This Mortal Coil

This Mortal Coil
Origin	United Kingdom
Genres	Ambient, acoustic, folk, post-punk, ethereal wave, gothic rock,dream pop,neo-classical, experimental
Years active	1983–1991
Labels	4AD
Associated acts	Alison Limerick, Cindytalk, The Wolfgang Press, Xmal Deutschland, Frazier Chorus, In Camera, Cocteau Twins, Breathless, Dif Juz, The Hope Blister, Clan of Xymox, Michael Brook, Dead Can Dance, Brendan Perry, Lisa Gerrard, Pixies, Belly, The Breeders, Colourbox, Louise Rutkowski, Tanya Donelly, Modern English, Heidi Berry, Shelleyan OrphanDeirdre Rutkowski
Past members	Ivo Watts-Russell John Fryer

This Mortal Coil was a gothic dream pop collective led by Ivo Watts-Russell, founder of the British record label 4AD. Although Watts-Russell and John Fryer were technically the only two official members, the band's recorded output featured a large rotating cast of supporting artists, many of whom were signed to, or otherwise associated with, 4AD. About half of the songs released were cover versions, often of 1960s and 1970s psychedelic and folk acts. On each of the band's three LPs, at least one song would also be a cover of a 4AD artist, and most of the original songs were instrumentals.

The name "This Mortal Coil" is taken from the Monty Python's Flying Circus "Dead Parrot sketch", which in turn is a quote from Shakespeare's Hamlet.

Watts-Russell had founded 4AD in 1980, and the label established itself as one of the key labels in the British post-punk movement.

Quoting the 4AD website

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; and a few members of Modern English. An EP, Sixteen Days/Gathering Dust, resulted from these sessions.

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