Simon Raymonde, the former Cocteau Twins bassist, This Mortal Coil collaborator and current head of Bella Union Records, is giving his 2024 memoir In One Ear: Cocteau Twins, Ivor And Me a North American release on November 18 via Bonnier Books. The back of the book synopsis reads:
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, developing and working with 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.
To promote the book, Simon will be going on a short US book tour in November, hitting Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles before heading to NYC on 11/15 at Rough Trade Below, where he’ll talk with veteran rock writer David Fricke. That event is free and you can RSVP here.
All dates are below.
Pick up Cocteau Twins and This Mortal Coil vinyl in the BV shop.
Simon Raymonde – 2025 UK Book Tour
November 10 – Seattle, WA @ Easy Street Records
November 11 – San Francisco, CA @ TBA
November 14 – Los Angeles, CA @ Book Soup
November 15 – New York @ Rough Trade Records