In One Ear

Cocteau Twins, Ivor Raymonde and Me

De: Simon Raymonde

Narrado por: Simon Raymonde

'A wonderful book' ELTON JOHN

'Beautiful, insightful and honest' CILLIAN MURPHY

'A fascinating read' DON LETTS

This edition includes original music by the author.

As one-third of seminal band Cocteau Twins, Simon Raymonde helped to create some of the most beautiful and memorable albums of the '80s and '90s - music that continues to cast a spell over millions. This is the story of the band, in his words.

Beginning with Simon's remarkable childhood and exploring his relationship with his father, Ivor Raymonde (the legendary producer, musician and arranger for acts such as the Walker Brothers and songwriter for artists including Dusty Springfield), the book will journey through the musician's rise to prominence and his time with Cocteau Twins and This Mortal Coil.

It will also chart the successful career he has forged running his own label, Bella Union, for the past twenty-seven years, discovering, developing and working with globally renowned artists like Beach House, Fleet Foxes, Father John Misty and John Grant. And the narrative will lead us back to the present day, reflecting on Simon's most recent experiences in the music industry - all while going deaf in one ear.

A must-read for music fans, this is the incredible tale of Simon's life and legacy.©2024 Simon Raymonde (P)2024 Bonnier Books UK

Essential for Cocteau Twins and Bella Union fans

I almost never read memoirs, but Cocteau Twins are my favorite band of all time, so of course I would read this. And knowing the band as I do, I knew not to expect salacious revelations or shit-talking: Liz Fraser, Robin Guthrie and Simon Raymonde have always been private, self-effacing, and meek in the public eye. But such things don't interest me anyway: I came to this to hear the story of Cocteau Twins and, to a lesser degree, of the music label they created, Bella Union. At first, I was half-expecting to be bored by Simon's recounting of his early life, and by his long digression into the life story of his father, the jazz musician Ivor Raymonde. However, the warm, witty quality of Simon's authorial voice (and his literal one, since I read this as an audiobook) made these parts quite enjoyable.

Still, though, the highlights for me here were in the story of Cocteau Twins. As a kid in the 90s, I spent many hours scouring library microfiche for articles about and interviews with this notoriously reticent band, and so in many ways Simon's work here fulfills a childhood dream. Of course, when you're a music-obsessed kid, it's easy to idealize the band you love and think of their lives in quasi-epic terms. As an adult, though, I appreciated the story Simon told here: a story of three incredibly talented but ordinary people who happened to spark up something very special with one another, yet struggled as introverts in a business for extroverts, and whose ordinary lives (addictions, relationships, financial and other mishaps) were happening as they made musical magic.

As a longtime fan, I shed a tear at Simon's tribute to the late Leesa Beales, the superfan who organized CT fandom on the pre-social media internet of the 90s and 2000s, with whom I had many exchanges on email lists, discussion boards, and chatrooms. I learned a lot about CT's creative process, and of course about Simon's own perspective on it. Of course, I would love to have learned more about Liz Fraser's lyric-writing process, or about how Robin Guthrie achieved CT's lush, ethereal sound, but those aren't really Simon's stories to tell. So, I hope Liz and/or Robin decide to write memoirs of their one day..

Honest, thoughtful and engaging

I was won over by his humble brilliance and the positive light he portrayed everyone mentioned. Honest in the fact he includes some of the most stupid shit he’s done, yet blames no one but himself. Thoughtful in his descriptions of persons, places and things. That he reveres the talent and genius of both Robin and Elizabeth.

I loved the listen and his voice is as calming as yoga instructor but not boring. At times funny, heartwarming, intriguing and always positive.

I was frustrated the kindle version is not available in the USA. I like to follow along and highlight passages to refer back to. Lastly I was disappointed that the Lost Horizon recordings were not discussed.

Overall it’s a great listen for fans.

For the love of Music

Cocteau Twins fan or not, Please give yourself the gift of listening to this book.

The Kind Cocteau

The first thing I must declare about this book, is how humble, honest and respectful Simon Raymonde is about nearly everyone and every experience. His voice is so enjoyable to read and even more so to listen to if you enjoy the audio book. This speaks volumes about his character, because no doubt the journey of Cocteau Twins was a bumpy one. (Read Aston Martin’s “Facing the Other War: The Story of 4AD” if you want that dirt.) But Simon is an empathetic writer, who is able to put himself in the shoes of all parties, to explain with amazing kindness and gentleness how events unfurled.

As a long-time Cocteau Twins fan, I cannot begin to explain how delightful it was to read the descriptions of how albums were made or the adventures that occurred on tours. It was great to read about Simon’s true appreciation of the genius of Robin Guthrie and Elizabeth Fraser, something that I can only admire from afar. I also developed a greater appreciation for how committed the Cocteaus were in defending their artistic integrity. My goodness: they turned down having Brian Eno & Daniel Lanois produce them AND they turned down doing the film score for David Lynch’s “Blue Velvet.” They were committed to making their music their way. And I LOVE them for it.

I got to see the Cocteau Twins only once, when I was 21-year-old college kid, in March 1994 at Bogart’s in Cincinnati, during the Four-Calendar Café tour. And—lucky me!—I got to meet Simon Raymonde after the show. I had left the venue and ran around to the back where there was a tour bus. I waited. The backstage door banged open and—behold!—here came Simon carrying his guitar case to the bus. Kind man that he is, after Simon delivered his guitar on the bus, he came back out and spoke to my friends and me. He signed our ticket stubs and a CD cover of ‘Heaven or Las Vegas.’ He engaged us in a brief conversation about the cover art of the new Four-Calendar Café album. And that was it. He disappeared back on the bus. I felt like a million dollars. I got to meet a Cocteau Twin!

To my delight, Simon Raymonde wrote several pages about March 1994. However, to my disappointment, he only wrote about how, early in the month, in Georgia, he and the band got to meet Jeff Buckley and watch him perform. I think you can understand how I might be upset by this. Simon wrote so glowingly about this Jeff Buckley guy, and yet said absolutely nothing about meeting me a few days later. I’m truly heart-broken, Simon!

The passages about Simon’s family are very touching, especially his relationship with his dad, Ivor, who had a truly remarkable musical career, and the stunning lack of communication between Simon and his dad, which I think was typical of our parent’s generation. Why didn’t we say more to each other?

The one thing all great music memoirs do is inspire you to go back and listen to those songs you’ve listened to a thousand times and hear that music anew, with fresh ears, and have a newfound appreciation. Simon Raymonde’s book accomplishes that.

And I will never listen to ‘Frou-Frou Foxes’ in the same way again.

Thank you, Simon. We love you.