Cocteau Twins – B-Sides, Live & RaritiesThis one’s an amazing unofficial collection of rare stuff and odds and ends!!
Some wonderful music!
A must-have for Cocteau fans!
The compiler describes the tracks as being a collection of unreleased “treasures” which remain hidden, having never been commercially released to the public and some released as part of an obscure film soundtrack or other collection, plus some rare demos and live tracks!!
Oh, and rather surreally, some “jingles” for the Coca-Cola juice product Fruitopia!!
Here are some real rare Cocteau nuggets!!
Tracklisting & Notes
Perhaps Some Other Aeon (Demo)
This is the demo version of the b-side track to “Speak No Evil,” the first Cocteau Twins single ever recorded.
In Our Angelhood (Demo)
This is a demo version of this song, which was eventually recorded for the LP Head Over Heels.
Strange Fruit
This is a cover version of a song originally written by Lewis Allan in 1939 and made famous by Josephine Baker, Billie Holliday and others. This recording was made during one of the Cocteau Twins’ numerous BBC Radio sessions with John Peel in the early 1980s, and is available on the BBC Sessions compilation.
Pearly-Dewdrops’ Drops (Demo)
This is a demo version of this song, which was eventually recorded and released as a single, and as part of the EP The Spangle Maker.
Song to the Siren (Live Version)
Although this song, from the first This Mortal Coil LP, It’ll End in Tears, was performed around 1983 and 1984, it was not heard again during live performances until the mid 1990′s, when the Cocteau Twins surprised and delighted audiences with a rare, sensual reprisal of this classic Tim Buckley ballad. This live recording is from the 1995 Radio France Black Session.
Ivo (Alternate Version)
This version, a slightly different mix of the track from Treasure, appeared on a promotional compilation tape around 1984.
Beatrix (BBC Version)
Among the many songs recorded during Cocteau Twins’ BBC Radio sessions in the early and mid-1980s was this track from Treasure. This version of the recording can be found on the double-CD compilation BBC Sessions, released by Bella Union in 1999.
Kookaburra (Live Instrumental Version)
This is supposedly an early instrumental version of what eventually became “Kookaburra”; it may also be an early version of “Rococo.” This version, taken from a performance at Royal Festival Hall in 1984, contains elements of both songs.
My Hue and Cry (Live Version)
This instrumental, never formally recorded, was performed for a John Peel BBC Radio show, and eventually released on the 1999 compilation BBC Sessions. This live version —from a 1986 performance— is particularly stunning, although the sound quality is imperfect.
Pink Orange Red (Alternate Version)
As with the alternate versions of “Ivo” and “Pitch the Baby,” this version of the track from Tiny Dynamine was featured on a promotional compilation tape for WOMAD (World of Music, Arts and Dance) in the mid-1980s.
Blue Bell Knoll (Live Version)
Was a popular piece during live performances from 1990 until 1996. In ’96, it was saved for the final encore, and this version is perhaps the most powerful interpretation—featuring an extended guitar and drum instrumental at the end—one of the many touches that made live Cocteau Twins shows such a brilliant experience.
Carolyn’s Fingers (Live Version)
From the 1988 album Blue Bell Knoll is a perennial favorite among fans, but can be difficult to reproduce in a live setting because of the many layers of instruments and vocals that comprise the original recording. This version, from a 1996 performance in London, comes closer than most.
Pitch the Baby (“Red Tape” mix)
This funky alternate mix appeared on a Mute Records/4AD promotional cassette entitled “Red Tape” in 1990. It was never released otherwise.
Heaven or Las Vegas (Edited Version)
This shorter, edited version of “Heaven or Las Vegas” was released on the promotional single, and was used for the “Heaven or Las Vegas” video.
High-Monkey Monk
A rare track, recorded in 1990 and released initially for a NME promotional compilation. It was eventually re-released on the bonus disc in the 1991 Box Set.
Dials
This instrumental was first used as the prelude music, played just before the band went onstage, during the Heaven or Las Vegas tour in 1990/1991. It was released as a b-side on the Heaven or Las Vegas promotional single, as well as a track on the bonus disc in the 1991 Box Set.
Bluebeard (Acoustic Version)
An “acoustic” re-recording of the 1993 track from Four-Calendar Café, this was featured as a b-side on the single for “Bluebeard,” released in early 1994. (Some people claim that one can hear Liz utter, “Shit!” just before she starts singing. Can you hear it?)
FruitopiaTM Commercial 1
Surreally, in the mid-1990′s, Cocteau Twins recorded two “jingles” for the Coca-Cola® juice product Fruitopia! This is one of them.
FruitopiaTM Commercial 2
This is the other jingle recorded by Cocteau Twins for Fruitopia. This version was later remixed by Spooky and appeared on the LP Found Sound under the title “Hypo-allergenic.”
Be Still (Robin Guthrie Remix)
A Cocteau Twins version of the track “Be Still,” from the Northern Ireland benefit album Peace Together. This song was originally composed by Peter Gabriel, and performed with Sinéad O’Connor. The remix features Liz Fraser on lead vocals, with Sinéad’s vocal parts intact, and Robin’s guitar, effects and production touches.
Need-Fire
This song was recorded for the motion picture soundtrack to the all-but-forgotten film “Judge Dredd,” in 1995. It has never been commercially released elsewhere except as part of the soundtrack. A cover version of this song did appear on a 2000 tribute compilation entitled Dark Treasures: A Gothic Tribute to the Cocteau Twins, a release recommended only for the most die-hard completist.
Pitch the Baby
By popular demand, the live “Mark Clifford” remix version that was performed during the 1996 tour. “Pitch the Baby” was performed as part of a three-song segment, in which it was followed by “Wax and Wane” and “Aloysius,” both featured below. These recordings are excerpted from the 1996 performance at The Olympia in Paris.
Wax and Wane
Part two of the three-song Mark Clifford live remix set from the 1996 show at The Olympia in Paris, France.
Aloysius
The final segment of the Mark Clifford ive remix set.
