yes, the ultimate Cocteau Twins mix

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The Cocteau Twins were so sublime that my “best of” compilation represents over one quarter of everything they recorded! I spent a lot of time trying to make this flow immaculately from beginning to end, and listening to it in sheerest bliss some weeks ago driving through the mountains as late afternoon faded into twilight into evening has convinced me I could do no better.

Just the playlist for now, but hopefully soon I can put together a YouTube playlist of the whole thing (they are all there) and embed it here. For now, this post is mainly addressed to those who are already familiar with this unspeakably exquisite music.

One of these days I would like to write a proper appreciation of this band (Liz Fraser, Robin Guthrie, and Simon Raymonde). There will never be another like them. There are even times when I find myself thinking that the greatest privation of death will be being unable to hear these songs again…

CD 1

  1. Pandora (Treasure)
  2. Cico Buff (Blue Bell Knoll)
  3. I Wear Your Ring (Heaven or Las Vegas)
  4. Throughout the Dark Months of April and May (Victorialand)
  5. The High Monkey-Monk (unreleased, bonus track on The Box Set)
  6. Cherry-Coloured Funk (Heaven or Las Vegas)
  7. Athol-Brose (Blue Bell Knoll)
  8. Know Who You Are at Every Age (Four-Calendar Café)
  9. She Will Destroy You (The Moon and the Melodies [with Harold Budd])
  10. Hitherto (Sunburst and Snowblind EP)
  11. Otterley (Treasure)
  12. Great Spangled Fritillary (Echoes in a Shallow Bay EP)
  13. Primitive Heart (Tishbite single)
  14. Aikea-Guinea (Aikea-Guinea EP)
  15. How to Bring a Blush to the Snow (Victorialand)
  16. Theft, and Wandering Around Lost (Four-Calendar Café)
  17. Smile (Violaine single)
  18. Donimo (Treasure)
  19. Squeeze-Wax (Four-Calendar Café)

 

CD 2

  1. Millimillenary (The Pink Opaque [compilation, otherwise unreleased])
  2. Crushed (Lonely Is an Eyesore [4AD label compilation, otherwise unreleased])
  3. Iceblink Luck (Heaven or Las Vegas)
  4. Feet-like Fins (Victorialand)
  5. Alice (Violaine single)
  6. Frou-Frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires (Heaven or Las Vegas)
  7. Evangeline (Four-Calendar Café)
  8. Heaven or Las Vegas (Heaven or Las Vegas)
  9. Serpentskirt (Milk & Kisses)
  10. Rilkean Heart (Twinlights EP)
  11. Carolyn’s Fingers (Blue Bell Knoll)
  12. Bluebeard (Four-Calendar Café)
  13. Those Eyes, That Mouth (Love’s Easy Tears EP)
  14. Pur (Four-Calendar Café)
  15. Pink Orange Red (Tiny Dynamine EP)
  16. Seekers Who Are Lovers (Milk & Kisses)
  17. Golden-Vein (Twinlights EP)
  18. Calfskin Smack (Milk & Kisses)
  19. Touch Upon Touch (Volume 17 and Splashed with Many a Speck compilations)