Members:
John Balance – Vocales, Percussion
Peter Christopherson – Keyboard, Programming
Stephen Wyndham Thrower - ?
The bands philosophy was that people are taking their chances to use their individual arts. From the very beginning Coil tried to teach young people without seeming to be the biggest and most intelligent teacher. They wanted to demonstrate that freedom and development of the human mind is possible to every time. Their selection-speech was: “To control the monster, you have to know the monster.”
Coil followed out of the industrial-cult-band Throbbing Gristle in 1982. While Christopherson played with the band “Psychic TV” before, Balance already appeared with the band-name “Coil”. With the temporary support of Jim Thirwell alias “Foetus”, the duo strove around remarkable sound-manipulation and unreal song-structures. On the first LP that got released in 1986, also Alex Fergusson of “Alternative TV” and Gavin Friday of “Virgin Prunes” were involved. It was called “Scatology”.
After the LP “Horse Rotorvator” was published in 1987, Thrower was integrated as a firm band-member. Coil developed in interesting arrangements reflective songs, which transported the blackest humors. The lyrics were about alcimistric rottenness, divine cannibalism or god as a neglected animal.
Next to Thirwell also Raoul Revere of “Willing Sinners” entered the band. In the same year Coil composed the music for Clive Barkers scary-movie “Hellraiser”. Since it wasn’t quite the same like a soundtrack, the compositions appeared as a LP called “Unreleased themes from Hellraiser” in 1988.
The album “Gold is the metal with the broadest shoulders” (1988) consisted of outtakes, alternative versions of older songs and titles, which Coil recorded on diverse Samplers. This LP mediated a complete impression, from the simplicity to the sophistication, which priced the band.
1990 the Sampler “Unnatural history” got released. In 1991 Coil got oriented on trends like Hip Hop, Scratching and Acid-House-Beats.
|
|