Blue Bell Knoll


Blue Bell Knoll is the fifth studio album by Scottish alternative rock band Cocteau Twins, released on 19 September 1988 by 4AD. This was the band's first album to receive major-label distribution in the United States, as it was originally licensed by Capitol Records from 4AD for North American release. After a period of being out of print while 4AD reclaimed the American distribution rights for their back catalogue, the album was remastered by Robin Guthrie and reissued in 2003. Elizabeth Fraser named the album after a peak in southern Utah called Bluebell Knoll.
In 2014, the album was repressed on 180g vinyl using new high definition masters.

Critical reception

In a contemporary review of Blue Bell Knoll, Victoria Thieberger of The Age appraised it as "everything that atmospheric music should be and usually isn't". NME also viewed Blue Bell Knoll positively, placing it at number 33 for Albums of the Year 1988. A less favourable response came from Robert Christgau, who criticized the "momentary momentum" of the record's guitar playing, and highlighted its supposedly boring nature: "Ever hear the one about being so open-minded that when you lay down to sleep your brains fall out?"
AllMusic critic Ned Raggett retrospectively wrote that "Blue Bell Knoll has some striking moments that are pure Cocteaus at their best", citing the opening track "Blue Bell Knoll", "For Phoebe Still a Baby" and the U.S. single "Carolyn's Fingers" as highlights, before suggesting that "things slowly but surely slide back a bit" afterwards. Gen Williams of Drowned in Sound disagreed, saying in her 2002 review that "from start to finish, it's a record that gleams with grace and emotion; chiming, mournful guitars and layered tapestry of sounds evoke a vast array of imagery". Consequence of Sounds Leni Comaratta wrote that the album, "with its rich and ambitious expressiveness, returns the band to its dream pop roots in the ether." Pitchfork listed Blue Bell Knoll as the 81st best album of the 1980s, describing it as a return to the band's ethereal style explored on Treasure.

Track listing

Personnel