Whenever I mention the music of This Mortal Coil I find that no one else has even heard of them. I thought they were great and still listen to the albums. Am I alone?
Their version of Tim Buckley’s “Song to the Siren” is beautiful. Liz Fraser has one hell of a voice.
I loved them when I first heard them, but never had the money at the time to buy an album…A few years ago I saw a collection of their music, but the last copy was reserved…then I just let it die.
Add them to the list of “If I had a $1500 to blow on CD’s”
-Tcat
Pick me, I have a fairly reasonable collection of This Mortal Coil. Such beautiful, ethereal music…ahhh
I have all three albums on CD. Their version of Song to the siren is one of the most beautiful songs ever.
You aren’t alone in loving them… there is a “box” collection that includes the original songs by their original performer and writers. the bonus disk just as good as the re-makes… my fav is The Jewler… This Mortal Coil hits a bad memory with me because i lent the Box set to a friend and he only returned the bonus disk. needless to say, i had the rest on vinyl, but …i don’t like theifs.
So this isn’t a Hamlet appreciation thread? Oh. Carry on. 
I’m another fan! I first heard their music several years ago and had to search all over the place for the two CDs I managed to get hold of. Don’t know many other fans around here though - favourite song is definitely “Tomorrow”.
I generally not a fan of folks that come in and disparage bands in appreciation threads, so before continuing let me make clear that I don’t loathe This Mortal Coil in any real sense :). However I did find them a bit soporific.
A friend of mine on the other hand adored them and was always trying to push the albums on me, claiming they were high art and was a bit obnoxious about poo-pooing my lack of taste in this regard. In a mild ( and good-natured ) way, obviously, as our conversations were generally not dominated by This Mortal Coil debates.
But I eventually I got a nice bit of low-key revenge when I picked up a copy of the Trouser Press Record Guide. My friend thought the book was great ( it was/is a guide to mostly “alternative” rock et al ) and one day when THM came up insisted I read their take, sure he’d be vindicated. I ( and to his credit, he ) was vastly amused when they dismissively called them “the aural equivalent of your grandmother’s herbal tea” :p.
But, hey - No accounting for taste. Obviously the Trouser Press folks and I have none ;).
- Tamerlane
Thanks for all the responses. It is good to know that I am not alone. ‘This Mortal Coil’ is certainly not for everybody and I can well imagine that it is a case of ‘luv um or hate um’.
I don’t think it’s possible to talk about TMC without turning to 4AD records as a whole. The band was really kind of a 4AD all-star project. Didn’t Ivo call a halt to the whole project after he was accused of cannibalizing his record label? Nevertheless, 4AD put out some great stuff.
i heard one of their albums in 91 and i thought that they were great. i went to get a cd and found it 5 bucks higher than most others. end of love affair.
handsomeharry, don’t you know that if you want quality you have to pay for it?!
Song of the Siren is a personal hymn to the Goddess.