Supergroups will probably always be a thing, though the true era of the best supergroups was more or less left in the 20th century. There were so many incredible multi-talented acts to come out of many of the decades of the 20th century, from Cream to Bad Company to The Highwaymen to Crosby, Stills, Nash And Young. And while some of those memorable acts were American inventions, across the pond, a few excellent British supergroups also took off. One such supergroup was This Mortal Coil.
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This Mortal Coil wasn’t exactly a supergroup. Though, they certainly fit the definition. The group, founded in 1983, labelled itself as a music collective rather than a supergroup or band.
This Mortal Coil’s Music Is Still Ahead of Its Time, Even Today
This Mortal Coil was initially put together by Ivo Watts-Russell, the founder of the record label known as 4AD. Watts-Russell and producer John Fryer were technically the only two official members of the group. However, each recorded produced under the This Mortal Coil monicker featured a hefty list of rotating supporting musicians. Many of those musicians were associated with 4AD in one way or another. Some notable musicians included members of The Breeders, Cocteau Twins, Dead Can Dance, Belly, and many more.
This Mortal Coil was mainly a gothic dream pop outfit. As a collective, they released three stunning albums. The most famous of those has to be the 1984 record It’ll End In Tears. Even if you weren’t around in the 80s, you can probably clock that misty album cover from a mile away. That release featured one of the biggest songs to come out of the collective, “Song To The Siren”. That track is actually a Tim Buckley cover, but Elizabeth Fraser (of Cocteau Twins) blew TMC’s rendition out of the water with her ethereal vocals.
From there, Filigree & Shadow and Blood were released in 1986 and 1991, respectively. The collective would come to an end with that final release, though Watts-Russell would revive a similar concept to This Mortal Coil with The Hope Blister in 1998.
Still, nothing can top what Watts-Russell did with This Mortal Coil. I wish more musicians nowadays would get involved in a similar concept. This Mortal Coil was really unique for its time, and all three of the records they created with each member’s unique talents have stood the test of time.
Photo by Richard Ecclestone/Redferns
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