The Pink Opaque
by Cocteau Twins
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Cocteau Twins bestography
The Pink Opaque is ranked 8th 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 142 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 9,400.
(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).
Listen to The Pink Opaque on YouTube
The Pink Opaque track list
The tracks on this album have an average rating of 83 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).
Top-rated track as rated by BestEverAlbums.com members.
The Pink Opaque rankings
Calculated from aggregate positions across 60,000 charts (2 million album rankings). Click to see how the rankings are calculated (Last updated: 3 hours ago)
| Year | Source | Chart | Rank | Rank Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 |  Patman360 | Top 92 Music Albums of 1986 | 53/92 | 2 |
| 2026 | Exist-en-ciel | Top 62 Music Albums of 1986 | 3/62 | 5 |
| 2026 |  Norman Bates | Top 85 Music Albums of 1986 | 45/85 | 2 |
| 2026 |  Purplepash | Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s | 74/100 | 5 |
| 2026 |  Tamthebam | Top 100 Music Albums of 1986 | 62/100 | 2 |
| 2026 | Exist-en-ciel | Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s | 18/100 | 17 |
| 2026 | LittleM1971 | Top 89 Music Albums of 1986 | 15/89 | 4 |
| 2026 | Purplepash | Top 51 Music Albums of 1986 | 12/51 | 4 |
| 2026 | LittleM1971 | Greatest Music Albums: 501-600 | 7/100 | - |
| 2026 |  slatsheit | Top 40 Music Albums of 1986 | 6/40 | 4 |
| Total Charts: The total number of charts that this album has appeared in. | 43 | |||
| Total Rank Score: The total rank score. | 322 | |||
The Pink Opaque collection
Showing latest 20 members who have this album in their collection | Show all 32 members
The Pink Opaque ratings
Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
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 3 ratings for this album. | Show all 76 ratings for this album.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Album ratings | Avg. album rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 09/22/2026 15:04 | emiro | 85 | 85/100 |
| ! | 03/10/2026 09:28 | Exist-en-ciel | 15,996 | 70/100 |
| ! | 12/07/2025 19:11 | willtoshower | 1,545 | 72/100 |
Rating metrics:
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 2% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 78.1/100, a mean average of 77.2/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 78.9/100. The standard deviation for this album is 15.6.
The Pink Opaque favourites
Showing latest 10 members who have added this album as a favourite | Show all 12 members
The Pink Opaque forum mentions
BestEverAlbums 09/30/2026 08:00 in Chart of the day (#5451): By ffudnebbuh
NoisyBeast 11/26/2025 15:08 in What album are you listening to? (cont.)The Pink Opaque comments
Top Comments First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First | Longest Comments First
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ffudnebbuh TOP 100 COMMENTER 12/18/2009 21:37 | #6384 | TOP COMMENT
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This was the first Cocteau Twins album I heard, so I heard this, not as a greatest hits album but as a studio album...it really changed my idea of what pop/rock could be in the way that "Velvet Underground and Nico" did..When I heard "Spangle Maker", I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I think that this is the only album that contains "Spangle Maker",.. Her voice is so supple yet strong, and when I step back and listen to the album objectively, I shouldn't like it, but something it about it draws in, I have probably listened to it every week since 1985. Of course, I didn't know that it was a compilation(I think that it wasn't until 1990 that I found out it was a compilation) when I first heard it, so I have listened to it as a new album. It was available as import only for many years, I guess that might explain why I didn't know that. also, I think that this is the only album that has 'Spangle Maker". I could be wrong. I think that it was originally released as an EP.
Brad1770 TOP 100 COMMENTER 12/06/2023 03:56 | #300307 | TOP COMMENT
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I pretty much followed the band from its earliest days and still own most of their early releases on original 4AD vinyl from the 7” singles through to the 12”’s and handful of album’s including this one. And the reason I share this is I think when it comes to early CT works I know it extremely well and can say without hesitation this is the crème de la crème of their pre 90’s work
“Aikea-Guinea” is quite simply their finest work in a stella career & its here in all all its glory, as is“Pearly-Dewdrops” and the under appreciated ‘Musette And Drums’
These days I don’t listen to too much CT music but this one regularly gets a spin on my turntable and that really is the highest compliment I can give (Edited)
It works as an album. Very cohesive. Amazing!
1. The Spangle Maker (from The Spangle Maker EP, 1984)
2. Millimillenary (from Department of Enjoyment V/A Compilation, 1984)
3. Wax and Wane (from Garlands Album, 1982)
4. Hitherto (from Sunburst and Snowblind EP, 1983)
5. Pearly-Dewdrops' Drops (from The Spangle Maker EP, 1984)
6. From the Flagstones (from Sunburst and Snowblind EP, 1983)
7. Aikea-Guinea (from Aikea-Guinea / Kookaburra Single, 1985)
8. Lorelei (from Treasure Album, 1984)
9. Pepper-Tree (from The Spangle Maker EP, 1984)
10. Musette and Drums (from Head Over Heels Album, 1983) (Edited)
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