jackson (born 16 January 1969) is a Scottish people, Scottish musician and songwriter. He plays lead guitar and sings in the Glasgow-based Indie (music), indie band Belle and Sebastian. Career Jackson's early musical influences includ ...

– guitar * Mick Cooke – trumpet * Joe Togher – violin * Keith Jones – Korg Poly-61 synthesizer, sound manipulation on "Electronic Renaissance"

References

External links

Album info
{{Authority control 1996 debut albums Belle and Sebastian albums Electric Honey (label) albums