Japanese edition of the Cocteau Twins bassist's 1997 solo debut with 'Summers' Blue', 'Left Untouched The Flowers Grow' & 'Let Love In' added as bonus tracks --none of which were backing tracks on the album's sole sing... more »le, 'It's A Family Thing'! 15 tracks total. Guests include his Cocteau Twins cohorts Liz Fraser & Robin Guthrie, plus Spiritualizeddrummer Damon Reece. 1998 Bella Union/ Victor release.« less
Japanese edition of the Cocteau Twins bassist's 1997 solo debut with 'Summers' Blue', 'Left Untouched The Flowers Grow' & 'Let Love In' added as bonus tracks --none of which were backing tracks on the album's sole single, 'It's A Family Thing'! 15 tracks total. Guests include his Cocteau Twins cohorts Liz Fraser & Robin Guthrie, plus Spiritualizeddrummer Damon Reece. 1998 Bella Union/ Victor release.
"I was told about this record by a friend who hadn't even heard of Cocteau Twins...I'd known about it, but foolishly imagined it'd be like alot of solo albums from people in great groups...ie not very inspiring...I couldn't have been more wrong. From the opening moments of It's A Family Thing, I was drawn to Raymonde's musicality, and thick vocal harmonies. Track 2 is a beautiful, melancholic piece with Raymonde at piano, called Love Undone, the plaintiff saxophone and sad melody creating a strong mood for the album. Strong on atmosphere, but equally impressive is the songwriting throughout, tracks like 7th Day, and the lyrical Muscle & Want, which starts with the wonderful line..." Maybe, I should have acted like a son, made out of my trouble light, and made hours for you and I ". I read somewhere that Simon's father was the string arranger and writer Ivor Raymonde, who wrote I Only Want To be With You, and arranged all the Walker Bros. hits...well he does a fabulous cover of Scott Walker's It's Raining Today, and with another cover of Television's Days from the Adventure album, shows great taste too in other music. I strongly recommend this record...he has a lovely soft voice that occasionally opens up to reveal emotion and sensuality rare in male vocalists today. I will be following his solo career further from now on."
Cocteaus can survive alone!!
10/10/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I just got home from a concert by Simon who comes to Mexico for the first time! We wait 15 years for Cocteau Twins to come, but they have now finished, so when I hear that Simon is coming to my city I am excited very much!!We buy 'Blame Someone Else' two days before show, and I listen all the day.So beautiful it is. The sound is for me, and I know what it means. It touches me and I feel again. We go the show at old cinema in Mexico City, and Simon plays all best songs and also 2 Cocteau Twins songs( Serpentskirt and For Phoebe Still A Baby) and also a wonderful versionn of 'Kangaroo', which he plays for This Mortal Coil many years ago. It was wonderful show, and Simon has now many many fans here!!!"
Last call for liquid courage
loteq | Regensburg | 04/12/2000
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Given that Simon is the bass player of the Cocteau Twins, one of my absolutely favorite bands, his solo album simply should have been better. And the cover artwork, showing a big crab swimming in black oil, is plain ugly. With the help of CT guitarist Robin Guthrie, Simon manages to cobble together a few memorable melodies, but overall, the songs lack any climax and are not capable of holding the listener's interest. The shallow lyrics and Simon's formulaic talk-singing don't make this affair more interesting. The music is reminiscent of the Cocteau Twins's early-'90s efforts like "Heaven or Las Vegas" and "Four-calendar cafe", with a few welcome side-steps into chamber jazz ("Love undone", "If I knew myself") and two missteps into electronica ("In my place" and the 12-minute, aptly titled "Tired twilight"). Though several songs like "It's a family thing", "The 7th day", and "Muscle and want" are on a par with "Heaven or Las Vegas" -- and that's being generous -- Simon's debut just can't compare with the emotional quality and the melodic power of CT's work."
A strong solo debut from a truly talented musician.
Adam Carroll | 01/21/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Simon Raymonde's role as bassist of the Cocteau Twins was a subtle one; his playing was rarely at the forefront of CT songs, but instead was a constant undercurrent and complement. With Blame Someone Else, Raymonde takes the spotlight for 12 songs of his own - and does not disappoint. The disc leads off with the slightly poppy track "It's a Family Thing," a good catchy introduction to hook the listener into the rest of the songs, which are actually fairly varied, though not as immediately accessible as the first track. Raymonde's musical talent is evident, as he shifts from soft, mellow songs ("Love Undone," "A Fault of Mine") to more upbeat tunes ("Supernatural," "In My Place"), and even to ambient electronica (the disc's 12-minute closer, "Tired Twilight"), doing it all with admirable skill. In addition to playing most of the instrumentation apart from drums, Raymonde overlays his soft yet soulful voice - he is not a vocal acrobat, but instead is quietly persuasive, which my ears found equally pleasing. The remaining Cocteau Twins do appear briefly on this album - Elizabeth Fraser lends supporting vocals to "Worship Me," and Robin Guthrie plays guitars on "Muscle and Want" - but there's no disputing that this is clearly Simon Raymonde's show...and what a show it is. Cocteau Twins fans will probably pick this up anyway, but the smart, well-written songs on Blame Someone Else have the potential to reach a much wider audience - in fact, most any alternative fan is bound to really enjoy this album. Highly recommended."
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1
