Subcultural engagement for the 21st Century...
Barbelith is a new kind of community (find out more)...
You can login or register.

Underground > Radio & Music >

Coil? Help an innocent out, kids.

The Return Of Rothkoid

09:30 / 13.02.02

Just heard some of their stuff on the soundtrack to the show on Rasputin that C4 played this evening. No particular tunes mentioned - did anyone else see this? I believe they're soundtracking the whole series - if so, can someone tell me a) if the music on there's been released before and b) if it's indicative of their work?

Oh, and c) which albums should I buy? I'm intrigued, now, and want to get me some. And payday comes on Thursday...

09:53 / 13.02.02

ah coil! i have no access to television, and so had no idea they were doing a soundtrack. coil started off doing industrial/soundtracky type stuff, and i much prefer their earlier albums: try 'scatology' or 'horse rotovator' for their best stuff in my opinion. they did the original soundtrack to clive barker's hellraiser, much better than the one that ended up with the film, available on cd and vinyl. their more recent stuff is more 'dancey' i suppose, which may be in the vein of what you heard tonight. i really don't like the more recent albums, but coil are really worth checking out.

The Return Of Rothkoid

09:53 / 13.02.02

Cheers, SFD. The Hellraiser stuff is available on one of their rarities albums, isn't it?

I'd only ever come into contact with Coil as remixers before.

The music on the show was kinda ambient and spooky, really; fitted in with lots of blurry shots of a Rasputin monk-a-like.

09:53 / 13.02.02

rarities? oh, can i boast, then, that i have it in clear vinyl (tho no record player to play it on) and as a cd single? thanks!

actually, much as i like their soundtracky stuff, when i make my horror film, i would go for lustmord (if still going) to do the soundtrack. lustmord can really scare me and inspire a lot of my writing.

do wish i could see the prog, tho.

09:53 / 13.02.02

stupid question:
so, are coil, and this mortal coil , completely different bands? That has always confused me...'cause I am thick...

09:53 / 13.02.02

completely different! this mortal coil have connections with the cocteau twins and were formed by the bloke who runs 4AD records, coil, well, you've heard the anal staircase.....!

09:53 / 13.02.02

I know, I know...but I am soooo easily confused. Thank you...

09:53 / 13.02.02

I'm a big fan of the Love's Secret Domain album, which came out early/mid 90s, I think; they do spooky on there, though I'm not sure it's the 'scary' spooky you're after. A mix of sounds from bonkers, random-sample-bleep-squonk-gnerkery to trancey instrumentals ("vague landscape" type thingies) to stop-start didge to blah blah blah. Variety of vocalists including Annie Anxiety, who appears on my fave track "Things Happen" with sexy knackered accent.

17:48 / 13.02.02

LSD is really neat. I've heard it described as designed as background music for BDSM. I don't know how acurate that is, but its fitting.

19:15 / 13.02.02

I like Coil too.

I really need to get more of their musick.

20:32 / 13.02.02

Coil are bonkers.

Informative Fortean Times interview here.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

08:00 / 16.02.02

Coil absolutely fucking RULE. It's Peter Christopherson (of the legendary Throbbing Gristle/first Psychic TV line-up) and his partner John Balance, plus various other people (I think Julian Cope's mate Thighpaulsandra is now a permanent member). (I can get more anal/muso if you want, but I should probably restrain myself).
Magickal consciousness expanding musick, if you will.
1st album "Scatology"- lots of metal-bashing, couple of tracks produced by Foetus, very, very good indeed.
Then "Horse Rotorvator"- my personal favourite (again has Foetus connections plus Marc Almond & a Leonard Cohen cover on it).
Since?
"Love's Secret Domain" (the "dancey" album- check the initials) is an all-time classic.
The most recent stuff I've heard is "Musick to Play in the Dark 2", and it's ace (though one of the tracks sounds uncannily like "Nightporter" by Japan).
A lot of their stuff now is very droney/trancey/beatless- the "Time Machines" album, for example, where every track is half an hour long and has the title of the chemical compound they were on while they made it, and that for optimum effect you should be on while you listen.
Truly pushing the boundaries of consciousness control through music.
I love Coil. (And they're playing- which is kind of rare- on, I think, April 27th in London.)
Oh yeah, and they were mates with Derek Jarman, which is always good.

13:51 / 16.02.02

I'm a big fan of the contraception device too.
(Got a copy of the unofficial Hellraiser soundtrack on 10" and the Snow ep.)

Goodness Gracious Meme

14:49 / 18.02.02

and if you want to check 'em out in the flesh (and live they could sound like absolutely anything from folk to electro to drills and tibetan chanting, ) they're playing as part of the barbican's 'only connect' season... (an " exhibition of the history and culture of global gaming" which all in all sounds pretty cool)

I'm probably going if cash suits, as they're playing with Mouse on Mars and Plaid, who are fab, would thoroughly recommend this...

The Return Of Rothkoid

15:16 / 18.02.02

Hmmmmm.

I'm very tempted by that gig, too: I'm also pretty interested in the John Zorn and Marianne Faithfull shows; anyone planning on coming along?

I'll probably be in the cheap seats, mind...

06:44 / 19.02.02

I am Glint. See me salivate at the prospect.

*salivates*

Regrettable Juvenilia

14:45 / 19.02.02

Could some kind soul please try and persuade a hopeless bigot that it might be worth my while even seeking out any Coil mp3s? I am horribly prejudiced against them on the basis of only a couple of facts:

1. They made an album called Scatology. Now, the fact that they're called Coil is pretty bad (I distrust all bands who sound like they've been named after something you'd find in a garage or toolbox: Tool, Nine Inch Nails, Machine Head...) - but we can get round that. However, an album called *Scatology*... pardon the obvious gag, but it kind of makes me suspect they might be a bit shit. Oh, and they did something called 'The Anal Staircase' as well? Jeez...

2. They came across really badly on that Matthew Collins 'Hello Culture' programme. Of course, that might not be their fault...

So, convince me: what's so great about Coil? I mean, tell me something that hasn't been mentioned in this thread already, because so far it's all really vague ("ambient", "more dancey"), or off-putting (half-hour traclks named after the chemical they were on when they recorded it? see point number 2...).

16:27 / 19.02.02

By shortfatdyke: quote:...when i make my horror film, i would go for lustmord (if still going) to do the soundtrack. lustmord can really scare me(...).

Perhpas you know of them SFD, but if not, why not try
Univers Zero for some fucked up/scary/soundtrackey stuff?

I would recommend the track "Carabosse" just to start. Then if you like it, perhaps "Vous Les Saurez En Temps Voulu".

These guys would be on the top of my list as soundtrackers to my Call Of Cthulhu flick.

23:03 / 19.02.02

imposter - will check out that link once i'm back at work (i.e. with sound!) - thanks!

flyboy - coil's earlier stuff (by far my favourites) is very dark and industrial. it was certainly no surprise to me that they recorded the original soundtrack to 'hellraiser'. 'coil' refers to the birth control device. they're more electronic than guitarey, john balance and peter christopherson were both in psychic tv before forming coil, and this is a far better reference for their music and attitude than the likes of nine inch nails, who seem like a pop band in comparison. a lot of their stuff is quite ritualistic (would recommend the hafler trio also if you do get into coil), and their version of 'tainted love' is the most torturous cover version i think i've ever heard!

coil aren't shit, but they do like the stuff.....

23:43 / 19.02.02

Second on Hafler Trio. Have you ever noticed that the album cover for, I think it was, The Downward Spiral by NIN is remarkably similar to Coil's Gold is the Metal? I think that peter or john worked production with trent on that one 'though...Ah flark, I don't even listen to NIN so who cares!

Horserotavator is one of my all time favorite albums. "Who shall I say is calling?" And flyboy, Anal Staircase is from this album.

"The angels kiss our souls in bliss
and measure the extent of our diZzying descent
down the anal staircase! The anal staircase!"

Don't forget the ever esoteric, "How to Destroy Angels."

m3

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

17:09 / 22.02.02

sweet tortures fly on mystery wings
pure evil is when flowers sing
my heart... my heart... my heart is a rose

The Return Of Rothkoid

12:33 / 25.02.02

Right. I've just found a second-hand copy of Unnatural History II which is the one with the Hellraiser tracks on it, and bought it as a birthday-to-me pressie. So far (first track) it's sounding very much in the vein of Faith-era cure with a bit more depth. More as it progresses...

I'm still quite tempted to go cough up for Horse Rotorvator, though.

12:35 / 25.02.02

yes yes yes! please do try horse rotorvator or scatology. really is coil at their best! i had a copy of unnatural history and it's not the best introduction to the band.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

21:27 / 26.02.02

yeah... the whole Unnatural History series is compilations of b-sides, one-off tracks for movies, and experiments... (Although UH 2 does have "Contains A Disclaimer" on it... though it may be titled "Another Brown World", as a version of it was on a compilation once upon a time- Brian Eno in-jokes, anyone?- which absolutely rules.)
But Horse Rotorvator is the one. (Although Love's Secret Domain is probably a fucking good starting point.)

Chemical angel enters arena
Toro d'Or falls to the floor

uncle retrospective

07:42 / 12.10.04

So Coil are playing live in dublin this month. Should I go? Will taking my freshly picked mushrooms make me run out the door screaming?
I only have Love's Secret Domain but it would be wrong of me to miss this I think.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

09:00 / 12.10.04

YES.

Eat the mushrooms. Go to the gig. It will be ace.

That is all.

Except to say... I missed their last London gig, but have it on good authority that it was fantastic.

uncle retrospective

23:25 / 31.10.04

So that was the weirdest fucking gig I have ever see. It was on in the City Hall in Dublin, a huge faux Greek temple of a place with the stage on the edge of a circle of 12 pillars, much nice place to see a gig than the usual sticky carpeted venues.
The gig was mostly what I'd call performance art, weird electro noises, medieval instruments and singer ranting and making odd yipping noises which with the mushrooms we took, well, were not sure if it helped. My friend and I took 2 songs and then had to run outside and have a fag break to steady our nerves before we went back in. The weird noise kept building and, well, just fucked with our heads until it broke into one of the most beautiful ambient tracks I've heard, with birdsong and some very odd looking bloke singing soprano.

It's the first gig I've ever gone to were we just jumped into a cab and went home as we couldn't deal with the city centre after the gig.

The only down side to the whole thing was were at one point the singer started screaming rabbit Rabbit! RABBIT! over and over again. We'd been watching Spaced the night before and bust out laughing. That went down badly with the crowd.
So in closing, Coil will fuck with you if you go and see them and Stoatie... You are one weird fucker if you do this kind of thing for fun!

23:36 / 31.10.04

I think you'll find that you went to the Chas 'n' Dave tribute gig by accident.

--

23:42 / 31.10.04

Ah, one of my top ten favorite bands. In fact, "Horse Rotorvator" is probably in my top 5 favorite albums of all time list. Though "Scatology" is very good... You would not believe how much time I spent tracking down all the references quoted in that booklet.

The first Coil song I ever heard was "Panic" on Alternative Press' Industrial CD compilation (which also exposed me to the first TG song I ever heard... "Hamburger Lady"). A few months later while vacationing in Montreal I stopped at an HMV and saw they had Coil CDs. Intrigued, I selected "Unnatural History vol. 1", mainly because it had the coolest song titles ("The swelling of leeches", "The Pope Held Upside Down", and so on). Listening to it on headphones in the hotel later on I didn't know what to make of it... 'twas like nothing I'd ever heard before. Upon getting back home i went straight to the local CD store and got "Horse Rotorvator", and the rest, as they say, is history. In terms of how much CDs I have by a certain band, Coil ranks second (right in between TG and Whitehouse, two other bands in my top five list). Their music conjures up weird headspaces, definetly.