Heaven Or Las Vegas

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Lorusso, Marissa (24 July 2017). "The 150 Greatest Albums Made By Women". NPR. Archived from the original on 25 July 2017 . Retrieved 4 August 2017. The 30 Best Dream Pop Albums". Pitchfork. 16 April 2018. p.3. Archived from the original on 24 April 2018 . Retrieved 24 April 2018. On the other hand, its general dismissal by critics and fans as a lesser Cocteau Twins album may have less to do with the album itself and more to do with the fact that it is bookended by better and more ecstatically creative works. There are moments of disarming beauty on Blue Bell Knoll—the melting keyboards on “ Cico Buff”, the lush vocal layering of “ Athol-Brose”, the shooting-stars opening of “ A Kissed Out Red Floatboat”, Raymonde’s syncopated bass trudge of “ The Itchy Glowblo Blow”, the whatever that is at the end of “ Spooning Good Singing Gum” (I think it might be a herd of lovelorn goats playing saxophones). But the standout is “ Carolyn’s Fingers”, which would become the Cocteau Twins’ first American single. The band never utilized its rhythm section to better effect: Against Guthrie’s crisp guitar line, that churning momentum pushes Fraser’s vocals to greater and greater heights, her unexpected swoops and eloquently rolled consonants creating a bewildering indie-pop aria. a b Raggett, Ned. " Heaven or Las Vegas – Cocteau Twins". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 22 June 2018 . Retrieved 30 March 2018.

The album title was suggested by Lawrence (Hayward) of Denim/Felt, who liked the line from the song of the same name. The music does sound a lot like the cover image, especially Guthrie's über-lovely guitar-lines that coat the songs with a sweet heady warmth until along with Fraser's voicings they're nearly bursting with beauty, really like only most things this most unique band does here, or ever did - This was the last Cocteau Twins recording to appear on the 4AD label, and was simultaneously released on Capitol Records in the United States. a b Perry, Andrew (October 1990). "Viva Las Vegas". Select. No.4. p.95. Archived from the original on 5 August 2021 . Retrieved 28 January 2023.Heaven or Las Vegas peaked at number seven on the UK Albums Chart and number 99 on the US Billboard 200, [3] [4] becoming the band's most commercially successful release. It eventually sold 235,000 copies by 1996, according to Billboard. [5] The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, [6] and was voted number 218 in the third edition of Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums. [7] In 2020, Rolling Stone listed it at No. 245 in its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. [8] I associate this record mostly with springtime because of the balance of warmth and chill it has, and also the songs have that same kinda power and mystery as those deep spring nights that are so full of the promise of summer even in the comfort of their darkness... Cocteau Twins – Chart History". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on 10 April 2015 . Retrieved 4 August 2017.

There was salvation in [Fraser's vocals and lyrics] too, in terms of helping save her relationship with [Guthrie], the joy of bringing a baby into the world that they could love. It did give them a new lease of life, and it gave the album an energy and vibrancy. It was very easy to make the music. [10]

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EDIT: I still stand by much of what I've written above, but this does sound way better through some headphones rather than speakers in my experience. The album master on vinyl is very bassy and sounds bloated on my stereo system, but through some nice bright headphones, it's manageable. If you're dead set on getting a quality copy of this album, go for the original pressing or even the CD. The band took on new familial responsibilities as bassist Simon Raymonde married his first wife, Karen, and vocalist Elizabeth Fraser was expecting her first child with guitarist and co-founder Robin Guthrie. [12] The latter's cocaine habit previously "escalated" during the recording process for Blue Bell Knoll; [13] Fraser and Raymonde believed that the new baby would prove a diversion from Guthrie's dependency and allow the pair to "play [as] happy families." [12] Their wishes did not pan out, with Guthrie relying heavily on drugs as the band developed Heaven or Las Vegas, causing him to experience "deep" paranoia and mood swings. [13] [10] His relationship with Fraser grew increasingly strained as a result. [14] The 100 greatest British albums". The Observer. London. Archived from the original on 8 April 2016 . Retrieved 3 January 2013.