“I’ve consciously been stripping things back. In the past, I’ve always wanted one more overdub, one more melody, because I’m terrible for thinking that my music isn’t good enough. So if I put in a few more frilly overdubs, then it’ll be all right. These one’s are more substantial. The ideas are more focused.” Robin Guthrie
“I tend to go from one extreme to the other. To go from an album like ‘Blue Bell Knoll,’ which is so heavily disguised and removed from reality to ‘Heaven or Las Vegas,’ or even more to this one, where everything on it is in English and it’s all audible…it is extreme, I think. But it seems important for me to do that.” Elizabeth Fraser
“I think it’s an amazing record, and I think people will probably realise that many, many years in the future. It was such a departure from what we’d done before. And the fact that it wasn’t on 4AD, and the fact that we’d jumped ship and we were on the other side, with the enemy, on a major label, I think people were sort of like, ‘Oh, that can’t be any good.’ But I think in time people will realise what a great album ‘Four-Calendar Café’ is. Because I think it’s beautiful.” Simon Raymonde
Four-Calendar Café
- October 1993
- Fontana/Mercury & Capitol
- 518 259-1
- 41 min, 32 sec
Track listing
- Know Who You Are at Every Age
- Evangeline
- Bluebeard
- Theft, and Wandering Around Lost
- Oil of Angels
- Squeeze Wax
- My Truth
- Essence
- Summerhead
- Pur
Formats
- Vinyl
- Cassette
- CD
- Digital
Performers
Release notes
- All songs written and produced by Cocteau Twins.
- Recorded and mixed at September Sound, London.
- Additional Engineering by Lincoln Fong.
- Additional Guitars by Mitsuo Tate and Ben Blakeman.
- Additional Drums and Percussion by Benny DiMassa and David Palfreeman.
- Original photography by Walter Wick. Sleeve design by Lifeboat Matey.
- Peaked at #13 on UK album charts, and #78 in the US. “Evangeline” and “Bluebeard” peaked at #34 and #33, respectively, in the UK.
- Promotional videos were produced for the singles, “Evangeline” and “Bluebeard.”
- A promo-only single was released for “Summerhead.”
- The following songs were performed live on television, radio, and on tour: “Know Who You Are At Every Age,” “Evangeline,” “Bluebeard,” “Theft, And Wandering Around Lost,” “Summerhead,” and “Pur.”
- The title is taken from the writings of William Least-Heat Moon.
- Alternate Chinese versions of “Know Who You Are At Every Age” and “Bluebeard” were recorded by Faye Wong (Wangfei).
- Four-Calendar Café was digitally remastered and re-released on CD in 2006, with slightly modified artwork and extensive sleeve notes.
- A remastered vinyl pressing of Four-Calendar Café was released in 2017 by Universal Music.
- Four-Calendar Café was included in the 2018 release, Treasure Hiding: the Fontana Years.
- Robin Guthrie remastered Four-Calendar Café in 2023 and it was re-released under exclusive license by 4AD in 2024 on vinyl, compact disc, and digital formats.
Listen and buy online
Videos
Press
- 4AD to re-release Four-Calendar Café and Milk & Kisses in the US in 2024
- 4AD News | 18-Oct 2023
- Cocteau Twins featured on Spotify’s ‘Bandsplain’ podcast
- NEWS | 16-Sep 2021
- “Six Definitive Songs: The ultimate beginner’s guide to Cocteau Twins”
- Far Out | Jul 2021
- Tim Burgess and Simon Raymonde co-host Twitter ‘Listening Party’ for Four-Calendar Café
- NEWS | 18-Oct 2020
- “A Buyer’s Guide to Cocteau Twins”
- Sun-13 | 6-Aug 2020
- “The truth is not perfect: Robin Guthrie on the Cocteau Twins’ major label years”
- Sonic Cathedral | 31-May 2020
- “Growing apart together”
- The Scotsman | 21-May 1994
- Interview
- Polish Television TVP2 | May 1994
- “Virtual Ethereality”
- Creem | May 1994
- “Café of Pain”
- B-Side | Apr/May 1994
- “At the Cocteau Café”
- Los Angeles Times | 02-Apr 1994
- “The Demons Within”
- Propaganda: Gothic Chronicle | April 1994
- Interview
- On the Edge | Apr 1994
- Interview with Robin Guthrie
- Dewdrops Fanzine 1994
- “Ethereal this, thicky”
- Alternative Press | Feb 1994
- “Heart to Tape”
- Mix | Dec 1993
- Review of Four-Calendar Café
- Entertainment Weekly | 19-Nov 1993
- Interview
- Raygun | Nov 1993
- “Sound Whirl”
- The Wire | Nov 1993
- Review of Four-Calendar Café
- Details | Nov 1993
- Retrospective Discography
- NME/New Musical Express | 02-Oct 1993
- Untitled
- NME/New Musical Express | 02-Oct 1993
- “No More Pre-Raphaelite Bullshit”
- Lime Lizard | Oct 1993
- “Obscured by Words”
- Mondo 2000 | Oct 1993
- “Fraser-Guided Melodies”
- Select | Oct 1993
- “Botanic Rites”
- Vox | Oct 1993
- Review of Four-Calendar Café
- Melody Maker 1993
- Interview
- WXPN Philadelphia Radio 1993
- Interview
- Anti-Matter | Oct 1993
- Twin machine
- Select | Oct 1993
- “Dreams of Consciousness”
- Melody Maker | 11-Sep 1993
- “Cocteaus’ Experiential ‘Calendar’”
- Billboard | 11-Sep 1993