Isobel Campbell
Encyclopedia
Isobel Campbell is a Scottish singer, cellist and composer in the indie
and rock
genres.
from their formation in Glasgow
in 1996 until 2002, when she departed the band for personal reasons. She played cello
and keyboards with the band, and sang backing vocals. She also took lead vocals on a few songs from the band, and co-wrote their top-20 UK single "Legal Man
".
Her band The Gentle Waves released its first album on Jeepster Records
, titled The Green Fields of Foreverland
, in 1999. The second Gentle Waves record, Swansong For You
came out one year later. In 2002, she collaborated with Scottish jazz
musician Bill Wells
on a collection of Billie Holiday
songs, released by Creeping Bent
.
In 2003, Campbell released Amorino
, her first solo album under her own name. Bill Wells was featured here again, along with other jazz musicians.
Her next LP, Ballad of the Broken Seas
, a collaborative album with former Screaming Trees
and Queens of the Stone Age
singer Mark Lanegan
, was released in March 2006. For this record she received a Mercury Music Prize nomination. She toured the UK
, United States
and Canada
to promote the album. Her third solo album, Milkwhite Sheets
, was released in November 2006 and continued the folk-based approach of Ballad of the Broken Seas.
A follow-up to Ballad of the Broken Seas
with Mark Lanegan
entitled Sunday at Devil Dirt
was released on 13 May 2008. A third collaboration with Lanegan, entitled Hawk
, was released in Aug 2010.
was formed in 1996 by Stuart Murdoch
and Stuart David
. The band signed to Electric Honey
in 1997. Tigermilk
was their debut and was limited to 1,000 copies worldwide. Upon its release, the band's second album, If You're Feeling Sinister
, is their best-selling album and received wide critical acclaim.
Their follow-up was The Boy with the Arab Strap
which contained the track "Is It Wicked Not to Care?" where for the first time Campbell sang lead vocals.
The band's next album was Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant
. The album introduced many stylistic changes, such as a larger string section and more of the members singing lead vocals; Campbell sings on "Family Tree", and performs a duet with Stevie Jackson
on "Beyond the Sunrise".
Most of 2002 was spent on touring and recording a soundtrack album, Storytelling (for Storytelling
by Todd Solondz
). Campbell left the band in spring of 2002, in the middle of the band's North American tour, right after the Toronto show.
, on the little known label
Jeepster Records
. Campbell released the album under the pseudonym of The Gentle Waves.
The follow-up to The Green Fields of Foreverland would become Swansong for You
released on 6 November 2000. This album would be the last release by Campbell under the pseudonym of The Gentle Waves. In 2003 she released a new album Amorino
under her own name. Her next album, 2006's Ballad of the Broken Seas
, was a collaboration with former Screaming Trees vocalist Mark Lanegan and would become Campbell's major breakthrough.
Her fourth studio album was released on 23 October 2006 entitled Milkwhite Sheets
. It brings traditional songs from United Kingdom and songs written by Campbell. Campbell has stated that album was inspired by the works of Jean Ritchie
, Anne Briggs
and Shirley Collins
.
with former Screaming Trees
vocalist Mark Lanegan
, titled Time Is Just the Same
. They would later release a single entitled "Ramblin' Man
" for their collaboration album Ballad of the Broken Seas
. Campbell wrote and recorded the majority of the album's tracks in Glasgow
, with Lanegan adding vocals in Los Angeles
. The album was nominated for the 2006 Mercury Prize. Lanegan and Campbell played four UK concerts in January 2007, with the London date being moved to a larger venue as a result of high demand for tickets.
In 2007, the duo recorded a second album together, entitled Sunday at Devil Dirt
, which was released on 5 May 2008. Three singles from the album have been released so far: "Who Built the Road"(7'), "Come On Over (Turn Me On)" (7') and "Keep me in mind sweetheart"(Cd, 12'). The five new tracks of the "Keep me in mind sweetheart" EP were later added as bonus tracks to Sunday at Devil Dirt
.
A third collaborative album with Lanegan was released on August 16, 2010 entitled Hawk
. The pair will tour to promote the album, including a set at All Tomorrow's Parties
, 10–12 December 2010 (Bowlie 2) curated by Belle & Sebastian
.
Indie pop
Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...
and rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
genres.
History
Campbell was a member of Belle & SebastianBelle & Sebastian
Belle and Sebastian are an indie pop band formed in Glasgow in January 1996. Belle and Sebastian are often compared with influential indie bands such as The Smiths, as well as classic acts such as Love, Bob Dylan and Nick Drake. The name Belle & Sebastian comes from Belle et Sébastien, a 1965...
from their formation in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
in 1996 until 2002, when she departed the band for personal reasons. She played cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
and keyboards with the band, and sang backing vocals. She also took lead vocals on a few songs from the band, and co-wrote their top-20 UK single "Legal Man
Legal Man
"Legal Man" is a single released by Belle & Sebastian on Jeepster Records in 2000. The title track also features Jonny Quinn and Rozanne Suarez of The Maisonettes on congas and vocals, respectively. The cover features band members Stevie Jackson and Isobel Campbell along with Adrienne Payne and...
".
Her band The Gentle Waves released its first album on Jeepster Records
Jeepster Records
Jeepster Records is a London, England-based independent record label which is currently the home of bands Parka and SixNationState. The label is noted for having been the home of critically acclaimed artists Belle and Sebastian and Snow Patrol....
, titled The Green Fields of Foreverland
The Green Fields of Foreverland
The Green Fields Of Foreverland is the first album released by Isobel Campbell's solo project, The Gentle Waves. The album was released on 5 April 1999.-Track listing:#"Hangman In The Shadow" – 2:00#"Evensong" – 1:54#"Renew And Restore" – 3:18...
, in 1999. The second Gentle Waves record, Swansong For You
Swansong for You
Swansong For You is the second and last album released by Isobel Campbell's solo project, The Gentle Waves. The album was released on November 6, 2000 in UK and on November 7, 2000 in USA.-Track listing:All songs written by Isobel Campbell....
came out one year later. In 2002, she collaborated with Scottish jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
musician Bill Wells
Bill Wells
Bill Wells is a Scottish bassist, pianist, guitarist and composer.He is best known for his group the Bill Wells Octet, since the early 1990s, but he has performed and recorded in a wide range of settings, including collaborations with The Pastels, Maher Shalal Hash Baz, Future Pilot A.K.A., Lol...
on a collection of Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing...
songs, released by Creeping Bent
Creeping Bent (record label)
Creeping Bent, aka The Creeping Bent Organisation is an independent record label set up by Douglas MacIntyre in 1994, based in Glasgow, Scotland.-Notable artists:* Bricolage* Alan Vega* Vic Godard, of the Subway Sect* The Secret Goldfish...
.
In 2003, Campbell released Amorino
Amorino (album)
Amorino is the first solo album released by Isobel Campbell following her departure from Belle & Sebastian. The album was released on October 7, 2003.-Track listing:#"Amorino" – 3:45#"The Breeze Whispered Your Name" – 4:45...
, her first solo album under her own name. Bill Wells was featured here again, along with other jazz musicians.
Her next LP, Ballad of the Broken Seas
Ballad of the Broken Seas
Ballad of the Broken Seas is an album released by Isobel Campbell and the first collaboration between her and Mark Lanegan. It made the shortlist for the 2006 Mercury Music Prize and was one of NME's top one hundred albums of the decade....
, a collaborative album with former Screaming Trees
Screaming Trees
Screaming Trees was an American rock band formed in Ellensburg, Washington in 1985 by vocalist Mark Lanegan, guitarist Gary Lee Conner, bass player Van Conner and drummer Mark Pickerel. Pickerel had been replaced by Barrett Martin by the time the band reached its most successful period...
and Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age is an American rock band from Palm Desert, California, United States, formed in 1997. The band's line-up has always included founding member Josh Homme , with the current line-up including longtime members Troy Van Leeuwen and Joey Castillo , alongside Michael Shuman and...
singer Mark Lanegan
Mark Lanegan
Mark Lanegan is an American rock musician and songwriter. Lanegan began his music career in the 1980s, forming the grunge group Screaming Trees with Gary Lee Conner, Van Conner and Mark Pickerel. During his time in the band Lanegan would start a low-key solo career...
, was released in March 2006. For this record she received a Mercury Music Prize nomination. She toured the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
to promote the album. Her third solo album, Milkwhite Sheets
Milkwhite Sheets
Milkwhite Sheets is the fourth solo album released by former Belle & Sebastian member Isobel Campbell. The album was released on October 23, 2006. It brings traditional songs from United Kingdom and songs written by Campbell...
, was released in November 2006 and continued the folk-based approach of Ballad of the Broken Seas.
A follow-up to Ballad of the Broken Seas
Ballad of the Broken Seas
Ballad of the Broken Seas is an album released by Isobel Campbell and the first collaboration between her and Mark Lanegan. It made the shortlist for the 2006 Mercury Music Prize and was one of NME's top one hundred albums of the decade....
with Mark Lanegan
Mark Lanegan
Mark Lanegan is an American rock musician and songwriter. Lanegan began his music career in the 1980s, forming the grunge group Screaming Trees with Gary Lee Conner, Van Conner and Mark Pickerel. During his time in the band Lanegan would start a low-key solo career...
entitled Sunday at Devil Dirt
Sunday at Devil Dirt
Sunday at Devil Dirt is the second collaborative studio album by Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan, released May 13, 2008 through V2 Records...
was released on 13 May 2008. A third collaboration with Lanegan, entitled Hawk
Hawk (album)
Hawk is the third collaborative studio album by Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan, released on August 24, 2010. The album also features folk singer Willy Mason, and two songs written by Townes Van Zandt...
, was released in Aug 2010.
Belle & Sebastian
Belle & SebastianBelle & Sebastian
Belle and Sebastian are an indie pop band formed in Glasgow in January 1996. Belle and Sebastian are often compared with influential indie bands such as The Smiths, as well as classic acts such as Love, Bob Dylan and Nick Drake. The name Belle & Sebastian comes from Belle et Sébastien, a 1965...
was formed in 1996 by Stuart Murdoch
Stuart Murdoch (musician)
Stuart Lee Murdoch is a Scottish musician, and the lead singer and songwriter for the indie pop band Belle & Sebastian. The majority of his childhood was spent a stone's throw from the birthplace of Robert Burns in Alloway, Ayr until he left school and attended university in...
and Stuart David
Stuart David
Stuart David is a Scottish musician, who formerly was a bassist with Belle & Sebastian and then went on to front Looper . He is the author of the novels Nalda Said and The Peacock Manifesto published by I.M.P. Fiction in 1999 and 2001...
. The band signed to Electric Honey
Electric Honey
Electric Honey may refer to:* Electric Honey , a 1999 album by Luscious Jackson* Electric Honey , a 1986 album by the Partland Brothers, featuring the hit single "Soul City"...
in 1997. Tigermilk
Tigermilk
Tigermilk is the 1996 debut album from Scottish pop group Belle & Sebastian. Originally given a limited release by Electric Honey, the album was subsequently re-released in 1999 by Jeepster Records...
was their debut and was limited to 1,000 copies worldwide. Upon its release, the band's second album, If You're Feeling Sinister
If You're Feeling Sinister
If You're Feeling Sinister is the second album by Scottish pop group Belle & Sebastian, released on the independent label Jeepster Records in the United Kingdom and Matador Records in the United States...
, is their best-selling album and received wide critical acclaim.
Their follow-up was The Boy with the Arab Strap
The Boy with the Arab Strap
The Boy with the Arab Strap is the third album from the Scottish band Belle & Sebastian. The inspiration for the album's name came from the band Arab Strap, who are also from Scotland and briefly toured with Belle & Sebastian. An Arab strap is a sexual device for retaining an erection.Arab Strap...
which contained the track "Is It Wicked Not to Care?" where for the first time Campbell sang lead vocals.
The band's next album was Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant
Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant
Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant is the fourth album from the Scottish group Belle & Sebastian. The album was released to generally favourable reviews....
. The album introduced many stylistic changes, such as a larger string section and more of the members singing lead vocals; Campbell sings on "Family Tree", and performs a duet with Stevie Jackson
Stevie Jackson
Stevie Jackson is a Scottish musician and songwriter. He plays lead guitar and sings in the Glasgow based indie band Belle & Sebastian. Jackson's guitar playing is distinctively retrogressive and melodic, with a heavy use of reverb and minimal effects...
on "Beyond the Sunrise".
Most of 2002 was spent on touring and recording a soundtrack album, Storytelling (for Storytelling
Storytelling (film)
Storytelling is a 2001 film, directed by Todd Solondz. It features original music by Belle & Sebastian, later compiled on an album of the same name...
by Todd Solondz
Todd Solondz
Todd Solondz is an American independent film screenwriter and director known for his style of dark, thought-provoking, socially conscious satire. Solondz has been critically acclaimed for his examination of the "dark underbelly of middle class American suburbia", a reflection of his own background...
). Campbell left the band in spring of 2002, in the middle of the band's North American tour, right after the Toronto show.
Solo and side projects
In 1999, Campbell released her first solo album, The Green Fields of ForeverlandThe Green Fields of Foreverland
The Green Fields Of Foreverland is the first album released by Isobel Campbell's solo project, The Gentle Waves. The album was released on 5 April 1999.-Track listing:#"Hangman In The Shadow" – 2:00#"Evensong" – 1:54#"Renew And Restore" – 3:18...
, on the little known label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
Jeepster Records
Jeepster Records
Jeepster Records is a London, England-based independent record label which is currently the home of bands Parka and SixNationState. The label is noted for having been the home of critically acclaimed artists Belle and Sebastian and Snow Patrol....
. Campbell released the album under the pseudonym of The Gentle Waves.
The follow-up to The Green Fields of Foreverland would become Swansong for You
Swansong for You
Swansong For You is the second and last album released by Isobel Campbell's solo project, The Gentle Waves. The album was released on November 6, 2000 in UK and on November 7, 2000 in USA.-Track listing:All songs written by Isobel Campbell....
released on 6 November 2000. This album would be the last release by Campbell under the pseudonym of The Gentle Waves. In 2003 she released a new album Amorino
Amorino (album)
Amorino is the first solo album released by Isobel Campbell following her departure from Belle & Sebastian. The album was released on October 7, 2003.-Track listing:#"Amorino" – 3:45#"The Breeze Whispered Your Name" – 4:45...
under her own name. Her next album, 2006's Ballad of the Broken Seas
Ballad of the Broken Seas
Ballad of the Broken Seas is an album released by Isobel Campbell and the first collaboration between her and Mark Lanegan. It made the shortlist for the 2006 Mercury Music Prize and was one of NME's top one hundred albums of the decade....
, was a collaboration with former Screaming Trees vocalist Mark Lanegan and would become Campbell's major breakthrough.
Her fourth studio album was released on 23 October 2006 entitled Milkwhite Sheets
Milkwhite Sheets
Milkwhite Sheets is the fourth solo album released by former Belle & Sebastian member Isobel Campbell. The album was released on October 23, 2006. It brings traditional songs from United Kingdom and songs written by Campbell...
. It brings traditional songs from United Kingdom and songs written by Campbell. Campbell has stated that album was inspired by the works of Jean Ritchie
Jean Ritchie
Jean Ritchie is an American folk singer, songwriter, and Appalachian dulcimer player.- Out of Kentucky :Abigail and Balis Ritchie of Viper, Kentucky had 14 children, and Jean was the youngest...
, Anne Briggs
Anne Briggs
Anne Briggs is an English folk singer. Although she traveled widely in the 1960s and early 1970s, appearing at folk clubs and venues in England and Ireland, she never aspired to commercial success or to achieve widespread public acknowledgment of her music...
and Shirley Collins
Shirley Collins
Shirley Elizabeth Collins MBE is a British folksinger who was a significant contributor to the English Folk Revival of the 1960s and 1970s...
.
Collaboration with Mark Lanegan
In April 2004, Campell released an EPExtended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
with former Screaming Trees
Screaming Trees
Screaming Trees was an American rock band formed in Ellensburg, Washington in 1985 by vocalist Mark Lanegan, guitarist Gary Lee Conner, bass player Van Conner and drummer Mark Pickerel. Pickerel had been replaced by Barrett Martin by the time the band reached its most successful period...
vocalist Mark Lanegan
Mark Lanegan
Mark Lanegan is an American rock musician and songwriter. Lanegan began his music career in the 1980s, forming the grunge group Screaming Trees with Gary Lee Conner, Van Conner and Mark Pickerel. During his time in the band Lanegan would start a low-key solo career...
, titled Time Is Just the Same
Time Is Just the Same
"Time Is Just The Same" is an EP released by former Belle & Sebastian member Isobel Campbell, featuring contributions by Mark Lanegan. The album was released in April 2004.-Track listing:#"Time Is Just The Same"#"Why Does My Head Hurt So?"#"Bordello Queen"...
. They would later release a single entitled "Ramblin' Man
Ramblin' Man (song)
"Ramblin' Man" is a song written in 1951 by Hank Williams. It was released as the B-side to the 1953 #1 hit "Take These Chains from My Heart", as well as to the 1976 re-release of "Why Don't You Love Me"...
" for their collaboration album Ballad of the Broken Seas
Ballad of the Broken Seas
Ballad of the Broken Seas is an album released by Isobel Campbell and the first collaboration between her and Mark Lanegan. It made the shortlist for the 2006 Mercury Music Prize and was one of NME's top one hundred albums of the decade....
. Campbell wrote and recorded the majority of the album's tracks in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, with Lanegan adding vocals in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. The album was nominated for the 2006 Mercury Prize. Lanegan and Campbell played four UK concerts in January 2007, with the London date being moved to a larger venue as a result of high demand for tickets.
In 2007, the duo recorded a second album together, entitled Sunday at Devil Dirt
Sunday at Devil Dirt
Sunday at Devil Dirt is the second collaborative studio album by Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan, released May 13, 2008 through V2 Records...
, which was released on 5 May 2008. Three singles from the album have been released so far: "Who Built the Road"(7'), "Come On Over (Turn Me On)" (7') and "Keep me in mind sweetheart"(Cd, 12'). The five new tracks of the "Keep me in mind sweetheart" EP were later added as bonus tracks to Sunday at Devil Dirt
Sunday at Devil Dirt
Sunday at Devil Dirt is the second collaborative studio album by Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan, released May 13, 2008 through V2 Records...
.
A third collaborative album with Lanegan was released on August 16, 2010 entitled Hawk
Hawk (album)
Hawk is the third collaborative studio album by Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan, released on August 24, 2010. The album also features folk singer Willy Mason, and two songs written by Townes Van Zandt...
. The pair will tour to promote the album, including a set at All Tomorrow's Parties
All Tomorrow's Parties (music festival)
All Tomorrow's Parties is a music festival which takes place at Camber Sands holiday camp in East Sussex and Butlin's holiday camp in Minehead, Somerset, England....
, 10–12 December 2010 (Bowlie 2) curated by Belle & Sebastian
Belle & Sebastian
Belle and Sebastian are an indie pop band formed in Glasgow in January 1996. Belle and Sebastian are often compared with influential indie bands such as The Smiths, as well as classic acts such as Love, Bob Dylan and Nick Drake. The name Belle & Sebastian comes from Belle et Sébastien, a 1965...
.
Studio albums
- The Green Fields of ForeverlandThe Green Fields of ForeverlandThe Green Fields Of Foreverland is the first album released by Isobel Campbell's solo project, The Gentle Waves. The album was released on 5 April 1999.-Track listing:#"Hangman In The Shadow" – 2:00#"Evensong" – 1:54#"Renew And Restore" – 3:18...
(1999) (as The Gentle Waves) - Swansong For YouSwansong for YouSwansong For You is the second and last album released by Isobel Campbell's solo project, The Gentle Waves. The album was released on November 6, 2000 in UK and on November 7, 2000 in USA.-Track listing:All songs written by Isobel Campbell....
(2000) (as The Gentle Waves) - AmorinoAmorino (album)Amorino is the first solo album released by Isobel Campbell following her departure from Belle & Sebastian. The album was released on October 7, 2003.-Track listing:#"Amorino" – 3:45#"The Breeze Whispered Your Name" – 4:45...
(2003) - Milkwhite SheetsMilkwhite SheetsMilkwhite Sheets is the fourth solo album released by former Belle & Sebastian member Isobel Campbell. The album was released on October 23, 2006. It brings traditional songs from United Kingdom and songs written by Campbell...
(2006)
Studio Albums With Mark Lanegan
- Ballad of the Broken SeasBallad of the Broken SeasBallad of the Broken Seas is an album released by Isobel Campbell and the first collaboration between her and Mark Lanegan. It made the shortlist for the 2006 Mercury Music Prize and was one of NME's top one hundred albums of the decade....
(2006) - Sunday at Devil DirtSunday at Devil DirtSunday at Devil Dirt is the second collaborative studio album by Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan, released May 13, 2008 through V2 Records...
(2008) - HawkHawk (album)Hawk is the third collaborative studio album by Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan, released on August 24, 2010. The album also features folk singer Willy Mason, and two songs written by Townes Van Zandt...
(2010)