Of course legendary band what has been discussed everywhere for many decades. But here no topic for Coil yet.
Today listened some COIL cd's. Panic is something I didn't feel very strongly in past. My memories of the recording were plagued by idea of slappy-bass funk industrial, but now listening this after many years it is much much better than I remembered.
There is one track what I don't care much, but overall, very nice. I like works with old fashioned sampled feel. It still has "hand made" feel. Little clumsiness. Something that appears "real". Not just "music made of screen". It adds something very different to the overall feel.
But even more, perhaps the best COIL I know so far: The Angelic Conversation CD. Released in 90's, but originally music from the 1985 film of Derek Jarman. It has certainly more cinematic feel to it. Lots of field recordings. Eerie passages of organs/bow instruments. Spoken word pieces. Acoustic sounds. Very good stuff. I wonder if Coil discography has more of this type of stuff? As I have yet to hear other releases what would be this good.
Then again, actually 90's stuff, Coil vs ELpH "Born Again Pagans" split CD ep is pretty horrid to me. There is very very narrow path of electronic beat music I can stand. There is handful of bands I worship, but mostly this kind of "dance club" stuff makes me irritated. And basically most Coil seems to fit on that category, and no amount of non-musical points of interest makes it possible to digest their later works of such style. ELpH is basically just Coil. But unrehearsed, unconscious. Spontaneous sounds coming out from electronic gear. Some of the short tracks are very warm and light, others has much more darker tone. Easily better than Coil dance track here.
How to destroy angels cound fit into the same category perhaps.Also some tracks like The Sea Priestess from the Astral Disaster album.
Actually Time Machines is also a album worth checking out.
Scatology is obviously a favorite of mine, in terms of their whole body of work and experimental electronic work as a whole. While I certainly understand that this record is "industrial" and very important for the development of the genre, it strikes me as far too orientated into observations on magick and finding the occult than most industrial music I enjoy. These themes are reflected in the sound, too. Not that this makes the album any less worth checking out, it is just different. Maybe these just reflect my ears, though. Black Antlers is a fantastic side, which is even more occult and less straight-up industrial but worth checking out.
Coil is one of my fav's band and I really can't praise the band enough.The Ape of Naples is the album I have been listening now the most recently.Black Antlers is a great album also.
Unnatural History is an essential collection and an essential experimental collection. One of the all-time great collections of all genres. If I want to listen to Coil, it's what I usually grab. For my tastes, the albums lack focus. Unnatural History II for the novelty of the Hellraiser themes. The ANS drones are kind of cool, too.
is not easy to choose from many excellent works
ambiental and mistical album like Music to play in the dark 1 & 2 are more rappresentative about Coil weltanschauung.
Incredible mix between '90 electronics and ritualistic music is Love Secret Domain album
The apes of Naples is probably the best work. essential and representative
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3cVgzuG3Ds
"Time Machines" is the peak...
Quote from: Steve on April 14, 2015, 09:30:27 AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3cVgzuG3Ds
Was a bit too obvious on April Fool's day. ;)
remote viewer and music to play in the dark 1 are top notch
but then again i really like pretty much everything by them.
I only love what I still think of as the three real LPs - Scatology, Horse Rotorvator, Love's Secret Domain. Scatology suffers a little from overuse of dated 80s sounds and Fairlight, and LSD has a dancey track on side one that's very much of its time, but they are very powerful conceptual and complete releases.
After LSD Balance's health problems seemed to take a toll on the output. Everything seemed unfinished and scrappy to me in comparison. I quite liked Constant Shallowness Leads To Evil.
The material being out of print due to continuing lack of communication between certain parties is really absurd.
Coil were/are huge for me...im a big fan/collector. They were the first doorway into industrial..then ptv..then tg.
https://youtu.be/yvaWoImv3CE
at their finest ...criminally overlooked and unused version with mick harris (scorn/naplam) on drums
I must say, as a rather large TG and PTV admirer (at the time), that I never really "got" Coil. The one sided 12" "How To Destroy Angels" was superb but then "Scatology" was a poor collection of songs ... and like Mr. Goolagong says is very dated with the overuse of 1980's technology. After that I never really listened to them and when I did hear their output it just reminded me of "prog" meanderings. Like I say - just didn't "get" it ... I do own a copy of the Clawfist single "Is Suicide A Solution" though .....
Yes, you could be excused for the "prog meanderings" perception, but I still think "Horse Rotorvator" is an amazing album, and their strongest overall release. Perhaps it's nostalgia, but it has some of their best songs - "Anal Staircase", "Blood from the Air", "Ostia", "Penetralia", etc. I also liked "Time Machines" and "Musick to Play in the Dark Vol 1", and elsewhere there are good individual tracks - but "Horse..." can't be beat.
I remember seeing them live in Dublin - it was the last gig before Balance died - and I was actually a little disappointed by the set: a lot of fairly soft-edged stuff, and lyrics about 'soft fluffy bunnies' and the like was not exactly what I was hoping for...
Everything through LSD is great, in my opinion. Horse Rotorvator might be my favorite, with "Ostia" standing out in particular as a great song. I need to investigate more of the 90s/2000s stuff.
I like most of their work except anything that's 'techno'. First few releases are my favorites & the "Black Light District" 2LP is excellent.
I have a couple of cd-r releases on a Russian label that have some really good material on them. I'm guessing they're bootlegs.
This song is a favorite:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0OY59P1ZaU
I love the frantic vocals.
Who'll Fall? is still one of the most eerie and unsettling songs ive ever heard.
The drone stuff is quite enjoyable, certainly no complaints from me, though there is better to be had in the vein...
Like it seems a lot of people here, I'm a big fan of certain strains of Coil. In my case it is the soundscape-y type things, more often than not those augmented by vocals, whether spoken (Red Queen), sung (Amber Rain), or both (Batwings); or some particularly memorable piece of sampled voice (the mentioned Who'll Fall). I'd go so far as to say it's all in the (vocal) delivery. That is to say, for me Coil at its best when content-driven- "Balance-driven".
Check out "Love's Septic Domain" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CIqwTUOmow), technically a COH track, but utterly nailed by Balance (and Balance pseudonym Louise Weasel).
That live track posted by bitewerksMTB is another great example- and the first I'd heard of it, thanks!
All that said, probably my single favorite Coil track would be "Paint Me As a Dead Soul" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ednix1ONFDw) - principally for the soundscape-y elements alone.
The Coil strain that I prefer is I think not entirely unique to Coil. I get very similar wibes from the occasional indulgences of Edward Ka-spel/LPD/Tear Garden, Diana Rogerson/Chrystal Belle Scrodd, and (the very occasional) Nurse With Wound, among others. Soundscape-y type things augemented by vocals that are, for the most part, too clever by half. Ka-Spel would be the obvious contender for ownership of this strain, more so since the departure of The Silverman from LPD... but I'm willing to bet there are any number of artists swimming in similar circles that, due to my English-language constraints, fly straight over my head.
Looks like brainwashed planes to release allot of the Coil back catalogue
http://brainwashed.com/bark/projects-coil.html
Let's see.It has been several years since the announcement but nothing has really happened yet and It will not likely happen anytime soon either.
In the meantime--as highlighted by this article (http://dangerousminds.net/comments/how_to_destroy_angels_for_free_coil)--a lot of Coil material has surfaced on Archive.org (https://archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%22coil%22).... enjoy!
So it happens that Mike Tyson and/or his promoters knew Coil before quite a bunch of industrial people
http://animalnewyork.com/2014/time-mike-tyson-entered-ring-coil/ (http://animalnewyork.com/2014/time-mike-tyson-entered-ring-coil/)
Currently I'm going through his book "Undisputed Truth" so it's quite weird to see most likely unintentional references to industrial scene in his life, but why not.
Edit: his entrance is @ ~2:30
Quote from: Levas on October 19, 2015, 06:26:49 PM
So it happens that Mike Tyson and/or his promoters knew Coil before quite a bunch of industrial people
http://animalnewyork.com/2014/time-mike-tyson-entered-ring-coil/ (http://animalnewyork.com/2014/time-mike-tyson-entered-ring-coil/)
Currently I'm going through his book "Undisputed Truth" so it's quite weird to see most likely unintentional references to industrial scene in his life, but why not.
Edit: his entrance is @ ~2:30
The truth isn't that exciting..
https://www.reddit.com/r/industrialmusic/comments/3m3vl6/not_coil/
And if anyone hasn't heard yet: https://www.soleilmoon.com/shop/?filter_label=344
Quote from: Vanitas on October 19, 2015, 07:52:14 PM
Quote from: Levas on October 19, 2015, 06:26:49 PM
So it happens that Mike Tyson and/or his promoters knew Coil before quite a bunch of industrial people
http://animalnewyork.com/2014/time-mike-tyson-entered-ring-coil/ (http://animalnewyork.com/2014/time-mike-tyson-entered-ring-coil/)
Currently I'm going through his book "Undisputed Truth" so it's quite weird to see most likely unintentional references to industrial scene in his life, but why not.
Edit: his entrance is @ ~2:30
The truth isn't that exciting..
https://www.reddit.com/r/industrialmusic/comments/3m3vl6/not_coil/
Ah damnit. I was so happy for a few hours... Oh well
Quote from: FreakAnimalFinland on April 13, 2015, 12:38:44 PM
Of course legendary band what has been discussed everywhere for many decades. But here no topic for Coil yet.
Today listened some COIL cd's. Panic is something I didn't feel very strongly in past. My memories of the recording were plagued by idea of slappy-bass funk industrial, but now listening this after many years it is much much better than I remembered.
There is one track what I don't care much, but overall, very nice. I like works with old fashioned sampled feel. It still has "hand made" feel. Little clumsiness. Something that appears "real". Not just "music made of screen". It adds something very different to the overall feel.
But even more, perhaps the best COIL I know so far: The Angelic Conversation CD. Released in 90's, but originally music from the 1985 film of Derek Jarman. It has certainly more cinematic feel to it. Lots of field recordings. Eerie passages of organs/bow instruments. Spoken word pieces. Acoustic sounds. Very good stuff. I wonder if Coil discography has more of this type of stuff? As I have yet to hear other releases what would be this good.
Then again, actually 90's stuff, Coil vs ELpH "Born Again Pagans" split CD ep is pretty horrid to me. There is very very narrow path of electronic beat music I can stand. There is handful of bands I worship, but mostly this kind of "dance club" stuff makes me irritated. And basically most Coil seems to fit on that category, and no amount of non-musical points of interest makes it possible to digest their later works of such style. ELpH is basically just Coil. But unrehearsed, unconscious. Spontaneous sounds coming out from electronic gear. Some of the short tracks are very warm and light, others has much more darker tone. Easily better than Coil dance track here.
COIL and FOETUS are the only acts I could admit to being influenced by.
The stuff with "Elph" is apparently them attempting to contact some other demon or astral creature. It is not supposed to technically be COIL. I wouldn't base my opinion of them off of that release, aside from the obvious deduction that they're drug-addled occultniks.
You may like "Queens of the Circulating Library" if you like the Angelic Conversation.
Also, I don't care much for their "beat shit" either, but to me there's not as much of it as you may think.
I love the intricacy of their sampled work. I still don't know how they did it. I've heard the sample sources. I know they must've had a pretty top-notch sampler in 1984, and even then, it must've been absolutely tedious to make something like "Ubu Noir" on a Fairlight.
I enjoy "Love's Secret Domain", despite not liking "Windowpane" and "The Snow" (beat shit/hit singles) as much, still the album is great. Unreleased Hellraiser Themes, Horse Rotorvator, Scatology; these are among my favorites of their 80s work. "Chaostrophy" is an amazing track from that one.
After "Love's Secret Domain" you have the addition of Drew McDowall and Thighpaulsaundra, not to mention some appearances by Rose McDowall, and others. The pace changed from beats to soundscapes and drones a lot of the times. If you haven't heard "Musick To Play In The Dark" 1 or 2, I would try it before you dismiss the rest of their work.
I could keep going and going. As far as this release of "Backwards", I have ordered it, but it's clearly an unofficial release, and I'm a bit apprehensive. I'm sure it's been cared for better than some of the other bootlegs, but the cover art is not something that I think COIL would stand for in the slightest, so it could be shabby all around. PLus, it was techinically finished in 1996, and was supposed to be the end of their "beat shit" so it could go either way.
I don't own the live CDs, so this is the first time I have heard this version of "The Universe is A Haunted House"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOlxEezOYlA
Previous to that, an earlier version of it, completely different/instrumental drone, was among the things I wished were released in a studio version.
Now I'm finding that there are several different versions of this track, with widely varied instrumentation.
The Hellraiser Themes and Scatology will forever be my faves. A close second to Love's Secret Domain.
Brilliant, brilliant stuff.
Quote from: NO PART OF IT on October 19, 2015, 10:50:59 PMAs far as this release of "Backwards", I have ordered it, but it's clearly an unofficial release, and I'm a bit apprehensive. I'm sure it's been cared for better than some of the other bootlegs, but the cover art is not something that I think COIL would stand for in the slightest, so it could be shabby all around.
The blurb for the Threshold Archive releases states that "Without Balance and Sleaz, there is no official Coil release nor will there ever be again. Nothing that bears the word "Coil" is authorized, official, or sanctioned by Coil, as Coil has ceased to exist" - a point worth making.
Backwards isn't the greatest set of Coil recordings although the last two tracks are magnificent - agree that the cover art is poor but really it's just wonderful to be able to buy this from a high street retailer, and Cold Spring should be commended for their persistence in dealing with Mr Hyde to get this as a more or less legal release with excellent distribution.
Quote from: HongKongGoolagong on October 22, 2015, 08:29:04 PM
Quote from: NO PART OF IT on October 19, 2015, 10:50:59 PMAs far as this release of "Backwards", I have ordered it, but it's clearly an unofficial release, and I'm a bit apprehensive. I'm sure it's been cared for better than some of the other bootlegs, but the cover art is not something that I think COIL would stand for in the slightest, so it could be shabby all around.
The blurb for the Threshold Archive releases states that "Without Balance and Sleaz, there is no official Coil release nor will there ever be again. Nothing that bears the word "Coil" is authorized, official, or sanctioned by Coil, as Coil has ceased to exist" - a point worth making.
Backwards isn't the greatest set of Coil recordings although the last two tracks are magnificent - agree that the cover art is poor but really it's just wonderful to be able to buy this from a high street retailer, and Cold Spring should be commended for their persistence in dealing with Mr Hyde to get this as a more or less legal release with excellent distribution.
Jon Whitney was given authorization by Sleazy to release and re-release COIL albums, he claims he was the only one, and he's got papertrails to back him up. He's probably got the intended cover art for "Backwards" as it was intended to be a 2CD before Sleazy died, there is a quote from him in an interview about it. I'm glad I get to hear it sooner than later if ever, but Cold Spring has been known to rip off artists for distribution, and Mr. Hyde was only glad to give up the Nine Inch Nails remixes when their fans paid him enough - on mp3 - a format COIL hated. If Whitney wanted, he could probably sue. If Interscope Records wanted, they could also probably sue. I understand that Hyde was somewhat considered a Coil member, but that doesn't explain why "The New Backwards" exists in the first place when Sleazy was still alive. It's not really "more or less legal" to me. This is a bootleg with shabby cover art, but a very interesting piece of history that Threshold Archives may never get to, so I bought it anyway. As a fan, I'm excited. As an artist, I think this is a disservice. For what it's worth.
My two year old son could have made better cover art and that's the greatest criticism - Justin n Jo, I actually love you but what on earth were you thinking?
Having heard all about the many disagreements about the Coil legacy between featured secondary contributing artists and bereaved lovers since Balance's death (all of whom have the expected set of life issues) via my friendship with the late great silent partner John Everall my conclusion is that this slightly botched job from Mr Hyde has opened the floodgates, which the superb and lovingly curated pirate EU vinyl editions of 2013 made by unknown parties nudged.
Sleazy was busy with so much else before he died. Mr Whitney who helped him so much is not a record company magnate and it would seem that the now or never feeling of 2015 has finally pushed him into action. FWIW I thought his statement about how none of this can possibly be official was eloquent and beautiful. And I'm looking forward to collecting a full set of Threshold Archives releases, having only recently rediscovered the timeless beauty and magic of what this band did.
One of the finest and most important bands of industrial music. Brilliant band. I also prefer their droney, abstract, ambient soundscapes to their beat driven stuff. Although, Backwards, The New Backwards, and Black Antlers are excellent albums and are very beat driven.
Their best albums I would say are:
How to Destroy Angels
Time Machines
Coil Presents Black Light District – A Thousand Lights In A Darkened Room
Elph vs Coil - Worship the Glitch
Musick to Play in the Dark 1 & 2
Astral Disaster
Unreleased Hellraiser Themes
The Angelic Conversation
The Ape of Naples
Black Antlers
The New Backwards
So many good Coil releases.
I never liked Coil. Simply I can't feel it. Don't know why.
Quote from: HongKongGoolagong on October 30, 2015, 06:36:57 AM
My two year old son could have made better cover art and that's the greatest criticism - Justin n Jo, I actually love you but what on earth were you thinking?
Having heard all about the many disagreements about the Coil legacy between featured secondary contributing artists and bereaved lovers since Balance's death (all of whom have the expected set of life issues) via my friendship with the late great silent partner John Everall my conclusion is that this slightly botched job from Mr Hyde has opened the floodgates, which the superb and lovingly curated pirate EU vinyl editions of 2013 made by unknown parties nudged.
Sleazy was busy with so much else before he died. Mr Whitney who helped him so much is not a record company magnate and it would seem that the now or never feeling of 2015 has finally pushed him into action. FWIW I thought his statement about how none of this can possibly be official was eloquent and beautiful. And I'm looking forward to collecting a full set of Threshold Archives releases, having only recently rediscovered the timeless beauty and magic of what this band did.
Well my copy of the Backwards 2xLP arrived damaged. What they're using for mailers these days is pretty skimpy. We'll see how my email about that turns out. And they spelled Drew McDowall's name wrong.
That said, I thoroughly enjoy what I've heard of the the audio. I'll enjoy it even more when Jon Whitney releases it with the proper art (hopefully).
I only was able to catch one of the COIL Threshold Archive releases at a store that is shipping now, the rest of them I pre-ordered on Amazon.com. The Wrong Eye/Scope CD could have been a little more illuminating, but being that it's mostly out-takes, I don't mind the slim presentation (or the price).
I'm also curious to see how the new Astral Disaster bootleg has turned out. I couldn't resist, considering that the legitimate alternative is $100+.
Drew McDowall's "Collapse" LP is definitely worth owning, by the way. It's already in it's second pressing pre-order now. Excellent modular work with an absolute minimum of arpeggios (I think they're over-done). I saw him live this past summer, excellent rhythmic synth work. Glad he's still going.
I've got a refund for the damaged product, I'll say that much. At least that part is covered.
Quote from: NO PART OF IT on November 05, 2015, 01:43:00 PM
Drew McDowall's "Collapse" LP is definitely worth owning, by the way. It's already in it's second pressing pre-order now. Excellent modular work with an absolute minimum of arpeggios (I think they're over-done).
Heard that a few nights ago and it is superb.
Somewhat off-topic but this from his ex-wife is one of the most interesting interviews I've ever read from any musician and very much worth the time spent reading it - http://www.strawberryswitchblade.net/print.php?section=interviews&item=rose
Quote from: HongKongGoolagong on November 05, 2015, 06:20:35 PM
Quote from: NO PART OF IT on November 05, 2015, 01:43:00 PM
Drew McDowall's "Collapse" LP is definitely worth owning, by the way. It's already in it's second pressing pre-order now. Excellent modular work with an absolute minimum of arpeggios (I think they're over-done).
Heard that a few nights ago and it is superb.
Somewhat off-topic but this from his ex-wife is one of the most interesting interviews I've ever read from any musician and very much worth the time spent reading it - http://www.strawberryswitchblade.net/print.php?section=interviews&item=rose
I've read it before, but didn't mind reading it again. I'm not an authority on her work but I enjoy the work I have heard immensely. I was glad to get a limited special edition copy of the Sacred Bones reissue of "Cut With The Cake Knife", I enjoy it. Incidentally, back on myspace, I talked with her a little, not really having a clear idea how huge she was. Nothing she'd remember, but she was a remarkably kind lady. The aforementioned LP has a screen printed slip that says "BUY ME THEN FUCK OFF", incidentally. Certainly she was not kind to everyone, and I consider myself lucky. Would have liked to have more of her work with Coil in existence, but what they did was good.
Has anyone else listened to the Coil - Astral Disaster Sessions \ Unfinished Musics LP that just came out today? The samples sound pretty good, but still have a weird feeling about all these posthumous releases
How to Destroy Angels is a great and classic track. I was disappointed in the Cold Spring release. Maybe it is the recording? I've listened to the original many, many times, but these tracks feel more like a one-off listen to me.
original: https://youtu.be/H7xZYX7a6JE
other: https://coldspring.bandcamp.com/album/how-to-destroy-angels-csr263cd-lp
The CS release is live.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPD0f_Q4lMs (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPD0f_Q4lMs)
Coil & Gee Vaucher 'Disobedients' exhibition opens in Brighton on September 22nd - https://nohawkers.com/upcoming-exhibitions
Actually started to dig further into the back catalogue of Coil recently after being very impressed with the Zos Kia collaboration/split. Unfortunately, nothing else seems to live up to that standard. Listened to both "Scatology" and "Horse Rotorvator" in full yesterday only to come away with the impression that they have very little to do with what I want when I hear people label them as "industrial". Brings to mind something like Public Image Ltd. or The Birthday Party more than the ritualistic industrial present on the ZK split. Overall, "Scatology" is much more listenable when taken in the context of being some sort of rock music instead of industrial. "Horse Rotorvator" is still largely unlistenable for my taste outside of a couple of tracks like "Blood From The Air". "Circles Of Mania" is cringe-inducingly bad in particular.
Quote from: ritualabuser on September 13, 2023, 08:02:32 PMActually started to dig further into the back catalogue of Coil recently after being very impressed with the Zos Kia collaboration/split. Unfortunately, nothing else seems to live up to that standard. Listened to both "Scatology" and "Horse Rotorvator" in full yesterday only to come away with the impression that they have very little to do with what I want when I hear people label them as "industrial". Brings to mind something like Public Image Ltd. or The Birthday Party more than the ritualistic industrial present on the ZK split. Overall, "Scatology" is much more listenable when taken in the context of being some sort of rock music instead of industrial. "Horse Rotorvator" is still largely unlistenable for my taste outside of a couple of tracks like "Blood From The Air". "Circles Of Mania" is cringe-inducingly bad in particular.
I have been having the same problem, actually. I just got the aforementioend Zos Kia/Coil collab-split release, and I have enjoyed it very much---but not much else has gripped me as strongly. I do like several tracks from
Horse Rotovator, but
Scatology hasn't stuck with me yet.
Also, I wanted to ask since I saw it mentioned in the "Noise Now Playing" Facebook group---are all the Cold Spring reissues really bootlegs/unofficial?
Quote from: ritualabuser on September 13, 2023, 08:02:32 PMActually started to dig further into the back catalogue of Coil recently after being very impressed with the Zos Kia collaboration/split. Unfortunately, nothing else seems to live up to that standard. Listened to both "Scatology" and "Horse Rotorvator" in full yesterday only to come away with the impression that they have very little to do with what I want when I hear people label them as "industrial". Brings to mind something like Public Image Ltd. or The Birthday Party more than the ritualistic industrial present on the ZK split. Overall, "Scatology" is much more listenable when taken in the context of being some sort of rock music instead of industrial. "Horse Rotorvator" is still largely unlistenable for my taste outside of a couple of tracks like "Blood From The Air". "Circles Of Mania" is cringe-inducingly bad in particular.
Going for Coil and expecting "industrial" is a mistake. I'd guess it is labeled as industrial because it is difficult to say what it really is and it often changes from one album to another but it is still always Coil. Sure Scatology has songs that could be labelled as (at least somewhat) industrial like Clap, Aqua Regis or The S.W.B.P. but otherwise it is like some sort of experimental new wave nightmare. Probably the off-key vocals are hard to digest as well. Some albums are more drone or weird electronics, even flirting with techno (like Love's Secret Domain songs The Snow and Windowpane). If you want to try a Coil album that has no vocals, no "songs", and is more like drone/ambient (or "industrial"), try How To Destroy Angels.
You can find "How to Destroy Angels" on the top shelf Unnatural History (Compilation Tracks Compiled) CD. An essential collection and an essential experimental collection. One of the all-time great collections of all genres. If I want to listen to Coil, it's what I usually grab. For those looking for a more focused industrialist Coil album.
https://www.discogs.com/release/3652115-Coil-Unnatural-History-Compilation-Tracks-Compiled
Reviving an old thread...
I picked up the reissue of "Moon's Milk (In Four Phases)" that collects the 4 EPs... one of the best things they ever did, at least for me. Reissued as a double CD in a slipcase, it's a pleasure to listen this stuff in proper form.
Since I've fallen back into a COIL trip, I also got the book Everything Keeps Dissolving... Nice matte cardboard cover with glossy details, good-quality paper, and a decent photo section (they could have done more, but oh well) for a nearly 600-page collection of possibly all their interviews.
The author's introduction is a bit pedantic (the long-winded explanation about how the author included Balance's interview with TYR Magazine even though he considers them kinda fascists was something we could have lived without), but overall, the book seems well put together.
Talking about Coil books, The Universe Is A Haunted House is a beautiful art book containing all things Coil. It is filled with photos, drawings, paintings, writings... It does not really have any printed text, all the text in the book is scanned letters, notes, postcards, etc. A great book to just browse through and enjoy visually.
Quote from: BlackCavendish on February 13, 2025, 11:49:28 AMReviving an old thread...
I picked up the reissue of "Moon's Milk (In Four Phases)" that collects the 4 EPs... one of the best things they ever did, at least for me. Reissued as a double CD in a slipcase, it's a pleasure to listen this stuff in proper form.
Since I've fallen back into a COIL trip, I also got the book Everything Keeps Dissolving... Nice matte cardboard cover with glossy details, good-quality paper, and a decent photo section (they could have done more, but oh well) for a nearly 600-page collection of interviews.
The author's introduction is a bit pedantic (the long-winded explanation about how the author included Balance's interview with TYR Magazine even though he considers them kinda fascists was something we could have lived without), but overall, the book seems well put together.
I bought that
Moon's Milk comp as well, and I really think that it's their best work. It's very diverse in terms of sound.
Relatedly, I also was gifted a copy of the art book that came out recently, compiling many of the hand-painted sleeves for the original
Moon's Milk CDs and the Polaroids that came with them. It's also an interesting collection. My favorite part of the book, I think, is that it reminds that the original CDs came with very cool unique titles for each one---something that is lost in the reissue!
Supposedly, at least as is claimed in the Coil Facebook group, several of the scans in the art book are of bootleg copies? A bunch of people claim to be able to authenticate John Balance's signature on sight as well as being able to pick out paintings that are forgeries. Others, including the publisher, however, deny this. The people in the group, moreover, didn't seem to provide too much in the way of proof besides claiming to know who made the bootlegs and that they should just be trusted.
Any additional perspectives on the book?
Aye! I too have fallen back on a Coil 'trip' lately - partly due to finding a very nice copy of "Gold Is The Metal" at a record fair in my town (not sure the seller even knew what he had!), and partly because of an exhibition held in Dublin before Christmas celebrating the life of John Balance. Well, the last Coil gig was in Dublin, and JB died about three weeks after that, so they timed it to coincide with those 20th anniversaries. At the exhibition there a lot of photos from the gig, JB-related ephemera, paintings by ones that would have moved in Coil-esque circles, like Stephen Stapleton and Drew Mulholland, and a couple of talks on Coil and JB's "life and times". Also, the organisers put together a(nother!) book with a few essays, and - again - photos, ephemera, artwork, lyric sheets, etc. About 50 or 60 A4 pages, hardback; nice little item, but limited to... 93.
As for that Tyr interview - I have it in my head it was the last published one he ever did? Maybe not. Funny, he was quite upbeat and positive in it, but sadly he fell off the wagon as we all know.
Still think the first 'Music To Play In The Dark' is the stand-out of their later work.
Quote from: burdizzo1 on February 14, 2025, 12:16:34 AMAye! I too have fallen back on a Coil 'trip' lately - partly due to finding a very nice copy of "Gold Is The Metal" at a record fair in my town (not sure the seller even knew what he had!), and partly because of an exhibition held in Dublin before Christmas celebrating the life of John Balance. Well, the last Coil gig was in Dublin, and JB died about three weeks after that, so they timed it to coincide with those 20th anniversaries. At the exhibition there a lot of photos from the gig, JB-related ephemera, paintings by ones that would have moved in Coil-esque circles, like Stephen Stapleton and Drew Mulholland, and a couple of talks on Coil and JB's "life and times". Also, the organisers put together a(nother!) book with a few essays, and - again - photos, ephemera, artwork, lyric sheets, etc. About 50 or 60 A4 pages, hardback; nice little item, but limited to... 93.
As for that Tyr interview - I have it in my head it was the last published one he ever did? Maybe not. Funny, he was quite upbeat and positive in it, but sadly he fell off the wagon as we all know.
Still think the first 'Music To Play In The Dark' is the stand-out of their later work.
i was at that final gig in dublin it was great, the city hall was an incredible venue for it. i missed that recent exhibition but a few friends told me it was only ok.
that everything keeps dissolving book mentioned above is probably the definitive book about the band. coil in their own words, which is just what you want. i find when music journalists or writers start talking about coil they disappear up thier own arses pretty quick.
As a huge fanboy of Coil, I am embarrased that I missed the release of Everything Keeps Dissolving. Got it straight away now. Thanks for brining it up, guys.
Last year, however, I got The Universe is a Haunted House. As moozz says, it is less for reading and more of a... well... coffee table book, I guess. It is massive, with very hard cover, thick glossy pages, two hundreds of them. Collage of photos, letters, news articles, handwritten notes (on all sorts of topics, including Coil chasing their European distributor for money, haha). Some scans can be found here: https://www.timelessedition.com/the-universe-is-a-haunted-house-coil-through-their-art-archives
Quote from: burdizzo1 on February 14, 2025, 12:16:34 AMAs for that Tyr interview - I have it in my head it was the last published one he ever did? Maybe not. Funny, he was quite upbeat and positive in it, but sadly he fell off the wagon as we all know.
Yes, it was the last one, and in fact, it is placed at the end of the book.
The interviews are presented in chronological order and divided into "periods" (from PTV onwards)... I have read a few of them, and as a buyer on Amazon pointed out, there is some repetition of certain topics. However, it is an archival work, so I don't think it is meant to be read all in one go.