Iceblink luck - Cocteau Twins

Robin Guthrie, Will Heggie formed the Cocteau Twins in 1979. They met Elizabeth Fraser, who would eventually provide vocals for them. Highly influenced by bands like Joy Division and Siouxie and the Banshees, their music was ethereal and sometimes quite 'new age'.

Their 1990 album 'Heaven or Las Vegas' was their most commercially successful, and when you listen to this single taken from that album, it's easy to hear why: the tracks are quite accessible. Despite 4AD label president Ivo Watts-Russell proclaiming that this LP was one of the best releases ever on his label, he released the Cocteau Twins from their contract at the end of 1990, as his relationship with the band had soured.

My collection: 7" single no. 1296

Found: HMV, London, October 15, 1990

Cost: 2 pounds

Tracks: 'Iceblink luck' / 'Mizake the mizan'

NME Readers' Pollwinners '84 EP - Bronski Beat, Cocteau Twins, The Smiths, U2

British music magazine New Musical Express, or NME in short, started giving away free EP's with the magazine in 1985. The first EP featured tracks from four readers poll winners. And quite exclusive tracks, too, as far as I know!

As is usual with such giveaway discs, they turn up in second hand shops years later. I spotted this one in a Dutch shop(!), then saw that it included a dub mix of U2's 'Wire' and decided that I needed to check this out.

My collection: 7" single no. 2215
Found: Grammofoonwinkel, Utrecht, November 14, 1994
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Hard rain' (Bronski Beat), 'Ivo (new version)' (Cocteau Twins) / 'What she said (live)' (The Smiths), 'Wire (dub mix)' (U2)
Download: here