Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
Stars and Topsoil collects some of the Cocteau Twins' better-known 4AD material, which ends at 1990, before their departure to Fontana in the U.K. and Capitol in the U.S. Outside of college radio support and some late-night MTV rotation, the Cocteaus were basically invisible and unheard of in the U.S.; in the U.K., they were a higher profile act, but they still remained more of a cult band with a rabid following. As a barometer for the unfamiliar more than anything else, the compilation will either lead to the purchase of the group's entire catalog or nothing more, because those who are familiar tend to fall into two distinct camps: There are those who find the group to be from the gods, and there are those who are in firm belief that they were birthed from the stinking pit of the precious art-fluff well. Though the Cocteaus never really repeated themselves, they held a set of characteristics throughout their discography that made them extremely unique -- characteristics that launched a legion of imitators. While the selection here is fairly representative, there still isn't a definitive first place to go with the Cocteaus. An era spanning seven LPs of studio material and nine singles is a good load to pick from, and this particular track listing is just one of hundreds a fan could come up with. The disc is just as quality as most other Cocteaus releases, though it obviously misses the feel of a proper studio album. Since 4AD began reissuing those studio works in 2003, devout fans will have little use for this overview.
© Andy Kellman /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From €13,50/month
Elizabeth Fraser, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Robin Guthrie, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Cocteau Twins, MainArtist - Universal Music Publishing Ltd, MusicPublisher - Harry Fox Agency, MusicPublisher - Will Heggie, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - CMRRA, MusicPublisher - Momentum 3 Music, MusicPublisher
2000 4AD Ltd 1982 4AD Ltd
Elizabeth Fraser, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Robin Guthrie, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Cocteau Twins, MainArtist - Universal Music Publishing Ltd, MusicPublisher - Harry Fox Agency, MusicPublisher - CMRRA, MusicPublisher - Momentum 3 Music, MusicPublisher
2000 4AD Ltd 1983 4AD Ltd
Elizabeth Fraser, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Robin Guthrie, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Cocteau Twins, MainArtist - Universal Music Publishing Ltd, MusicPublisher - Harry Fox Agency, MusicPublisher - CMRRA, MusicPublisher - Momentum 3 Music, MusicPublisher
2000 4AD Ltd 1983 4AD Ltd
Elizabeth Fraser, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Robin Guthrie, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Cocteau Twins, MainArtist - Simon Raymonde, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Universal Music Publishing Ltd, MusicPublisher - Harry Fox Agency, MusicPublisher - CMRRA, MusicPublisher - Momentum 3 Music, MusicPublisher
2000 4AD Ltd 1984 4AD Ltd
Elizabeth Fraser, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Robin Guthrie, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Cocteau Twins, MainArtist - Simon Raymonde, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Universal Music Publishing Ltd, MusicPublisher - Harry Fox Agency, MusicPublisher - CMRRA, MusicPublisher - Momentum 3 Music, MusicPublisher
2000 4AD Ltd 1984 4AD Ltd
Elizabeth Fraser, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Robin Guthrie, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Cocteau Twins, MainArtist - Simon Raymonde, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Universal Music Publishing Ltd, MusicPublisher - Harry Fox Agency, MusicPublisher - CMRRA, MusicPublisher - Momentum 3 Music, MusicPublisher
2000 4AD Ltd 1984 4AD Ltd
Elizabeth Fraser, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Robin Guthrie, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Cocteau Twins, MainArtist - Simon Raymonde, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Universal Music Publishing Ltd, MusicPublisher - Harry Fox Agency, MusicPublisher - CMRRA, MusicPublisher - Momentum 3 Music, MusicPublisher
2000 4AD Ltd 1985 4AD Ltd
Elizabeth Fraser, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Robin Guthrie, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Cocteau Twins, MainArtist - Simon Raymonde, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Universal Music Publishing Ltd, MusicPublisher - Harry Fox Agency, MusicPublisher - CMRRA, MusicPublisher - Momentum 3 Music, MusicPublisher
2000 4AD Ltd 1985 4AD Ltd
Elizabeth Fraser, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Robin Guthrie, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Cocteau Twins, MainArtist - Simon Raymonde, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Universal Music Publishing Ltd, MusicPublisher - Harry Fox Agency, MusicPublisher - CMRRA, MusicPublisher - Momentum 3 Music, MusicPublisher
2000 4AD Ltd 1985 4AD Ltd
Elizabeth Fraser, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Robin Guthrie, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Cocteau Twins, MainArtist - Richard Thomas, StudioMusician - Universal Music Publishing Ltd, MusicPublisher - Harry Fox Agency, MusicPublisher - CMRRA, MusicPublisher - Momentum 3 Music, MusicPublisher
2000 4AD Ltd 1986 4AD Ltd
Elizabeth Fraser, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Robin Guthrie, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Cocteau Twins, MainArtist - Richard Thomas, StudioMusician - Universal Music Publishing Ltd, MusicPublisher - Harry Fox Agency, MusicPublisher - CMRRA, MusicPublisher - Momentum 3 Music, MusicPublisher
2000 4AD Ltd 1986 4AD Ltd
Elizabeth Fraser, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Robin Guthrie, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Cocteau Twins, MainArtist - Simon Raymonde, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Universal Music Publishing Ltd, MusicPublisher - Harry Fox Agency, MusicPublisher - CMRRA, MusicPublisher - Momentum 3 Music, MusicPublisher
2000 4AD Ltd 1986 4AD Ltd
Elizabeth Fraser, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Robin Guthrie, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Cocteau Twins, MainArtist - Simon Raymonde, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Universal Music Publishing Ltd, MusicPublisher - Harry Fox Agency, MusicPublisher - CMRRA, MusicPublisher - Momentum 3 Music, MusicPublisher
2000 4AD Ltd 1988 4AD Ltd
Elizabeth Fraser, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Robin Guthrie, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Cocteau Twins, MainArtist - Simon Raymonde, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Universal Music Publishing Ltd, MusicPublisher - Harry Fox Agency, MusicPublisher - CMRRA, MusicPublisher - Momentum 3 Music, MusicPublisher
2000 4AD Ltd 1988 4AD Ltd
Elizabeth Fraser, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Robin Guthrie, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Cocteau Twins, MainArtist - Simon Raymonde, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Universal Music Publishing Ltd, MusicPublisher - Harry Fox Agency, MusicPublisher - CMRRA, MusicPublisher - Momentum 3 Music, MusicPublisher
2000 4AD Ltd 1990 4AD Ltd
Elizabeth Fraser, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Robin Guthrie, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Cocteau Twins, MainArtist - Simon Raymonde, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Universal Music Publishing Ltd, MusicPublisher - Harry Fox Agency, MusicPublisher - CMRRA, MusicPublisher - Momentum 3 Music, MusicPublisher
2000 4AD Ltd 1990 4AD Ltd
Elizabeth Fraser, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Robin Guthrie, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Cocteau Twins, MainArtist - Simon Raymonde, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Universal Music Publishing Ltd, MusicPublisher - Harry Fox Agency, MusicPublisher - CMRRA, MusicPublisher - Momentum 3 Music, MusicPublisher
2000 4AD Ltd 1990 4AD Ltd
Elizabeth Fraser, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Robin Guthrie, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Cocteau Twins, MainArtist - Simon Raymonde, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Universal Music Publishing Ltd, MusicPublisher - Peermusic Ltd, MusicPublisher - Harry Fox Agency, MusicPublisher - Momentum 3 Music, MusicPublisher
2000 4AD Ltd 1990 4AD Ltd
Album review
Stars and Topsoil collects some of the Cocteau Twins' better-known 4AD material, which ends at 1990, before their departure to Fontana in the U.K. and Capitol in the U.S. Outside of college radio support and some late-night MTV rotation, the Cocteaus were basically invisible and unheard of in the U.S.; in the U.K., they were a higher profile act, but they still remained more of a cult band with a rabid following. As a barometer for the unfamiliar more than anything else, the compilation will either lead to the purchase of the group's entire catalog or nothing more, because those who are familiar tend to fall into two distinct camps: There are those who find the group to be from the gods, and there are those who are in firm belief that they were birthed from the stinking pit of the precious art-fluff well. Though the Cocteaus never really repeated themselves, they held a set of characteristics throughout their discography that made them extremely unique -- characteristics that launched a legion of imitators. While the selection here is fairly representative, there still isn't a definitive first place to go with the Cocteaus. An era spanning seven LPs of studio material and nine singles is a good load to pick from, and this particular track listing is just one of hundreds a fan could come up with. The disc is just as quality as most other Cocteaus releases, though it obviously misses the feel of a proper studio album. Since 4AD began reissuing those studio works in 2003, devout fans will have little use for this overview.
© Andy Kellman /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 18 track(s)
- Total length: 01:12:11
- Main artists: Cocteau Twins
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: 4AD
- Genre: Pop/Rock Rock Alternative & Indie
2000 4AD Ltd 2000 4AD Ltd
Improve album information
Why buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.