Contents

This Mortal Coil

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]

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 SharpofCindytalk; and a few members of Modern English.^[7]AnEP, 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]

• "Acid, Bitter and Sad" on Lonely Is an Eyesore (1987)

• This Mortal Coil on 4AD website
• This Mortal Coil at allmusic.com
• This Mortal Coil at trouserpress.com