Cocteau Twins

Cocteau Twins were an influential and prolific British band formed in 1980, their music becoming nearly synonymous with their record label 4AD. Their trademark sound of layered, ethereal guitar and indecipherable vocals inspired the 1990s shoegazing genre, which included numerous bands such as Lush, Slowdive, Pale Saints, and My Bloody Valentine.

Mid-80s

Will Heggie left the group after the tour that followed the 1983 release of the band's second EP, Peppermint Pig. Since the band's sound on its first three recordings relied heavily on Heggie's rhythmic basslines, Guthrie's minimalistic guitar and Fraser's voice, Cocteau Twins' next full-length LP, Head Over Heels, had to rely solely on the latter two. This led to establishing the Cocteau Twins' signature sound: heavily effected guitars combined with Fraser's ethereal voice. Despite being very different from its predecessor, Head Over Heels was well-received by both press and fans.

Related Topics:
1983 - LP - Head Over Heels

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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, which became a major hit), 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 a bass player.

Related Topics:
This Mortal Coil - Tim Buckley - Simon Raymonde - Drowning Craze

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

With Simon, the band released a series of critically acclaimed albums and EPs, exploring their new style. These included The Spangle Maker (1984), Treasure (1984), Aikea-Guinea (1985), Tiny Dynamine and Echoes in a Shallow Bay (1985) and Love's Easy Tears (1986). Raymonde, who was collaborating on the second This Mortal Coil LP, did not participate in the recording of the fourth Cocteau Twins LP, Victorialand (1986), a predominantly acoustic record which featured only Guthrie and Fraser. He returned to the group for The Moon and The Melodies (1986), which was a collaboration with Harold Budd, and was not released under the Cocteau Twins name.

Related Topics:
1984 - Treasure - 1985 - Victorialand - 1986 - Harold Budd

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1985, with a major-label release still years away, 4AD signed an agreement with Relativity Records for distribution of Cocteau Twins in the US and elsewhere. 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-catalog.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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.

Related Topics:
Capitol Records - 1988 - Blue Bell Knoll - October

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~