Showerthought: I used to think that 1998's 'The Boy with the Arab Strap' by Belle and Sebastian was just okay

I pulled out my old CD copy last week and the disc was so scratched it wouldn't play past track three. I had to stream it for the first time in years, and hearing it with fresh ears totally changed my mind. The production on songs like 'Sleep the Clock Around' is way more detailed than I remembered (all those little string parts). I think I just wrote it off as more of their same gentle sound back in the day. Now I'm seeing it as a real high point in their catalog. Has anyone else had a scratched disc force a re-listen that flipped your opinion on a record?

3 comments

3 Comments

craig.parker2mo ago

Totally had that happen with an old Modest Mouse album.

uma_reed261mo ago

Yeah, that's how it goes with some albums for sure.

dianab682mo ago

Funny how a scratched disc can work like that. For me, it was the opposite with that album. Giving it another listen just confirmed my old take. Tracks like "Seymour Stein" always felt a bit slight, and the whole middle section drags. It's pleasant, but it never grabs me like "If You're Feeling Sinister" does. Sometimes your first impression is the right one.