Author Topic: Elizabeth Fraser  (Read 1102 times)

Offline Black Bull Nova

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Elizabeth Fraser
« on: June 22, 2022, 12:34:35 am »
A new generation is probably finding out about Kate Bush this week, someone else who appeared a little later, but with quieter entrance and less commercially successful was Elizabeth Fraser, with the Cocteau Twins. So, as she releases an EP with her Echo and the Bunnymen/Massive Attack partner Damon Reece. for the benefit of those with shorter histories, here's an introduction.


Underwater-Elizabeth Fraser/Damon Reece (Sun's Signature) (EP 18th June 2022)[/font]<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/e0f-gwU5dhI" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/e0f-gwU5dhI</a>


Feathers Oar BladesCocteau Twins (Peel Session 1982)

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/8rlJ0B0wXW8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/8rlJ0B0wXW8</a>


Song For The Siren –This Mortal Coil/Elizabeth Fraser (1984), Tim Buckley Song

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/HFWKJ2FUiAQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/HFWKJ2FUiAQ</a>


Suckling The Mender-Cocteau Twins (1988)

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/C5HgIC3nIjk" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/C5HgIC3nIjk</a>


Candleland-Ian McCulloch/Elizabeth Fraser (1989)
 
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/oytzwp7rLxg" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/oytzwp7rLxg</a>



Cherry Coloured Funk-Cocteau Twins (1990)


<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/wMwO9UACbSQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/wMwO9UACbSQ</a>


Rilkean Heart-Cocteau Twins (1996)
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/lkvmjniEW0E" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/lkvmjniEW0E</a>


Grace-Jeff Buckley (1996) (Use google to find why this is in there)

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/A3adFWKE9JE" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/A3adFWKE9JE</a>


Teardrop-Massive Attack/Elizabeth Fraser (1996)
 
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/u7K72X4eo_s" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/u7K72X4eo_s</a>


Alice-The Cocteau Twins (1996) ‘The Lovely Bones’
 
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/Sy2o6dzE9w8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/Sy2o6dzE9w8</a>


This Love-Craig Armstrong/Elizabeth Fraser (1998)
 
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/URvC-7lcrvI" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/URvC-7lcrvI</a>

Silent Spring-Massive Attack/Elizabeth Fraser (2006)

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/wi-i8kYCFzI" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/wi-i8kYCFzI</a>


Moses-Elizabeth Fraser (2009)
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/_Jb1xm-eCvc" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/_Jb1xm-eCvc</a>


Downside Up-Peter Gabriel/Elizabeth Fraser/Paul Buchanan (2011)

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/RkIDBJoAqRo" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/RkIDBJoAqRo</a>


She Moved Through The Fair-Elizabeth Fraser (2016)

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/Rjdb7BQ3obI" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/Rjdb7BQ3obI</a>


At Last I Am Free-Elizabeth Fraser (2017)


<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/CiRA5ny2Vrs" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/CiRA5ny2Vrs</a>
« Last Edit: July 17, 2022, 12:11:38 am by Black Bull Nova »
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Offline Son of Spion

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Re: Elizabeth Fraser
« Reply #1 on: June 23, 2022, 01:21:54 am »
Lots of fantastic songs there, from an amazing talent.
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Offline Black Bull Nova

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Re: Elizabeth Fraser
« Reply #2 on: June 24, 2022, 12:02:53 am »

Just fully caught up with two of the other tracks on the EP, wow, as good as anything in that 40 year career. Damon Reece/Sean Cook (Spiritualised/Lupine Wolf) must take a lot of credit for that rhythm on Underwater, (2:05 plus) plus Steve Hackett  in there as well. Feels more Massive Attack than Cocteau Twins which is understandable.


https://www.metacritic.com/music/suns-signature-ep/suns-signature

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/jun/19/suns-signature-by-suns-signature-review-swoonworthy-sounds-from-a-mighty-pop-partnership



Underwater-Elizabeth Fraser/Damon Reece (Sun's Signature) (EP 18th June 2022)

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/e0f-gwU5dhI" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/e0f-gwU5dhI</a>


Golden Air-Elizabeth Fraser/Damon Reece (Sun's Signature) (EP 18th June 2022)<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/FN1fTs15jD4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/FN1fTs15jD4</a>[/size]


Apples-Elizabeth Fraser/Damon Reece (Sun's Signature) (EP 18th June 2022)

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/GRE8MFkWIFw" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/GRE8MFkWIFw</a>
« Last Edit: July 29, 2022, 12:42:16 am by Black Bull Nova »
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Offline Black Bull Nova

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Re: Elizabeth Fraser
« Reply #3 on: July 29, 2022, 12:45:42 am »

Another released track today, another one worth a listen if you like the other stuff

Blue Dusk-Elizabeth Fraser/Damon Reece (Sun's Signature)

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/gGYuPj07nAw" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/gGYuPj07nAw</a>
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Online BarryCrocker

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Re: Elizabeth Fraser
« Reply #4 on: July 29, 2022, 06:45:45 am »

Teardrop-Massive Attack/Elizabeth Fraser (1996)
 
[/color][/font]<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/u7K72X4eo_s" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/u7K72X4eo_s</a>


She was supposedly pregnant when she recorded that song, hence the video of a foetus in a womb. Was originally to be sung by Madonna. Better decision made in the end.
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Re: Elizabeth Fraser
« Reply #5 on: July 29, 2022, 08:19:49 am »

Teardrop is a brilliant song. I really like the Jose Gonzalez version, but nothing tops this.
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Offline Black Bull Nova

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Re: Elizabeth Fraser
« Reply #6 on: July 29, 2022, 10:37:17 am »
She was supposedly pregnant when she recorded that song, hence the video of a foetus in a womb. Was originally to be sung by Madonna. Better decision made in the end.

Also recorded on the day she heard that Jeff Buckley had drowned at the age of 30 in 1997. She had a brief relationship with him not long before.

That's a story in itself, she recorded Song To The Siren (This Mortal Coil) which was a Tim Buckley song (Jeff's estranged father who died aged 28) and Jeff was a fan of Fraser. She was a fan of his and both had pretty unique vocals (see GRACE video above)

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/JnPvnIKCJYA" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/JnPvnIKCJYA</a>

They recorded this together, which I believe she is not keen on because it was an unfinished demo
« Last Edit: July 30, 2022, 12:58:30 am by Black Bull Nova »
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Offline Black Bull Nova

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Re: Elizabeth Fraser
« Reply #7 on: July 29, 2022, 08:51:15 pm »
Teardrop is a brilliant song. I really like the Jose Gonzalez version, but nothing tops this.


In my top 10 of all time for me
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Offline Max_powers

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Re: Elizabeth Fraser
« Reply #8 on: July 30, 2022, 05:01:02 am »
She has a brilliant voice with opera singer like range. I discovered Cocteau Twins recently while listening to similar shoegaze type music through the algorithm.

I have been listening to Heaven and Las Vegas non stop for a few months. Particularly at night it just hits different. The way she uses her vocals to supplement the melody is amazing.

Offline Armand9

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Re: Elizabeth Fraser
« Reply #9 on: July 30, 2022, 06:21:28 am »
She was supposedly pregnant when she recorded that song, hence the video of a foetus in a womb. Was originally to be sung by Madonna. Better decision made in the end.

it's a beautifully composed song and with any competent singer it would be good

but fraser's vocals takes it to another level to be the immense song we first heard, her pureness of note gives an ethereal quality full of emotion, everything feels achingly fragile which i feel is the key to its power (and that's not an accident, that's down to vocal choices)

i've heard many covers and they've all been fine (cos it's a good song) but they dont feel fragile, and that's despite the artists clearly trying to bring an emotional quality to their performance

it's one of those - having heard the original, everything else is gonna pale

as a singer reminds me of beth gibbons of portishead (or vice versa), they have many similarities from tone, pureness and vocal choices in performance, it's why they both excel in playing on the heartstrings when they choose to
« Last Edit: July 30, 2022, 06:46:39 am by Armand9 »
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Offline Black Bull Nova

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Re: Elizabeth Fraser
« Reply #10 on: July 30, 2022, 02:45:23 pm »
Portishead, love them, there's a Bristol thread in that if you add Massive attack in as well
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Offline Armand9

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Re: Elizabeth Fraser
« Reply #11 on: July 30, 2022, 11:22:40 pm »
i actually live on the outskirts of bristol and have seen neither live as they're not my kind of bands, but you know, talent is talent (i do rate Dummy, hell of a first album with Roads the outstanding song for me)
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