This Mortal Coil
This Mortal Coil | |
|---|---|
| Origin | United Kingdom |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1983–1991 |
| Labels | 4AD |
| Past members | Ivo Watts-Russell John Fryer |
This Mortal Coil were a British music collective led by Ivo Watts-Russell, founder of the British record label 4AD.[4] Although Watts-Russell and John Fryer were the only two official members, the band's recorded output featured a large rotating cast of supporting artists, many of whom were otherwise associated with 4AD, including members of Cocteau Twins, Pixies and Dead Can Dance.[5] The project became known for its gothic, dream pop sound, and released three full albums, beginning in 1984 with It'll End in Tears.[6]
Background[edit]
Watts-Russell had founded 4AD in 1980, and the label established itself as one of the key labels in the British post-punk movement.[citation needed] Following several releases, Watts-Russell developed the idea of collaborating under the name This Mortal Coil.[7] The name is taken from lyrics to the song Dream Within A Dream by Spirit ("...Stepping off this mortal coil will be my pleasure..."),[8] which in turn is a quote from Shakespeare's Hamlet ("... what dreams may come, when we have shuffled off this mortal coil...").
The 4AD website said:
This Mortal Coil was not a band, but a unique collaboration of musicians recording in various permutations, the brainchild of 4AD kingpin Ivo Watts-Russell. The idea was to allow artists the creative freedom to record material outside of the realm of what was expected of them; it also created the opportunity for innovative cover versions of songs personal to Ivo.
One of the label's earliest signings was Modern English. In 1983, Watts-Russell suggested that the band re-record two of its earliest songs, "Sixteen Days" and "Gathering Dust", as a medley. At the time, the band was closing its set with this medley, and Watts-Russell felt it was strong enough to warrant a re-recording. When the band rebuffed the idea, Watts-Russell decided to assemble a group of musicians to record the medley: Elizabeth Fraser and Robin Guthrie of Cocteau Twins; Cindy Sharp of Cindytalk; and a few members of Modern English.[7] An EP, Sixteen Days/Gathering Dust, resulted from these sessions. A cover of Tim Buckley's "Song to the Siren", performed by Fraser and Guthrie alone, was recorded as a B-side for the EP. Pleased with the results, Watts-Russell decided to make this the A-side of the 7" single version of the EP, and the song quickly became an underground hit, leading Watts-Russell to pursue the recording of a full album under the This Mortal Coil moniker, 1984's It'll End in Tears.[7]
In June 1998, Watts-Russell began releasing albums in a similar vein to his TMC projects, under the name The Hope Blister.[9]
Discography[edit]
Albums[edit]
Studio albums[edit]
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [10] |
UK Indie [11] |
NL [12] |
NZ [13] | ||
| It'll End in Tears | 38 | 1 | — | 42 | |
| Filigree & Shadow |
|
53 | 2 | — | — |
| Blood |
|
28 | — | 58 | — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | |||||
Compilation albums[edit]
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Dust & Guitars |
|
Box sets[edit]
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| 1983–1991 |
|
| This Mortal Coil |
|
EPs[edit]
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| UK [10] | ||
| Sixteen Days / Gathering Dust |
|
100 |
Singles[edit]
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [10] |
UK Indie [11] |
BE (FL) [14] |
NL [15] |
NZ [16] | |||
| "Song to the Siren" | 1983 | 66 | 3 | — | 39 | 8 | It'll End in Tears |
| "Kangaroo" | 1984 | 92 | 2 | — | — | — | |
| "Come Here My Love"/"Drugs" (limited release) | 1986 | 90 | 2 | — | — | — | Filigree & Shadow |
| "You and Your Sister" (Benelux and France-only release) | 1991 | — | — | 42 | 13 | — | Blood |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | |||||||
Contributions[edit]
- "Acid, Bitter and Sad" on Lonely Is an Eyesore (1987)
References[edit]
- ^ Steve Huey. "This Mortal Coil | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
- ^ Frank Deserto. October 31, 2017. 40 Years of Goth: Essential Albums from the Genre's Beginnings Archived 2019-01-19 at the Wayback Machine. Post-Punk.com.
- ^ Staff (21 March 2013). "13 Best Goth Albums of All Time". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ^ "This Mortal Coil". 4AD. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
- ^ Huey, Steve. "This Mortal Coil". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
- ^ Steve Huey. "This Mortal Coil | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
- ^ a b c Colin Larkin, ed. (2003). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Eighties Music (Third ed.). Virgin Books. p. 460. ISBN 1-85227-969-9.
- ^ Douridas, Chris (13 March 1998). "Morning Becomes Eclectic interview with Ivo Watts-Russell". KCRW. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
- ^ Strong, Martin C. (2000). The Great Rock Discography (5th ed.). Edinburgh: Mojo Books. pp. 987–988. ISBN 1-84195-017-3.
- ^ a b c "THIS MORTAL COIL | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
- ^ a b Lazell, Barry (1997). Indie Hits 1980–1989. Cherry Red Books. ISBN 0-9517206-9-4.
- ^ "Dutch Charts - dutchcharts.nl". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
- ^ "charts.org.nz - New Zealand charts portal". charts.nz. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
- ^ "ultratop.be - ULTRATOP BELGIAN CHARTS". www.ultratop.be. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
- ^ "Dutch Charts - dutchcharts.nl". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
- ^ "charts.org.nz - New Zealand charts portal". charts.nz. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
External links[edit]
- This Mortal Coil on 4AD website
- This Mortal Coil at allmusic.com
- This Mortal Coil at trouserpress.com
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