Customer Reviews

Heaven Or Las Vegas (Remastered)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

HOLV is one of my favorite albums of all time. When I found out that remastered were being issued, I was excited and also a little perplexed. There are CT albums with which I could find some (minor) production faults, but HOLV was never among them. However, my copy was aging and beginning to show signs of the dreaded pinhole dropouts, I figured I could not go wrong by replacing the older version with the remastered. The production on the remastered version is quite similar to that on the original version, and i doubt that most casual CT fans or listeners could tell the difference. However, unlike my experience with the remastered BBK album, I found that some of the subtle differences on HOLV actually were detrimental to parts of the orginial album that I had liked. The bass line in Iceblink Luck (3rd track for those of you who, like me, perpetually ignore the song titles) is more subdued in the chorus. Road River and Rail (9th track) begins to fade out at the very last line, whereas the original did not. And Pitch the Baby (2nd track) is less lush than the original, with more separation between the vocals and background music. Overall, the latter is the major difference in production on the remaster: the instruments are somewhat brighter and more separated, as they are on the remastered BBK. But whereas I felt that worked quite well on BBK, I was a bit disappointed with how this affected HOLV. If you have never heard HOLV in its original format, I think you'll find this remastered version to be brilliant and you'll probably love it. But for those of us who have listened to the original version more times than Gene Simmons has had sex, the differences may take some getting used to. One caveat: I have yet to listen to this album through headphones, so there may be more subtle, positive differences that I have not yet picked up on.

Amazing album! Embodies that soundscape west/coast mid-west wave over of the US....the backbone of the mood of the 90's for me. Mix the influences of this band and the darker contemplative Slint Spiderland...you've defined the 90's. This album is pure magic in its ability to alter my mood to shoegazing happiness....I close my eyes and I'm in the most formative years of my life feeling the warm summer nights lying on the grass with my close friends, ciggarettes and endless chatter and laughter, staring at the setting suns pink/orange clouds, awaiting another endless night.

I was a bit disappointed at first, but eventually grew to love it.
Frou-Frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires maybe very well be the most memorable Coucteau Twins experience.Heaven or Las Vegas is almost as great too!

Solid late-career entry shows how restraint and refinement work hand in hand enhancing the Cocteau sound, whereas excessive experimentation in past outings has detracted, reassuring listeners worldwide as few in the genres do that pop music could still be considered an art form.

I remember listening to the Cocteau Twins for the first time in 1992, when I bought this album (a vinyl record at the time). I didn't pay much atention to it, although I thought it was ok. Now, 15 years later, I bought it again on CD, because I saw the band's name written on a website and it reminded me of them. I was mesmerized at the first listen. Maybe because I was 17 at the time, I just wasn't ready for it. I can't stop listening to this record. The Twins don't sound like nothing that was recorded since then, and they're still ahead of time, even in 2007. Songs like Cherry-Coloured Funk, Iceblink Luck, Heaven or Las Vegas and I Wear Your Ring don't come around often...and I'm not a guy who doesn't know enough music. I own over 2,000 CDs and, even so, the Cocteau Twins amazed me at so many levels. Now I'm gonna have to buy the rest of their catalog...

Their last album for 4AD marks Cocteau Twins's journey from cold industrial sound of 80's to 90's. The thing that has always made me adore their music and records are that every song has so amazingly invented title. You can almost taste those songs in your mouth like Glass Candle Grenades, Orange Pink Red, Pearly Dew Drop's Drops, Ice Blink Luck,...
It's a very magnificent talent for a lyricst to have.

After truly classic albums such as Treasure and Head Over Heels and also some parts of Blue Bell Knoll Cocteau's just
happened to create their most delicious album in their marvellous career. Heaven Or Las Vegas begins with
Cherry coloured-funk and Guthie's guitar work offers Elizabeth begin on low notes and in the chorus she puts out the most hookable vocal works of the whole album. Though Cherry Coloured-funk is quite simple, its melody sounds extremely classic and it is very memorable as well.
Pitch the Baby, Fifty-fifty Clown are all high standard Twin's songs with great ambitions. The Single Iceblink Luck and title track Heaven or Las Vegas are both the two tracks that describe best the albums sound scape. Especially the title track is massively produced and really worth hearing.

As with all their great albums Heaven or Las Vegas has also good songs placed in the B-side of the album, there are real
treasures there like Wolf in the Breast, I Wear Your Ring, Fotzepolitic and definitely gorgeous Frou-Frou Foxes in Mid-Summer Fires.
Like Musette and Drums there's same kind of feeling, though Frou-frou is more comfortable with larger scale of vocal work
of Liz and therefore much more harmony all over the song.

For a superb group that Cocteau Twins were one would've hoped they'd never broke so secretly and with some kind of
dissappointed feelings due to the release of Milk & Kisses -96. Their last recording for 4AD is for me their last huge album
although beautiful stuff kept coming untill the very end.

I have no idea what Elizabeth Fraser is singing most of the time on this album. I've owned and listened to this album for more than 20 years and still have no idea. But whatever it is sounds absolutely lovely against the sonic wash the Twins construct on this album from 1990. This is sophisticated dream pop of the very best kind and an excellent introduction to the band's mature sound. Perfect music to just chill out to. Too many highlights to mention, but the "chorus" on the final track (Frou-Frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires) is particularly moving.

This has always been a favorite album of mine from the early 90's. Every song is great especially "frou-frou in midsummer fires" Very atmospheric music with beautiful vocals by Elizabeth Fraser. For those interested in listening to the Cocteau Twins this is a great album to start with as it was probably the most mainstream (for this kind of music)of all their albums as well as the most commercially successful.

Heaven Or Las Vegas

This is one of my all time favourite cds, I only wish they would have included the b side "Watchlar", which is on the "Iceblink Luck" 12 inch. It would have been a perfect inclusion for the remaster. I only have the original cd, and according to one review, I'm not really missing out on anything, thank goodness. My favourtie track is "fifty fifty clown". I wish I could have one day with the Cocteau Twins and ask them to decifer some of the songs, but maybe that would ruin the magic of their music.

The clarity and balance in this remaster is worth replacing your old copy. I was not sure after reading other reviews, but rest assured you will have a new reason to play these albums over and over.