It'll End in Tears is the first album released by 4AD collective This Mortal Coil, a loose grouping of artists on the label brought together by label boss Ivo Watts-Russell. The album was released by 4AD on 8 October 1984, and reached #38 on the UK Albums Chart.
| It'll End in Tears | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1 October 1984[1] | |||
| Studio | Blackwing Studios | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 44:12 | |||
| Language | English | |||
| Label | 4AD | |||
| Producer | John Fryer and Ivo Watts-Russell | |||
| This Mortal Coil chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from It'll End in Tears | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| Mojo |  [6] |
| Pitchfork | 9.0/10[7] |
The album features many of the artists on the 4AD roster at the time, including Cocteau Twins, Colourbox, and Dead Can Dance. Howard Devoto of Magazine sang "Holocaust", one of two covers of songs from Big Star's 1978 album Third/Sister Lovers; the other Big Star cover, album opener "Kangaroo", was released as a single. Two key songs were performed by Elizabeth Fraser of Cocteau Twins, including a cover of Tim Buckley's "Song to the Siren", which reached #66 on the UK Charts when released as This Mortal Coil's debut single a year before the album. The song remained on the UK Independent Singles Chart for almost two years.
4AD would release two further This Mortal Coil albums: Filigree & Shadow (1986) and Blood (1991).
Valentino Records, a sublabel of Atco Records, released the album in the United States in late 1984, the only time a This Mortal Coil album was released simultaneously in the UK and the US. All three This Mortal Coil albums were later re-released in the US in 1993 on 4AD/Warner Brothers, and in 1998 solely on 4AD. A remastered and repackaged CD edition of It'll End in Tears was issued with the complete This Mortal Coil recordings in a self-titled box set, released in late November 2011. The CD was released individually shortly thereafter.[7]
In 2018, Pitchfork ranked It'll End in Tears at number eight on its list of "The 30 Best Dream Pop Albums".[2]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Interpreted by | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Kangaroo" | Alex Chilton | Gordon Sharp,[8] Simon Raymonde | 3:30 |
| 2. | "Song to the Siren" | Larry Beckett, Tim Buckley | Elizabeth Fraser, Robin Guthrie | 3:30 |
| 3. | "Holocaust" | Chilton | Howard Devoto | 3:38 |
| 4. | "Fyt" | Ivo Watts-Russell, John Fryer | 4:23 | |
| 5. | "Fond Affections" | Rema-Rema | Gordon Sharp | 3:50 |
| 6. | "The Last Ray" | Watts-Russell, Guthrie, Raymonde | Simon Raymonde | 4:08 |
| 7. | "Another Day" | Roy Harper | Fraser | 2:54 |
| 8. | "Waves Become Wings" | Lisa Gerrard | Lisa Gerrard | 4:25 |
| 9. | "Barramundi" | Raymonde | Simon Raymonde | 3:56 |
| 10. | "Dreams Made Flesh" | Gerrard | Lisa Gerrard | 3:48 |
| 11. | "Not Me" | Colin Newman | Robbie Grey, Simon Raymonde | 3:44 |
| 12. | "A Single Wish" | Gordon Sharp, Steven Young, Raymonde | Gordon Sharp | 2:26 |
Personnel
edit- Elizabeth Fraser – vocals
- Robin Guthrie – guitar
- Simon Raymonde – guitar, bass, synthesizer
- Lisa Gerrard – vocals
- Brendan Perry – bass drone, yangqin
- John Fryer – multi-instruments, production
- Gordon Sharp – vocals
- Robbie Grey – vocals
- Martyn Young – synthesizer, bass, guitar
- Mark Cox – synthesizer
- Steven Young – piano
- Manuela Rickers – guitar
- Martin McCarrick – cello
- Gini Ball – violin, viola
- Ivo Watts-Russell – keyboards, production
- Howard Devoto – vocals
Charts
edit| Chart (1984–85) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| New Zealand RIANZ Albums Chart | 42 |
| UK Albums Chart | 38 |
| UK Independent Albums Chart | 1 |
Singles
edit- "Song to the Siren" – #66 UK Singles Chart (3 weeks), #3 UK Indie Chart (101 weeks), #8 NZ (15 weeks), #39 NL (4 weeks); released September 1983. "Song to the Siren"'s 101 weeks on the UK Indie Chart was the 4th longest chart run.
- "Kangaroo" – #2 UK Indie Chart (20 weeks); released August 1984.
References
edit- ^ "Music Week" (PDF). p. 51.
- ^ a b "The 30 Best Dream Pop Albums". Pitchfork. 16 April 2018. p. 3. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
- ^ Frank Deserto. October 31, 2017. 40 Years of Goth: Essential Albums from the Genre's Beginnings Archived 2019-01-19 at the Wayback Machine. Post-Punk.com.
- ^ Staff (21 March 2013). "13 Best Goth Albums of All Time". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ^ Mason, Stewart. "It'll End in Tears – This Mortal Coil". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
- ^ Aston, Martin (December 2018). "This Mortal Coil: It'll End in Tears". Mojo (301): 104.
- ^ a b Raggett, Ned (8 December 2011). "This Mortal Coil: HDCD Box Set". Pitchfork. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
- ^ Credited as Gordon Sharp on this release, though later known as Cindy Sharp and Cinder.