Cocteau Twins – The Fontana Years (UMC/Mercury) 4CD Box Set

Product Description

There was perhaps a sense, after a while, that the world was taking The Cocteau Twins for granted. Late Eighties reviews had routinely described them as The Voice of God, yet 4AD, concerned that we’d get tired of appreciating the rarefied genius which shimmered in front of our noses, would keep reminding us that they were truly special. The irony was that The Cocteaus were themselves evolving, morphing, reconstituting and taking on new shapes. This wasn’t widely registered at the time. It can be now, as The Fontana Years demonstrates a musical marvel which still makes your ears feel like they’re sucking citrus fruits after years of licking ashtrays, while the rings of Saturn crash-land in your front room.

This 4-CD set brings together the two albums the band recorded for Fontana along with B-Sides, EP’s, Radio One sessions and the odd rarity. The set was mastered at Abbey Road from the original tapes and approved by Robin Guthrie.

Housed in a study box designed by James Issacs – the booklet contains photos a discography from the era as well as a sleeve note by noted author Chris Roberts.

Tracklist:

Disc One

Know Who You Are at Every Age
Evangeline
Bluebeard
Theft, And Wandering Around Lost
Oil of Angels
Squeeze-Wax
My Truth
Essence
Summerhead
Pur

Disc Two

Violaine
Serpentskirt
Tishbite
Half-Gifts
Calfskin Smack
Rilkean Heart
Ups
Eperdu
Treasure Hiding
Seekers Who Are Lovers

Disc Three

Mud and Dark – Evangeline
Summer-blink – Evangeline
Winter Wonderland – Snow EP
Frosty the Snowman – Snow EP
Three Swept – Bluebeard Single
Ice-Pulse – Bluebeard Single
Bluebeard (Acoustic Version) – Bluebeard Single
Rilkean Heart – Twinlights
Golden-Vein – Twinlights
Pink Orange Red – Twinlights
Half-Gifts – Twinlights
Feet Like Fins – Otherness
Seekers Who Are Lovers – Otherness
Violaine – Otherness
Cherry Coloured Funk – Otherness (Seefeel Remix)
Tishbite – Tishbite
Primitive Heart – Tishbite
Flock of Soul – Tishbite
Round – Tishbite
An Elan – Tishbite

Disc Four

Smile – Violaine
Tranquil Eye – Violaine
Circling Girl – Violaine
Alice – Violaine
Circling Girl – Volume Track
Touch Upon Touch – Volume Track
Serpentskirt – Mark Radcliffe Session, 12 March 1996
Golden-Vein – Mark Radcliffe Session, 12 March 1996
Half-Gifts – Mark Radcliffe Session, 12 March 1996
Seekers Who Are Lovers – Mark Radcliffe Session, 12 March 1996
Calfskin Smack – Robert Elms Session, 10 April 1996
Fifty-Fifty Clown – Robert Elms Session, 10 April 1996
Violaine – Robert Elms Session, 10 April 1996

UMC/Mercury 5771558