I never got the Depeche Mode thing. And they had (and probably still have) such a fanatical following.

I got a free 4AD CD once when I bought a pair of Doc Martens! (Desperate guilty attempt to get back to the subject:o ).

For me, a tough call between Cocteau Twins and Dead Can Dance. But I went for Cocteau Twins.

My ex boyfriend is obsessed with 4AD, and sometimes we would argue because i'd want to listen to noisier stuff and he only likes more relaxing music. A recent favourite of his on the label is The Hope Blister. I can't stomach them, so whenever i go to see him, i sneakily turn the volume down but in such a subtle way that he doesn't notice.

4AD didn't really start the whole shoegaze thing. Their sound is more commonly thought of as kind of ethereal or goth-light. Perhaps i'm wrong, but i've always assumed that Creation, in a way, was more responsable for the 'shoegaze' factor of a lot of bands.

I don't associate 4AD with shoegaze. The stuff on 4AD is way too interesting for that.

Porky, "goth-light" is perfect!

The Cocteau Twins probably inspired the shoegaze thing, rather than started it. There was far too much going on in their music for it actually be called shoegaze, but some of the later-80s drifty/ambient stuff that they put out was probably something that many shoegaze-type bands picked up on.

It's kind of difficult to decide who REALLY started or truly inspired the whole 'shoegaze' thing, and that's because throughout the 80's you had quite a few shoe-shiner wannabes who didn't particularly sound similar. Take the Mary Chain, never known to make that much eye contact with the crowds (unless they had to throw the odd bottle or two into it). The Cocteau Twins have most definitely inspired some of those bands, though.

t's a very long time since I've listened to any Dead Can Dance, but in my head, with Lisa Gerrard's vocals, I hear them as almost a precursor to dark ambient. The DCD that I have playing in my head would certainly fit in fairly seamlessly in a dark ambient DJ set.

I've always liked Depeche Mode but i've never been obsessed with them either. Some albums, namely Black Celebration or Some Great Reward, i go back to because of that 'Goth-light' factor that i can sustain for a few listens, but overall it's perhaps the thematics in their songs that draw me in but push me out with the other hand. It's a bit like when you're not entirely sure about a person's mental stability and part of you wants to trust them, but the other part is kind of sceptical about their potential.

Swervedriver have always been a favourite till they wanted to jump on the Britpop bandwagon. Both 'Mezcal Head ' and 'Raise' i can still listen to today and rock out to some air-guitar antics. Duel made saxophones more appealing to these ears.

what i wouldn't give to get my dirty mits into miki berenyi's pants

It's gotta be the Pixies with Birthday Party as a close second to me, even if they're not what you'd first associate with 4AD....

Where's M/A/R/R/S ? Their 'Pump Up The Volume' was a collaboration between A R Kane and Colourbox, so it kinda deserves a place in the poll too, if only as a good representation of how versatile this label can/could be.

The good thing about 4AD was that, alongside Factory, they had a total aesthetic. I never really liked them in the way that I did Factory, though. Factory was like football hooligans with art degrees (ie interesting) whereas 4AD were mere arty types with art degrees (ie not).

Re the origins of shoegazing. I sort of remember it coming out of some unholy alliance between the Cocteaus, MBV and the whole Ecstacy thing. I like to think of it as a kind of E psychedelia.

I figured that having Colourbox in there would cover M/A/R/R/S.

Bauhaus would be in there as well if I could have had more options, and A R Kane.

I'ver just noticed all the typos in my post and went to edit it. Shame Shame Shame Shame Shame Shame Shame!!!!

So when you going to edit this one then? Eh? Eh?

On the 4ad front, I guess my favourites would be Bauhaus and the Cocteau Twins.

I also really liked the couple of 'La mystere de la voix Bulgare' albums that they put out.

I think I also have a set of 23 Envelope postcards at home somewhere.

hehe.Notice how i didn't capitalize the first 'he' of this post. sHAME SHAME! Anyway, are you a 4AD fan? One of those labels that actually have fans.