THIS MORTAL COIL

BIOGRAPHY:

This Mortal Coil was a project conceived by 4AD Records owner Ivo Watts-Russell. Originally, the project featured cover versions of material by other label and non-label artists as well as several original songs and instrumentals. The participants were drawn from the pool of talent on 4AD's roster (bands such as Cocteau Twins, Dif Juz, The Wolfgang Press, Dead Can Dance, Modern English, and Xmal Deutschland) with an occasional non-label guest performer.
Grangemouth duo The Cocteau Twins participated in eight of the songs featured on the two This Mortal Coil releases from 1983/84. The most successful track was, by far, Robin Guthrie and Liz Fraser's atmospheric, soulful, and melancholy cover of Tim Buckley's "Song to the Siren." The song was also performed live on a European television programme around this time, and was only slightly different in the interpretation.
"It'll End In Tears" was the last This Mortal Coil project in which Fraser & Guthrie participated, however Cocteau bass player (and non-local musician) Simon Raymonde went on to feature prominently in the 1986 This Mortal Coil LP, "Filigree and Shadow".
Ex-Johnny Panic vocalists Dierdre & Louise Rutkowski also sang with the act.

RELEASES:

"Song To The Siren" (7 inch vinyl / 12 inch vinyl single, 4AD, 1983, UK charts #66)
"It'll End In Tears" (vinyl cassette album, 4AD, 1984, UK charts #38)