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DeutschIt'll End in Tears
| It'll End in Tears | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 8 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 | ||||
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| Singles from It'll End in Tears | ||||
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It'll End in Tears is the first album released by 4AD collective This Mortal Coil, a loose grouping of artists brought together by label boss Ivo Watts-Russell. The album was released by 4AD on 8 October 1984. The album features many of the artists on the label's roster, 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, and both helped to re-popularized the until then forgotten band in the 1980s.
Two key songs were performed by Elizabeth Fraser of the 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.
4AD releases two further This Mortal Coil albums: Filigree & Shadow (1986) and Blood (1991), although neither were met with the same critical acclaim, sales numbers or cult status.
Conception
[edit]The album was intended by 4AD label boss Ivo Watts-Russell as a collection of cover versions of his favourite songs performed by his favourite artists. Although conceived as a project by Watts-Russell with the help of the producer John Frye, Simon Raymonde took on a far larger and more important role that what was initially planned.
Music and lyrics
[edit]
The album opens with Kanga Roo, the first of two covers from Big Star's third album "Sister Lovers" (recorded in 1974, released in 1978). In a press release for the 4AD album, Watts-Russell spoke of his admiration for the original singer Alex Chilton who by the early 1980s was recovering from a failed career and alcohol and drug addiction. The success of the 4AD project renewed interest in Chilton's music.[3] The track was a long term favourite song of Watts-Russell's who described it as "a cross between the Velvet Underground and Syd Barrett on heroin.[4] The cover was sung by Cinder Sharp of the band Cindytalk, and arranged by Simon Raymonde of the Cocteau Twins, stripped its melody down to a dominate bass line.[5]
The album's best known track, "Song to the Siren" is a cover of a 1970 Tim Buckley song. It is sung by Cocteau Twins vocalist Elizabeth Fraser and arranged their lead guitarist and song-writer Robin Guthrie. The Cocteau Twins eventually became unhappy with the track's success, particularly because they were paid a flat rate for the recording, while Guthrie believed he was not given credit for his rearranging and interpretation of the original track. In addition, tensions arose within the band because Raymonde was dedicating so much of his time towards the record 's production. In addition, both Guthrie and Fraiser became unhappy that the song's popularity eclipsed their main band.
Friaser also sings on the cover of the folk rock singer-song writer Roy Harper's plaintive and nostalgic "Another Day" which has been described as a "story of a recollected affair in the domestic setting of his past lover's home...prefiguring the idea that whatever happens the time for second chances has long past; that there can be no magic in this encounter."[6] Guthrie was against the song's inclusion as he viewed it as hippie "prog rock" sung by an bearded old man. While the cover lead to renewed interest in Harper's career, the critical consensus is that Fraser's vocals elevated the original track, and assessment that Harper agreed with.[3] At the time of recording, Fraser was transitioning from her early "Goth" vocal style to the emotive and expansive vocals for which she is best known, and so was experimenting. Watts-Russell claims to have considering editing out some of what he described as "Kate Bush-isms from final track.[3]
"Fond Affections" was written by Gary Asquith of Rema-Rema and Marco Pirroni of Adam and the Ants. This Mortal Coil's version was arranged by Raymonde and sung by Fraser.
Dead Can Dance contributed two improvised songs for the second side, the impressionist "Waves Become Wings" and "Dreams Made Flesh".[7]
Cover art
[edit]The black and white and out of focus photograph on the album sleeve was taken by Nigel Grierson. It shows Yvette (also known as "Pallas Citroen"), a visual artist whom he met through mutual friends. According to Grierson, the picture was an attempt to "create an intriguing image, influenced by the subconscious and scenes from David Lynch's Eraserhead and Luis Buñuel's "Los Olvidados" - eyes closed, hair pulled back."[8]
Critical acclaim
[edit]In 2018, Pitchfork ranked It'll End in Tears at number eight on its list of "The 30 Best Dream Pop Albums".[2]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [9] |
| Mojo |  [10] |
| Pitchfork | 9.0/10[11] |
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Arranged by | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Kangaroo" | Alex Chilton | Gordon Sharp,[12] 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]- Ivo Watts-Russell – conception, production
- Simon Raymonde – production, arrangements, guitar, bass, synthesizer
- Elizabeth Fraser – vocals
- Robin Guthrie – guitar
- Lisa Gerrard – vocals, yangqin
- Brendan Perry – bass drone
- 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
- 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.
- ^ a b c Aston (2013), p. 155
- ^ Aston (2013), p. 156
- ^ Rowley. Scott. "Big Star wrote it, Jamie T sampled it, and it was one of Jeff Buckley’s favourite songs. The story of the sleazy song that was re-imagined to capture "the beauty of despair"]". Louder, 20 December 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2025
- ^ Beaumont, Peter. Old music: Roy Harper – Another Day". The Guardian, 28 June 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2025
- ^ Pearis, Bill. "This Mortal Coil deluxe remastered vinyl/CD reissues coming in October". BrooklynVegan, 31 August 2018. Retrieved 9 June 2025
- ^ Aston (2013), p. 157
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
Sources
[edit]- Aston, Martin. Facing the Other Way: The Story of 4AD. The Friday Project, 2013. ISBN 978-0-0074-8961-9
- Buckley, Peter. The Rough Guide to Rock, 2003
