Four-Calendar Café
Cocteau Twins' notoriously difficult seventh album marked their transition from indie imprint 4AD to major label Fontana and has been unfairly maligned ever since. Trust us when we tell you it's packed with some of their finest material: 'Know Who You Are At Every Age', 'Evangeline', 'Summmerhead'? C'mon. Now's the time for a re-appraisal.
To be completely fair, it was always going to be hard for Cocteau Twins to follow 'Heaven or Las Vegas', their most beloved and popular full-length. But 'Four-Calendar Café' wasn't just an awkward grab at mainstream success, it was an album that marked a period of severe stress for Elizabeth Fraser and Robin Guthrie, whose romantic relationship had fractured. They'd vowed to keep the band together, but the studio sessions were chaotic and painful, and when the material made its way to the public it was too clean, too polished, too pop. For us though, it's always been a hidden gem; the album starts with 'Know Who You Are At Every Age', a glorious, sad ballad that was covered brilliantly by Chinese singer Faye Wong in 1994, only a year after 'Four-Calendar Café' was released.
Elsewhere we're treated to melancholymelters like 'Evangeline' and 'Bluebeard', a hook-laced near-hit that's led by Fraser's question "are you the right man for me?" and Guthrie's most Marr-esque riffs. The lite, elevator music quality of tracks like 'Oil of Angels' and the smoove, beatbox-led 'My Truth' might confuse listeners expecting the smudged mascara fantasy of the band's earliest material, but this is still Cocteaus through and through. Give it a chance, you won't be disappointed.
View more
Cocteau Twins' notoriously difficult seventh album marked their transition from indie imprint 4AD to major label Fontana and has been unfairly maligned ever since. Trust us when we tell you it's packed with some of their finest material: 'Know Who You Are At Every Age', 'Evangeline', 'Summmerhead'? C'mon. Now's the time for a re-appraisal.
To be completely fair, it was always going to be hard for Cocteau Twins to follow 'Heaven or Las Vegas', their most beloved and popular full-length. But 'Four-Calendar Café' wasn't just an awkward grab at mainstream success, it was an album that marked a period of severe stress for Elizabeth Fraser and Robin Guthrie, whose romantic relationship had fractured. They'd vowed to keep the band together, but the studio sessions were chaotic and painful, and when the material made its way to the public it was too clean, too polished, too pop. For us though, it's always been a hidden gem; the album starts with 'Know Who You Are At Every Age', a glorious, sad ballad that was covered brilliantly by Chinese singer Faye Wong in 1994, only a year after 'Four-Calendar Café' was released.
Elsewhere we're treated to melancholymelters like 'Evangeline' and 'Bluebeard', a hook-laced near-hit that's led by Fraser's question "are you the right man for me?" and Guthrie's most Marr-esque riffs. The lite, elevator music quality of tracks like 'Oil of Angels' and the smoove, beatbox-led 'My Truth' might confuse listeners expecting the smudged mascara fantasy of the band's earliest material, but this is still Cocteaus through and through. Give it a chance, you won't be disappointed.
Cocteau Twins' notoriously difficult seventh album marked their transition from indie imprint 4AD to major label Fontana and has been unfairly maligned ever since. Trust us when we tell you it's packed with some of their finest material: 'Know Who You Are At Every Age', 'Evangeline', 'Summmerhead'? C'mon. Now's the time for a re-appraisal.
To be completely fair, it was always going to be hard for Cocteau Twins to follow 'Heaven or Las Vegas', their most beloved and popular full-length. But 'Four-Calendar Café' wasn't just an awkward grab at mainstream success, it was an album that marked a period of severe stress for Elizabeth Fraser and Robin Guthrie, whose romantic relationship had fractured. They'd vowed to keep the band together, but the studio sessions were chaotic and painful, and when the material made its way to the public it was too clean, too polished, too pop. For us though, it's always been a hidden gem; the album starts with 'Know Who You Are At Every Age', a glorious, sad ballad that was covered brilliantly by Chinese singer Faye Wong in 1994, only a year after 'Four-Calendar Café' was released.
Elsewhere we're treated to melancholymelters like 'Evangeline' and 'Bluebeard', a hook-laced near-hit that's led by Fraser's question "are you the right man for me?" and Guthrie's most Marr-esque riffs. The lite, elevator music quality of tracks like 'Oil of Angels' and the smoove, beatbox-led 'My Truth' might confuse listeners expecting the smudged mascara fantasy of the band's earliest material, but this is still Cocteaus through and through. Give it a chance, you won't be disappointed.
Cocteau Twins' notoriously difficult seventh album marked their transition from indie imprint 4AD to major label Fontana and has been unfairly maligned ever since. Trust us when we tell you it's packed with some of their finest material: 'Know Who You Are At Every Age', 'Evangeline', 'Summmerhead'? C'mon. Now's the time for a re-appraisal.
To be completely fair, it was always going to be hard for Cocteau Twins to follow 'Heaven or Las Vegas', their most beloved and popular full-length. But 'Four-Calendar Café' wasn't just an awkward grab at mainstream success, it was an album that marked a period of severe stress for Elizabeth Fraser and Robin Guthrie, whose romantic relationship had fractured. They'd vowed to keep the band together, but the studio sessions were chaotic and painful, and when the material made its way to the public it was too clean, too polished, too pop. For us though, it's always been a hidden gem; the album starts with 'Know Who You Are At Every Age', a glorious, sad ballad that was covered brilliantly by Chinese singer Faye Wong in 1994, only a year after 'Four-Calendar Café' was released.
Elsewhere we're treated to melancholymelters like 'Evangeline' and 'Bluebeard', a hook-laced near-hit that's led by Fraser's question "are you the right man for me?" and Guthrie's most Marr-esque riffs. The lite, elevator music quality of tracks like 'Oil of Angels' and the smoove, beatbox-led 'My Truth' might confuse listeners expecting the smudged mascara fantasy of the band's earliest material, but this is still Cocteaus through and through. Give it a chance, you won't be disappointed.
2024 Re-issue, Remastered by Robin Guthrie
Available To Order (Estimated Shipping between 7-14 Working Days)
This item is to the best of our knowledge available to us from the supplier and should ship to you within the time-frame indicated. If there are any unforeseen issues with availability we will notify you immediately
Cocteau Twins' notoriously difficult seventh album marked their transition from indie imprint 4AD to major label Fontana and has been unfairly maligned ever since. Trust us when we tell you it's packed with some of their finest material: 'Know Who You Are At Every Age', 'Evangeline', 'Summmerhead'? C'mon. Now's the time for a re-appraisal.
To be completely fair, it was always going to be hard for Cocteau Twins to follow 'Heaven or Las Vegas', their most beloved and popular full-length. But 'Four-Calendar Café' wasn't just an awkward grab at mainstream success, it was an album that marked a period of severe stress for Elizabeth Fraser and Robin Guthrie, whose romantic relationship had fractured. They'd vowed to keep the band together, but the studio sessions were chaotic and painful, and when the material made its way to the public it was too clean, too polished, too pop. For us though, it's always been a hidden gem; the album starts with 'Know Who You Are At Every Age', a glorious, sad ballad that was covered brilliantly by Chinese singer Faye Wong in 1994, only a year after 'Four-Calendar Café' was released.
Elsewhere we're treated to melancholymelters like 'Evangeline' and 'Bluebeard', a hook-laced near-hit that's led by Fraser's question "are you the right man for me?" and Guthrie's most Marr-esque riffs. The lite, elevator music quality of tracks like 'Oil of Angels' and the smoove, beatbox-led 'My Truth' might confuse listeners expecting the smudged mascara fantasy of the band's earliest material, but this is still Cocteaus through and through. Give it a chance, you won't be disappointed.