This Mortal Coil were a British music collective led by Ivo Watts-Russell, founder of the British record label 4AD.[5] 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.[6] The project became known for its gothic, dream pop sound, and released three full albums, beginning in 1984 with It'll End in Tears.[7]
This Mortal Coil | |
|---|---|
| Origin | United Kingdom |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1983–1991 |
| Labels | 4AD |
| Spinoffs | The Hope Blister |
| Past members | Ivo Watts-Russell John Fryer |
Background
editWatts-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.[8] The name is taken from lyrics to the song Dream Within A Dream by Spirit ("...Stepping off this mortal coil will be my pleasure..."),[9] 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; Gordon Sharp of Cindytalk (later known as Cindy Sharp or Cinder); and a few members of Modern English.[8] 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.[8]
In June 1998, Watts-Russell began releasing albums in a similar vein to his TMC projects, under the name The Hope Blister.[10]
Discography
editAlbums
editStudio albums
edit| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [11] |
UK Indie [12] |
NL [13] |
NZ [14] | ||
| 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 [11] | ||
| Sixteen Days / Gathering Dust |
|
100 |
Singles
edit| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [11] |
UK Indie [12] |
BE (FL) [15] |
NL [16] |
NZ [17] | |||
| "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.
- ^ Olivier Bernard: Anthologie de l'ambient, Camion Blanc, 2013, ISBN 2-357-794151. "L'ethereal wave s'est développée à partir du gothic rock, et tire ses origines principalement de la musique de Siouxsie and the Banshees (les Cocteau Twins s'en sont fortement inspirés, ce qui se ressent dans leur premier album Garlands, sorti en 1982). Le genre s'est développé surtout autour des années 1983–1984, avec l'émergence de trois formations majeures: Cocteau Twins, This Mortal Coil et Dead Can Dance... Cela est rendu par des effets d'écho, de reverb et de delay très imposants sur les guitares... On relève une prédominance d'un chant féminin haut perché ou très ample et de voix masculines soufflées, douces at contemplatives. Les paroles sont parfois difficilement compréhensibles... L'ethereal wave (et notamment les Cocteau Twins) a grandement influencé le shoegaze et la dream pop. Les labels principaux promouvant le genre sont 4AD et Projekt Records."
- ^ "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.