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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 |
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.[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]
Albums
Studio albums
| 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
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Dust & Guitars |
|
Box sets
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| 1983–1991 |
|
| This Mortal Coil |
|
EPs
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| UK [11] | ||
| Sixteen Days / Gathering Dust |
|
100 |
Singles
| 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
- "Acid, Bitter and Sad" on Lonely Is an Eyesore (1987)
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