Coil spent the next period of its existence exploring visual media. In late 1984 they recorded a rendition of Tainted Love (originally recorded by Gloria Jones, but made popular by Soft Cell in the 80s), producing a widely banned, hallucinogenic video clip featuring Marc Almond as the Angel of Death; despite considerable controversy at home, the video ultimately found its way to the archives of the Museum of Modern Art. After spending several years working with filmmaker Derek Jarman on the feature The Angelic Conversation, Coil issued a remixed edition of their soundtrack. Following 1986’s Nightmare Culture, a collaboration with Boyd Rice produced as split release with Current 93, Christopherson and Balance invited Stephen Thrower to join the group in a full-time capacity. As a trio, they recorded 1986’s LP Horse Rotorvator, introducing orchestral, jazz, and middle Eastern textures into the mix; this album included The Anal Staircase.
In 1987, Coil issued The Unreleased Themes for Hellraiser, a collection of atmospheric gothic instrumentals commissioned for but ultimately cut from the Clive Barker horror film, followed by compilation album Gold Is the Metal (With the Broadest Shoulders), a remixed history of the group’s first several years of work. Unnatural History, another career overview, effectively ended the first phase of the band’s career in 1990; when Coil resurfaced a year later with Love’s Secret Domain, their music reflected the strong influence of the acid house culture. Another long layoff brought on by financial difficulties ended in 1995, when the group - now consisting of Sleazy, Balance, and Drew McDowell - signed to Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor’s Nothing Records to release Backwards, an album which was never officially released, although it is available in a number of bootleg versions. Additionally, they recorded the LP Worship the Glitch, issued under the name ELpH, and in 1996 cut A Thousand Lights in a Darkened Room as Black Light District.
1998 marked a significant stylistic shift for Coil, as the group moved away from the industrial dance sound they pioneered in the first half of their career towards what Balance referred to as "Moon Musick". This began with the release of four seasonal EPs throughout that year, coinciding with the equinoxes and solstices; this marked the group making further forays into ambient and neoclassical styles. Lyrically, there was a push towards naturalistic, pagan imagery, and an emphasis on free form, improvisatory chants. All four of these releases were later collected and released as Moons Milk (in Four Phases) in 2002. Coil also put out a purely drone based project, Time Machines, under that alias the same year.
In 1999 Coil started to work with Thighpaulsandra, and with him released the chilling Musick to Play in the Dark, a dark, meditative work featuring mostly intoned vocals from Balance, and exploring deeper electronic textures and pitches. A second volume followed in 2000. After years of refusal to do so, Coil started to perform live again in 1999. They released a number of albums containing the various shows they did in the period 2000 - 2004. Coil have released a lot of material in very limited editions, and have distributed certain records only at concerts. In 2003 they started a project to re-issue these tracks. Amidst their sporadic touring, and growing internal tensions within the group, Black Antlers was released in 2004, consisting of many of the songs played in concert at the time. This would prove to be the last studio recording put out in Balance's lifetime.
Jhonn Balance’s long-time struggle with alcoholism led to his death on 13th November, 2004. He fell from the second floor window at his home, while drunk, and died a short time after. Coil’s last live performance took place at Dublin’s City Hall on 23 October 2004 and is expected to appear on the forthcoming DVD box set “Colour Sound Oblivion”. A number of songs that were (as good as) ready were released in autumn 2005 as a last farewell to Jhonn.
Peter Christopherson passed away peacefully in his sleep on November 25, 2010. Instead of sending flowers in memory of Peter Christopherson, people were asked to donate money to help children affected by AIDS in Thailand, the country he loved and died in.
http://www.thresholdhouse.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coil_(band)
The Golden Section
Coil Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But the nightmarish Angel presents a different face to the one who has 'died before death', or who has attained some measure of the apatheia of the saint.
We are told that Azrael, Death, appears to our spirit in a form determined by our beliefs, actions, and dispositions during life. He may even manifest invisibly, 'so that a man may die of a rose in aromatic pain' – or of a rotting stench. When the soul sees Azrael, it 'falls in love', and its gaze is thus withdrawn from the body as if by a seduction. Great prophets and saints have even been politely invited by Death, who appears to them in corporeal form. Thus it was with Moses, and with Mohammed. When the Persian poet Rumi lay on his deathbed, Azrael appeared as a beautiful youth and said, "I am come by divine command to enquire what commission the Master may have to entrust in me."
In fact, a strange connection becomes apparent between Mors and Amor, Love and Death. The moment of 'extinction' in the pleasure of love resembles that of death, and thus that of the mystic. In mythic terms, Eros and Thanatos are almost twins, for in some cases Death appears as a lovely youth, and Eros as a withered starveling.
The lyrics of Coil's song The Golden Section speak of the Angel of Death, a figure that stands between heaven and earth holding a poison-dripping sword. Often identified with Satan, the Angel of Death is described as being full of eyes, an old fugitive, and a wanderer - a beggar, a pedlar, an Arab nomad, and a skeleton capering with sinners and misers in a juggler's dance. However, the song also suggests that the appearance of Death can vary depending on our beliefs, actions, and dispositions in life. For instance, great prophets and saints have been visited by Death, who presents himself in a physical form.
The song further comments on the connection between Death and Love. The moment of 'extinction' that occurs during the pleasure of love is similar to that of death, and this is also present in the experience of mystics. Love and Death are both gateways, which is why they are depicted as eternal adolescents, forever fixated in the middle of the rite of passage.
Overall, The Golden Section speaks to the multifaceted and complex nature of the concept of death. While death is often viewed as a dark and ominous figure, the song depicts it in a more nuanced light, acknowledging its various manifestations and the different experiences people may have when encountering it.
Line by Line Meaning
The Angel of Death stands between heaven and earth, holding a poison-dripping sword.
Azrael is known as the Angel of Death, and he is depicted as holding a sword dripping with poison. He is believed to exist between the realms of heaven and earth.
Identified with Satan, he is full of eyes, a diligent reaper, an old fugitive and wanderer like Cain, a beggar, a pedlar, an Arab nomad, a skeleton capering with sinners and misers in a juggler's dance.
Some believe that Azrael is associated with Satan and is depicted as having many eyes. He is seen as a hard-working reaper, a wanderer like Cain, a beggar, a peddler, an Arab nomad, and a dancing skeleton who joins sinners and misers.
But the nightmarish Angel presents a different face to the one who has 'died before death', or who has attained some measure of the apatheia of the saint.
For those who have experienced near-death, or who have reached a level of detachment like a saint, Azrael presents a different persona than his usual nightmarish image.
We are told that Azrael, Death, appears to our spirit in a form determined by our beliefs, actions, and dispositions during life.
According to belief, Azrael appears to each person's spirit in a form that is shaped by their beliefs, actions, and demeanor during life.
He may even manifest invisibly, 'so that a man may die of a rose in aromatic pain' – or of a rotting stench.
Azrael may appear in an invisible form, leading to a person's death caused by something like the fragrance of a rose or the stench of decay.
When the soul sees Azrael, it 'falls in love', and its gaze is thus withdrawn from the body as if by a seduction.
At the sight of Azrael, the soul is said to 'fall in love' and be seduced to withdraw its gaze from the physical body, leading to death.
Great prophets and saints have even been politely invited by Death, who appears to them in corporeal form. Thus it was with Moses, and with Mohammed. When the Persian poet Rumi lay on his deathbed, Azrael appeared as a beautiful youth and said, 'I am come by divine command to enquire what commission the Master may have to entrust in me.'
Some prophets and saints have been invited by Azrael himself, who appeared to them in physical form, like Moses and Mohammed. Rumi, a poet, saw Azrael as a beautiful youth who asked him about his divine mission before his death.
In fact, a strange connection becomes apparent between Mors and Amor, Love and Death.
Love and Death are connected, and the Latin words for both, Mors and Amor, suggest a link between them.
The moment of 'extinction' in the pleasure of love resembles that of death, and thus that of the mystic.
The moment of losing oneself in the pleasure of love is akin to death, which is also a mystical experience.
In mythic terms, Eros and Thanatos are almost twins, for in some cases Death appears as a lovely youth, and Eros as a withered starveling.
In mythology, Eros (the god of love) and Thanatos (the god of death) are almost interchangeable, since in some instances Death appears as a beautiful youth and Eros as a withered, starving figure.
Both Love and Death are gateways, hence their eternal adolescence and their fixation in the midst of the rite of passage.
Love and Death both represent passageways, and because of this, they are associated with eternal youth and are in the midst of a rite of passage.
Contributed by Molly V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@BryanAlexander
kvm26 That is correct.
It's from an extraordinary passage, too:
"The bliss of man (could pride that blessing find)
Is not to act or think beyond mankind;
No pow'rs of body or of soul to share,
But what his nature and his state can bear.
Why has not man a microscopic eye?
For this plain reason, man is not a fly.
Say what the use, were finer optics giv'n,
T' inspect a mite, not comprehend the heav'n?
Or touch, if tremblingly alive all o'er,
To smart and agonize at ev'ry pore?
Or quick effluvia darting through the brain,
Die of a rose in aromatic pain?"
@_HappyRadio_
awwww coil combined with a zdzislaw beksinski painting? Brilliant!
@genevievegendreau573
Thanks, didn't know him! Wonderful artist.
@FiveSigma72
Coil at thier finest. BBC documentary voice describing Azrael, set to a fully dark symphonic masterpiece. And that chomping sound at the start. As theatre alone this is without equal.
@AliceBowie
It's actually from a folio sized book on Angels by Peter Lamborn Wilson, aka Hakim Bey. It's not him speaking, so maybe the BBC used his text.
@benwaddington8197
@@AliceBowie Coil asked Paul Vaughan to narrate Hakim Bey's text for them, his voice being associated with science documentaries &c
@888theinmostlight
No dislikes for this masterpiece.
@level9ing635
@Valencio Danes You must be very proud of that ...
@beavinator420
This is amazing
@absinthiste
The text is from Peter Lamborn Wilsons book "Angels" pgs 84-86
@n.afonso7171
True, Hakim Bey.