The Beauty of Song, Part Six: Elizabeth Fraser

Elizabeth Fraser was the lead singer for the Scottish alternative-rock band Cocteau Twins.  Not too many Americans have heard of her because Cocteau Twins - no definite article -  were at their peak in the 1980s, which was not a good time for Scottish bands and alternative rockers in MTV-crazed America.

The band gained notoriety in the U.K. with early albums such as 1982's Garlands and 1984's Treasure, and Ms. Fraser was heralded in the British rock press for her operatic voice.  Cocteau Twins' 1988 album Blue Bell Knoll was their first wide release in the United States, and they soon gained a cult following in the New World. Heaven or Las Vegas, from 1990, was Cocteau Twins' most successful album in the U.S., selling 235,000 copies here as of 1996.  And I'm sure it's sold even more copies since.  

Cocteau Twins broke up in the mid-nineties and have had occasional reunions since.  Ms. Fraser has since done a smattering of solo work but has concentrated largely on guest appearances on other people's records.  Among the artists she's made such appearances with are Peter Gabriel and Echo and the Bunnymen's Ian McCulloch.