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Cocteau Twins
172,104 listeners (4,727,904 plays)
Listening now: heartsmurmur, yenna_zifa
shoegaze, dream pop, post-punk, ethereal, alternative… see all
United Kingdom (1980 – 1997)
An innovative and influential Scottish band, Cocteau Twins was, throughout its existence, very difficult to catalog by genre. They built a sound based on woozy atmospherics and singer Elizabeth Fraser’s unmatchable vocals, most of which featured lyrics of made-up words and words plucked at random from the dictionary.
Forming in 1980 in Grangemouth, Scotland, their first release was Garlands in 1982 on 4AD Records, which was received well. Founding member Will Heggie left the group in 1983, prior to the release of their second full-length, Head Over Heels, that enjoyed more commercial and critical success than their first.
In 1983, the two remaining members, Fraser and Robin Guthrie, were part of the first album recorded by This Mortal Coil, a supergroup put together by Ivo Watts-Russell, head of 4AD Records. The pair had a hit with a cover of Tim Buckley’s Song to the Siren, and met Simon Raymonde, who joined the band on bass.
In April ‘84 they released Pearly Dewdrops’ Drop, the 12-inch that included The Spangle Maker. It was their first to reach the national top 40. When it peaked at 29 they were asked to play Top Of The Pops, but turned it down.
The 1984 album Treasure followed, peaking at 29 on the UK album chart.
A musical sidestep was to follow, as the Twins recorded a collaborative effort with minimalist composer Harold Budd, The Moon And The Melodies in 1985, and then a year later their next album, Victorialand, was recorded without Raymonde (who was working on the second This Mortal Coil album) or drums.
Forming in 1980 in Grangemouth, Scotland, their first release was Garlands in 1982 on 4AD Records, which was received well. Founding member Will Heggie left the group in 1983, prior to the release of their second full-length, Head Over Heels, that enjoyed more commercial and critical success than their first.
In 1983, the two remaining members, Fraser and Robin Guthrie, were part of the first album recorded by This Mortal Coil, a supergroup put together by Ivo Watts-Russell, head of 4AD Records. The pair had a hit with a cover of Tim Buckley’s Song to the Siren, and met Simon Raymonde, who joined the band on bass.
In April ‘84 they released Pearly Dewdrops’ Drop, the 12-inch that included The Spangle Maker. It was their first to reach the national top 40. When it peaked at 29 they were asked to play Top Of The Pops, but turned it down.
The 1984 album Treasure followed, peaking at 29 on the UK album chart.
A musical sidestep was to follow, as the Twins recorded a collaborative effort with minimalist composer Harold Budd, The Moon And The Melodies in 1985, and then a year later their next album, Victorialand, was recorded without Raymonde (who was working on the second This Mortal Coil album) or drums.
Similar Artists
This Mortal Coil, Harold Budd, Simon Raymonde, Robin Guthrie & Elizabeth Fraser, Cranes, Slowdive, Robin Guthrie, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Lush… see all
See moreVideos
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Play
Cocteau Twins - Know Who You Are At Every Age
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Play
Cocteau Twins ; Pandora
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Play
Ivo - Cocteau Twins
Top Albums
Shoutbox
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ftresierra wrote:
i went to Glasgow and Erinburgh and it seemed nobody ever has listened this scottish national proud band called COCTEAU TWINS. In the Erinburgh hotel I asked about them to the desk boy but he never has heard of them... I play some tracks with my nb in the lobby and a minute later, the kid turned off the hotel lobby ambient music and asked me if I could play their music louder from my notebook, so all people in the room could hear...
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KMFCM wrote:
i like sea, swallow me, but it's also one of the sadddest songs I've ever heard (and no, I couldn't for the life of me tell you why)
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skott1966 wrote:
One of the finest bands of all time.. Signature voice, guitar, and drum box XoP
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LegoLibertarian wrote:
Sea, Swallow Me is a decent track. It sounds better suited to a different CT album, though. She Will Destroy You, Eyes Are Mosaics, Why Do You Love Me, and Bloody And Blunt are the best tracks, IMO. My top albums would probably be 1. Heaven or Las Vegas, 2. Blue Bell Knoll, 3.Four-Calendar Cafe, 4. Treasure, 5. Victorialand... but it's really hard to order them after even the first two! Heaven or Las Vegas, perhaps best album of all time.. am I being too modest? :)
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arkanusboy wrote:
nobody likes SEA, SWALLOW ME from the album The Moon & the Melodies? I think it's one of their best and it's so so underrated here
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airfigaro wrote:
Elizabeth Fraser sounds like Maria Callas? She sounds nothing like the Callas on the 1953 'Tosca' recording. They both have beautiful voices, however, but I'm not sure you could compare them beyond that. Pat Benetar had operatic training, and nobody mistook her for Callas.
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EnriqueEscalona wrote:
Yo siempre he querido tocar el bajo como Simon Raymonde. ¡Cocteau Twins es mi preferida!
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chamaleonicann wrote:
mmmmmmmm....i love them too
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chamaleonicann wrote:
me too (and The Chameleons)
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SimeiDublinski wrote:
Cocteau Twins is the unique band that I love each song.
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Gerchu wrote:
Peppermint Pig!!!
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zamos wrote:
I have a weird crush on Robin
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Dado7 wrote:
pictures suck
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Empathy82 wrote:
i love it
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SoRuthless wrote:
treasure>heaven or las vegas. the two best albums ever. although four calender cafe was pretty good.
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Piotrec wrote:
Treasure is one of my favourite albums...of all artists. I love it! I have a vinyl edition of it:) This music makes me feel better.
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katyasanna wrote:
- CRADLE SONG (Susan Musgrave) From the rib of a Dog-shark I fell in From the bone of a Whale-killer I fell in From the heart of a Humming-bird I fell in From the spine of a Sea-egg I fell in From the blood of a Saw-whet I fell in From the skin of a Grey-seal I fell in From the hair of a Black-dog I fell in From the eye of a Sea-raven I fell in From the throat of a Fish-hawk I fell in From the gullet of a black-shag I fell in From the shroud of my Grand-Father I fell in HUGSHUGS! Katya KATYA SANNA www.katyasanna.it
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yeoldebard wrote:
oh this band is joyous
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SSNVberghem wrote:
si
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maxindiego wrote:
since the first time i got lisent "IVO" i melt out with this group
Listeners
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heartsmurmur
Listening now
to Sea, Swallow Me -
jrvolpato
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to Fifty-Fifty Clown -
IorchidI
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to From the Flagstones -
klang_fu
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oakeydee
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cactusbelly
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Recent Activity
- beardsleyjames, misterbrew, Cototuins and 5 other people added Cocteau Twins to their libraries. 50 minutes ago
- StruanTheRuin updated the wiki page for Cocteau Twins. (diff) 9 hours ago
- camila73, alainsane, LolitaCorpse and 5 other people added Cocteau Twins to their libraries. 10 hours ago
- Djii tagged Cocteau Twins with ‘dream pop’. yesterday afternoon
- korafoto, micheldhersin, pnather1 and 2 other people added Cocteau Twins to their libraries. yesterday afternoon
- vidarth uploaded Cocteau Twins to Cocteau Twins’s images. yesterday morning
- vidarth uploaded Cocteau Twins to Cocteau Twins’s images. yesterday morning
- netsyrk, EryngiumNegl, gothammanor and 5 other people added Cocteau Twins to their libraries. yesterday morning
- ecb91 tagged Cocteau Twins with ‘voices that i love’. Thursday evening
- mrsgrumpy and salmonleap added Cocteau Twins to their libraries. Thursday afternoon
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