Cocteau Twins‘ Simon Raymonde has announced a new memoir, In One Ear – Cocteau Twins, Ivor and Me – find all the details below.
The musician, producer and Bella Union co-founder is due to release the 352-page book on September 12 via Nine Eight Books. You can pre-order it here.
Announcing the project on his social media channels, Raymonde wrote: “So I wrote a book. You know, like a big grown up kinda thing to do.”
He continued: “It covers all the good and bad bits, falling over, getting up, shorts, big boy pants, [his father] Ivor, and a big ole love letter to Cocteau Twins too. But I can’t tell you everything here that would be silly. You’ll have to read it yourself…”
Cillian Murphy and Elton John have provided blurbs for the forthcoming In One Ear. The Oppenheimer actor wrote: “A beautiful insightful and honest look into the life of legend and musical polymath Simon Raymonde.”
John said: “This is a wonderful book of pop music history. A man obsessed with the beauty of creative artists and wanting to create his own legacy and to enable other musicians to have a voice by releasing their magic. We need more of people like him in a world full of mass-produced mediocrity.”
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An official description reads: “The page-turning memoir of Cocteau Twins’ Simon Raymonde, charting his life and legacy in music. As one-third of seminal band Cocteau Twins, Simon Raymonde helped to create some of the most beautiful and memorable albums of the ’80s and ’90s – music that continues to cast a spell over millions. This is the story of the band, in his words.
“Beginning with Simon’s remarkable childhood and exploring his relationship with his father, Ivor Raymonde (the legendary producer, musician and arranger for acts such as the Walker Brothers and songwriter for artists including Dusty Springfield), the book will journey through the musician’s rise to prominence and his time with Cocteau Twins and This Mortal Coil.
“It will also chart the successful career he has forged running his own label, Bella Union, for the past twenty-seven years, discovering and developing globally renowned artists like Beach House, Fleet Foxes, Father John Misty and John Grant.
“And the narrative will lead us back to the present day, reflecting on Simon’s most recent experiences in the music industry – all while going deaf in one ear.
“A must-read for music fans, this is the incredible tale of Simon’s life and legacy.”
Earlier this year, Cocteau Twins reissued their eighth and final album ‘Milk & Kisses’ (1996).