Recorded
on February 19th, 1984, Coil's debut EP, How To Destroy Angels, turns
40 years old today. As an example of functional music intended for
practical application, it set the standard for the band's uncompromising
approach to sound and structure.
At the time of its recording,
Jhon Balance and Peter Christopherson were still part of Psychic TV
(PTV) and the Temple of Psychick Youth (TOPY), and this project was seen
as furthering the exploration of sound as a functional tool, rather
than a mere source of entertainment and distraction. Many of the ideas
present here were also used when recording the Psychic TV, Themes, bonus
LP, which was included with the first pressings of PTV's debut, Force
The Hand of Chance. These were sound works that had no concern with
standard song structures, an approach that could be rather confusing to
listeners who were expecting them to adhere to recognizable conventions
of rhythm, melody and verse-chorus-bridge, song structures. None of
that was relevant here, which often had these recordings sounding like
random noises, devoid of meaning or purpose. The reality was quite the
opposite.
For this particular project, the fact that Balance and
Christopherson were gay and involved in a relationship with each other
became essential elements in the thematic essence of the recording. The
intent of its creators was to incite and harness specifically male
sexual energy. No offence nor disparagement to females was intended,
but this work was simply NOT designed for feminine energy. This
requirement during production was even taken to the strictest
conditional extremes, where any women at the studio were kindly
requested to vacate the building during recording. For this, manly Mars
was the focus for the session and it was crucial that nothing diffuse
or dissipate that energy. Venus wasn't invited.
For
instrumentation, a selection of gongs, cymbals and bells were employed,
along with a large corrugated whirling tube, known as a lasso d'amore,
corrugaphone, or Bloogle Resonator. The resultant recording was 17
minutes of ritualistic ambience, suitable for personal or group
ceremonial use. The original plan was to release it along with another
PTV recording, Silence and Secrecy, but Balance & Christopherson had
a falling out with TOPY and Genesis P-Orridge over his "cult of
personality" and the direction TOPY was going, so any PTV works or
resources were now unavailable, including the label imprint, Temple
Records. The EP was instead released by L.A.Y.L.A.H. Anti-Records as a
standalone, with the B-side initially occupied by an unplayable "noise"
side called Absolute Elsewhere. On subsequent repressing, the B-side
was repeatedly changed, first to offer a selection of closed loop tones
and then a totally blank side.
Although How To Destroy Angels
is not typical of Coil's subsequent output, it remains as one of their
most enigmatic and effective creations. It's certainly one of my
personal favourites when it comes to music with the power to summon
distinct and powerful energies. To put it plainly, it's a great record
to fuck to, especially if you're gay.
