Heel to toe to hair and hoof and it's head over heels and it's all but an ark-lark...
Four-Calendar Café

“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

  1. Know Who You Are at Every Age
  2. Evangeline
  3. Bluebeard
  4. Theft, and Wandering Around Lost
  5. Oil of Angels
  6. Squeeze Wax
  7. My Truth
  8. Essence
  9. Summerhead
  10. 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.

Show more

  • 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

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    • Videos

    • "Evangeline" official video, 1993.
    • "Bluebeard" official video, 1994.
    • Live televised performance of "Bluebeard" from The Late Show, BBC, 1994.
    • Robin & Liz interview on MTV, 1993.
    • Interview with Liz & Robin on Polish television (with subtitles), 1994.

    Press

    External links