Blue Bell Knoll
by Cocteau Twins

Blue Bell Knoll by Cocteau Twins
Year: 1988
Release date: 1988-09-19
Overall rank: 1,747th   Overall chart history
Average Rating: 
77/100 (from 249 votes)
  Ratings distribution   Average rating history
Accolades:
Award Top albums of 1988 (27th)
Award Top albums of the 1980s (264th)
Award Best albums of all time (1,747th)

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Product Details
Availability

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Blue Bell Knoll by Cocteau Twins - New CD - 2003
Condition: Brand New


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Cocteau Twins Blue Bell Knoll 4AD Promotional Postcard Annie Nightingale
Condition: Very Good


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Cocteau Twins Music Set on CD - 2 CD's, Blue Bell Knoll & Victorialand
Condition: Brand New


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Cocteau Twins bestography

Blue Bell Knoll is ranked 5th best out of 16 albums by Cocteau Twins on BestEverAlbums.com.

The best album by Cocteau Twins is Heaven Or Las Vegas which is ranked number 141 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 9,578.

Cocteau Twins album bestography « Higher ranked (1,621st)
Victorialand
This album (1,747th)
Blue Bell Knoll
Lower ranked (1,747th) »
Blue Bell Knoll

(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

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Blue Bell Knoll track list

  Track ratings The tracks on this album have an average rating of 81 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

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Track pick (1000 - 100 votes) Top-rated track as rated by BestEverAlbums.com members.

Blue Bell Knoll rankings

Rankings summary
Overall rank: 1,747th | 1980s rank: 264th | 1988 rank: 27th
Filter Filter
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YearSourceChartRankRank Score
2026 Patman360Top 82 Music Albums of 198846/822
2026 ExTeaSeaTop 67 Music Albums of 198817/674
2026amirmishaliTop 26 Music Albums of 198815/262
2026bonnequestionTop 100 Music Albums of the 1980s74/1005
2026Exist-en-cielTop 70 Music Albums of 19889/704
2026 slatsheitTop 100 Music Albums of the 1980s59/1008
2026LittleM1971Top 86 Music Albums of 198864/861
2026 flamingyesdeptTop 100 Music Albums of the 1980s22/10016
2026 BachTop 6 Music Albums of 19886/61
2026bonnequestionBest albums from '85 to '9490/100 -
2026 HeliosTop 100 Music Albums of 198842/1003
2026 slatsheitMy Top 202-243 (The Rest of the 5 Stars)21/41 -
2026 zags7000Top 100 Music Albums of 198812/1004
2026Cheboygan74Top 15 Music Albums of 198810/152
2026 Norman BatesTop 100 Music Albums of 198829/1004
2026 RhynerTop 100 Music Albums of the 1980s18/10017
2026saltysurpriseTop 63 Music Albums of 19889/634
2026matterhornriderTop 44 Music Albums of 198818/443
2026 TamthebamTop 100 Music Albums of 198814/1004
2026UntitledTop 25 Music Albums of 198821/251
Total Charts: Help The total number of charts that this album has appeared in. 207
Total Rank Score: Help The total rank score. 980
You can include this album in your own chart from the My Charts page!

Blue Bell Knoll collection

Blue Bell Knoll ratings

Average Rating: 
77/100 (from 249 votes)
  Ratings distribution Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album.  | Show all 249 ratings for this album.

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RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
80/100
 
04/01/2026 20:15 AAL2014  Ratings distribution  3,85975/100
 
50/100
 
02/18/2026 11:31 Leginlists  Ratings distribution  3,49782/100
 
90/100
 
01/29/2026 21:53 CharonBri  Ratings distribution  1,04776/100
 
80/100
 
11/17/2025 22:30 Exist-en-ciel  Ratings distribution  9,84570/100
 
85/100
 
11/17/2025 01:04 LukasAntoine00s  Ratings distribution  38480/100

Rating metrics: Help Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 3% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 77.5/100, a mean average of 76.6/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 77.7/100. The standard deviation for this album is 14.8.

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Blue Bell Knoll comments

Showing all 9 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First | Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)

Rating:  
80/100
From 01/12/2025 12:45 | #306942
Lincoln United States They Might Be Giants
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 01/12/2025 12:23 | #306939
Nice
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 09/25/2018 02:16 | #221632
This is, from start to finish, a masterpiece of psychedelic dream pop. A must have record from the 80s and, having just recently discovered it, a new personal favorite.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 04/17/2016 10:59 | #163995
This is a great record! The production is heavily layered yet easily assessable. Probably their best album.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +6 votes (6 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 09/01/2014 03:59 | #120913
in 1991, my music tastes were pretty bland and top-40. i had a friend whose musical horizons were considerably broader, and he told me i should check out a band called Cocteau Twins. so i went into a record store and looked through the CT section, but i didn't know which release do try. i asked one of the employees, and she suggested that rather than starting with their first album (Garlands), i should try Blue Bell Knoll. it was a great choice, because i loved it from the first song, and from there i went on to explore the rest of the CT catalog and a lot more 4AD bands. many of my all-time favorites are from that era.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +8 votes (8 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 09/29/2013 03:16 | #87144
Anyone who tries to rate a song on this is doing it wrong. This is an album, the songs don't deserve or need reviews, it's just one whole experience.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (3 helpful | 2 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 01/13/2013 21:06 | #61399
This is now my favourite Cocteau Twins album. It takes a good few listens to appreciate it's brilliance. Great sound and great song titles!!
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +5 votes (5 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
25/100
From 10/31/2012 21:31 | #53814
This comment is beneath your viewing threshold.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -9 votes (0 helpful | 9 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 05/12/2012 13:54 | #42072
This actually could be Cocteau's best. "Blue Bell Knoll" is certainly my favourite CT song, heavenly.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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