Cocteau Twins' Blue Bell Knoll

Chris Tapley (Writer, UK)

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Paperback

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English

Bloomsbury Academic USA
08 May 2025

Music reviews & criticism; Punk, New Wave & Indie; Individual composers & musicians, bands & groups

Series: 33 1/3

In this exploration of Cocteau Twins' quintessential album, Chris Tapley traces lines in all directions from Blue Bell Knoll to paint a revealing portrait of the enigmatic trio and their career-long struggles with self-doubt, stubborn principles, and pure experimentation.

Throughout their career, Cocteau Twins sought to escape definition. Lyrics were a closely guarded secret, their transcendent recordings sounded completely unique, and they were notoriously tight-lipped during interviews. The music, they said, should speak for itself. Only nobody could agree on what the music said.

Released in 1988, their fifth full-length album, Blue Bell Knoll, is the pinnacle of Cocteau Twins' legendary ambiguity. The first album recorded entirely in their own studio, these dense dreamlike songs capture the band as they refined the key elements of their iconic sound while testing the limits of language and the mixing desk.

From lyrics and production to artwork and interviews, everything about this influential, one-of-a-kind band stokes contradictions and uncertainty, and raises the question: can anyone ever really define what a song means?

By: Chris Tapley (Writer UK)
Imprint: Bloomsbury Academic USA
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 164mm, Width: 120mm, Spine: 12mm
Weight: 152g
ISBN: 9781501390449
ISBN 10: 1501390449
Series: 33 1/3
Pages: 152
Publication Date: 08 May 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Chris Tapley is based in Glasgow, Scotland. His writing has been published by The List, The Skinny, The Line of Best Fit, thi wurd magazine, the Scottish Writers’ Centre, and commended for the Costa Short Story Award.

Reviews for Cocteau Twins' Blue Bell Knoll

[H]elped by extensive research, including new interviews with Robin Guthrie, Simon Raymonde and sleeve designer Paul West, Tapley ... offers more than enough detail and insight to bring Blue Bell Knoll into sharp focus. * Classic Pop Magazine *