Scatology (album)

Scatology is the debut studio album by English experimental music group Coil. It was recorded at various studios in London during 1984 and produced by the band along with JG Thirlwell; the album features a prominent appearance of Stephen Thrower, who subsequently became Coil's official member since their next studio album, Horse Rotorvator. Despite its title, the album focuses on alchemy, mainly an idea of turning base matter into gold. The record contains a wide array of cultural references, including personnel such as Marquis de Sade, Alfred Jarry, Salvador Dalí, Charles Manson, and others.

Scatology
An original Scatology LP cover featuring the "Anal Staircase" postcard
Studio album by
Coil
Released1984[lower-alpha 1]
Recorded1984
(See "Background and recording" section for details)
Studio
  • Wave
  • Aosis
  • Bar Maldoror (London)
GenreIndustrial[1]
Length54:58
Label
Producer
  • Coil
  • Clint Ruin
Coil chronology
How to Destroy Angels
(1984)		 Scatology
(1984)		 Horse Rotorvator
(1986)
Singles from Scatology
  1. "Panic/Tainted Love"
    Released: May 1985
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[2]
Melody Makerfavourable[3]
NMEpositive[4]
Sounds4.75/5[5]
Time Outpositive[6]

Scatology was first released in 1985 (with a 1984 copyright date) on LP, by Force & Form and K.422 (Some Bizzare Records sublabel). It was reissued by Force & Form in 1988 on CD and later by Threshold House in 2001. Scatology’s sole single featured the extended remix of "Panic" with a cover version of "Tainted Love" on its B-side. Mainly positively received by critics, Scatology is considered to be one of Coil's essential releases, and moreover of 1980's industrial scene.

Background and recording

Work on Scatology began in May 1984,[7] soon after the release of Coil's debut EP How to Destroy Angels. Early on, a track entitled "The Sewage Worker's Birthday Party" was recorded during sessions of the abovementioned EP,[3] and was featured on 10" free single applied to an issue of an Italian magazine Free,[8]:49 prior to being included on Scatology.[7]

Recording sessions were held at Wave Studios,[7] Aosis Studios[7][9] and Bar Maldoror[10] (all situated in London). Several tracks during these sessions were recorded, but were not released or metamorphosed into other tracks.[lower-alpha 2] The core duo of the band, including Peter Christopherson and John Balance, was extended with an appearance of J. G. Thirlwell of Foetus and Stephen Thrower, the latter of whom met Coil for the first time in August 1984.[11]

Packaging

Different editions of the album featured a variety of packaging designs. For the original LP release, the initial black sun design covered by a postcard with a swirling staircase known as the "Anal Staircase." The second edition had the "Sexual Architecture" postcard pasted on random covers with uncovered ones revealing the original black sun design.

The 1988 CD edition featured artwork depicting a naked buttocks enclosed by an upside-down cross, finishing off with the original black sun below everything, seemingly inspired by Man Ray’s Monument to Sade photography;[12] the 2001 reissue features a revised artwork from the 1988 edition, with a slogan “Stevo, Pay Us What You Owe Us!” referencing the band's dispute with Stevo Pearce.[13]

Track listing

Original LP release (1984)

All tracks are written by John Balance and Peter Christopherson, except noted.

No.TitleLength
1."Ubu Noir" 
2."Panic" (Balance, Christopherson, Clint Ruin) 
3."At the Heart of It All" (Balance, Christopherson, Stephen Thrower) 
4."Tenderness of Wolves" (Balance, Christopherson, Gavin Friday) 
5."The Spoiler" 
6."Clap" 
7."Solar Lodge" (Balance, Christopherson, Thrower) 
8."The Sewage Worker's Birthday Party" 
9."Godhead⇔Deathead" 
10."Cathedral in Flames" 

CD releases
Force & Form release (1988)[14]
No.TitleLength
1."Ubu Noir"2:09
2."Panic"4:21
3."At the Heart of It All"5:13
4."Tenderness of Wolves"4:25
5."The Spoiler"4:10
6."Clap"1:17
7."Restless Day"4:45
8."Aqua Regis"2:51
9."Solar Lodge"5:35
10."The S.W.B.P."4:24
11."Godhead≈Deathead"5:15
12."Cathedral in Flames"4:39
13."Tainted Love" (Ed Cobb)5:53
Threshold House release (2001)[15]
No.TitleLength
1."Ubu Noir"2:11
2."Panic"4:23
3."At the Heart of It All"5:15
4."Tenderness of Wolves"4:27
5."The Spoiler"4:12
6."Clap"1:19
7."Restless Day"4:47
8."Aqua Regis"2:53
9."Solar Lodge"5:37
10."The S.W.B.P."4:26
11."Godhead≈Deathead"5:18
12."Cathedral in Flames"4:41
13."Tainted Love"5:53

Personnel

All information adapted from 1984 release sleeve except where noted.[16]

References

Notes
  1. A copyright date.
  2. These titles include "Ergot", "Boy in a Suitcase", "Dream Photography", "120 Dalmations in Sodom", "Thermid’or", "The Pope held Upside Down".[7]

Sources
  1. Skip Jansen. "Scatology - Coil". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
  2. Larkin, Colin, ed. (1998). "Coil". Encyclopedia of Popular Music. 2 (3rd ed.). Muse UK Ltd. pp. 1155–1156. ISBN 1561592374 – via the Internet Archive.
  3. Balmer, Mark (January 1985). "Chemistry Set" (scan). Melody Maker. Retrieved April 24, 2018 – via Brainwashed archive.
  4. Kopf, Biba (February 9, 1985). "Mined Like a Sewer" (scan). NME. Retrieved March 16, 2018 – via Brainwashed archive.
  5. Tibet (February 9, 1985). "Stool Pigeons" (scan). Sounds. Retrieved March 16, 2018 – via Brainwashed archive.
  6. Gill, John (January 30, 1985). "Coil 'Scatology' (K422/Rough Trade)" (scan). Time Out. Retrieved March 16, 2018 – via Brainwashed archive.
  7. The Feverish (PDF), April 9, 1985
  8. "Coil" (PDF). Unsound. Vol. 1 no. 5. 1985. pp. 47–49. Retrieved February 12, 2018 – via Brainwashed archive.
  9. Coil 1984, "At the Heart of it All".
  10. Coil 1984, "Solar Lodge".
  11. Keenan 2003, pp. 123-124.
  12. Reynolds 2005, p. 481; Diesel & Gerten 2007, p. 157.
  13. Reynolds 2005, p. 489; Reed 2013, p. 144.
  14. Coil 1988, track listing.
  15. Coil 2001, track listing.
  16. Coil 1984.
  17. Coil 1988.
  18. Reed, Jeremy (1995). The Last Star: A Study of Marc Almond. London ; San Francisco: Creation Books. pp. 181. ISBN 1871592615 – via the Internet Archive.
  19. They Are Going To Take Me Away (PDF), 1984, retrieved September 20, 2017
  20. "Coil". Abrahadabra (in Dutch). No. 1. January 1985. Retrieved September 20, 2017 – via the Internet Archive. (See English translation at Brainwashed)
  21. Coil 2001.

Bibliography
Scatology's liner notes
  • Scatology (vinyl sleeve). Coil. Force & Form. 1984. FFK1.CS1 maint: others (link)
  • Scatology (CD booklet). Coil. Force & Form. 1988. FFKCD1.CS1 maint: others (link)
  • Scatology (CD booklet). Coil. Threshold House. 2001. LOCI CD15.CS1 maint: others (link)
Books
Articles (including reviews)
  • "Coil". Interchange. No. 2. February 1984.
  • Kopf, Biba (April 20, 1985). "The Soil And Spoil Tactics Of Coil". NME.
  • Jon Whitney (1997). "Coil interview". Brainwashed. Brainwashed Inc. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
  • David Keenan (July 21, 1998). "Coil Interview". Brainwashed. Brainwashed Inc. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
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