Least favourite album

[Phil Lawton]

You know the one...the Cocteau album you could quite easily live without.

This thread was born from a conversation I had with Leesa, so I know what she'll choose ("Milk & Kisses", for some odd reason).

Mine is "Garlands". I own it, of course, purely on the basis of being a collector, but God's bollocks, what a noise it is.

Anyone else?

Phil

[Scott]

Hmm...being a little hesitant at posting the negative choices...its one thing when you express what you like..but expressing dislike amongst so many that may love it..dunno..just rubs people wrong...

So I'd underscore my view that CT deserves much respect all around, and only as a matter of personal taste: mine would be Head Over Heals..but frankly I could lose HoH and Garlands if I have BBC sessions and Pink Opaque. I've said plenty o' times I prefer the BBC version of every song from the first two albums. I know HoH is a common favorite or at least well liked, including the much acclaimed Mussette and Drums...I never really liked that song myself, don't know why, just don't care for it though.

[Scott]

Oh yeah, one reason I like Garlans more than HoH is that I rather enjoy the bass playing. And I must say I though HoH consisted of more abrasive noise than Garlands...though I rarely catch the non-BBC tracks on either.

[bETH]

Mine would be Garlands i heard the BBC sessions before and much prefer those versions than the album ones, i also prfer the BBC versions of Serpentskirt Seekers Tinderbox(coz she sounds out of tune on HOH) AND Ivo.

[Scott]

Beth, I thought so about Tinderbox too! I love the BBC version. On 2nd thought, I can't really pick Garlands over HoH, i know what you mean about the post-punk sound og Garlands Phil...however, HoH seems to be lost between that and finding the newer ethereal sound..but to me it just doesn't quite get there(or just feels more lost)...until after that album(Spanglemaker EP is my favorite as from anything upto that point, april 84) ...so while it seems a step in the ethereal direction, it just doesn't do it for me can't get in to songs like WMWM,GCG,and MLP...people seem to love that stuff tho, so..no offense, just my taste.

Another thing that occurred to me, Phil, knowing you and I don't much like the drum sounds on Treasure(right?), I can't stand alot of the drum programs on HoH...I know you like Angelhood..and I agree the guitar and vox are interesting, but the drums kinda spoil it for me. Amongst the early drum sounds(can't recall the machine they used) I much prefer the programs on Hazel or Dear Heart...I am having trouble remembering now...need to go have a listen to those albums again...

[Scott]

Heh..just read the review section of HoH on the official .com site...clearly an album of strong likes or dislikes w/very little in between...one added thing to say, I think my recollection was fuzzy when I said HoH was more abrasive and noisy...though I find a few songs on it to be so...I'm gonna go have a good re-listen to HoH and see what I think...

[Scott]

Ok...sorry for the excess of posts prior, scratch those...I went and bought Garlands and HoH since I had them only in MP3. I had already bought everything else(inc. box set and BBC) so I was holding out, BTW I have bought everything by CT because I got into them due to MP3 online sharing and am enough of an audiophile to want the CDs still! ...now I've heard the ACTUAL music...I did need to give HoH more of a chance.
I still like Garlands better...I think HoH was more artistically expansive but I just like the sound and production of Garlands much better, even though its gothic post-punk sound is less my thing. I find Hedgie's bass playing more fun to listen to and the drums I like better. I appreciate HoH for what they did, and Liz's vocals were probably better there too but I get tired of that overbearing grainy reverb on every single drum track. I like the drum mixing and fx better on Garlands and Lullabies. BTW, Phil, I find Feathers Oar Blades guitar to be much in the same spirit is Angelhood, whatcha think?
Anyway, the first 2 albums and corresponding EP's serve as a nice relic and root to the band I love most..but they still aren't big on my play list like everything else after Simon came on.

[pink_choirgirl]

Garlands? bad? WHAT? I think that the album is wicked. Sure it sounds alot different than four calender cafe, but the cool goth-sheen exterior whatever thing it has going on totally grabs me. My boyfriend hated the cocteaus for the longest time, but i put on GARLANDS and he loved it. He said it sounded like bauhaus (? yeah....i don't really see it either but whatever.)
so yeah, subject was least favourite album....hmmm...I would definitely have to say something post HOLV, probably M&K. That album took a while to grow on me. You definitely have to be RELAXED to listen to it. It's great, but not as great as some of their other ones. I'll stop this pointless rant that no one will read...but i have a question that I'm DYING to know: is there any chance that the cocteaus will ever tour as a band again? feel free to email me
laura e burls forever.....and ever....

[TG]

My least favoured is Treasure.

[Scott]

pinkchoirgirl: Actually since I bought Garlands it does increasingly grow on me, and I feel similar to you and mmmender in not being to thrilled with M&K on the whole. But about Garlands, I definitely feel less inclined to knock it for being too goth, indeed most 'Gothic/post-punk' music I've heard doesn't come close to the quality of Garlands and I respect CT more for doing it and still moving on do many other great things....the mixing and sound of Blood Bitch has grown on me immensely, I love the bass all through the album and I also find when in the mood for Garlands I tend to listen strait through(as I do with Victorialand and FCC often).

Slightly off topic, I've been digging the recent cover versions of both Blood Bitch by Godbox and Shallow then Hallow by Absynth(more for the music than the vocal)...

[mmmender]

indeed phil is correct - my least fave album has got to be m&k. i think i'm the only ct fan alive who dislikes "serpentskirt" - in fact it annoys the shite outta me. i will admit that i do love "treasure hiding" and "seekers who are lovers" they are the highlights which are the saving grace of this poor release. (did i just say that?) well put it this way - a cocteau twins release is just about better than anything else....but we're not comparing them to anyone else in this thread - just simply nitpicking (right ian?) about ct albums alone. i just think that m&k is pedestrian and mediocre when comapared to some of their more brilliant releases like "blue bell knoll" and "treasure"

mmmender

[Scott]

yeah I recall you saying you felt the guitar line just drags in Serpentskirt, I agree...but I still find the singing delightful..and in one of the lines I just like singing 'crunchy little buddha crisps' along with it...but that is just me....

[Steven]

I agree with the sentiment M&K is their weakest album. I also, think Seekers is the highlight, but the rest of the album just didn't have the same consistency in style, emotional tone, and mixing that the previous four or five albums did. There is just something missing as a whole with that album, in my opinion. To me it sounds like they took their last four albums, put them in a blender and pressed mix. I guess I don't think M&K really has a distinct personality all it's own, though serpentskirt seems to be hinting at a cinematic style the cocteaus were composing at their break (i.e., also the touch upon touch, flock of soul, and the bbc session tracks like Half-gifts hint at this direction) which makes the loss of the final album that much more tragic!

[john anderson]

otherness
it makes you not want to get divorced
john

[matt]

Assuming The Moon & The Melodies doesn't count...

I'm opening up a can of worms here, I know, but I really don't understand all the fuss about Victorialand.

To these ears, the only songs that stick are Lazy Calm (and that had to be improved on in live performance), Whales Tails (ditto), Little Spacey and Feet-Like Fins. And the rest is utterly unmemorable - as some critic said in the AMG, it's "all frosting and no cake".

As I've said elsewhere, I LOVE Garlands, Head Over Heels and their surrounding EPs. But as a self-confessed goth, I would, wouldn't I?