Coil were an experimental music group, founded in 1982 in London, England and concluded in 2005. Initially envisioned as a solo project by musician John Balance, Coil evolved into a full-time project with the addition of his partner Peter Christopherson. Balance and Christopherson were the only constant members; other contributors throughout the band's career included Stephen Thrower, Danny Hyde, Drew McDowall, William Breeze, Thighpaulsandra, and Ossian Brown. Coil's work explored themes related to alchemy, the occult, and sexuality, influencing genres such as goth rock, neofolk, and dark ambient. AllMusic called the group "one of the most beloved, mythologized groups to emerge from the British post-industrial scene."
James George Thirlwell, also known as JG Thirlwell, Clint Ruin, Frank Want, and Foetus, among other names, is an Australian musician, composer, and record producer. He is known for juxtaposing a variety of different musical styles.
Lydia Lunch is an American singer, poet, writer, actress and self-empowerment speaker. Her career was spawned by the New York City no wave scene in the 1970s, predominantly as the singer and guitarist of Teenage Jesus and the Jerks.
James Sclavunos is an American drummer, multi-instrumentalist musician, record producer and writer. He is best known as a drummer, having been a member of two seminal no wave groups in the late 1970s. He is also noted for stints in Sonic Youth and the Cramps, and has been a member of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds since 1994. Sclavunos has led his own group the Vanity Set since 2000.
Geoffrey Nigel Laurence Rushton, better known under the pseudonyms John Balance or the later variation Jhonn Balance, was an English musician, occultist, artist and poet. His early work and wide-ranging collaborations made him one of the most influential figures in the industrial, experimental minimalist and neofolk music scenes.
Thighpaulsandra is a Welsh experimental musician and multi-instrumentalist known mostly for performing on synthesizers and keyboards. He began his career working with Julian Cope in the late 1980s, becoming a member of Cope's touring band. A collaboration with Cope in 1993 followed, as the experimental duo Queen Elizabeth. In 1997, former Cope guitarist Mike Mooney invited Thighpaulsandra to fill in for the departing Kate Radley on a Spiritualized tour, where he remained until early 2008. In 1998 he also became a member of the experimental band Coil. He has subsequently released several solo albums.
Cosey Fanni Tutti is an English performance artist, musician, and writer, best known for her time in the avant-garde groups Throbbing Gristle and Chris & Cosey.
Time Machines is a 1998 album by English experimental group Coil, originally released under the alias Time Machines. The album was created under the premise of drones named after hallucinogenic chemicals, "tested and retested" in the studio for apparent narcotic potency. Main member John Balance also described the album as an attempt to create "temporal slips".
Scatology is the debut studio album by English experimental music group Coil. It was recorded at various studios in London during 1984 and produced by the band along with JG Thirlwell; the album features a prominent appearance of Stephen Thrower, who subsequently became Coil's official member since their next studio album, Horse Rotorvator. Despite its title, the album focuses on alchemy, mainly an idea of turning base matter into gold. The record contains a wide array of cultural references, including personnel such as Marquis de Sade, Alfred Jarry, Salvador Dalí, Charles Manson, and others.
"Panic" and "Tainted Love" are songs recorded by British experimental music band Coil. These were released in 1985 through Some Bizzare in the UK and Wax Trax! Records in the US respectively, as the band's first single, and the sole one from their 1984 debut studio album, Scatology. Originally released on twelve-inch vinyl discs, the single was regarded as the first AIDS benefit release, and has been reissued several times on compact discs.
...And the Ambulance Died in His Arms was an album recorded live during Coil's performance at All Tomorrow's Parties on April 4, 2003. This album was the last planned release by Coil before the death of John Balance. When the release was announced, Peter noted that Balance had already selected the title.
The Ape of Naples is the final studio album by English experimental group Coil. The album was the definitive effort of primary Coil musician Peter Christopherson, who compiled material from 1993 to 2004 to reassemble and rework it into a coherent final album. It was produced and released following the death of co-lead artist and lead vocalist John Balance, who died on November 13, 2004. The title of the album was originally intended to be Fire of the Mind.
Black Antlers is a studio album by the experimental band Coil. It was originally released in CD-R format in 2004 in a limited edition and was sold during their Even an Evil Fatigue mini-tour. The album was later re-edited by Peter Christopherson and expanded to include a second CD of two new tracks, as well as a new track on the first disc. The second edition was released in August 2006 on the same day as the expanded version of The Remote Viewer. Both reissues were mastered by Mark Godwin, printed in Thailand and feature high quality images and packaging. Although the original edition did not include a catalogue number, the reissue was given a catalogue number of THBKK2.
Megalithomania! is a live album by Coil recorded at their performance at the Megalithomania festival at Conway Hall in London, England. It is limited to a pressing of 230 copies, 123 of which were available in their box set The Key to Joy Is Disobedience.
Selvaggina, Go Back into the Woods is a live album by Coil, originally released in CD-R format in a limited edition of 230 copies. The release is a live performance in Jesi, Italy on 11 July 2004.
Discography for the experimental music group Coil and their aliases.
Gallon Drunk are an English alternative rock band formed in London in 1988. Their sound contains a variety of influences, from punk to blues and jazz, and is noted for its dark subject matter.
Live in Porto is the "authorised bootleg" of a live performance by Coil, which took place on 21 June 2003 at the Casa da Música Festival, Porto, Portugal. At this show, Coil were Peter Christopherson, Thighpaulsandra and Ossian Brown. Jhonn Balance was too sick to attend, as in case of Montreal concert at MUTEK Festival.
Cypress Grove is an English musician, singer, songwriter, composer and producer.
Mikael Karlsson is a Swedish composer based in New York City. He grew up in Gävle, Sweden and moved to NYC in 2001 to study and he took a Masters Degree in classical composition at the Aaron Copland School of Music 2005.
