This Mortal Fraser

[mmmender]

Out of the 3 This Mortal Coil tracks that Liz Fraser sang on which do you think was the best?

http://cocteautwins.com/html/theband/liz/liz_live_2000_7.jpg

[Brett]

This one's a shoe-in Lees.

[dprid]

Song To The Siren - how can there even be any debate about this??

[Quisquose]

Someone chose Sixteen Days?! The only version of that song I've ever heard (the long version), is just plain annoying, with all those squawks and blips and bloops.

[Musette]

Song To The Siren - how can there even be any debate about this??

Because of the amazing vocal acrobatics on "Another Day". I also prefer her head voice to her chest voice.

[Ghosty]

Of course everybody is going to vote "Song To The Siren" but I have always liked "Another Day" better. I'm just a sucker for Liz' higher pitched voice. In STTS she sings in a much lower register than almost any other track (CT or other) and though beautiful, it's not typical of Liz' singing.

I looove Another Day. She really soars on that one.

[gladwin]

It's Another Day for me, too.

Song to the Siren is much better sung by its writer, on Starsailor.

Now there's an album worth hearing, and I see here...

http://www.timbuckley.org/content/view/78/1/

...that we might be in for a Tim Buckley reissue programme at some point soon. It would be great to have Starsailor and Blue Afternoon available again.

[Quisquose]

Because of the amazing vocal acrobatics on "Another Day". I also prefer her head voice to her chest voice.

Can you explain these terms to a non-singer? I've heard them before but I never understood quite what they meant.

[Musette]

Can you explain these terms to a non-singer? I've heard them before but I never understood quite what they meant.

I'm barely a singer myself, but basically the female voice works on two sets of muscles, one which gives deep tones to the low range, and one which gives pure tones to the high range. There's a bit of an overlap, or break, depending on the singer, but you can usually hear two distinct voices in one person. What the singer chooses to do with this break is up to her.

ETA - this can be heard very distinctly in "Another Day" in lines such as "I loved you a long time ago-o-oh" (blue - head voice, red - chest) where she's deliberately exploiting and playing with this break.

[elisa]

Song to the Siren for me, followed closely by Another Day. Great lyrics on both songs. But Siren was the first TMC song I'd ever heard, and the first time I heard it, I had no idea it was Liz singing. I was about a year into my obsession with Cocteau Twins and I heard Song to the Siren on the radio, taped it and listened to it over & over. The voice sounded familiar to me, but I didn't equate it with Liz (particularly as I was listening to the Pink Opaque and Treasure a lot at the time, and Song to the Siren was sung in a different register). I finally went out and bought It'll End in Tears on cassette, stuck it in the old walkman, holed up in my room, and went over the liner notes with a fine-toothed comb. When I realized it was Liz, I thought, well, duh, I should have known.

I remember hearing or reading somewhere that the reason Ivo wanted Liz to sing Siren is because he thought she could do the high parts that Buckley sings as the siren in his song. But Robin & Liz decided to forego the high part, and Robin just added a guitar line to vaguely represent the siren.

[Quisquose]

I'm barely a singer myself, but basically the female voice works on two sets of muscles, one which gives deep tones to the low range, and one which gives pure tones to the high range. There's a bit of an overlap, or break, depending on the singer, but you can usually hear two distinct voices in one person. What the singer chooses to do with this break is up to her.

ETA - this can be heard very distinctly in "Another Day" in lines such as "I loved you a long time ago-o-oh" (blue - head voice, red - chest) where she's deliberately exploiting and playing with this break.

Thanks! I pictured it as having something to do with singing from the diaphragm vs. singing from the throat, or something -- it sounds close to that. I love it when LF does the "break" between high and low. (Off to listen to CT songs to find more examples...)

[kaini]

Song to the Siren is the first song I heard sand by Liz. Then it got me to listen to CT. So STTS forever.

[Trashmad]

No contest I do like Another Day but Song to the Siren, well in the right mood it can still make me well up

[Phil Lawton]

It's Another Day for me, too.

Song to the Siren is much better sung by its writer, on Starsailor.



And better by The Czars.

[kookaburra]

And better by The Czars.

You mean the guy who alternately yawned and napped through his recording session?

[Phil Lawton]

You mean the guy who alternately yawned and napped through his recording session?

Possibly, Kook...still preferable to LF singing it like her jaws are wired shut.

[Musette]

Possibly, Kook...still preferable to LF singing it like her jaws are wired shut.

God. I knew her performance of SttS reminded me of something - although I love it, it does painfully remind me of my teens, when I was so tense about singing my lower teeth were practically in my eyeballs.

[grnfaerie]

tough choice. i love STTS...but am gonna have to go with AD.

[andylama]

I was so tense about singing my lower teeth were practically in my eyeballs.

Lovin' that mental image! :D

[watchlar]

another day...have to admit it

[Ghosty]

I love it when LF does the "break" between high and low. (Off to listen to CT songs to find more examples...)
In the chorus of Eggs And Their Shells, I think those descending 'lalalalalalaaaah' lines go fluently from head to chest voice. But i'm no expert.

[ResetTwo]

I think her singing in Another Day is more interesting but I prefer Song to the Siren as a song more and find it an effective cover. I've heard fairly different versions of Tim Buckley singing Song to the Siren and definitely prefer the one where he sings more... recklessly.

[dan699]

It's evident - Song To The Siren. Followed by 16 Days (I love the 12" version), then Another Day.
I'd wager a bet that all those who voted for AD prefer CT from FCC onwards.

Re: Musette's head/chest voice musings - I would say everything up to HOLV was Liz singing with her "chest" voice, for me that's singing with all her heart and soul, belting it out, letting go, being emotional. "Head" voice for me, which I hate Liz using, is more pronounced after HOLV. OK, she's always used the head singing, but it was more for backing, and really added to the more powerful chest singing.. I really can't stand her high, heady singing! Maybe it's a Glaswegian thing - we love singers who can really belt it out!

[Musette]

It's evident - Song To The Siren. Followed by 16 Days (I love the 12" version), then Another Day.
I'd wager a bet that all those who voted for AD prefer CT from FCC onwards.

Re: Musette's head/chest voice musings - I would say everything up to HOLV was Liz singing with her "chest" voice, for me that's singing with all her heart and soul, belting it out, letting go, being emotional. "Head" voice for me, which I hate Liz using, is more pronounced after HOLV. OK, she's always used the head singing, but it was more for backing, and really added to the more powerful chest singing.. I really can't stand her high, heady singing! Maybe it's a Glaswegian thing - we love singers who can really belt it out!

Oh, she used both, especially in Treasure.

[iamian]

Out of the 3 This Mortal Coil tracks that Liz Fraser sang on which do you think was the best?

http://cocteautwins.com/html/theband/liz/liz_live_2000_7.jpg

The one that meant the most...

[Rogue]

I think Song To The Siren is an amazing song, not only because I can listen to it for hours and hours and never get tired of it, but also because Elizabeth's vocal technique in that song is amazing. Almost like Bollywood style singing. I have no idea how she does it - and no one else is doing it - and that adds to my enjoyment of the song.

:clap:

I haven't heard Tim Buckley's version of it yet, but I'll source it and give it a listen.

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[Musette]

I think Song To The Siren is an amazing song, not only because I can listen to it for hours and hours and never get tired of it, but also because Elizabeth's vocal technique in that song is amazing. Almost like Bollywood style singing. I have no idea how she does it - and no one else is doing it - and that adds to my enjoyment of the song.

:clap:

I haven't heard Tim Buckley's version of it yet, but I'll source it and give it a listen.

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Hee. Reminds me of an old music joke. Difference between a soprano and a seamstress? A seamstress tucks up the frills.

I think Liz does a beautiful job with the ornamentation in this song, but there are other artists out there who can do it. Hm. If I think of recommendations, I'll pm you, ok?

[xixax777]

I love all three songs so much, but very especially "Song to the Siren".
"16 Days" is just great. I love Liz and Gordon's interplay... That piece of vinyl is often spinning at my place. I found a halfway decent copy of the EP a couple years ago, to replace the completely worn out one from nearly 20 years prior. Hey, meanwhile, has/will that EP ever be(en) re-released on CD?!? I know there was a TMC box set, but it wasn't included in it, which I never understood. Another potential remaster set?

[dynamine]

"song to the siren"


fuckin' classic!

[Alternative]

Anyone have a version uploaded somewhere of 16 Days because I have never heard the song. Been looking for it, but can't find the single song anywhere.

[kookaburra]

It's often available for d/l, but the file that's circulating is incomplete.

[paulr]

Song to the Siren is much better sung by its writer, on Starsailor.




:no: :no: :no: :no: :no: :no: :no: :no: :no: :no: :no: :no: :no:

Sorry, a good song but just done sooo much better by TMC - IMHO of course