Blood (This Mortal Coil album)

Blood is the third and final album released by 4AD collective This Mortal Coil, an umbrella title for a loose grouping of guest musicians and vocalists brought together by label co-founder Ivo Watts-Russell. The supergroup consists primarily of artists attached to the 4AD label, of which Watts-Russell was boss and president at the time. The double album was released in April 1991, and was the second release on 4AD to utilize the double album-identifier "DAD" prefix in its catalog number.

Blood was the final LP in the project's history, although Watts-Russell collaborated again with two TMC performers on his next project, The Hope Blister, in 1998. A remastered and repackaged CD edition of Blood 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.

In 2013, NME ranked the album at number 493 in its list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Track listing

Credits

Personnel as printed in the liner notes:

1. "The Lacemaker"
   • Voices: Caroline Crawley, Deirdre Rutkowski
   • Music: Ivo Watts-Russell
   • Strings: Martin McCarrick, Jocelyn Pook, Sally Herbert, Sonia Slaney
   • Programming: John Fryer
2. "Mr Somewhere"
   • Voice: Caroline Crawley
   • Music: Jon Turner
   • Cello: Martin McCarrick
3. "Andialu"
   • Voice: Alison Limerick
   • Music: Ivo Watts-Russell, John Fryer
4. "With Tomorrow"
   • Voice: Deirdre Rutkowski
   • Music: Jon Turner
5. "Loose Joints"
   • Music: Ivo Watts-Russell
   • Strings: Martin McCarrick, Jocelyn Pook, Sally Herbert, Sonia Slaney
   • Programming: John Fryer
6. "You and Your Sister"
   • Voices: Kim Deal, Tanya Donelly
   • Music: Jon Turner
   • Strings: Martin McCarrick, Jocelyn Pook, Sally Herbert, Sonia Slaney
7. "Nature's Way"
   • Voices: Alison Limerick, Deirdre Rutkowski
   • Strings: Martin McCarrick, Jocelyn Pook, Sally Herbert, Sonia Slaney
8. "I Come and Stand at Every Door"
   • Voices: Louise Rutkowski, Deirdre Rutkowski, Tim Freeman
   • Violin: Gini Ball
   • Music: Ivo Watts-Russell
   • Programming: John Fryer
9. "Bitter"
   • Voices: Ikuko Kozu, Alison Limerick, Deirdre Rutkowski
   • Music: Ivo Watts-Russell
   • Guitar: Jim Williams
   • Strings: Martin McCarrick, Jocelyn Pook, Sally Herbert, Sonia Slaney
   • Programming: John Fryer
10. "Baby Ray Baby"
    • Voice: Deirdre Rutkowski
    • Music: Ivo Watts-Russell
    • Programming: John Fryer
11. "Several Times"
    • Voice: Deirdre Rutkowski
    • Violin: Gini Ball
    • Music: Pieter Nooten
    • Programming: John Fryer
12. "The Lacemaker II"
    • Music: Ivo Watts-Russell
    • Strings: Martin McCarrick, Jocelyn Pook, Sally Herbert, Sonia Slaney
    • Programming: John Fryer
13. "Late Night"
    • Voice: Caroline Crawley
    • Music: Jon Turner, Ivo Watts-Russell
14. "Ruddy and Wretched"
    • Music: Ivo Watts-Russell
    • Programming: John Fryer
    • Guitar: Jim Williams
    • Voice: Anne Garrigues
15. "Help Me Lift You Up"
    • Voices: Caroline Crawley, Deirdre Rutkowski
    • Music and programming: Jon Turner
16. "Carolyn's Song"
    • Voice: Deirdre Rutkowski
    • Strings: Martin McCarrick, Jocelyn Pook, Sally Herbert, Sonia Slaney
    • Piano: Jon Turner
    • Guitar: Jim Williams
    • Drums: Rain Parade
17. "D.D. and E."
    • Voice: Deirdre Rutkowski
    • Music: Ivo Watts-Russell
18. "'Til I Gain Control Again"
    • Voices: Heidi Berry, Louise Rutkowski, Deirdre Rutkowski
    • Piano: Jon Turner
    • Strings: Martin McCarrick, Jocelyn Pook, Sally Herbert, Sonia Slaney
19. "Dreams Are Like Water"
    • Voice: Deirdre Rutkowski
    • Music: Ivo Watts-Russell
    • Programming: John Fryer
20. "I Am the Cosmos"
    • Voices: Dominic Appleton, Deirdre Rutkowski
    • Music and programming: Jon Turner
    • Guitar: Jim Williams
21. "(Nothing But) Blood"
    • Voice: Deirdre Rutkowski
    • Music: Ivo Watts-Russell
    • Programming: John Fryer

• Produced by Ivo Watts-Russell
• Co-produced and engineered by John Fryer
• Additional engineering by Jon Turner
• Recorded at Blackwing Studios, London and Palladium Studios, Edinburgh
• Mixed at Blackwing Studios, London
• Mastering by Gus Shaw
• String arrangements by Martin McCarrick
• Sleeve design by Vaughan Oliver/v23
• Black and white photography by Nigel Grierson; colour photography by Claire Lazarus

References