- Audio CD (14 Nov 2011)
- Number of Discs: 4
- Format: Box set, Collector's Edition, Limited Edition
- Label: 4AD
- ASIN: B004VBGAJE
- Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 74,351 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
Jubilee Offer: Patriotic Classics for £2.50 |
Product details |
Track Listings
| Disc: 1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Kangaroo (remastered) | |||
| 2. Song To The Siren (remastered) | |||
| 3. Holocaust (remastered) | |||
| 4. Fyt (remastered) | |||
| 5. Fond Affections (remastered) | |||
See all 12 tracks on this disc
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| Disc: 2 | |||
| 1. Velvet Belly (remastered) | |||
| 2. The Jeweller (remastered) | |||
| 3. Ivy And Neet (remastered) | |||
| 4. Meniscus (remastered) | |||
| 5. Tears (remastered) | |||
|
See all 25 tracks on this disc
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| Disc: 3 | |||
| 1. The Lacemaker (remastered) | |||
| 2. Mr. Somewhere (remastered) | |||
| 3. Andialu (remastered) | |||
| 4. With Tomorrow (remastered) | |||
| 5. Loose Joints (remastered) | |||
|
See all 21 tracks on this disc
| |||
| Disc: 4 | |||
| 1. Sixteen Days / Gathering Dust (remastered) | |||
| 2. Song To The Siren (single re-mastered) | |||
| 3. Sixteen Days (Reprise) (remastered) | |||
| 4. Kangaroo (single re-mastered) | |||
| 5. It’ll End In Tears (remastered) | |||
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See all 10 tracks on this disc
| |||
Product Description
CD Description
4AD will be issuing a boxset of all three This Mortal Coil albums. Each record has been re-mastered from the original analogue studio tapes by John Dent at Loud Mastering, to achieve the best digital sound available today. Additionally there is a fourth album, Dust & Guitars, that compiles all the singles, including an unreleased one that was to have been part of the Rough Trade Singles Club and features the otherwise unavailable recording of Neil Young's 'We Never Danced'. The HDCD albums are packaged in paper sleeves printed to the highest standard by the Ichikudo company in Japan, along with inner sleeves and booklets. They are released in a very limited edition box set, with the box itself a deluxe two-piece. The official three albums have re-designed sleeves by Ivo Watts-Russell and Vaughan Oliver, 4AD's long time visual partner, which cater to the reduced size, feature gatefold sleeves, and remain inspired by the originals. The fourth album, which won't be available to general retail outside the box set, incorporates unseen images of Pallas Citroën, the 'face' of This Mortal Coil.
About the Artist
This Mortal Coil was the inspiration of Ivo Watts-Russell, the founder of 4AD. Initially the project was to re-record a medley that Modern English performed live and the B-side featured Elizabeth Fraser and Robin Guthrie of Cocteau Twins performing an obscure Tim Buckley composition, Song To The Siren. The plaudits for this recording encouraged Ivo to continue and an album, It ll End In Tears, was released in 1984. Featuring new interpretations of songs that inspired him, mixed with original compositions and musical links, this forged the template for This Mortal Coil.
Filigree & Shadow, which followed two years later, was even more cohesive and flowed over the four sides of the original album. With no defined breaks between tracks it was created to be listened to as a piece and the core of musicians added to the continuity.
1991 s Blood, the final part of the trilogy, was also a double album. By avoiding drums a lot of the time, and by not experimenting with new technology for the sake of it, we somehow pushed it away from the era s norm, those string-synth sounds and huge reverbs. Also in terms of content: we gave as much significance to a foghorn or helicopter as a Tim Buckley composition. Sometimes I d want a track to sound more blue , or more purple ... says Watts-Russell now.
At the heart of the three albums is an impeccably curated song selection which introduced (and continues to introduce) a new audience to the talents of the previous generation, including Big Star, the aforementioned Tim Buckley, Roy Harper, Spirit, Gene Clark, Dino Valenti, Rain Parade, Emmylou Harris, Syd Barrett and Colin Newman amongst many others.
With the strength of songs and unique approach to creating simple, warm and uncluttered arrangements these albums never belonged to a specific time, so sound as fresh and ambitious to a listener today as they did 25 years ago.
Filigree & Shadow, which followed two years later, was even more cohesive and flowed over the four sides of the original album. With no defined breaks between tracks it was created to be listened to as a piece and the core of musicians added to the continuity.
1991 s Blood, the final part of the trilogy, was also a double album. By avoiding drums a lot of the time, and by not experimenting with new technology for the sake of it, we somehow pushed it away from the era s norm, those string-synth sounds and huge reverbs. Also in terms of content: we gave as much significance to a foghorn or helicopter as a Tim Buckley composition. Sometimes I d want a track to sound more blue , or more purple ... says Watts-Russell now.
At the heart of the three albums is an impeccably curated song selection which introduced (and continues to introduce) a new audience to the talents of the previous generation, including Big Star, the aforementioned Tim Buckley, Roy Harper, Spirit, Gene Clark, Dino Valenti, Rain Parade, Emmylou Harris, Syd Barrett and Colin Newman amongst many others.
With the strength of songs and unique approach to creating simple, warm and uncluttered arrangements these albums never belonged to a specific time, so sound as fresh and ambitious to a listener today as they did 25 years ago.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Yes it is more of the same, what else could it be?
Do the tracks sound 'better' for being 'remastered'? No, not really.
You see, there is nothing wrong with the original recordings. They are all truely stand outs.
From someone who bought each of the production records new, when they were new, they can not be improved on.
So what is this box set all about. Well, its about collecting and wanting to own every scrap of output from the outfit that was 'This Mortal Coil', its about nostalgia and what we were doing back then in baggy clothes and Morrissyesque quiffs. I had to buy this collection for those reasons; irrational I know, unfortunately I do the same with many bands and artists. I have a lot of records, with many duplicated!
So, to this collection. It looks lovely, it really does; fabulously crisp print and subtle colour tones throughout. It feels lovely too; thick, thick card with sensual textures, the set is beautiful in this way. It is pure 4ad in style and feel, for that reason alone I love it. The recordings are, of course, very familiar. However, there are some horrible production glitches between songs; it almost seems as if some timings have gone wrong and a song starts too early and we miss a fraction of a second of sound. You expect songs to morph into each other, seamless production, but sadly it does not happen in every case. I have not played my original recordings to see if the same imperfections occur, they might well do, it does not really matter to me for the reasons I have already confessed.
For new listeners, there is no need to buy this collection. Buy the recordings individually, the additional disc in this set, in my opinion, adds little. If you like what you hear, then explore the music of the many artists featured on the 'This Mortal Coil' recordings. The money saved by buying the records individually, as oppossed to buying this box set, could buy some Cocteau, Donnelly, Dead can Dance etc.
For 'This Mortal Coil' fans you will buy this anyway, just like I did and enjoy it for what it is: Lovely.
Do the tracks sound 'better' for being 'remastered'? No, not really.
You see, there is nothing wrong with the original recordings. They are all truely stand outs.
From someone who bought each of the production records new, when they were new, they can not be improved on.
So what is this box set all about. Well, its about collecting and wanting to own every scrap of output from the outfit that was 'This Mortal Coil', its about nostalgia and what we were doing back then in baggy clothes and Morrissyesque quiffs. I had to buy this collection for those reasons; irrational I know, unfortunately I do the same with many bands and artists. I have a lot of records, with many duplicated!
So, to this collection. It looks lovely, it really does; fabulously crisp print and subtle colour tones throughout. It feels lovely too; thick, thick card with sensual textures, the set is beautiful in this way. It is pure 4ad in style and feel, for that reason alone I love it. The recordings are, of course, very familiar. However, there are some horrible production glitches between songs; it almost seems as if some timings have gone wrong and a song starts too early and we miss a fraction of a second of sound. You expect songs to morph into each other, seamless production, but sadly it does not happen in every case. I have not played my original recordings to see if the same imperfections occur, they might well do, it does not really matter to me for the reasons I have already confessed.
For new listeners, there is no need to buy this collection. Buy the recordings individually, the additional disc in this set, in my opinion, adds little. If you like what you hear, then explore the music of the many artists featured on the 'This Mortal Coil' recordings. The money saved by buying the records individually, as oppossed to buying this box set, could buy some Cocteau, Donnelly, Dead can Dance etc.
For 'This Mortal Coil' fans you will buy this anyway, just like I did and enjoy it for what it is: Lovely.
3 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
It costs a small fortune, but it provides immense joy.
Ivo Watts-Russell finally reissues the whole output of This Mortal Coil, the 4AD covers project he masterminded between 1983 and 1992, during the label's 80s-defining halcyon days.
TMC comprised, at various stages, members of Cocteau Twins, Dead Can Dance, Pixies and Throwing Muses, as well as other non-4AD acts such as Shelleyan Orphan, Breathless and Cindytalk, to name but a few. It was an odd ensemble for the post-punk era, but an effective one.
The reissue comes in a glinting, Pallas Citroën-adorned brown box that contains four discs, three official albums plus a fourh cd that works as a singles compilaton and abode for stray, rare tracks.
The music is faultlessly remastered (not too loud, crisp and balanced), while the cds are housed in delicious gatefolds with booklet, inner sleeve and an extra soft plastic jacket that enables you to remove and replace the discs with extreme ease. Elegant and user-friendly, just what was needed.
But what of the artistic value of this "band"? Well, if "It'll End In Tears" (1984) is the aquatic classic that put them on the map, subsequent releases should not be underestimated. "Filigree And Shadow" (1986) expands the 60s / 70s palette of intimate songs adding a new rhythmical slant with martial beats and a white-funk sensibility (their cover of "Drugs" by Talking Heads). "Blood" (1991) is often neglected but equally fascinating; more downbeat, in parts it even predates the trip-hop trend by nearly a lustre, a clear sign that Ivo and friends were not sleeping on their well-deserved laurels.
This Mortal Coil thus emerge from this box as a timeless entity. They will conquer you slowly with that ebb and flow of songs and soundscapes, yet their power will turn out to be lasting. After nearly thirty years, they have certainly passed their litmus test.
Ivo's dream of art and song has now come full circle.
Ivo Watts-Russell finally reissues the whole output of This Mortal Coil, the 4AD covers project he masterminded between 1983 and 1992, during the label's 80s-defining halcyon days.
TMC comprised, at various stages, members of Cocteau Twins, Dead Can Dance, Pixies and Throwing Muses, as well as other non-4AD acts such as Shelleyan Orphan, Breathless and Cindytalk, to name but a few. It was an odd ensemble for the post-punk era, but an effective one.
The reissue comes in a glinting, Pallas Citroën-adorned brown box that contains four discs, three official albums plus a fourh cd that works as a singles compilaton and abode for stray, rare tracks.
The music is faultlessly remastered (not too loud, crisp and balanced), while the cds are housed in delicious gatefolds with booklet, inner sleeve and an extra soft plastic jacket that enables you to remove and replace the discs with extreme ease. Elegant and user-friendly, just what was needed.
But what of the artistic value of this "band"? Well, if "It'll End In Tears" (1984) is the aquatic classic that put them on the map, subsequent releases should not be underestimated. "Filigree And Shadow" (1986) expands the 60s / 70s palette of intimate songs adding a new rhythmical slant with martial beats and a white-funk sensibility (their cover of "Drugs" by Talking Heads). "Blood" (1991) is often neglected but equally fascinating; more downbeat, in parts it even predates the trip-hop trend by nearly a lustre, a clear sign that Ivo and friends were not sleeping on their well-deserved laurels.
This Mortal Coil thus emerge from this box as a timeless entity. They will conquer you slowly with that ebb and flow of songs and soundscapes, yet their power will turn out to be lasting. After nearly thirty years, they have certainly passed their litmus test.
Ivo's dream of art and song has now come full circle.
6 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
MANY YEARS AFTER THE AMERICAN ONLY BOX(1993)SET RELEASE, THE WORLD HAS FINALLY RECEIVED THE BOX SET ITS CREATOR AND HELMSMAN IVO WATTS RUSSELL HAS ALWAYS WISHED FOR, ,THIS BOXED SET HAS BEEN ON THE CARDS FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS IVO HAVING A PARTICULAR FONDNESS FOR JAPANESE REPLICA LP CD RELEASES.MANY DID NOT EXPECT THE ADDITIONAL DISC OF SINGLES AND UNRELEASED TRACKS, HE MUST OF THOUGHT LONG AND HARD ABOUT A COUPLE OF THESE IN PARTICULAR "16 DAYS" & "16 DAYS(REPRISE)" WHICH IVO HIMSELF WAS NEVER PARTICULARLY HAPPY WITH ONE OMISSION OF NOTE PERHAPS IS THE EXTENDED VERSION OF "HELP ME LIFT YOU UP" (5.06)ONLY AVAILABLE ON THE "BLOOD" PROMO CD RELEASED FROM 1991 BUT THIS IS A MINOR QUIBBLE, ITS GREAT TO HEAR FINALLY THE "KANGAROO" AND "IT;LL END IN TEARS" SINGLE AS THE PREVIOUS RELEASE IN 1983 WAS ONLY AVAILABLE AS A 7" RECORD.WITHOUT DOUBT "IT,LL END IN TEARS" IS THE CROWN IN THIS BOX SET THIS IS STILL MY ALL TIME FAVOURITE ALBUM NOT A BAD "RECORD" AFTER OVER 25 YEARS!!. THE ALBUM HAS BEEN CLEANED UP NICELY THE TAPE DROP OUTS AND ORIGINAL TAPE HISS HAVE BEEN VIRTUALLY ELIMINATED THE OTHER TWO ALBUMS LIKEWISE HAVE BEEN CLEANED UP WITH MORE DETAIL AVAILABLE IN THEIR QUIETER MOMENTS .THE PACKAGING,SLEEVES ,INNER SLEEVES AND BOOKLETS ARE ALL PRODUCED TO THE HIGHEST STANDARDS THAT ONLY THE JAPANESE SEEM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING.TO SUMMARISE THIS IS A EXCELLENT PACKAGE VERY REASONABLY PRICED COMPLETE WITH A BONUS CD OF SINGLES WHICH ACTUALLY BEARS A TAD PREFIX CAT NO TO WHICH 4AD FANS KNOW AS A GENUINE TEMPORARY RELEASE,.....NOW I WONDER WHEN THE BLU-RAY DISC IS GOING TO BE RELEASED OVER TO YOU IVO ???
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
What's With the Price Bro!!?
First rate music!!! But ... emmm ... mmm... - What's with the price bro?
Are you out of your mind?
Are you out of your mind?
Published 5 months ago by Arnon Ehud
Remastered but for who?
I am a long time 4AD fan... but the idea of paying nearly £80 for a 'remastered' version of music I already own sticks in my craw. Read more
Published 5 months ago by P. Keeling
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