Mr. Lin
Lunatic Member
This is the penultimate Cocteau Twins album, and because the album was released in 1993, the vinyl version is a PIA to find. I got really lucky on the auction site years ago and grabbed this copy from a U.K. seller (it's a U.K. pressing, I don't think they released the vinyl one in the U.S.), and it's in fantastic condition. Almost perfectly flat, and the vinyl itself is quiet. The sleeve - which I'll get to in a second - is actually really near mint. That doesn't happen every day! It's one of my most cherished lps.
Anyway, if you're only familiar with the band's earlier output, this one is different. The most obvious of these differences is that the vocals are much more forward, and you can easily tell what words she's singing, even though many of them still don't make much sense. It's also not as lush-sounding as their early albums, sounding just a tad stripped down as far as the instrumental parts go. But it works very well, because every single song has a catchy hook, Elizabeth Fraser's voice is in top form, and the sound quality is pretty good. While the melancholic songs are present and accounted for here, some of the songs are lighter and upbeat, at least for this group. If you're a Cocteau Twins fan I highly recommend checking this one out.
In order to reduce the number of times I play the lp, and thereby preserve it, three years ago I recorded it onto a NOS Maxell XLI-S cassette with my Nak, using just the turntable, Benz Glider M2, and Wright 200C tube phono preamp as sources directly into the tape deck. It's one of the most successful recordings I've ever made, although the bass is a little bloated on some songs because the recording is on the warm side, and so is the XLI-I model tape.
So, on to the pictures. IMO this lp has one of the coolest covers, and the coolest inner sleeve, which you see both sides of in the second and third pictures below - see if you can spot the tubes:
The inner sleeve is made of a very heavy and glossy paper. No plastic inner sleeves shaped like Pac man with his jaws pried all the way open will be found here!
Anyone here heard or own this album? I know we've got some other fans of the band.
...
Anyway, if you're only familiar with the band's earlier output, this one is different. The most obvious of these differences is that the vocals are much more forward, and you can easily tell what words she's singing, even though many of them still don't make much sense. It's also not as lush-sounding as their early albums, sounding just a tad stripped down as far as the instrumental parts go. But it works very well, because every single song has a catchy hook, Elizabeth Fraser's voice is in top form, and the sound quality is pretty good. While the melancholic songs are present and accounted for here, some of the songs are lighter and upbeat, at least for this group. If you're a Cocteau Twins fan I highly recommend checking this one out.
In order to reduce the number of times I play the lp, and thereby preserve it, three years ago I recorded it onto a NOS Maxell XLI-S cassette with my Nak, using just the turntable, Benz Glider M2, and Wright 200C tube phono preamp as sources directly into the tape deck. It's one of the most successful recordings I've ever made, although the bass is a little bloated on some songs because the recording is on the warm side, and so is the XLI-I model tape.
So, on to the pictures. IMO this lp has one of the coolest covers, and the coolest inner sleeve, which you see both sides of in the second and third pictures below - see if you can spot the tubes:
The inner sleeve is made of a very heavy and glossy paper. No plastic inner sleeves shaped like Pac man with his jaws pried all the way open will be found here!
Anyone here heard or own this album? I know we've got some other fans of the band.
...