Cocteau Twins were formed in Grangemouth, Scotland in 1979 by Robin Guthrie (guitar) and Will Heggie (bass). They spotted 17 year-old Elizabeth Fraser dancing in a club one night and in 1981 she joined the band as vocalist, though she had never considered herself a singer. Named after a song by fellow Scotsmen Johnny and The Self Abusers (later Simple Minds), they sent some demos to 4AD records who signed them and released their first LP, Garlands in 1982. Notable for Heggie's chugging bass, Guthrie's minimalist guitar and Fraser's etheral vocals and mostly incomprehensible lyrics, (described by some as 'glosalalia'), the album - championed by BBC Radio 1's John Peel, became an Indy hit. Heggie left in 1982 and the band's second LP Head Over Heels relied solely on Guthrie's guitar and Fraser's vocals, who were by now a couple. Though radically different from its' predecessor, Head Over Heels was equally popular. In 1983 the band participated in the 4AD project This Mortal Coil where they met Simon Raymonde who joined the band and played bass on all subsequent recordings with the exception of Victorialand, 1986, a predominantly acoustic collaboration between Guthrie and Fraser. In 1990, the band left 4AD records due to conflicts with founder Ivo Watts-Russell, and almost disbanded due to to Guthrie's heavy alcohol and drug use. They were accused of selling out on their seventh LP Four Calendar Cafe, due mostly to Fraser's unusually comprehensible lyrics. Despite a stay in re-hab by Guthrie, a period of psychotherapy undergone by Fraser and the birth of their first child, the couple - and the band, broke up in 1997, after releasing an eighth and final album, Milk And Kisses. All 3 former members record separately and work with other bands. Despite plans and rumours they have never officially re-united though they have been releasing new material through podcasts since 2007
Cocteau Twins were formed in Grangemouth, Scotland in 1979 by Robin Guthrie (guitar) and Will Heggie (bass). They spotted 17 year-old Elizabeth Fraser dancing in a club one night and in 1981 she joined the band as vocalist, though she had never considered herself a singer. Named after a song by fellow Scotsmen Johnny and The Self Abusers (later Simple Minds), they sent some demos to 4AD records who signed them and released their first LP, Garlands in 1982. Notable for Heggie's chugging bass, Guthrie's minimalist guitar and Fraser's etheral vocals and mostly incomprehensible lyrics, (described by some as 'glosalalia'), the album - championed by BBC Radio 1's John Peel, became an Indy hit. Heggie left in 1982 and the band's second LP Head Over Heels relied solely on Guthrie's guitar and Fraser's vocals, who were by now a couple. Though radically different from its' predecessor, Head Over Heels was equally popular. In 1983 the band participated in the 4AD project This Mortal Coil where they met Simon Raymonde who joined the band and played bass on all subsequent recordings with the exception of Victorialand, 1986, a predominantly acoustic collaboration between Guthrie and Fraser. In 1990, the band left 4AD records due to conflicts with founder Ivo Watts-Russell, and almost disbanded due to to Guthrie's heavy alcohol and drug use. They were accused of selling out on their seventh LP Four Calendar Cafe, due mostly to Fraser's unusually comprehensible lyrics. Despite a stay in re-hab by Guthrie, a period of psychotherapy undergone by Fraser and the birth of their first child, the couple - and the band, broke up in 1997, after releasing an eighth and final album, Milk And Kisses. All 3 former members record separately and work with other bands. Despite plans and rumours they have never officially re-united though they have been releasing new material through podcasts since 2007
