Cocteau Twins were a Scottish rock band active from 1979 to 1997. They were formed in Grangemouth by Robin Guthrie and Will Heggie (bass), adding Elizabeth Fraser (vocals) in 1981 and replacing Heggie with multi-instrumentalist Simon Raymonde in 1983. The group earned critical praise for their ethereal, effects-laden sound and the soprano vocals of Fraser, whose lyrics often eschew any recognisable language. They pioneered the 1980s alternative subgenre of dream pop and helped define what would become shoegaze.
Garlands is the debut studio album by the Scottish alternative rock band Cocteau Twins. It was released on 10 July 1982 through the record label 4AD. It peaked in the Top 5 of the UK Independent Albums Chart and received support from BBC Radio 1 radio host John Peel.
The Blue Nile were a Scottish band which originated in Glasgow. The group's early music was built heavily on synthesizers and electronic instrumentation and percussion, although later works featured guitar more prominently. Following early championing by established artists such as Rickie Lee Jones and Peter Gabriel, the Blue Nile gained critical acclaim, particularly for their first two albums A Walk Across the Rooftops and Hats, and some commercial success in both the UK and the US, which led to the band working with a wide range of musicians from the late 1980s onwards.
Strawberry Switchblade were a Scottish pop duo formed in Glasgow in 1981 by Jill Bryson and Rose McDowall, best known for their song "Since Yesterday" from 1985, and their flamboyant clothing with bows and polka-dots.
Skids are a Scottish punk rock and new wave band, formed in Dunfermline in 1977 by Stuart Adamson, William Simpson, Thomas Kellichan (drums) and Richard Jobson. Their biggest successes were the 1979 single "Into the Valley" and the 1980 album The Absolute Game. In 2016, the band announced a 40th-anniversary tour of the UK with their original singer Richard Jobson.
Rose McDowall is a Scottish musician who formed Strawberry Switchblade with Jill Bryson in 1981.
The Triffids were an Australian alternative rock and pop band, formed in Perth in Western Australia in May 1978 with David McComb as singer-songwriter, guitarist, bass guitarist and keyboardist. They achieved some success in Australia, but greater success in the UK and Scandinavia in the 1980s before disbanding in 1989. Their best-known songs include "Wide Open Road" and "Bury Me Deep in Love". SBS television featured their 1986 album, Born Sandy Devotional, on the Great Australian Albums series in 2007, and in 2010 it ranked 5th in the book The 100 Best Australian Albums by Toby Creswell, Craig Mathieson and John O'Donnell.
The Sisterhood was a musical project led by Andrew Eldritch. With guest musicians, the Sisterhood recorded songs he had originally intended for a second album by the Sisters of Mercy.
"Peppermint Pig" is a song by Scottish alternative rock band Cocteau Twins. It was released as both a single and 12" EP on 4 April 1983 by record label 4AD. Musically, the material was similar to their previous release, the 1982 EP Lullabies. It was the last release to feature original bassist Will Heggie.
Dragnet is the second studio album by English post-punk band the Fall, released on 26 October 1979 through Step-Forward Records. Appearing less than eight months after its predecessor, Live at the Witch Trials,Dragnet established at an early stage two key patterns characteristic of the group's future: that of high productivity and that of a regular turnover of group members.
Blue Orchids are an English post-punk band formed in Manchester in 1979, when Martin Bramah left the Fall, after playing on the band's debut album Live at the Witch Trials. Christened by Salford-based punk poet John Cooper Clarke the band recorded for Rough Trade and acted as backing band for the Velvet Underground's Nico before a 25-year period of intermittent activity and fluctuating line-ups.
Lowlife were a Scottish alternative rock/dream pop band, active from 1985 to 1997. Although the group never obtained mainstream popularity, they developed a cult following that continues to this day.
Diminuendo is the second album by Lowlife, was released in 1987 in Scotland on the independent label Nightshift Records. The LP was recorded at Palladium Studios in Edinburgh, Scotland, and released in May.
Godhead was Lowlife's third album, released in 1990 in Scotland on Nightshift Records, an independent music record label. The LP had been recorded at Pet Sounds Studios in Glasgow, Scotland. Prior to the recording of the album, original guitarist Stuart Everest had been asked to leave the group by the other band members, and was replaced by Hamish McIntosh. LTM Recordings reissued much of the band's entire back catalogue on CD, and released Godhead in August 2006, with five bonus tracks taken from the band's unreleased "Black Sessions" demo album.
From a Scream to a Whisper is a compilation album consisting of material taken from all of Lowlife's previously released singles, EPs and albums. No new or previously unavailable songs appeared on the album.
San Antorium was Lowlife's fourth album, released in 1991 in Scotland on Nightshift Records. The LP was recorded at Tower Studios in Glasgow, Scotland. Personnel changes prior to the album's recording involved the near-simultaneous departures of guitarist Hamish McIntosh and drummer Grant McDowall, who were replaced by Hugh Duggie and Greg Orr, respectively. Orr's role was somewhat limited as several of the tracks employed drum programming and/or drum loops. LTM Recordings reissued much of the band's entire back catalogue on CD in 2006, and San Antorium was released with five bonus tracks taken from the band's "Black Sessions" demo album.
Lullabies is the first EP by Scottish alternative rock band Cocteau Twins. It was released in October 1982, following their debut album, Garlands. The EP contained three non-album tracks, and featured a louder and more driving sound than the album.
Blaine Leslie Reininger is an American post-punk, new-wave and alternative pop singer, songwriter, musician, multi-instrumentalist, writer and performer. He is known for being a member of the group Tuxedomoon since 1977 after co-founding it with Steven Brown and, latterly, for a notable music and theatre career, both as a soloist and contributor to other artists' recordings, including the Durutti Column, Snakefinger, Anna Domino, Savage Republic, Paul Haig, William Lee Self's Montanablue project, Devine & Statton and Brown himself.
Force is the fifth studio album by the English post-punk band A Certain Ratio, released in November 1986 by Factory Records; their final release on the label. Stuart James co-produced the album with the band. It was recorded and mixed between July and August 1986 at Yello 2 Studios in Stockport.
Littledeath is the fourth studio album by Scottish band Love and Money, released by Iona Gold in December 1993. In the US, it was released by Mesa Records on 19 July 1994. The album produced one single, "The Last Ship on the River".
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