Blue Bell Knoll

Updated on Oct 20, 2023

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Released 19 September 1988 Producer Cocteau Twins Release date 19 September 1988 Genre Dream pop		Length 35:17 Artist Cocteau Twins Label Capitol Records

Recorded September Sound, Twickenham, England Blue Bell Knoll (1988) Heaven or Las Vegas (1990) Similar Cocteau Twins albums, Dream pop albums

Cocteau twins blue bell knoll

Blue Bell Knoll (1988) is the fifth album by Scottish band Cocteau Twins.

This was the first LP by the Twins to receive major-label distribution in the USA, 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 catalog, the album (along with much of the band's 4AD material) was remastered by Robin Guthrie and reissued in 2003. The album shares its name with a peak in southern Utah called Bluebell Knoll.

Cocteau twins suckling the mender

Critical reception

Blue Bell Knoll was listed by Pitchfork Media as the 81st best album of the 1980s, describing it as a return to the band's ethereal style explored on Treasure. It was also appraised as "everything that atmospheric music should be and usually isn't." NME also viewed Blue Bell Knoll positively, placing it at No. 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 reviewer Ned Raggett awarded the album 3 out of 5 stars, saying that "Blue Bell Knoll has some striking moments that are pure Cocteaus at their best" and 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. Drowned in Sound reviewer Gen Williams 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 Sound later described the album as dream pop.