Astral Disaster

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Astral Disaster
Astral Disaster cover
Studio album by Coil
Released 1999 January
Recorded "Samhain 1998ev"
Genre Experimental
Length 46:08 (vinyl)
72:22 (CD)
Label Acme/Prescription, Threshold House
Producer Coil
Coil chronology
Winter Solstice: North
(1999)		 Astral Disaster
(1999)		 Musick to Play in the Dark Vol. 1
(1999)

Astral Disaster is an album by Coil, which has been released in two distinct versions.

The original pressing of the album was released in an edition of 99 copies on 12" vinyl via the record label Acme/Prescription with catalogue number Drug 8. It was only available only to those who had subscribed to the entire Drug series, and was packaged in a plain black sleeve with a title sticker signed and numbered by Balance and Christopherson. It included an insert with the track listing and release notes, and a piece of handmade artwork in a plastic zip-lock bag.

The later pressing of this album, released on CD and 12" via the Threshold House label, is completely rebuilt and remade with much more texture than the first release. This version also includes a remake of "The Mothership & The Fatherland" titled "MÜ-ÜR". The 12" inch release was limited to 1,000 copies on gray vinyl and a special edition of 100 copies on red vinyl. The special edition includes a sheet of lyrics that is signed by Jhon Balance, Peter Christopherson and Thighpaulsandra. It also includes an original numbered drawing, which is signed by Jhon Balance and Peter Christopherson.

Some of the more notable differences between the releases, other than the later release being more built up, is the disappearance of the sitar as well as the disappearance of the sound effect on John's voice on the original version of "The Sea Priestess".

Contents

[edit] Track listing

[edit] Acme/Prescription 12" version

Side A:

  1. "The Sea Priestess" – 14:11
  2. "Second Son Syndrome" – 2:47
  3. "I Don't Want To Be The One" – 2:45
  4. "The Avatars" – 3:21


Side B:

  1. "The Mothership And The Fatherland" – 23:03

[edit] Threshold House CD version

  1. "The Avatars" – 3:02
  2. "The Mothership & The Fatherland" – 22:24
  3. "2nd Sun Syndrome" – 4:16
  4. "The Sea Priestess" – 14:10
  5. "I Don't Want To Be The One" – 4:47
  6. "MÜ-ÜR" – 22:40

[edit] Threshold House 12" version

Side A:

  1. "The Avatars"
  2. "I Don't Wan't To Be The One"
  3. "2nd Sun Syndrome"
  4. "The Sea Priestess"


Side B:

  1. "MÜ-ÜR"

[edit] Personnel

with

  • Gary Ramon - guitar on "I Don't Want to be the One"

[edit] Notes

  • The inner sleeve photo portraits were taken by Peter Christopherson and John Balance of each other during the total eclipse of the sun.
  • The album is mainly themed on mankind's pollution of the seas for commerce, as exemplified by the lyrics to "MÜ-ÜR". The majority of the album was recorded in an area below the level of the Thames River.
  • "The Avatars" was made with a Syrinx sythesiser, and was John Balance's attempt to recreate memories of sneaking through his house at night to watch Quatermass serials on television. The title of the song comes from a book by George Russell.
  • "Second Son Syndrome" was purposely renamed "2nd Sun Syndrome" on reissue.
  • Most of the lyrics to "The Sea Priestess" were based on Aleister Crowley's descriptions of the murals on the walls of the Abbey of Thelema at Cefalu in Sicily.

[edit] Second edition 12" vinyl notes

The following notes, written by John Balance, were included with the second 12" pressing only[1]:
"The Avatars"
The Avatars is a title of a book by one of my favourite mystical poet /writers George Russell who was Irish. He wrote under the name A.E. which was short for AEON.He has written some of the most inspiring and inspired prose about direct enchantment and trancendental communion with Nature. I mention him in the COIL song Bee-stings (?) when I sing "Don't believe A.E. See for yourselves the summer fields" - A plea for experiential outings, pilgrimages etc. Get out there - Travel! It's in both the journey and the destination... Jimmy Page once declared he believed Kenneth Anger was an Avatar. A semi-God-form , a pure particular Spirit incarnated on this earth. A view he later renounced when they fell out. I think he was right myself. The strange sound is a Syrinx sythesiser. A very scarce beast indeed... The track was my attempt to recall vivid childhood memories of when I used to try and sneak downstairs and watch the 'Quatermass' programmes on TV through a gap in the door.
"The Mothership and The Fatherland"
An attempt to explore the cosmic connection between 'flying saucers' and Krautrockery, UFOs and LFOs. Astral Acidity - LSD being a catalyst one supposes.The resultant progeny of the marriage of the two elements results in the birth of the "little lost children" who Kate Bush is singing about for us.The end has John speaking in tongues - Insect jabber. The whole album really was recorded originally in two days over Samhain (Halloween) in a studio located below the level of the river Thames in ancient Southwark. An area the artist Austin Osman Spare frequented and knew particularly well. The theme of water, the sea, lunar influences again figure deeply in the whole of the album.We redid some of the material at our new studio that has a view of the sea. Tidal. Vital. Lunar. Tuna. Tuner. The inner sleeve photo portraits were taken by Peter Christopherson and John Balance of each other during the total eclipse of the sun. "See the Black Sun Rise...".
"2nd Sun Syndrome"
Loops of anguish caused by the feeling of being a second son in a family lineage. Changed from "son" on the original vinyl release. Now turned and tuned into intergalactic transmissions. Sex with Sun Ra. We have our voice-mail system linked up to SETI main computor - It searches for intelligent life in space while we sleep, in dead time.
"The Sea Priestess"
We thank Frater Purdurabo on the sleeve of the record. This is a magickal name Aleister Crowley used. It means "I will endure". A lot of the lyrics are based on Aleister crowleys own written descriptions of the so called 'obscene' murals on the walls of The Abbey Of Thelema at Cefalu in Sicily. The place still exists. Peter and I made a pilgrimage there last year and while we there discovered a lost painting on an internal door, the door to his own bedroom, the fabled "Chambre de Couchmares". It was a very roughly done Chinese style astral landscapewith waterfalls and pagodas. All what remains of the original murals rediscovered and painstakingly restoredand by Kenneth Anger in the 50's are crumbling and devastatingly beyond restoration now. I spent the day there photographing what remains, bitterly crying at the terrible loss of such a direct and beautiful magickal temple. The rest of the lyrics were written as a result of experiments with a small obsidian scrying mirror. The sub-conscious surfacing. Brion Gysin would scry for hours to gain entrance into the place "where light writes in space". Whatever pollutants and poisons Manunkind pours into the seas, they too will endure.
"I don't want to be the one"
I feel like this at times. Reticent and resentful and then, in turn, scared and angry. Overpowered by what visions I have to endure. I've had visions ever since I was a child. They used to overwhelm me so much I used to fight against them. I had no context for them. Now I use them and accept them. Or try to.
"MÜÜR"
Gold, frankincense and MUUR. Balm of the sea. A joinery of MU and UR. MU being a mythical ancient landmass now lying submerged somewhere underneath the Pacific ocean . An Eastern version of Atlantis. UR meaning 'proto' and before now. At the formation of. On saying the word MUUR out loud I believe I am saying one of the first words ever forced out of the throat of man. A Proto-Mantra. The voice is my voice transformed into that of the Sea Priestess."It's the sail of the century". I am talking about the shortsighted rape and plunder and poison of the sea for commerce. "God saved me from drowning, then kicked me to death on the beach". "The miraculous image of sound washed ashore" "what's His is History. What's missed is Mystery"

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