Happy Birthday to Simon Raymonde!

Simon Raymonde was born on April 3, 1962. He is best known as the bass guitarist and keyboard player with the British band Cocteau Twins from 1983 to 1997.

My ‘darlings” of the latter part of the last century, Cocteau Twins were a trio whose distinctly luscious sound virtually defined the enigmatic image of the record label 4AD.

The Cocteaus were founded in Grangemouth, Scotland, in 1979, they took their name from an obscure song from fellow Scots Simple Minds.

The original form of the Cocteaus was guitarist Robin Guthrie, bassist Will Heggie and the wondrous Elizabeth Fraser, an utterly unique performer whose swooping, operatic glossolalia gave them a level of individuality unmatched by anything before or since.

The debut recording Garlands presented us with an atmospheric sound, textured by Guthrie's creative use of distorted guitars, tape loops, and echo boxes and anchored in Heggie's rhythmic bass as well as an omnipresent Roland 808 drum machine. Heggie left to for Lowlife and ex-Drowning Craze bassist Simon Raymonde joined and as time wore on Raymonde became the increasingly essential component of Cocteau Twins, gradually assuming an active role as a writer, arranger, and producer on all records except Victorialand, a predominantly acoustic record which featured only Guthrie and Fraser.

The Cocteau’s catalogue rounded out with 9 LP’s, one a collaboration with ambient pianist Harold Budd. All the recordings for mine are “must haves” especially the majestic album, Treasure.

Each track on Treasure swims in the otherworldly echoes of guitar and Liz Fraser's indecipherable voice, while the amplified drum machine loops add just the right amount of spice to give it a harder edge, without becoming annoying. Songs like Lorelei and Aloysis are my favourites, full of catchy melodies and gorgeous effects. Some are more serious, but just as enjoyable, like church-organ filled Donimo, and the achingly beautiful Amelia. Pandora drowns in its own deluge of reverb and trance-inducing sound. If you like electronica, ambient, or alternative, this album is a must, recordings like this are indeed rare 10/10.

History and music by Cocteau Twins and information on the New Wave and Post Punk period can be found at one of the best groups of Facebook. Where it’s about the music and the history and nothing else matters.