# Cocteau Twins **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 12, 2000, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocteau-twins/45245 "2000-12-12T21:57:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Turpentine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Turpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turpentine)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2000, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocteau-twins/45245/1 "2000-12-12T21:57:02Z")
I have only heard a few songs by them here and there, but I really like them a lot. I was wondering if anyone could recommend a first Cocteau Twins album. Which one is best for a beginner? By the way, how did they get their name? It makes me think of the brother and sister in Les Enfants Terribles, but I dunno… ---
**Author:** ![zyzzyva](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@zyzzyva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zyzzyva)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2000, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocteau-twins/45245/2 "2000-12-12T22:03:30Z")
Four Calendar Cafe is quite good. ---
**Author:** ![Tansu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/67e7ee/32.png) [@Tansu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tansu)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2000, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocteau-twins/45245/3 "2000-12-12T22:07:28Z")
Heaven or Las Vegas. ---
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2000, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocteau-twins/45245/4 "2000-12-12T22:11:25Z")
Heaven or Las Vegas definitely. I love them and was very sad when they broke up ☹ Don’t try to decipher the lyrics, you’ll just get a headache:) For me HorLV brings memories of driving up along the coast from SF to Mendocino in beautiful sunny weather. ---
**Author:** ![sliv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@sliv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sliv)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2000, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocteau-twins/45245/5 "2000-12-12T22:21:59Z")
Another vote here for “Heaven or Los Vegas”. It’s perhaps their most immediately tuneful and accessible. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2000, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocteau-twins/45245/6 "2000-12-12T22:35:03Z")
Well I like Head Over Heels. ---
**Author:** ![Montfort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Montfort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Montfort)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2000, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocteau-twins/45245/7 "2000-12-12T22:48:02Z")
Yet another vote for _Heaven or Las Vegas_. Also, check out Liz Fraser’s vocals on the last Massive Attack album. ---
**Author:** ![Turpentine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Turpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turpentine)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2000, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocteau-twins/45245/8 "2000-12-12T23:08:02Z")
Hey thanks…I gues it’s Heaven or Las Vegas. The last Massive Attack album…was that Mezzanine? I loved that. The female vocalist is also the girl from Cocteau Twins? Damn, so much to digest. Thanks again, all. I need to go look at a Cocteau Twins webpage now. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2000, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocteau-twins/45245/9 "2000-12-12T23:52:26Z")
I’ll chime in with a minority opinion and say _The Pink Opaque_. I’m probably biased because it has my favorite Cocteau Twins song on it, “Lorelei.” I think this is the album that most clearly defined the Cocteau Twins’s style. They have an official website at [http://www.cocteautwins.com](http://www.cocteautwins.com) ---
**Author:** ![mouthbreather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@mouthbreather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mouthbreather)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2000, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocteau-twins/45245/10 "2000-12-12T23:54:30Z")
That’s her on _Mezzanine_, Her name is Elizabeth Fraser. Great Album. I also vote for **HorLV** by the Cocteau Twins. ---
**Author:** ![mouthbreather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@mouthbreather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mouthbreather)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2000, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocteau-twins/45245/11 "2000-12-13T00:24:06Z")
Skipped over **Montfort’s** post before I replied. Must be because…(Nah, we can leave football out of ONE thread, can’t we, **Monty**?) 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Chupacabra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Chupacabra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chupacabra)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2000, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocteau-twins/45245/12 "2000-12-13T11:12:20Z")
Blue Bell Knoll. But then again, that album provided the soundtrack to the night I lost my virignity, so I may be a little biased. (Good memories and all that.) I don’t talk to the girl any more, but I still listen to the album. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2000, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocteau-twins/45245/13 "2000-12-13T13:27:58Z")
Ah, my first “favorite band.” I have all their albums and my three favorites are: 1. Heaven or Las Vegas 2. Blue Bell Knoll 3. Victorialand About the impossibility of deciphering Liz Fraser’s lyrics: firstly, her speaking voice has such a heavy Scottish accent it’s almost impossible to understand her anyway; secondly, during the '80’s the Cocteaus were known for doing lots and lots of drugs, especially when they were recording. I haven’t seen them live but I’ve heard bootlegs, and the words are much easier to understand. Fraser said in an interview that she never actually wrote any lyrics down; she just listened to what the other two (Simon Raymonde and “mental block”–I’m typing this from work) came up with in the form of instrumentals and sang the first thing that came into her head, though she usually stuck with those lyrics afterwards. They don’t make bands like that anymore, sadly. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2000, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocteau-twins/45245/14 "2000-12-13T14:32:59Z")
In the last post–“mental block” is Robin Guthrie. I knew I’d remember eventually… ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2000, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocteau-twins/45245/15 "2000-12-13T21:24:42Z")
Their name comes from a Simple Minds song. Some of their lyrics are Gaelic. Heaven or Las Vegas is their most accessible album, but it’s not a favorite of most of the longtime, hardcore Cocteaus fans I know, who seem to usually consider Treasure the best. Personally the only album of theirs I really like is Garlands. ---
**Author:** ![Nen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Nen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nen)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2000, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocteau-twins/45245/16 "2000-12-13T21:33:06Z")
I’d give my nod of approval to either _Heaven or Las Vegas_ or _Pink Opaque_. ---
**Author:** ![Rasa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rasa/32/3578_2.png) [@Rasa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rasa)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2000, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocteau-twins/45245/17 "2000-12-13T22:10:36Z")
Oooo… Pink Opaque. Definitely. Heaven or Las Vegas next. ---
**Author:** ![Montfort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Montfort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Montfort)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocteau-twins/45245/18 "2000-12-14T05:35:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mouthbreather \* > \*\*Skipped over **Montfort’s** post before I replied. Must be because…(Nah, we can leave football out of ONE thread, can’t we, **Monty**?) 😉 \*\* Umm, I guess we can. ( **Go Eagles!!!** ) ---
**Author:** ![oldscratch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ed655f/32.png) [@oldscratch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oldscratch)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocteau-twins/45245/19 "2000-12-14T05:52:46Z")
Pretty much anything before the lyrics become intelligble is good. ---
**Author:** ![HalberMensch242](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecb155/32.png) [@HalberMensch242](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HalberMensch242)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocteau-twins/45245/20 "2000-12-14T06:46:53Z")
Just wanted to put my good word in. If you guys like CT, then you might want to check out STOA, kinda remind me of DCD with a a little bit of CT thrown in, and a heapin helping of modern etheral/goth sound. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocteau-twins/45245.md?page=2)