Jeepster Records - Early Success

Early Success

Jeepster Records was founded in 1995 by Mark Jones and Stefano D’Andrea, through a mutual interest in the contemporary indie scene. Following their establishment and after extensive scouting, the label signed their first act, the newly-formed Belle and Sebastian, in August of 1996. In November of the same year, the band's first album with Jeepster, 'If You're Feeling Sinister' was released to critical acclaim. This put both Belle & Sebastian and Jeepster firmly on the map, and enabled them to release several EPs with Belle & Sebastian throughout 1997, as well as signing their second act, Snow Patrol, later in the year. 1998 then saw a further increase of activity, with the signing of Salako, and the release of albums for all three of their signed bands - most notably Belle & Sebastian's 'The Boy With The Arab Strap', which enjoyed similar approval from reviewers and fans to the band's previous release.

The label's strong relationship with Belle & Sebastian enabled them in 1999 to sign Stuart David's side-project Looper, and Isobel Campbell's solo project The Gentle Waves, releasing albums for each that same year, along with a string of EPs and singles for their entire roster. The label enjoyed further good publicity when Belle & Sebastian won Best Newcomer in the 1999 Brit Awards, despite Steps being the wide favourite for the award. Later that year, Jeepster reissued Belle & Sebastian's debut album 'Tigermilk', which had previously been available only on limited issue vinyl.

2000 saw new albums released for Belle & Sebastian, Looper, and The Gentle Waves, as well as Belle & Sebastian's first appearance on Top of the Pops. Towards the end of the year, the label released the 'It's a Cool Cool Christmas' compilation in association with XFM, with proceeds going to The Big Issue charity. The album was only available during this Christmas period, and featured Belle & Sebastian and Snow Patrol, as well as numerous other bands such as The Flaming Lips and Teenage Fanclub. The following year finally marked the release of Snow Patrol's second album 'When It's All Over We Still Have To Clear Up', which, despite slightly disappointing initial sales, would eventually go gold in the wake of the band's later fame, along with their debut 'Songs For Polarbears'.