Peppermint Pig is an EP

Extended play

An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...

 by the Scottish rock group Cocteau Twins

Cocteau Twins

Cocteau Twins were a Scottish alternative rock band active from 1979 to 1997, known for innovative instrumentation and atmospheric, non-lyrical vocals...

, released on 4AD

4AD

4AD is a British independent record label that was started in 1979 by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent, funded by Beggars Banquet Records, and is still active today...

 records in March 1983. In its original release, the limited-edition 7-inch single featured "Peppermint Pig" and "Laugh Lines". A twelve-inch EP included an extended mix of "Peppermint Pig" and two more songs: "Laugh Lines" and "Hazel".

This EP marked the only time that the Cocteau Twins used an outside producer for one of their recordings, with production handled by Alan Rankine

Alan Rankine

Alan Rankine played keyboards, and guitars, for the rock band, Associates, which he co-founded with Billy Mackenzie in the late 1970s....

 of the Associates. The band was dissatisfied with the results. Robin Guthrie described the EP as "shit" in a 1983 interview with Sounds

Sounds (magazine)

Sounds was a long-term British music paper, published weekly from 10 October 1970 – 6 April 1991. It was produced by Spotlight Publications , which was set up by Jack Hutton and Peter Wilkinson, who left "Melody Maker" to start their own company...

, claiming it was "a bad mixture—bad song, bad producer...bad band".http://www.cocteautwins.com/html/history/history02.html Liz Fraser simply described the material as "all we had at the time". Musically, the material is similar to the previous release, the EP Lullabies

Lullabies

Lullabies is an EP by the Scottish rock group Cocteau Twins, released on 4AD records on 1 November 1982. The EP features three non-album tracks and was released just a few months after their debut album....

. It was the last release to feature original bass player Will Heggie.

An alternate version of "Hazel" was recorded for a Peel Session, and appears on the band's BBC Sessions album as well as on some CD reissues of Garlands

Garlands

For other uses, see Garland Garlands is the 1982 debut album of Cocteau Twins. It is the only album with original bassist Will Heggie.-Track listing:#"Blood Bitch" – 4:34#"Wax and Wane" – 4:04#"But I'm Not" – 2:45...

.

The Peppermint Pig EP was re-released in CD format in 1991 as part of The Box Set

The Box Set (Cocteau Twins)

The Box Set is a 1991 collection of EPs by the Scottish band Cocteau Twins. It collects their non-album releases up until that time. It also contains a bonus disc including songs from throughout their history which have not been otherwise released....

. It contained both mixes of the title track. 7-inch version of "Peppermint Pig" and additional tracks Laugh Lines" and "Hazel" was a part of the Lullabies to Violaine compilation (2005).

CD: 4AD / BAD 303 CD (UK)

1. "Peppermint Pig" (seven-inch version) - 3:24
2. "Laugh Lines" - 3:20
3. "Hazel" - 2:49
4. "Peppermint Pig" (twelve-inch Version) - 5:02

• CD released in 1991

Personnel

• Elizabeth Fraser
  Elizabeth Fraser
  Elizabeth Davidson Fraser is a Scottish singer best known as the vocalist for the pioneer alternative rock group Cocteau Twins...
  
   - vocals
• Robin Guthrie
  Robin Guthrie
  Robin Guthrie is a musician best known as co-founder of the Cocteau Twins. During his career Guthrie has played guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, drums and other musical instruments, in addition to programming, sampling and sound processing...
  
   - guitar
  Guitar
  The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
  
  
• Will Heggie
  Will Heggie
  Will Heggie is a Scottish musician. He co-founded the Cocteau Twins in 1980 with Robin Guthrie, and served as the bassist for them until 1983 . Immediately after departing the Cocteau Twins, he helped form Lowlife and played bass with them from 1983–1997....
  
   - bass

Produced by Alan Rankine

Alan Rankine

Alan Rankine played keyboards, and guitars, for the rock band, Associates, which he co-founded with Billy Mackenzie in the late 1970s....

. Engineered by John Fryer

John Fryer (music)

John Fryer is an English record producer. Best known for his production work, he also branched out as a musician as one of only two constant members of This Mortal Coil , providing keyboards, strings and synthesizer sequencing for the band, and its offshoot, The Hope Blister.- Career :Starting out...

. All tracks written by Cocteau Twins.

See also:

• 1983 in music
  1983 in music
  This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1983.-January-April:*January – ZTT Records is founded.*January 8 – The UK singles chart is tabulated from this week forward by The Gallup Organization...