Cocteau Twins
174846
225281498
2008-07-12T21:32:28Z
Andybuckley
153079
/* EPs and singles */ Link to Ice Blink
{{Refimprove|date=February 2008}}
{{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians -->
| Name = Cocteau Twins
| Img = Cocteau_Twins_promo_sheet.jpg
| Img_capt =
| Img_size = <!-- Only for images narrower than 220 pixels -->
| Landscape = yes
| Background = group_or_band
| Alias =
| Origin = [[Grangemouth]], [[Scotland]]
| Genre = [[Alternative rock]], [[Dream pop]]
| Years_active = 1979 - 1997
| Label = [[4AD]], [[Capitol Records|Capitol]], [[Fontana Records|Fontana]], [[Bella Union]]
| Associated_acts =
| URL = [http://www.cocteautwins.com/ CocteauTwins.com]
| Current_members =
| Past_members = [[Elizabeth Fraser]]<br />[[Robin Guthrie]]<br />[[Simon Raymonde]]<br />[[Will Heggie]]
}}
'''Cocteau Twins''' were a [[Scotland|Scottish]] [[alternative rock]] band active from 1979 to 1997.
==Early years==
[[Robin Guthrie]] ([[guitar]]) and [[Will Heggie]] ([[bass guitar|bass]]), both from [[Grangemouth]], [[Scotland]], formed the band in 1979. At a local disco, Nash, they met [[Elizabeth Fraser]], who would eventually provide [[vocals]].
The band's influences at the time included [[Joy Division]], [[The Birthday Party (band)|The Birthday Party]], [[Sex Pistols]] and [[Siouxsie & The Banshees]]. The band were named after the song "The Cocteau Twins" by fellow Scotsmen 'Johnny and the Self-Abusers' (who later renamed themselves [[Simple Minds]]; the song "The Cocteau Twins" was also re-penned as "No Cure"). Their debut recording, ''[[Garlands]]'' (released by [[4AD Records]] in 1982), was an instant success, as was the subsequent ''[[Lullabies (ep)|Lullabies]]'' EP. They themselves remain influential to aspiring [[post-punk]] acts today.
Although the entire band was praised for their performances, Fraser received the most attention. At times barely decipherable, Fraser seemed to veer into [[glossolalia]] and [[Puirt a beul|mouth music]]. [[Allmusic]] reviewer [[Ned Raggett]] writes that "part of her appeal is how she can make hard-to-interpret lyrics so emotionally gripping."<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=33:wqja7z6jg7or
|title="Heaven or Las Vegas" song review
|last=Raggett
|first=Ned
|publisher=Allmusic
|accessdate=2006-12-10
}}</ref>
==Mid-1980s==
Will Heggie left the group after the tour that followed the 1983 release of the band's second EP, ''[[Peppermint Pig]]'' (and subsequently joined [[Lowlife (band)|Lowlife]]). The band's sound on its first three recordings relied on the combination of Heggie's rhythmic basslines, Guthrie's minimalist guitar, and Fraser's voice; Cocteau Twins' next full-length [[LP (format)|LP]], ''[[Head over Heels (Cocteau Twins album)|Head over Heels]]'', had to rely solely on the latter two. This led to the growth of Cocteau Twins' characteristic sound: Fraser's voice, by turns ethereal and earthy, combined with Guthrie's heavily effected guitars. (Guthrie has often said that he is far more interested in the way the guitar is recorded, than in the actual notes being played, though he later admitted the effects and layering were due to his own technical inabilities.{{fact|date=May 2008}}) Like its very dissimilar predecessor, ''Head over Heels'' was well-received by the public and press.
In 1983, the band participated in 4AD's [[This Mortal Coil]] project (this spawned a cover-version of [[Tim Buckley]]'s "[[Song to the Siren]]" performed by Guthrie and Fraser), and during their work for that, they got to know [[Simon Raymonde]] (formerly a member of [[Drowning Craze]]), who joined the group later that year as bass player.
With Raymonde, the band released a series of critically acclaimed albums and EPs that explored their new style. These included ''[[The Spangle Maker]]'' (1984), ''[[Treasure (album)|Treasure]]'' (1984), ''[[Aikea-Guinea]]'' (1985), ''[[Tiny Dynamine]]'' and ''[[Echoes in a Shallow Bay]]'' (1985), and ''[[Love's Easy Tears]]'' (1986). Raymonde, who was called in to work on the second album by This Mortal Coil, did not participate in the recording of the fourth Cocteau Twins LP, ''[[Victorialand]]'' (1986), a predominantly acoustic record which featured only Guthrie and Fraser. Raymonde returned to the group for ''[[The Moon and the Melodies]]'' (1986), a collaboration with [[ambient music|ambient]] composer [[Harold Budd]], which was not released under the Cocteau Twins name.
In 1985, 4AD signed an agreement with [[Relativity Records]] for distribution of Cocteau Twins' releases in the US and other territories. To commemorate the event, the compilation ''[[The Pink Opaque]]'' (1985) was released as a way of introducing the new, broader audience to the band's back-catalogue.
While remaining a 4AD band internationally, Cocteau Twins finally signed a major-label contract with [[Capitol Records]] in 1988 for distribution in the US, and released their fifth proper LP, ''[[Blue Bell Knoll]]'', in October of that year.
==Early 1990s==
The style the group had begun exploring with ''[[Head over Heels (Cocteau Twins album)|Head over Heels]]'' reached its peak on ''[[Heaven or Las Vegas]]'', released in late 1990. The most commercially successful of their many recordings, the album rose to the higher reaches of the UK charts immediately after its release. However, despite the success of the record and the subsequent concert tours, not everything was well with the band. They parted ways with 4AD following ''Heaven or Las Vegas'' partly because of conflicts with the label's founder [[Ivo Watts-Russell]], and were close to breaking up over internal problems due in large part to Guthrie's [[addiction]] to [[recreational drug use|drugs]] and [[alcohol]].
While on their international tour supporting ''Heaven or Las Vegas'', the group signed a new recording contract with [[Mercury Records]] subsidiary [[Mercury Records|Fontana]] for the UK and elsewhere, while retaining their US relationship with Capitol. In 1991, 4AD and Capitol released a Box Set that compiled the band's EPs from 1982 to 1990, and also included a bonus disc of rare or previously unreleased material.
The band's seventh LP, ''[[Four-Calendar Café]]'', was released in late 1993. It was a departure from the heavily-processed, complex and layered sounds of ''Blue Bell Knoll'' and ''Heaven or Las Vegas'', featuring clearer and more minimalistic arrangements. This, along with the record's unusually comprehensible lyrics, led to mixed reviews for the album: Some critics accused the group of selling out and producing an 'accessible album,' while others praised the new direction as a felicitous development worthy of comparison with ''Heaven or Las Vegas''. The band themselves explained that ''Four-Calendar Café'' was simply a response to the turmoil that had engulfed them in the intervening years, with Guthrie entering [[Drug rehabilitation|rehab]] and quitting alcohol and drugs, and Fraser undergoing [[psychotherapy]]. The two had been in a long-term relationship, and by this time had a young daughter, Lucy-Belle, born in 1989.
==Mid-1990s and the breakup==
1995 saw the release of two new EPs: ''[[Twinlights]]'' and ''[[Otherness (EP)|Otherness]]''. The former consisted of four gentle acoustic songs, recorded with only [[piano]], [[Steel-string guitar|acoustic guitar]] and [[Singer|voice]]; ''Otherness'', by contrast, was a collaboration with [[Seefeel]]'s [[Mark Clifford (musician)|Mark Clifford]], and featured four electronic remixes of both older and then-unreleased Cocteau Twins songs. Both [[EP (format)|EPs]] were labelled 'experimental' by the press, since they were very different from the EPs the band had released in the past.
As it turned out, some of the tracks on both ''Twinlights'' and ''Otherness'' were versions of songs from the band's eighth album, ''[[Milk and Kisses]]'' (1996). The record was hailed as a "return to form" by some{{who}} as it saw the return of more heavily layered guitars, and Fraser began once again to obscure her lyrics, though not entirely. Two singles were taken from the album: ''[[Tishbite]]'' and ''[[Violaine]]''; both exist in two CD versions, with different [[b-side]]s included on each. The band, augmented by an extra [[guitarist]] and a [[drummer]], toured extensively to support the album - their last for Mercury/Fontana - and in live performances seemed to have found a cohesive freshness and power that had been lacking during their previous outing in 1993/94. A new song, "Touch Upon Touch", which debuted during the live shows and was recorded later in 1996, became the last Cocteau Twins song ever released. It was also one of the two songs written and arranged by Fraser, Guthrie and Raymonde for Chinese pop singer [[Faye Wong]] for her Mandarin album ''Fu Zao'' released in June 1996, the other being "Tranquil Eye" from ''Violaine'' released in October 1996.
In 1997, while recording what was to have been their ninth LP, the trio disbanded over irreconcilable differences in part related to the break-up of Guthrie and Fraser. While a number of songs were partially recorded and possibly completed, the band has stated that they will likely never be finished or released in any form. In the same year Guthrie and Raymonde wrote and performed a new song in Faye Wong's ''The Same Name'' album.
In 1999, [[Bella Union]], the record label founded by Guthrie and Raymonde, released a double-CD Cocteau Twins compilation entitled ''BBC Sessions''. The collection is a complete record of the band's appearances on UK radio programs from 1983 to 1996, with rare and unreleased material included. In 2000, 4AD released ''Stars and Topsoil'', a compilation of selected songs picked by the band members that had been released during their years with 4AD; all recordings had been digitally remastered by Robin Guthrie. Finally, in 2003, 4AD followed ''Stars and Topsoil'' with the release of digitally remastered versions of the first six Cocteau Twins [[LP (format)|LPs]].
==Life after Cocteau Twins==
The former members of Cocteau Twins have remained active musically in the years since the band's demise. In addition to forming [[Bella Union]], Guthrie and Raymonde have produced releases from new bands signed to that label.
[[Simon Raymonde]] released the solo album ''[[Blame Someone Else]]''. He also produced the posthumous album by [[Billy Mackenzie]] from [[Associates|the Associates]], then went on to produce several [[Domino Records]]' artists like James Yorkston, Archie Bronson Outfit (whom he later managed) and Clearlake. More recently he has produced the popular UK band The Duke Spirit and has mixed the [[Mercury Prize]] nominated album ''The End Of History'' by [[Fionn Regan]].
[[Robin Guthrie]] released his first solo album ''[[Imperial (album)|Imperial]]'', continues to create music with his band [[Violet Indiana]] and has scored the music for the movie ''[[Mysterious Skin]]''. He also reunited with [[Harold Budd]] to collaborate on two companion CDs: ''Before The Day Breaks'' and ''After The Night Falls''. These pieces can be viewed as a continuation of ''[[The Moon and the Melodies]]'' and the score for ''Mysterious Skin''. He most recently produced and played guitar on [[Apollo Heights]] debut album, ''White Music For Black People''
[[Elizabeth Fraser]] provided guest vocals on Future Sound of London's single "Lifeforms" (1993), vocals for three songs on [[Massive Attack]]'s ''[[Mezzanine (album)|Mezzanine]]'' in 1998 (as well as touring with them several times), and for other, lesser-known projects and groups. For some time, she has been working on a solo album. Elizabeth provided the vocals "Lament for Gandalf" in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
On [[January 31]] [[2005]] Cocteau Twins announced that they would be reforming to perform at the [[Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival]] on [[April 30]] [[2005]], and later indicated that additional tour dates would be added. On [[March 16]], however, the reunion was cancelled, with Fraser pulling out for "personal reasons".
In 2005, 4AD released a worldwide limited edition of 10,000 compilation box set titled, ''[[Lullabies to Violaine]]'', a 4-disc set that details every single and EP released from 1982-1996. This was shortly followed up by two 2-disc sets of the same names, known as Volume 1 and Volume 2.
Since March 2007, the band has started [[podcast]]s of exclusive material.<ref>[http://www.side-line.com/news_comments.php?id=23652_0_2_0_C Cocteau Twins offer previously unreleased live tracks via podcast]</ref>
==Discography==
===Albums===
{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!Album
!width="40"|[[UK Albums Chart|UK]]
!width="40"|[[Billboard 200|U.S.]]
!Additional information
|-
|1982
|''[[Garlands]]''
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|—
|debut album
|-
|1983
|''[[Head over Heels (Cocteau Twins album)|Head over Heels]]''
|align="center"|51
|align="center"|—
|
|-
|1984
|''[[Treasure (album)|Treasure]]''
|align="center"|29
|align="center"|—
|
|-
|1986
|''[[Victorialand]]''
|align="center"|10
|align="center"|—
|
|-
|1986
|''[[The Moon and the Melodies]]''
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|—
|recorded with [[Harold Budd]]
|-
|1988
|''[[Blue Bell Knoll]]''
|align="center"|15
|align="center"|109
|
|-
|1990
|''[[Heaven or Las Vegas]]''
|align="center"|7
|align="center"|99
|
|-
|1993
|''[[Four-Calendar Café]]''
|align="center"|13
|align="center"|78
|
|-
|1996
|''[[Milk and Kisses]]''
|align="center"|17
|align="center"|99
|
|-
|}
===EPs and singles===
{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!Title
!width="40"|<small>[[UK singles chart|UK]]
!width="40"|<small>[[Modern Rock Tracks|U.S. Modern Rock]]
!Additional information
|-
|1982
|''[[Lullabies (EP)|Lullabies]]''
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|—
|EP
|-
|rowspan="2"|1983
|''[[Peppermint Pig]]''
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|—
|EP
|-
|''[[Sunburst and Snowblind]]''
|align="center"|86
|align="center"|—
|EP
|-
|1984
|"Pearly-Dewdrops' Drops"
|align="center"|29
|align="center"|—
|EP entitled ''[[The Spangle Maker]]''
|-
|rowspan="3"|1985
|''[[Aikea-Guinea]]''
|align="center"|41
|align="center"|—
|EP
|-
|''[[Tiny Dynamine]]''
|align="center"|52
|align="center"|—
|EP
|-
|''[[Echoes in a Shallow Bay]]''
|align="center"|65
|align="center"|—
|EP
|-
|1986
|''[[Love's Easy Tears]]''
|align="center"|53
|align="center"|—
|EP
|-
|1988
|"Carolyn's Fingers"
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|2
|from the album ''Blue Bell Knoll''
|-
|rowspan="2"|1990
|"[[Ice Blink|Iceblink]] Luck"
|align="center"|38
|align="center"|4
|rowspan="2"|from the album ''Heaven or Las Vegas''
|-
|"Heaven or Las Vegas"
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|9
|-
|rowspan="2"|1993
|"Evangeline"
|align="center"|34
|align="center"|—
|from the album ''Four-Calendar Café''
|-
|''[[Snow (EP)|Snow]]''
|align="center"|58
|align="center"|—
|"[[Winter Wonderland]]" and "[[Frosty the Snowman]]"
|-
|1994
|"[[Bluebeard (song)|Bluebeard]]"
|align="center"|33
|align="center"|—
|from the album ''Four-Calendar Café''
|-
|rowspan="2"|1995
|''[[Twinlights]]''
|align="center"|59
|align="center"|—
|"acoustic" EP, voice and piano
|-
|''[[Otherness (EP)|Otherness]]''
|align="center"|59
|align="center"|—
|EP of songs [[remix]]ed by Mark Clifford of [[Seefeel]], companion to ''Twinlights''
|-
|rowspan="2"|1996
|"[[Tishbite (song)|Tishbite]]"
|align="center"|34
|align="center"|—
|rowspan="2"|from the album ''Milk and Kisses''
|-
|"[[Violaine]]"
|align="center"|56
|align="center"|—
|-
|}
===Compilations===
{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!Title
!Additional information
|-
|1985
|''[[The Pink Opaque]]''
|compilation album
|-
|1991
|''The Box Set''
|ten-disc [[box set]] consisting of all EPs up to that point and one disc of bonus material
|-
|1999
|''[[BBC Sessions (Cocteau Twins album)|BBC Sessions]]''
|compilation album
|-
|2000
|''[[Stars and Topsoil]]''
|compilation album
|-
|2005
|''[[Lullabies to Violaine|Lullabies to Violaine: Singles and Extended Plays 1982-1996]]''
|limited edition (10,000 units worldwide), four-disc box set of all non-album tracks.
|-
|2006
|''[[Lullabies to Violaine, Volume 1]]: Singles and Extended Plays 1982-1990''
|first two of four discs in box set shown above.
|-
|2006
|''[[Lullabies to Violaine, Volume 2]]: Singles and Extended Plays 1993-1996''
|last two of four discs in box set shown above.
|-
|}
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
==External links==
*[http://www.cocteautwins.com Official Cocteau Twins website (cocteautwins.com)]
*[http://www.4ad.com/cocteautwins/ Cocteau Twins] on [[4AD]] website
*[http://www.cocteautwins.org The Cocteau Cafe (cocteautwins.org)] - A Cocteau Twins portal
{{Cocteau Twins}}
[[Category:4AD artists]]
[[Category:Alternative musical groups]]
[[Category:Dream pop]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1979]]
[[Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1997]]
[[Category:Post-punk]]
[[Category:Scottish rock music groups]]
[[Category:Musical groups founded by married couples]]
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