So I was practicing earlier and wrote this fairly insignificant bit of whatever you might want to call it...figured I'd post it here instead of just deleting it:
I can very well remember the first time I ever heard the Cocteau Twins music. I was living what was sort of a "halfway house" in a town called Burns Flat. A woman named Ruth Fillmore, the owner of a record store called Shadowplay, was a "pen pal" of mine (that kind of thing has more or less vanished with the advent of e-mail). She used to send me cassette tape compilations, as she knew that we shared an eclectic taste in music and I guess just because she was a nice person.
One day I got a package in the mail from her...it was a surprise because I wasn't expecting anything.
It turned out to be another tape compilation from Ruth. This one was a collection of songs culled from what I'm sure was her extensive collection of Cocteau Twins albums.
I had never heard any of their music before...in fact, I don't think I knew them at all (which was odd, since I'd heard of and/or read about so many different groups).
I only had a ridiculously small tape recorder, which I had stolen from an old abandoned school building that had a gym we used sometimes. So it wasn't exactly with the highest of fidelity that I first experienced the Cocteau Twins.
It didn't seem to matter, though. The music was unlike anything I had ever heard. I've had this reaction to certain bands and music since then (My Bloody Valentine, Sigur Ros, especially Autechre), but I think this was the first time that I was totally blown away by the originality of instrumentation and vocals of any band.
It was an excellent compilation, obviously put together with a lot of thought. I wish I had a list of all the songs that were on it, so I could replicate it on CD. I recall that it included "The Spangle Maker", "Lorelei", "Aikea-Guinea", "From the Flagstones", "Hitherto", "Beatrix", several others.
Later, after I'd left the "halfway house" I spoke of, I visited her at Shadowplay. It was always the coolest record store in Norman (and most likely in all of Oklahoma). While there she gave me a promotional copy of "Blue Bell Knoll" which I loved just as much as I did the compilation.
The Cocteau Twins remain one of my absolute favorite groups.
So thanks, Ruth, wherever you may be. You introduced me to a lot of great bands. Your store was great. If we were still "pen pals" I would write you a letter right now to tell you that I think you're tops.
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