4AD spECIAL EDITION
MODERN ENGLISH Modern English were one of the bands that Ivo and Peter had originally approached Martin Mills about in 1979. After a self-released 45 (‘Drowning Man’), they made their 4AD debut with the ‘Swans On Glass’ single, which was followed later in the year by ‘Gathering Dust’. They also featured on the Presage(s) EP and were the only band from the compilation that continued to release records on 4AD. 20 years on, ‘Gathering Dust’ remains a crucial release in 4AD’s history for reasons that have nothing to do with the music it contains. When the original art director proved unable to provide the sleeve art, Peter called a friend who recommended a young graphic designer named Vaughan Oliver. A strange coincidence ensued: Modern English had printed up some T-shirts which utilized a Diane Arbus photograph of two people watching television, while Vaughan had utilized the same image in his design portfolio. Result: Vaughan landed the job and began a relationship with 4AD that continues to this day Modern English expanded on the promise of their singles with Mesh & Lace, a memorably atmospheric album that helped re-position guitar-rock in the wake of Joy Division, PiL and Wire. It also sported the first official 23 Envelope sleeve credit, thus ushering in an artistic collaboration that would provide 4AD with a recognizable visual identity.
Mesh & Lace Band Photo, 1981
Modern English finished off the year with the single ‘Smiles And Laughter’.In 1982 they returned with their second album, After The Snow, which was produced by Hugh Jones (whose recent work on Echo & The Bunnymen’s Heaven Up Here had been much admired). Jones played an important role in shaping the songs and exposing the band’s latent abilities as pop craftsmen. Two singles were extracted from the album: ‘Life In The Gladhouse’ and the classic, ‘I Melt With You’. Although the group’s UK profile remained low, Sire Records licensed the record for the United States, where ‘I Melt With You’ enjoyed massive success in clubs and on modern rock radio, and was featured in the movie Valley Girl.Throughout 1983, Modern English were still tasting success in America in the wake of ‘I Melt With You’. The Gathering Dust EP collected various non-LP single sides, while the remix of ‘Someone’s Calling’ was largely intended for American ears. Unfortunately, the group were still having little impact in the UK and Europe. After seeing them play at the Ritz in New York, Ivo thought he might have a solution. The band had encored with powerful back-to-back versions of two of their earliest songs, ‘16 Days’ and ‘Gathering Dust’. Ivo suggested to the group that they re-record the songs in the manner of their live set.
RAD & ROBBIe GREY __RAD: So where did you meet everyone else in the band? Robbie: We are all old friends. Matthew Shipley, the keyboard player, comes from the same town. Jonathan Solomon - actually I haven’t known him very long. Then there’s Steve Walker, and Ian Robbins here used to be in Colourbox on the 4AD label. There are a lot of music connections as well - Jon was in Tiny Monroe and the Auteurs. Matthew was more into the dance thing. He’s more into the technology, so we have a mixture of stuff in the band. __RAD: Obviously you do not have the original lineup. Robbie: I am the only original member - I guess you can say I am the granddad of the band. I mean I have been involved in it from the beginning all the way through. There was a period around the album “Stop start” where it wasn’t good as a band, but now it’s really excellent. It’s the best it has been for a very long time, but to me that is a lot more important than the music in a way because if you don’t get along on these tours it can be a nightmare. So with those two things together - good new songs and the people in the band it doesn’t really matter as long as you can play your stuff and play festivals or little bars it doesn’t really matter, it’s just good fun all the time. __RAD: Do you ever keep in contact with the original members of Modern English? Robbie: Actually, it’s really funny. We got interviewed by Key Magazine in England and none of us had seen each other in a long time. I’ve seen Mick Conroy and Stephen Walker, but the others like Gary McDowell and Richard Brown - the drummer and guitarists - I don’t know what they’re doing to be honest. I found what they were doing through the magazine. They’re just around, they’re all trying things.
Modern English is one of those bands that really makes you think of your childhood James D.Bonisteel
Interview whit: Rational Alternative Digital and Robbie Grey I Melt with You Band Photo, 1982
MESH & LACE 1.Gathering Dust 2.16 Days 3.Just A Thought 4.Move In Light 5.Grief 6.The Token Man 7.A Viable Commercial 8.Black Houses 9.Dance Of Devotion 10.Smiles And Laughter 11.Mesh And Lace 12.Tranquility 13.Home (BAD 11) 14.Swans On Glass 15.Incident Modern English expanded on the promise of their singles with Mesh & Lace, a memorably atmospheric album that helped re-position guitar-rock in the wake of Joy Division, PiL and Wire. It also sported the first official 23 Envelope sleeve credit, thus ushering in an artistic collaboration that would provide 4AD with a recognizable visual identity. The debut album by this overlooked 4AD outfit from Colchester in Essex. In many ways, Modern English helped to define the sound and image of that pioneering label; while admittedly pretentious at times, they were also sharpedged, intellectual, and obsessed with aestheticism. The standouts here are the title track, “Smiles and Laughter,” and “Gathering Dust,” an epic post-punk exercise in aural dynamics.
Released: 6 April 1981 Genre: Post-Punk Label: 4AD Producer: Modern English. Engineered by Ken Thomas. Recorded at Jacobs.
This sounds like an upbeat love song, but it’s more apocalyptic than you might expect. With lyrics about “Just a thought” and “Sixteen Days,” it really does take place with the world about to end, and the melting is quite literal. Robbie Grey
The song has been used in numerous television commercials, usually for food. Most famously, it featured in 1990 Burger King ads, but it was also used in commercials for Ritz crackers, M&M’s and Taco Bell. Robbie Grey
Our first album Mesh & Lace followed and was received well as it climbed the Indie charts. We then shared a tour with our Essex rivals Depeche Mode as support to Wasted Youth, quickly followed by a short tour with Japan, both bands gave us loads of encouragement and our confidence was high. We did our first gigs around Europe, with good reactions in France, Holland, Belgium, Germany and Italy coming back to our first headlining dates in the U.K. Then our first gigs in the States. Up until then we had self produced everything we had put out although we had great engineers thanks to Mike Kemp(singles) and Ken Thomas(album) and in-house sleeve designers 23 envelope cannot be excluded. A sound and a style had been created. We now considered ourselves serious contenders. It was albums like Japan’s Quite Life, Simple Minds Sons And Fascination, Psychedelic Furs, Wire, and I would say Echo and the Bunnymen’s Heaven Up Here, that made us realize that we neededa producer to add that extra weight to our sound.
“I thought it would be a good idea to have the old team back together,” Grey explains. “Vaughan did all of the early Modern English sleeves... and since we had asked Hugh to produce Soundtrack, we thought we would also ask Vaughan to do the art work. It seemed an obvious thing to do.” Robbie Grey
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RICOCHET days
The new album was pretty much written and recording was almost completed when ‘I Melt With You’became a big hit in the states. There were two singles released, Chapter 12 (7” & 12” both including the same extended) by 4AD in Europe and Hands Across The Sea (7” edited version) by Sire in the US. These releases included two B-sides Ringing In The Change & Reflection which were produced by the band but keep the same sound as the album. A follow up single was planned with new track ‘Breaking Away’ which was to be backed by a remix of ‘Machines’ but it only got as far as the demo stage before the band started looking elsehwere. 4AD have collected all the tracks including the ‘Breaking Away’ demo on their Ricochet Days.
1. Rainbow’s End 2. Machines 3.Spinning Me Round 4. Ricochet Days 5. Hands Across the Sea 6. Blue Waves 7. Heart 8. Chapter 12
Released: 6 April 1984 Genre: Electronic, Rock Label: 4AD Producer: Coproduced by Hugh Jones and Modern English
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machines Old machinery’s Old machinery’s broken broken down down Old machinery’s Old broken machinery’s Old down machinery’s broken broken down down Old Old machinery’s machinery’s broken broken down down There’s There’s no new nopast new there’s past there’s There’s no new past There’s there’s There’s no new no past new there’s past there’s There’s There’s nono new new past past there’s there’s new nosound new no sound nono new sound newno sound new sound nono new new sound sound What would Whatyou would you What would Whatyou would Whatyou would you What What would would you you if they docrumbled ifcrumbled they dodo if they docrumbled if they docrumbled if they docrumbled do if they if they crumbled crumbled to ground the ground to to thethe ground to the ground to the ground toto the the ground ground Wake up youup you up Wake upWake you Wake Wake you upWake you Wake upup you you must must dreaming bemust dreaming must bebe dreaming bemust dreaming be must dreaming must bebe dreaming dreaming Changes Changes in lives ourChanges lives Changes in in ourour Changes lives in our Changes lives inChanges our lives in in our our lives lives We’ll make We’ll make it We’ll in it make in end theitend We’ll make it in thethe end We’ll make in We’ll the itend in the end We’ll make make it in it in the the end end Machinery’s Machinery’s broken broken in twobroken in two Machinery’s broken Machinery’s in two Machinery’s broken in two in two Machinery’s Machinery’s broken broken in in two two What What to we do?to do? What areare wewe toare What do? are What we to areWhat do? we toare do? What are wewe toto do? do? Where Where were you were when you when Where were you Where when were Where you were when youwere when Where Where were you you when when day thecaved dayinthe caved in dayin thethe day caved the caved dayincaved incaved the the day day caved in in It seems Itthe seems the streets streets It seems streets It the seems It the seems streets the streets It seems It seems the the streets streets were were place the place to toplace betheto were thethe place to were bebe the were place be the to beplace were were the place toto bebe Something Something quite quite Something quite Something Something quiteSomething quite quite Something quite disturbing disturbing filled filled the air disturbing disturbing filled disturbing thethe airair disturbing filled the filled air thefilled air disturbing filled the the airair Wake up you up must you up must Wake upWake you must Wake Wake you up must you must Wake Wake upup you you must must dreaming be dreaming bebe dreaming be dreaming be dreaming bebe dreaming dreaming (what an uneasy an(what uneasy feeling) feeling) (what an(what uneasy feeling) an(what uneasy an(what uneasy feeling) feeling) (what anan uneasy uneasy feeling) feeling) Machine Machine down fell down and Machine fellfell down Machine and Machine felland down fell and downfell and Machine Machine fell down down and and smashed smashed ground the ground smashed thethe ground smashed smashed the ground the ground smashed smashed the the ground ground People People cried cried for People cried forfor People People cried forcried for People People cried cried forfor miles around miles around miles around miles around miles around miles miles around around Well that’s Well what that’s Well that’s what Wellwhat that’s Wellwhat that’s what Well Well that’s that’s what what someone someone saidsomeone said someone someone said said someone said someone said said Wake up you up must you must beup Wake upWake you must Wake bebe up Wake you must you bemust be Wake Wake upup you you must must bebe dreaming dreaming quite (a quite dreaming (a (a quite dreaming dreaming (a quite (a quite dreaming dreaming (a (a quite quite uneasy uneasy feeling) feeling)uneasy uneasy feeling) uneasy feeling)feeling) uneasy uneasy feeling) feeling) What What to we do?to do? What areare wewe toare What do? are What we to areWhat do? we toare do? What are wewe toto do? do?
cocteau twins When they first emerged in the early 80s, the Cocteau Twins were compared most often to Siouxsie & The Banshees, but in truth they never sounded like anyone – or anything – else. Taken together, their nine albums, and sixteen EPs/singles, sound less like a band and more like an element of nature. Which was very 4AD. Ivo Watts-Russell has always claimed that his aim was to unearth music that was timeless, free of any trend, movement or era and even in their earliest incarnation, the Cocteau Twins were true to that remit, firmly charting their own course. The band's name was plucked from an old Simple Minds track, but the foundations were laid some time before, when old school friends Robin and Will saw Liz dancing in a disco. In a stroke of precognitive genius, the boys decided that if Liz could dance that well, then she should be able to sing that well, too. Some time later, Robin's chance meeting with early 4AD signings The Birthday Party resulted in a tape being sent to Ivo, who was thrilled by what he heard, and encouraged them to record more. Plans for a debut single were shelved, and the stark, mercurial Garlands appeared instead. Describing it as "haunting", "spellbound", "diaphanous", and discerning a "frosting of sweetness", the critics wore out their adjective; this was rock music - just - but it was conjured in the unlikeliest environment from the strangest of material.
A group whose distinctly ethereal and gossamer sound virtually defined the enigmatic image of the record label 4AD. Jason Ankeny
Cocteau Twins, tour Galaxie 500, June 1991
Cocteau Twins, tour Burning Aquarium, June 1982
The challeng of music — What is in particularly about the 23 Envelope that you like? You know, do you feel comfortable with along side your music? Robin Guthrie: “The approach of 23 Envelope it’s importante because we are a group who tends to not have an image. The challenge of music is to provoke a response, and our image must accompany this challenge ” Cocteau twins. I think that Nigel and Vaughan nicely reflect us as artists. All theirs ideas and designs is much more close to the actually product. — So you had plenty discussions between them? What the cover would be like? What goes with the cover of the record? Basically what I want to know is that do you have a lot of saying? Elizabeth: We don´t have big discussions about it. We just send them tapes of the music as they are being made. So they actually… experience them.
in interview 23 Envelope Documentary 4AD, 1980
head over heels Head Over Heels, the Cocteau Twins' second fulllength recording, is often cited by the band as well as many enthusiasts as being among their true favorites. Head Over Heels fairly established the trademark “Cocteau” sound, and both met with generally positive responses in the music media and achieved number one spots on the UK Independent charts. Head Over Heels is the result of much improvisation and experimentation, with Robin developing his own unique bass style and songwriting entirely independently. From a technical point of view major steps forward had been made. Due to the fact there were only two of them the music necessarily makes heavy use of echo and overdub, yet it does so without being too apparent. Liz’s vocals are even more convincing and she succeeds in covering much more of the emotional spectrum than on earlier releases. The specific guitar sounds from Garlands have been replaced by a multitude of arrangements, for every song a suitable one. The drums are less prominent, and due to the lack of a bass player few obvious bass lines can be heard. Effectively then a shift has taken place from the rhythm department to the melodic department, and the music flourishes by it.
1. When Mama Was Moth 2. Five Ten Fiftyfold 3. Sugar Hiccup 4. In Our Angelhood 5. Glass Candle Grenades 6. In The Gold Dust Rush 7. The Tinderbox 8. Multifoiled 9. My Love Paramour 10. Musette And Drums
Released: 31 October 1983 Genre: Gothic rock, Ethereal, Post-Punk Length: 37:01 Label: 4AD Producer: Cocteau Twins, John Fryer
We made ‘Head Over Heels’ while we lived in Grangemouth, we went back there to record it. There was a lot going on in that house. It was a really good atmosphere, really productive, speeding out of our heads all summer and stuff like that. Elizabeth Fraser
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1. Ivo 2. Lorelei 3. Beatrix 4. Persephone 5. Pandora 6. Amelia 7. Aloysius 8. Cicely 9. Otterley 10. Domino
Released: 1 November 1984 Genre: Ethereal Wave Length: 41:19 Label: 4AD Producer: Cocteau Twins
treasure Treasure marks a trend in Cocteau Twins' music to blur the edges more, and further detach the music from any sort of definite structure. The songs themselves rely heavily on effects, and often the sounds one hears are reminiscent of the baroque or more modern gothic/ synthetic music accompanied by layers of delayed or fuzzed-out guitars, and the occasional acoustic style strumming rhythm (as on “Ivo” and “Cicely,” for example). Treasure disconnects the listener from reality on many levels, creating distinct and non-corporeal atmospheres conducive to free-association. Treasure will most likely continue to be considered by most fans and enthusiasts as exactly what its name implies, as well as continue to stand alongside Head Over Heels as a milestone in independent music history.The track order of the songs on Treasure is also noteworthy, and is itself indicative of the maturity of the recording. The album opens with the bright, warm and absorbing melodies of “Ivo,” bleeds into the thumping chimes of “Lorelei,” and flows quite naturally from there to the end, where the dark, whispered tones of “Otterley” precede the explosive finale of “Donimo.”
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The idea was to allow artists the creative freedom to record material outside of the realm of what was expected of them. in 4AD Website
This Mortal Coil leader and founder, Ivo Watts-Russell
This Mortal coil This Mortal Coil was not a band, but a unique collaboration of musicians recording in various permutations, the brainchild of 4AD kingpin Ivo Watts Russell. The idea was to allow artists the creative freedom to record material outside of the realm of what was expected of them; it also created the opportunity for innovative cover versions of songs personal to Ivo.An example of this was the Cocteau Twins-starring version of Tim Buckley's ‘Song to the Siren’ which became the first This Mortal Coil release in 1983.This Mortal Coil's full-length debut, It'll End In Tears, arrived in October 1984. In addition to the Cocteaus, this brilliantly-woven aural tapestry featured members of 4AD artists Colourbox, Dead Can Dance, Modern English, Xmal Deutschland and The Wolfgang Press, plus ex-Magazine/Buzzcocks frontman Howard Devoto and celebrated cellist Martin McCarrick.Ivo turned his attention to the follow-up record shortly after It'll End In Tears was released. Work began at Palladium in Edinburgh, with Martin McCarrick and studio proprietor Jon Turner, and the record was finished with John Fryer at Blackwing in London. Named after a song by the ‘60s band Fever Tree, Filigree And Shadow was intended from the start as a double album.
The design of the album PB: A lot of the 4AD album covers, and especially the This Mortal Coil sleeves with the photographs of model Pallas Citroen, were very influential. Did you give your design team of Vaughan Oliver and Nigel Grierson some indication of what you wanted or the freedom to do what they wanted with each album? IWR: It changed form one record to the next. The shoot for what became ‘It’ll End in Tears’ was actually done for Modern English. It was a suggestion for their ‘Ricochet Days’ album. We actually knew Yvette or Pallas as we now know her. She was living in the same squat as Modern English and Nigel did the shoot. He was friends with Yvette because she was going out with the photographer Chris Garland at the time.
PennyBlackmusic spoke to Ivo WattsRussell about This Mortal Coil.
By the time of ‘Blood’ Vaughan and Nigel had parted company and it involved more of my input than ever before. On the new box set, those sleeves were redesigned by myself with Vaughan. We took all the type off, and let the images speak for themselves.
This Mortal Coil was one of the most atmospheric and melancholically sublime-sounding acts of the 1980s. John Clarkson
Packaging for the single “Kangaroo� ,This Mortal Coil by 23 Envelope record
It’ll End In Tears The first of 4AD owner Ivo Watts-Russell's multiartist studio sessions under the This Mortal Coil name, 1984's It'll End in Tears was a surprisingly influential album in many circles, key in the reawakening of interest in artists like Alex Chilton and the late Tim Buckley by a younger generation of listeners. (Two songs from Big Star's Third are included, a version of "Kangaroo" featuring Cindytalk vocalist Gordon Sharp. The covers are the most memorable part of the album - a Robbie Grey-sung version of Colin Newman's "Not Me," cleverly incorporating a hypnotic riff from another Newman song, "B," is the most conventionally hooky song on the album, to the point that folks who haven't listened to the album for a while tend to forget that half of the songs are "band" originals. These six songs mark 4AD's definitive break from its origins as an artsy post-punk imprint to the development of "the 4AD sound," a heavily reverbed wash of treated guitars and atmospheric keyboards with vocals treated as another instrument in an amorphous wash of sound. The problem is that these largely instrumental tracks sound more like half-baked studio doodles than fully formed songs; a three-song stretch on side two featuring Dead Can Dance's Lisa Gerrard is particularly tiresome.
1. Kangaroo 2. Song To The Siren 3. Holocaust 4. Fyt 5. Fond Affections 6. Last Ray 7. Waves Become Wings 8. Another Day 9. Barramundi 10. Dreams Made Flesh 11. Not Me 12. Single Wish
Released: 1 October 1984 Genre: Gothic rock, dream pop Length: 44:12 Label: 4AD Producer: Ivo Watts-Russell
I like the idea of something unfolding, having to take the listening seriously, to give yourself over. It isn’t the only type of music that is important, but it is something I felt was worth pursuing. A bit self-indulgent, I suppose. As such, it is a rare sonic experience of great beauty. Ivo Watts-Russell
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Filigree & Shadow
Filigree And Shadow is the 2nd of three This Mortal Coil albums available and it captures Ivo and company at their most imaginative: a seamless 74 minutes of surreal, gothic-flavoured songs and instrumentals shrouded in a light, seductive ambient fog. Brooding and fragile, the individual pieces are strung together with an unsettling, dream-like logic. Featured instruments include synthesisers, piano, saxophone and sound effects, and a string quartet lends the music a distinctively English ambience. Drums and electric guitar also make an appearance though not at the expense of the album’s introspective mood. A classic ambient pop release.
1. Velvet Belly 2. The Jeweller 3. Ivy And Neet 4. Meniscus 5. Tears 6. Tarantula 7. My Father 8. Come Here My Love 9. At First, And Then 10. Strength Of Strings 11. Morning Glory 12. Inch-Blue 13. I Want To Live 14. Mama K (1) 15. Filigree & Shadow 16. Fire Brothers 17. Tha誰s (1) 18. I Must Have Been Blind 19. A Heart Of Glass 20. Alone 21. Mama K (2) 22. The horizon Bleeds 23. Drugs 24. Red Rain 25. Tha誰s (2)
Released: 20 September 1986 Recorded: Blackwing Studios, Palladium Studios Genre: Gothic rock, Dream pop Length: 74:13 Label: 4AD Producer: Ivo Watts-Russell
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4AD Modern English
RAD and Robbie Grey Mesh & Lace Ricochet Days
Cocteau Twins
The Challange of Music Treasure Head of Hells
This Mortal Coil
The Design of the Album It’ll End Ind Tears Filigree & Shadow