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COCTEAU TWINS COLLECTING

It's hard to know where to start when it comes to collecting Cocteau Twins releases and promotional items. Finding and completing your collection becomes more difficult as items become more scarce. Be sure to check out our section on Cocteau Twins Merchandise Resources for help in seeking out items for your collection.

It's difficult to determine what is rare or desirable, your best bet is to interact in the Cocteau Twins community to get a sense of what to look for. Cocteau Twins have produced a variety of rare items throughout their long and fruitful career, many of which are considered to be very rare. Even items that aren't all that rare are still sought after. Below you'll find a list of the top ten (in no particular order) sought after Cocteau Twins items, this does not mean that they are necessarily the most valuable items.

HIGHLY COLLECTIBLE COCTEAU TWINS ITEMS

SNOW CD SINGLE

Snow CD Single is actually NOT RARE at all but oddly a highly desirable item for Cocteau collectors. A good judge of the rarity level of an item is how often you see it for sale on eBay. There are always at least several copies of this single on eBay at any given time, proving it is widely available. Expect to pay no more than $20 for a copy of this single, slightly more for the promo edition.

TISHBITES DVD

Tishbites DVD has become a highly collectible and sought-after Cocteau Twins item. There were only 1,000 of these DVD's pressed, increasing its rareness factor. It contains all of the bands promotional videos in high-resolution format. It also has interactive, custom-designed menu's for easy navigation. The DVD also features bonus videos of "Song To The Siren" and a rare video of Liz Fraser appearing live with Massive Attack on MTV, performing the song "Teardrop." Expect to pay well over $100 for a copy of this DVD. Be warned that there are bootleg versions of this video on the market which do not have the same on-disc artwork. Also, only the first original 1,000 copies are individually numbered on the back of the sleeve.

HONDA PROMO CD COLLECTION

This is by far the absolute rarest of all Cocteau Twins items. To date there is only one reported copy in existence. It was released only in Italy as a promotional item in conjunction with Cocteau Twins music being used for one of their Honda car commercials. Contrary to popular belief the CD does not feature other artists but instead offers a small sample of only Cocteau Twins songs. The disc comes in a cardboard slip case. Expect to pay well over $1,200 should you find a copy for sale.

JAPANESE BOX SET

The Japanese edition of the first Cocteau Twins box set is a highly collectible item. There were not as many of this edition pressed for the Japanese market, increasing its rareness. This edition features slimline jewel case editions of the discs and comes in a cardboard slipcase instead of the standard burgundy box. When buying a copy of this box set, ensure that it comes with its original obi strip, this increases its value.

A TASTE OF MILK AND KISSES

This is a very rare Cocteau Twins item. One would think that it's simply an advanced version of the full album "Milk & Kisses" but instead it serves as a best-of collection, full of tracks that span their entire career. This disc was a promotional item, limited in print and only released in Canada. Expect to pay well over $100 for a copy of this disc.

ATHOL-BROSE CD SINGLE

This is another sought-after Cocteau Twins item. It was only released in Japan and was not made available to any other foreign market. The single is much more valuable if it comes intact with its Japanese obi strip. Expect to pay approximately $80 for this single.

COCTEAU TWINS KALEIDOSCOPE

This promotional item released in conjuntion with their album "Heaven or Las Vegas" is limited to a release of only 200 copies. It originally came alongside a small black suede-like carry case with draw string. Sadly, over time most of the scopes you find for sale do not include the original carry case. It is obviously much more valuable if both pieces are intact. Expect to pay approximately $400 for this small but collectible Cocteau Twins item.

BLUE BELL KNOLL DAT

This is the only Cocteau Twins release on DAT format. It is also the only DAT ever released by the 4AD record label. These factors alone make this a wonderful addition to anyone buiding a serious Cocteau Twins collection. It is most valuable if you can find a copy that is still sealed. Expect to pay approximately $200 for this item unsealed.

ICEBLINK LUCK 3" CD SINGLE

This is the only Cocteau Twins single ever released on the 3" mini CD single format. It was only released in Germany and has become highly sought-after by collectors from around the world. The condition of this item greatly affects its value, expect to pay approximately $125 for one in good condition.

VINYL BOOTLEGS

Pictured here is just one of the many Cocteau Twins vinyl bootlegs. Some of them are not rare at all (like the Interview Picture Disc), while others can be very costly. The Italian "Unrealised Dreams" (pictured above) is highly collectible as is the Japanese "Scream" bootleg. Be wary that there are actually two different editions of the "Scream" bootleg. The Japanese version is the 1st, and more valuable version. It features regular black vinyl inside a textured sleeve. It was then duplicated in Germany on marbled vinyl and placed in a non-textured sleeve. Look for the 1st edition when buying your copy of "Scream" Expect to pay upwards of $150 for the 1st edition and $50 for the German second edition.

TEST PRESSINGS

A Cocteau Twins test pressing of ANY release is both collectible and valuable.

FINAL THOUGHTS ON COLLECTING

Information on the above listed rarities can be found in both the promo releases section and the promo materials section of this website. The above list is just a sample of what Cocteau Twins fans are after. Each collector is after different things, some people for example only collect standard material, while others only collect live bootlegs.