Coil were an English experimental music group formed in 1982 in London and dissolved 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 and Psychic TV bandmate Peter Christopherson, formerly of pioneering industrial music group Throbbing Gristle. Coil's work explored themes related to the occult, sexuality, alchemy, and drugs while influencing genres such as gothic rock, neofolk and dark ambient. AllMusic called the group "one of the most beloved, mythologized groups to emerge from the British post-industrial scene."
Timothy Lewis – best known by the stage name 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, forming 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, and he remained with the band until early 2008. In 1998, Lewis also became a member of the experimental band Coil. He has subsequently released several solo albums under the Thighpaulsandra moniker.
Horse Rotorvator is the second studio album by English experimental music group Coil, released in 1986. The cover photograph was shot by the band and shows the bandstand in Regent's Park, London, which was subject to the Hyde Park and Regent's Park bombings four years before the album's release.
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 an official member of Coil starting with the group's following 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 to people 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.
Petitioning the Empty Sky is the second studio album by American metalcore band Converge. However, contrary to many sources, the band considers this a compilation album, being a collection of songs recorded at different times. While tracklists differ between releases, this album features studio recorded tracks along with live recordings of three songs. Petitioning the Empty Sky was released and distributed through several different labels beginning in the mid 90s.
Musick to Play in the Dark Vol. 1 is a studio album by Coil that was released in September 1999. It is the first album in the Musick to Play in the Dark series, with the second volume being released in 2000. It was remastered by Drew McDowall and reissued by Dais Records in 2020.
Unnatural History III, subtitled Joyful Participation in the Sorrows of the World, is the third and final release in the Unnatural History series of compilation albums by British experimental band Coil. Unlike the compilations Stolen & Contaminated Songs and Gold Is the Metal with the Broadest Shoulders, the Unnatural History albums collect songs from more than one era of Coil's work.
Coil Presents Time Machines was a live CD by Coil. This CD was produced in a limited amount of 1,000 copies and was given away with the initial mail orders of Musick to Play in the Dark Vol. 2. The CD is a live performance which took place on 2 April 2000 at the Cornucopia festival in the Royal Festival Hall in London, England. The name of the performance was "Time Machines from the Heart of Darkness". The album was later reissued as "CD A" on Live One in an unaltered form.
A Guide for Finishers: Golden Hair was the second of two CD compilations released to mark Coil's first performance in Russia. It is a collection of their industrial music style works. The titles were devised by the Russian musician and Coil collaborator Ivan Pavlov.
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.
Queens of the Circulating Library is a 2000 album by the British experimental group Coil. It is unusual in the sense that it is perhaps the only release without participation from Peter Christopherson. On this album, Coil were: "Thighpaulsandra & John Balance with Dorothy Lewis as the queen of the circulating library. Thanks to Simon Norris." The lyrics were written by John Balance and spoken by Dorothy Lewis, Thighpaulsandra's mother. The line "It's in the trees, it's coming" that appears in the lyrics is from the 1957 British horror film Night of the Demon, and had previously appeared in sampled form in the song "Hounds of Love" by Kate Bush.
Moon's Milk (In Four Phases) is a release by Coil that compiles four of their singles onto a double CD. The two-disc album compiles the CD versions of Spring Equinox, Summer Solstice, Autumn Equinox and Winter Solstice (originally recorded throughout 1998, and released seasonally from March 1998 to January 1999). The album also has a live version of "Amethyst Deceivers" hidden at the end of the first disc, following several minutes of silence after "A Warning from the Sun (For Fritz)". This recording of "Amethyst Deceivers" was later released on Live Two, although the Moon's Milk version is a slightly longer edit. The release was given the catalog number ESKATON 023 and features artwork by Steven Stapleton.
Live Two was a CD by Coil which documents their live performance on 15 September 2001 at DK Gorbunova in Moscow, Russia. This CD was one of four releases in a series. Its counterparts are Live Four, Live Three and Live One. This album was later released as part of Coil's box set The Key To Joy Is Disobedience.
Live One was a double live album released by Coil. This CD was the fourth of four releases in a series. Its counterparts are Live Four, Live Three and Live Two. This album was later released as part of Coil's box set The Key to Joy Is Disobedience.
Live In Moscow is a VHS of a video recording of Coil. The live performance took place on 15 September 2001 at DK Gorbunova in Moscow, Russia. This video is exactly the same performance as Live Two.
Transparent is a collaborative release by the bands Zos Kia and Coil.
Discography for the experimental music group Coil and their aliases.
Ossian Brown is an English musician and artist, most notable for being a member of the groups Coil and Cyclobe.
The New Backwards is an album by Coil released on 18 April 2008. The album is reworked from the Backwards demo, which was originally created for Nothing Records.
