Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The greatest Cocteau Twins album, August 6, 2003
When I first heard this album I was 19 years old working as an import buyer for Tower records in Portland, Oregon, I am now 39. And after 20 years there still hasn't been a record like it. The year this album came out Michael Jackson's Thriller album was on it's way to becoming the greatest selling album of all time. My main contact at an import distributor company told me of a new album called "Head Over Heels", by a group called Cocteau Twins that was getting rave reviews in Europe. For me personally I was sick to death of the music that was popular at the time and I decided to buy two copies, one for the store and one for me. When I took it home and listened to it I knew I was listening to a kind of music that had never been made before. After doing research, I discovered that this was actually their third recording, after "Garlands", and "Sunburst and Snowblind" and bought copies for me and the store of these records as well, and after this I became their biggest fan. I also found out that it was two 20 year old people, named Elizabeth Fraser and Robin Guthrie responsible for all that you hear. Ladies and Gentlemen, this record is a masterpiece. "Head Over Heels" is tied with "Victorialand" as my favorite Cocteau Twins record, but it is my favorite album of all time. From the incredible opening of "When Mama Was Moth", to the orgasmic ending of "Musette and Drums", this album is the best album ever made, in my opinion. Let me review my five favorite songs off of "Head Over Heels". 1)"Musette and Drums". It was after hearing this song for the first time, that I became their greatest fan. It was and still is my favorite song of all time. The last two minutes of this song is the greatest piece of music ever recorded. And understand that everything you are listening to is made by two people. This song is incredible. And after it is over, play it again. 2)"My Love Paramour". The sexiest, and most erotic song they have ever done. Pure genius. 3)"In Our Angelhood". Pure Rock and Roll, Cocteau Twins style. 4)"In The Gold Dust Rush". Angelic and beautiful. There is a part of this song that sounds likes an airplane is about to crash, it is actually the music spinning. Listen to it loud, and you will hear what I mean. Incredible production. 5)"The Tinderbox(of a Heart)". This song makes me feel like I am out looking at the ocean watching the tide roll in. I have this album to thank to having an open mind to listening to music. I learned to have patience and tolerance of all kinds of things because of this record. I rate this album the greatest along with the group that created it.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Incredible, literally breathtaking, July 15, 2000
"Head over Heels" could be seen as a transitional album, the Cocteau Twins' sound moving from the raw post-punk of "Garlands" towards the beautifully textured soundscapes of "Treasure," but HOH's material is still captivating. The style ranges from dark, slow songs like the first track, "When Mama was Moth," to (not quite) typical 80's prog-rock ("In Our Angelhood"). But undoubtedly the highlight of the album is the final track, "Musette and Drums." I truly doubt that any review could communicate this song's power and majesty to one who has not yet heard it, but I shall say a few words. This is the first of the Cocteau Twins' usual type of album-ending songs (like "Pur" and "Frou-Frou Foxes in Mid-summer Fires"), in which the sound starts off stable and easy before launching into a driving beat and absolutely gorgeous wailing by Liz Fraser. On "Musette and Drums" this shift, however unpleasant it might be to use this word, is nothing short of orgasmic. And that voice! Liz Fraser might not have the greatest range in the world (although it's certainly not limited), but the amount of emotion which she puts into her singing is incredible. I would certainly recommend this album as a first to anyone who has not yet heard the Cocteau Twins. Along with "Treasure," I think it serves as a wonderful introduction to the greater body of their work.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
a taste of things to come, September 21, 2000
It really drives me crazy when people say that they dislike Head Over Heels and Garlands because they sound "too different" or even worse "they are bad." The 2 previously mentioned albums were not the first CT albums I owned, but I love them with my whole heart. I love to listen to Head Over Heels on rainy nights, it seems to urge the torrents to come harder. Every single song is powerful. The intro of When Mama Was Moth is the breaking of the chains of conventional songwriting. Liz haunts and draws the listener in deeper with the refrain of "Five Ten Fifty-fold" "Sugar Hiccup" is the beginning of Robin's fore-telling of a "lighter Cocteau Twins sound" I love the freedom of "In The Gold Dust Rush" and the Billy Holidayesque "Multifoiled." The intro to "Tinderbox of a Heart" is stunning and entrancing, but my favorite track would have to be "My Love Paramour" with the way Liz delivers the lyrics "Ooze Out and Away Onehow." So intoxicatingly delicious is the whole album. The Cocteau Twins are more than just the definitive dream-pop band of the the 1990's. If you can't hear the beauty in all of their releases, you need to expand your sonic horizons to understand why this album is just as beautiful as the rest of their works.Also, for the person that says the Liz's vocal range is limited, you obviously haven't heard very much of the Twins work!
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