Any Cocteau Twins fans out there ?

Yes Dan.
Unfortunately I'm really sensitive to modern remaster compression. Maybe on a portable they would be fine, but all my music is heard on a big system where I find it extremely fatiguing.
The EP's, singles released in the UK, I'll use Sunburst as a example. The 1991 UK uses the same mastering as the singles/EP box set. Should be the same for the others as well if you decide to get them individually

 

Thanks.

 

I'm an enormous fan and have every CD they ever released, plus bootlegs. For fifteen years, they were consistently astounding. Plenty of bands have made music that sounds otherworldly, truly not of this earth, but no other did so while also making each track just....GOOD music. They did a couple spots for "Frutopia" ice tea TV ads, and when I heard them my thought was: "Every new song/album I hear from this band is the greatest thing they've ever recorded, and there's no way some silly TV ads could surpass that, but damnit they do! This is the most beautiful thing they ever recorded." What other band could you say that about?

I only recently began collecting records a couple years ago and I've not even dared to begin rebuilding my CT collection on the format, but I have a few worn copies of "Tiny Dynamine", "Echoes In A Shallow Bay", "Lullabies" and "Head Over Heels." Most are not worth putting on, they're too worn.

My crowning gems currently are the recent Belgium release of the "Wax & Wane" BBC Sessions, and an amazing, NM original 1990 UK 4AD pressing of Heaven Or Las Vegas. That one was a total joy. The original US CD release was always good to my ears; buttery, with plenty of headroom; somehow the sound they achieved on that record translated well to digital. This UK pressing is that plus more detail and shimmer; it reinvigorated my love for this seminal album.

 

You got it, Blue Bell Knoll is great, the reissue is great if you don't want to pay market prices for an original. I really need Victorialand, I don't think that got a reissue. The only used Cocteau Twins I ever saw I scooped up most of, left behind like 2 singles due to lack of funds and they were gone when I returned. I think I paid $45 for Garlands, $4 for Head Over Heels, $3 for Peppermint Pig, and then in the $1 bin was Treasure and Sunburst & Snowblind (all from the same shop) a few marks but nothing deep or audible. Settled for reissues for Blue Bell Knoll and HOLV?. I loved that shop his standards were harsh so you can walk away with nice starter copies for next to nothing

 

Definitely not interested in reissues of 4AD stuff, especially since all my CT albums are originals. Plus: No need to pay "market prices" for this band, picked up all vintage 4AD albums between 5 and 10 Euros.

The prices you paid are somewhat eclectic. "Terasure" 1$, "Head Over Heels" 5$ and "Garlands".... woah.... 45? Presumably all from the same collection?

"Victorialand" is the CT title I see most frequently, no idea why.

 

Yeah same collection it was all over the board, the collection was a lot of 80s uk stuff we don't see it much this side of the pond. Also turned a $3 Chameleons album into like $50 when I was broke. The owner isn't really a record geek and they made quite a few mistakes. I no longer live there but would always come across great records for cheap prices. Garlands was kind of expensive but I traded in some stuff for it and it's still the only original copy I've seen in person

 

I love "Garlands", it's definitely not as often seen as the stuff before "Heaven Or Las Vegas".

 

Where do you find CT records at that low prices? I bet NOT online.

 

Any review about the SQ of new reissues?

 

No, fairs and markets. Only today I saw an original UK "Garlands" for 10€ but I already have it.

No shop I went to had one but apparently my Amazon preorder will be fulfilled.

 

Yes I am a fan.

 

I only have Treasure and Pink Opaque comp...kinda lost interest after Treasure.

 

Huge fan, my favourite band of all time, saw them many times live, too me there isn't another band like them, their sound is unique, I absolutely love them and miss them very much!!!

 

Just reflecting on the beauty of their early stuff.....



Just love them.

 

Lately they've easily been my most played group. Actually, I'm listening to them right now... (Tiny Dynamine/Echoes in a Shallow Bay)

 

Just about to set off home and I will have Milk & Kisses playing in the car, there isn't a week that goes by where the Cocteau's aren't in my life.

 

I second that.

 

You know each other???

 

"beauty of their early stuff"? So their later albums don't possess any "beauty"?

 

I'm happy to have found the two RSD Fontana/Universal releases. I paid more than I had planned, but I wanted them NOW, so it was well worth it. It's mildly disappointing that they did not include all of the B-sides from the CD-singles on the bonus LP, but oh well...

 

I'm really partial to the early stuff...

The combination of their musical naivete and how it seemed they used the low fidelity as additional atmosphere.... when I think of that music I catch myself not breathing and I feel a nearly painful heart swelling in my chest.

While I love their growth and it is great to see your underground heroes breakout.... you just can't recreate the naivete and the rough craft that were so compelling that spiritually(?) lifted me out of the physical place and time from first listen.

Note I was reluctant to articulate my love for this band at first post. Now you may or may not see why.

 

I'm a really big fan of "Garlands", simply love the sound. Even though I can see what people didn't like about it in 1982. But it's terrific.

 

Yes there early stuff is so different to the later, I love going back to "Garlands" and "Treasure", I loved the 80's, when I look back I was classed as the odd one, listening to the Cocteau Twins, Dead Can Dance, This Mortal Coil, Felt, The Cure, The The, whilst all my mates were listening to Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet and the Pet Shop Boys, they missed some great music

 

I adore Garlands, and pretty much all of the other songs from the Heggie era too, like the Lullabies EP and the bonus tracks on the original 4AD Garlands CD. It's incredible stuff! So dark, moody, droning, alluringly textured, and even then, uniquely melodic.

On another note, I'm kicking myself for not snatching up a UK/4AD copy of the Love's Easy Tears 12" a couple weeks ago, that appeared to be in great condition, priced at an insanely low $9. I have the US/Relativity version that I bought new back in the late 80s, and since I also have the CDEP from the singles box, I don't really need it, so I was kind of hemming and hawing over it. But after I'd done some more browsing in the shop - and I know this sounds totally silly - the labels on the UK version looked so cool, that I thought I'd go back and grab it, especially since you almost NEVER see original Cocteau Twins vinyl in the shops around here (especially at such a reasonable price). But as soon as I'd gotten back over there, some other guy had grabbed it.