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 1986βs 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 1986βs 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 groupβs first several years of work. Unnatural History, another career overview, effectively ended the first phase of the bandβs career in 1990; when Coil resurfaced a year later with Loveβs 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 Nailsβ Trent Reznorβs 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 Balanceβs 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. Coilβs last live performance took place at Dublinβs City Hall on 23 October 2004 and is expected to appear on the forthcoming DVD box set βColour Sound Oblivionβ. 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 Test
Coil Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sill shit down on the statues of abandon heroes
They didn t care that someone will dust off
The statues and uplift them to heaven
The years-longs dance of flies
Around the useless crap will begin
This story has an end as well
The statues aroused dislike, got covered dust,
Again Dust off, set up love, get disappointed, hate,
Cover with dust, abandon, and crap on...
Coil's song The Test is a haunting depiction of the human tendency towards fickleness and our willingness to abandon that which was once cherished. The first line, "A dusty flute played Mozart a brace of pigeons on the window sill," sets the scene with a sense of nostalgia, a nod to the past and perhaps our romanticized ideas of what it means to be cultured or refined. But the following line, "Shit down on the statues of abandon heroes," jolts us back to reality as we're presented with the image of once-venerated statues left to decay and collect the excrement of birds.
The next lines suggest that while we may eventually decide to revive and rehabilitate the things we've left behind, the cycle is doomed to repeat itself. "They didn't care that someone will dust off the statues and uplift them to heaven. The years-long dance of flies around the useless crap will begin." In other words, our neglect and disregard for the things we once treasured will inevitably lead to their decline and eventual abandonment once again. The final lines are a bleak assessment of human nature, encapsulated in the cyclical nature of our collective actions - love, disappointment, hate, and ultimately, abandonment.
In summary, the lyrics to The Test are a dark suggestion of the human tendency towards fickle behavior and our willingness to abandon that which was once cherished. The depiction of stagnancy and eventual decay is masterfully woven into the imagery of once-venerated statues decaying into nothingness. The cyclical nature of our behavior is ultimately the theme tying the piece together.
Line by Line Meaning
A dusty flute played Mozart a brace of pigeons on the window
A melancholic melody played by a dusty flute attracted a pair of pigeons who perched on a windowsill.
Sill shit down on the statues of abandon heroes
The pigeons defecated on the statues of heroes who were abandoned by society and forgotten.
They didn t care that someone will dust off
The pigeons didn't care that someone would eventually clean and restore the statues.
The statues and uplift them to heaven
The statues would be cleansed and elevated to a revered status.
The years-longs dance of flies
The continual presence of flies around the decaying statues symbolizes the passage of time and decay.
Around the useless crap will begin
The flies circle around the abandoned and neglected statues, signifying the worthlessness of humanity's creations.
This story has an end as well
This metaphorical tale of the statues' demise and neglect has a conclusion like all things in life.
The statues aroused dislike, got covered dust,
The statues, once beloved and admired, grew to be disliked and covered in dust as time went on.
And cobwed curtains and pigeons to shit on them
The statues became covered in cobwebs and were further soiled by the pigeons' droppings.
Again Dust off, set up love, get disappointed, hate,
This cycle of neglect and restoration will repeat itself - dust will be brushed off, admiration will be restored, but eventually disappointment and disdain will reemerge.
Cover with dust, abandon, and crap on...
Once again, the statues will be abandoned, covered in dust and soiled by the world around them.
Contributed by Julian J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Glen Willems
It is for a condenser to keep out static interference on the radio
Perry Luvr
I have a couple of equipments that use coils in the engines. Now I can test them. Thanks again.
Fred Ntalo
well done,thanx alot for such wonderful lessons.
Chuck Fischer
Rarely see a BMW in Montana, US. Delco Remy and Auto-Lite coils don't have that feature.
Thanks for the refresher on coils. Plenty of old vehicles & machinery around here.
Help from the Garage
Thanks for the comment! Of course, BMW is more for Europe. And old cars are for fans, for the soul.
Mr Steve Moyo
Thanks for the crystal clear video
Help from the Garage
Thanks for the rating!
Left-handed sailor
Thanks for practical video.
Peter Moore
You can also add 12v to the positive post put the ht lead in the coli with a spark plug in the end run a jump lead from the negative from the battery to the plug and and connect a wire from the minus side of the coil striking the spark plug it should spark if it doesn't coil is no good
Xarlio G60 γ
How much the spark should be visible in a room completely dark doing 12V check?