View Full Version : Cocteau Twins Music Charts Facts?
So with this re-introduction to the music world at Coachella, CT will be exposed to a whole new generation of music fans in a very public way. What do you think the possibilities are of CT finally catching on to the masses?
Sean_Montgomery
Feb-7-05, 11:03 PM
Somewhere on this line:
Infintesimal <--------------------> None
Ah, an optimist. :baby:
Anyone else?
Unlikely I feel, although it wouldn't actually be difficult to get a single fairly high in the UK charts these days. Main stumbling block to mass appeal would be lack of airplay. They're an old band making a comeback and stations like Radio 1 simply aren't going to schedule it because of who they are no matter what it sounds like. That means you're left with stations like 6 Music which have only a digital audience. Commercial stations won't play it because it's not commercial. It's left therefore to the specialist radio shows, plus word of mouth and the internet, and that can only go so far.
I suppose they could insert some god-awful rapper to appeal to da kids - that could get it some airplay perhaps :D
They're an old band making a comeback and stations like Radio 1 simply aren't going to schedule it because of who they are no matter what it sounds like.
with the passing of Mr. Peel (who would no doubt of aired any new release at some point) the only other possible outlet for airtime on Radio 1 would, I imagine, be Mark Radcliffe, and to be honest I have no idea if he is still on Radio 1 (I suspect not!)
Nope, he's on Radio 2 now - left last year, and Lard is on Radio 6. There's a possibility they'd get played on one of the three Radio 1 shows that replaced Peel, but their remit is squarely on new music rather than comebacks by old artists. Having said that of course, Radio 2 is actually far more influential these days as their music range is far more contemprary than it used to be. Several artists have actually been broken on Radio 2 in the last few years.
So with this re-introduction to the music world at Coachella, CT will be exposed to a whole new generation of music fans in a very public way. What do you think the possibilities are of CT finally catching on to the masses?
A bookie wouldnt give you odds on it. Then again, i didnt think a reformation would ever be on the cards.
Several artists have actually been broken on Radio 2 in the last few years.
think the same could be said of listeners ... I know I felt "broken" the last time I listened to Radio 2!!!! :D
think the same could be said of listeners ... I know I felt "broken" the last time I listened to Radio 2!!!! :D
I used to think that, but I've heard a bit of it recently whilst being pummelled on the physio's couch and it's actually been pretty interesting and had quite a good music mix. And they don't play much rap! I'm resisting making the switch though as that would still be a bit too much like admitting I'm middle aged.
It's all very hypothetical, but I think Cocteau Twins got known without a lot of promotion.
I've loved their music since 1983 and I think I've seen 2 videos on TV so far (one being TMC's song to the siren). And when I saw the other videos, I was really moved, but I also thought that they've never been a visual band. I guess that with more appealing videos they'd get a lot more TV broadcast.
But popularity can also rely on other means. Should someone chose one of CT songs for a largely broadcast ad and then they might get enormous exposure (that happened for Royskopp 2 years ago). Or should somebody who's got a lot of credit on the masses talk about them, play their music or work with them as guest, and then they'd get a lot of exposure too...
So, I guess it could happen... if there was any future at all for CT. Which I hope.
whirl-jack
Feb-8-05, 3:57 PM
The cocteaus sound has never dated because they never made it 'big'. You can listen to Garlands or head over Heels and they still sound as fresh as when they were released. We wouldn't wanna share them with even more people would we? ;)
Baddy2shoos
Feb-8-05, 5:51 PM
totally agree with last comment, hence my slight disappointment in them reforming. To think they could be played in bedrooms around the country...at the moment I like to think it's still only being played in my own especially for me :)
fredofla
Feb-8-05, 6:36 PM
better they should continue to ferment in the cult underground
and wait for
a brand new generation of nu-gazers to revive
whatever is left of their lovely corpse.
:)
andylama
Feb-8-05, 6:40 PM
nu-gazers :D
nu-gazers :D
Or given current fashions, maybe even Choo Gazers.
Sorry, I'll get my coat... :D
BBKnoller
Jul-10-06, 4:55 PM
Anyone out there have any figures for their album sales??
Which album was the most successfull?
The remasters series must have raised the figures a bit right?
Funkjedi
Jul-10-06, 4:56 PM
I read somewhere that Robin stated that FCC was their most successful
I read somewhere that Robin stated that FCC was their most successful
but judging by the amounts noticed in used bins, not really ;)
Quisquose
Jul-10-06, 5:32 PM
Aaaah! I'm getting a Doug Moon flashback! (no offense to BBKnoller.) Anyone know what I'm talking about?
andylama
Jul-10-06, 5:33 PM
but judging by the amounts noticed in used bins, not really ;)
But Eddybaby (I may call you Eddybaby? No? How about Twosheds, then?)
If they're in used bins, someone BOUGHT them. Whether they keep them is beside the point.
Fritter
Jul-10-06, 5:42 PM
I expect that, according to the record company's royalty dept., they sold a grand total of 11 records and 3 cassettes.
andylama
Jul-10-06, 5:44 PM
...all to one David Priddy of the UK and one Leesa Beales of Canada.
Everyone else are pirating bastards.
Avast ye, scurvy dogs!
Aaaah! I'm getting a Doug Moon flashback! (no offense to BBKnoller.) Anyone know what I'm talking about?
Unfortunately yes!
Seems that you can only look up figures if an album has become Gold or Platinum status. Unfortunately it looks as though none of them did.
djproject
Jul-10-06, 11:01 PM
Seems that you can only look up figures if an album has become Gold or Platinum status. Unfortunately it looks as though none of them did.
as much as i love my country, we don't always have the best collective taste =]
A quick look at the Billboard Top 100 for the past 10 years will convince anyone of that.
andylama
Jul-11-06, 12:36 AM
The world will take our word for it. But they listen to shite too.
Seems that you can only look up figures if an album has become Gold or Platinum status. Unfortunately it looks as though none of them did.
I'm certain many moons ago there was a thread where it talked about the band getting a gold disk or something like that. Looong time ago though.
Baddy2shoos
Jul-11-06, 11:35 AM
If FCC was their biggest seller, those guys must have been quite skint. Didn't they supposedly lose most of their fanbase when they switched record labels?
In terms of chart position their later works got higher, but then their earlier works were largely only listed on the Indie chart which they topped regularly and they barely touched the regular charts as they weren't sold in the right shops. I'm not sure how you go about finding out sales figures short of actually asking the band or the record label themselves.
by the sea
Jul-12-06, 9:36 AM
I'm certain many moons ago there was a thread where it talked about the band getting a gold disk or something like that. Looong time ago though.
Robin mentioned having a gold album of Treasure, which he gave away.
mmmender
Jul-13-06, 11:58 PM
bts is correct. here's the quotes in question......
Does anybody know if any of the Cocteau Twins releases ever earned any Silver or Gold disks for their sales?
had one once..gave it to a nice welsh coulple who visited my studio....think it was treasure. Also know that other albums sold more but nobody ever gave us any more discs..I think they must have been expensive ... or maybe mender has got them all
http://www.cocteautwinsforums.com/showpost.php?p=94625&postcount=3
mmmender
Feb-20-08, 9:00 AM
I found segments of this book online so I took a screenshot of the obvious section. Unfortunately, I couldn't view the page that instructs you on how the charts/numbers are listed in the book. I thought you'd like to see the page anyway..........
http://www.cocteautwins.org/%7Eleesa/cocteautwins/cgraphix/forum/COCTEAU_CHARTS.jpg
Dpressed
Feb-20-08, 9:48 AM
I think the following may help
The figures on the Singles & Albums lines are Hits pp & Weeks ww.
pp is the total number of hits the group has had
ww is the total number of weeks the group has spent on the chart
The figures at the end of the line for each single/album are pp, date & ww.
pp is is the highest chart position for the single/album
date is the date the single/album entered the chart (in European dd mmm yy format)
ww is the number of weeks the single/album spent on the chart
That's from the Guinness Book Of British Hit Singles and Albums, the 'official' UK chart.
Dpressed
Feb-20-08, 7:59 PM
That's from the Guinness Book Of British Hit Singles and Albums, the 'official' UK chart.
<pedant mode>
Can't totally agree with you there Dave ... Guinness uses the Music Week charts. This doesn't affect CT tracks ... but in earlier years it disagreed with the chart used by the BBC. As a result 'From Me To You' is now said to be the first Beatles No 1 with 'Please Please Me' only getting to No 2. According to the chart used by BBC at the time 'Please Please Me' got to No 1.
The does cause some confusion. In 1989 Dusty Springfield had a hit with 'Nothing Has Been Proved'. The song was written by The Pet Shop Boys for the flim Scandal about the 1963 Profumo Affair. The lyrics contain the line "Please Please Me's Number 1".
</pedant mode>
The Guinness Book is now effectively the official repository of Chart History, which is what I was implying.
Dpressed
Feb-21-08, 6:25 AM
The Guinness Book is now effectively the official repository of Chart History, which is what I was implying.
I wasn't really disagreeing Dprid. :sorry: if it came out like that. Everyone the UK uses Guinness for chart positions, including me. I just wanted to point out a potential 'problem.
Skimming through this thread... Weird how the majority of people I know know about them... and not through me.. they just do. So I never thought they were too obscure..
Diane65
Feb-21-08, 8:35 PM
My first CT purchases were all on vinyl ( I just read that The Pink Opaque was only released on vinyl-not CD- in the US, for some reason) they were only available through import, so I always paid a bit more for them. I had to drive 45 minutes to a little indie record store to get them. Unlike today, where you can instantly pop the music in the CD player/Ipod the second you purchase it, I had to wait until I got home-it was torture!
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