Lullabies to Violaine: Singles & Extended Plays 2

Cocteau Twins | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 21, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: 4ad / Ada
• ASIN: B000DXSE52
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #41,068 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #47 in Music > Alternative Rock > Indie & Lo-Fi > Ambient Pop
  • #65 in Music > World Music > Europe > British Isles > Scotland

Editorial Reviews

Cocteau Twins have proven to be one of the most prolific bands in modern music. This 2 CD Set breaks down the songs on the boxset version of Lullabies to Violaine. 4AD. 2006.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really Beautiful, April 6, 2006

By 

LHB (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lullabies to Violaine: Singles & Extended Plays 2 (Audio CD)

I've never been a Cocteau Twins fanatic, but this collection and V. 1 could change my mind. To my ears, the Twins were at their very best on their singles and toward the end of their career. Liz Frazer's voice was sweeter, the songs less "cutesy" and more beautiful, and they could throw up a beautiful wall of sound when they wanted to. Cherry Colored Funk, Round, An Elan and the second version of Violane are especially stunning in this collection, but I wouldn't want to be without a single disc in either of the two volumes. Even if you've always had a bit of a problem with the Twins you ought to check this out. There's some incredible stuff that I wouldn't want to live without here. I should add that the sound quality is some of the most incredible I've ever heard on a popular music disc, and beats their album remasters in terms of depth, spread and especially textural beauty (and there's a LOT of that here). At the asking price, this and V. 1 are about the best bargains going.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Twilight Brilliance, March 31, 2006

By 

Steven K. de la Vaux (Atlanta, Georgia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lullabies to Violaine: Singles & Extended Plays 2 (Audio CD)

The cracks and fissures were beginning to appear...leaving 4AD, relationship problems between band members, record label problems with Mercury / Fontana...resulted in the most personal Cocteau Twins album in their career, "Four Calendar Cafe" released in 1993.

The period 1993 - 1996, the end of the collective known as Cocteau Twins - Robin Guthrie, Simon Raymonde, Elizabeth Fraser - was characterized by two albums and a bunch of largely forgotten b-sides that were, at the time, largely dismissed by music critics and many fans alike as a period where the creative fire dimensioned.

Lullabies to Violaine: Singles & Extended Plays 2 collects all of the b-sides and EPs from this period on two discs, and allows the listener a chance to hear, maybe for the first time, these tracks, and make up their own mind.

There are some gems here...."Three Swept" a b-side on the "Bluebeard" single is gorgeous and romantic; "Smile" a b-side on (one of the) "Tishbite" singles has a joyous baseline, and "Primitive Heart" in it's simplicity and emotion is quite frankly one of the best Cocteau Twins songs ever written.

This compilation of b-sides and EPs from this period represented a tumultuous period in the bands history, but the music that came out was still magic.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant as Always!, July 12, 2006

By 

Transatlantique (Nowheresville, Oklahoma) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Lullabies to Violaine: Singles & Extended Plays 2 (Audio CD)

This band came into my life in 1988 with "Blue Bell Knoll," and I've never looked back. Lullabies to Violaine, vol. 2 is a great addition with numbers I hadn't heard, "Mud and Dark," and "Summer-Blink." This is an example, though not complete, of their evolving from a heavier style to a lighter and more sophosticated sound. Where are "Carolyn's Fingers," and "Blue Bell Knoll?"

One Christmas, while working at a well known clothing store, the music playing in their sound system included "Winter Wonderland." I heard it day in and day out, and had no idea as to where to find it. I mentioned to one of the 20 something co-workers that it was Cocteau Twins, and she asked, "Who are they?" I didn't feel old, but privileged. That song, as well as "Frosty The Snowman," were two of the reasons I bought this collection. These renditions on the first disc are unique and very wonderful. I should love to hear how they might have rendered other Christmas favourites.

This CD is a must, as is vol. 1, for any Cocteau Twins collector. I only wish they could have a DVD for all of their videos, which were just as brilliant. Why not? Musically, they are superior and sadly missed.