LP, 180g
4AD (2014) UK, EU, US
Blue Bell Knoll is the fifth album by the Cocteau Twins. Originally released in 1988 by 4AD in the UK and Capitol in the US, Pitchfork listed the album as one of the best albums of the 1980s. This was the band’s first full studio album to be released in the US via a distribution deal with Capitol. The album also marked a major turning point for the band.
Robin Guthrie stated, “At first you’re just trying to make a record, and then you’re trying to make a really good record. And then you’re trying to go further...Blue Bell Knoll was a really important record to me. It really sticks as one of my favorites. Perhaps not because of how it came out, although it is quite listenable, but because of the experience of making it.”
Blue Bell Knoll’s vinyl via Capitol wasn’t re-pressed after the initial release, and therefore hasn’t been available for at least 25 years. It has been remastered from the HD 96/24 masters and comes pressed on heavyweight 180g black vinyl with an accompanying MP3 download coupon.