Last edited: Jul 18, 2026 at 6:45 PM

Musick to Play in the Dark² - Something

Musick to Play in the Dark² - Tiny Golden Books

The group Coil was founded in London in 1982 by John Balance. In its early days, the band was closely intertwined with the project Zos Kia. At the time, London was a hub for musicians and bands from the more experimental fringes of the music world; genres such as noise, industrial, and neofolk were developed there. This environment fostered an exchange of ideas among musicians, and a year later, Peter Christopherson—known as "Sleazy"—joined Coil. Christopherson had previously co-founded the band Throbbing Gristle.

Both men were also members of Psychic TV, one of the projects that emerged in the wake of Throbbing Gristle; indeed, other members of the industrial scene also hailed from this same milieu. Artistic differences regarding the musical direction of Psychic TV ultimately prompted Christopherson and Balance to pursue a new musical path together, adopting the name Coil—which Balance had already been using—for the project.

On November 13, 2004, John Balance died from severe head injuries after falling down the stairs of the house he shared with Christopherson while under the influence of alcohol. Following this event, Peter Christopherson announced the end of Coil. Six years after John Balance's death, on November 25, 2010, Peter Christopherson passed away in his sleep at the age of 55.

A music video for Coil’s cover version of Gloria Jones and Ed Cobb’s "Tainted Love"—featuring Marc Almond as an angel of death—is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art; several television stations had refused to air the video due to its themes surrounding AIDS. Director Clive Barker asked the band to compose the score for the film *Hellraiser*, though the studio ultimately rejected the material. It was initially released as a 10-inch single and later as a maxi-CD with additional material—titled *The Consequences of Raising Hell* (on vinyl) and *The Unreleased Themes for Hellraiser* (on CD)—by the Bonn-based label Normal.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coil_(band)

 

Instant classic!

 

Really interesting cover!
when the song itself is strong, it becomes an amazing base for variations, spawning cool and varied arrangements.

 

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