For the Doctor Who novel, see Unnatural History (Doctor Who)

Unnatural History (Doctor Who)

Unnatural History is an original novel written by Jonathan Blum and Kate Orman and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...

. For the TV series, see Unnatural History (TV series)

Unnatural History (TV series)

Unnatural History is a television series produced by Warner Horizon Television for Cartoon Network.The series is the second scripted, live-action show on Cartoon Network after the short-lived Out of Jimmy's Head. The first season consisted of thirteen hour-long episodes and premiered on Sunday,...

. For the Merrie Melodies

Merrie Melodies

Merrie Melodies is the name of a series of animated cartoons distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures between 1931 and 1969.Originally produced by Harman-Ising Pictures, Merrie Melodies were produced by Leon Schlesinger Productions from 1933 to 1944. Schlesinger sold his studio to Warner Bros. in 1944,...

 cartoon, see Unnatural History (film)

Unnatural History (film)

Unnatural History is a 1959 Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Abe Levitow, with a story by Mike Maltese. The cartoon is made up of blackout gags with no real story tying them together, similar to many cartoons directed by Tex Avery.-Plot:...

.

Unnatural History (Subtitled Compilation Tracks Compiled) is a compilation album produced by Coil

Coil (band)

Coil were an English cross-genre, experimental music group formed in 1982 by John Balance—later credited as "Jhonn Balance"—and his partner Peter Christopherson, aka "Sleazy". The duo worked together on a series of releases before Balance chose the name Coil, which he claimed to be...

. Including tracks that originally appeared on various compilations and limited edition releases along with some previously unreleased material. The compilation was put together using songs from 1983–1986, but then was released in 1990.

Unnatural History II

Unnatural History II

Unnatural History II was the second in a series of three compilation albums by Coil. Unlike Stolen & Contaminated Songs and Gold Is The Metal With The Broadest Shoulders, Unnatural History II collects songs from more than a single era of Coil's work.-Compilation origins:"Red Weather" originally...

and Unnatural History III

Unnatural History III

Unnatural History III was the third in a series of three compilation albums by Coil. Unlike Stolen & Contaminated Songs and Gold Is the Metal with the Broadest Shoulders, Unnatural History III collects songs from more than a single era of Coil's work...

were additional compilation albums released further down the line in Coil's career.

Song origins

"Various Hands", "The Swelling Of Leeches", and "The Pope Held Upside Down" were originally released on the 12" Nightmare Culture

Nightmare Culture

Nightmare Culture was a 12" split vinyl by Current 93 and Sickness Of Snakes. This was the only release for "Sickness Of Snakes" as members John Balance and Peter Christopherson formed Coil by the time this record was originally pressed...

, a split collaboration between Coil and Current 93

Current 93

Current 93 is an eclectic British experimental music group, working since the early 1980s in folk-based musical forms. The band was founded in 1982 by David Tibet .-Background:Tibet has been the only constant in the group, though Steven Stapleton has appeared on...

. "His Body Was A Playground For The Nazi Elite" was originally released on the compilation Ohrensausen under the title of "A Man Named Horst". "Homage To Sewage" was originally released on the compilation "Life At The Top". "Here To Here (Double Headed Secret)" was originally released on the compilation The Beast 666. "S Is For Sleep" was originally released on the compilation "The Elephant Table Album

The Elephant Table Album

The Elephant Table Album: a compilation of difficult music was a 1983 compilation album, released on Xtract Records. The double album was compiled by music journalist Dave Henderson following a series of articles by him in Sounds, the British music paper...

". "Dream Photography" was originally released on the compilation Peyrere. "Comfortable" was originally released on the compilation Raw Like Sewage. "Never" was later released, in an extended form, on The Angelic Conversation. The song originally appeared on the compilation Less Than Angels

Less than Angels

Less Than Angels is a novel by Barbara Pym, first published in 1955.The novel is largely concerned with the activities of a group of anthropologists, and is to some extent based on the author's own experiences working at the African Institute in London...

. In the liner notes, "Penetralia II" is listed as being taken from a limited 7" on the Shock label. However the reference is actually to the Wrong Eye/Scope

Wrong Eye/Scope

Wrong Eye/Scope was a 7" vinyl single by Coil released by the record company Shock, with the catalogue number SX 002. This vinyl was pressed in black, with covers of four different colors . 1,000 copies included green covers. 1,000 copies included yellow covers. 974 copies included white covers. 26...

 single, so "Penetralia II" is otherwise unreleased. "Sicktone" was originally released on the compilation The Fight Is On. "How to Destroy Angels" is from the 12" How to Destroy Angels, except it is presented in mono whereas the original was in stereo.

Additional information

John Balance

John Balance

John Balance , born in Mansfield, England, was the founder of the experimental music group Coil, along with his partner Peter Christopherson...

 and Peter Christopherson

Peter Christopherson

Peter Martin Christopherson, a.k.a. Sleazy was a musician, video director and designer, and former member of the influential British design agency Hipgnosis....

 are credited for participating on all tracks. Boyd Rice

Boyd Rice

Boyd Blake Rice is an American experimental sound/noise musician using the name of NON since the mid-1970s, archivist, actor, photographer, author, member of the Partridge Family Temple religious group, co-founder of the UNPOP art movement and current staff writer for Modern Drunkard...

 is credited for participating on tracks 1 through 3. Stephen Thrower

Stephen Thrower

Stephen Thrower is an English musician and author.Formerly a member of the music group Coil , his current music project is Cyclobe, with Ossian Brown...

 is credited for participating on track 10. Of the thirteen tracks on the album only "S is for Sleep" (described by Balance as a song about illness) and "Penetralia II" (an alternate mix to a Horse Rotorvator

Horse Rotorvator

Horse Rotorvator is the second LP released by the British industrial group Coil. It was named one of the Top 100 Albums of the 1980s by Pitchfork Media who ranked it 73rd.-Editions:...

piece) have prominent vocals; "Homage to Sewage", however, uses a heavily manipulated sample of Pier Paolo Pasolini

Pier Paolo Pasolini

Pier Paolo Pasolini was an Italian film director, poet, writer, and intellectual. Pasolini distinguished himself as a poet, journalist, philosopher, linguist, novelist, playwright, filmmaker, newspaper and magazine columnist, actor, painter and political figure...

's Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma

Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma

Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom , commonly referred to as Salò, is a controversial 1975 Italian drama film written and directed by Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolini with uncredited writing contributions by Pupi Avati. It is based on the book The 120 Days of Sodom by the Marquis de Sade...

.

The earliest pressings of this release are reported to suffer from bronzing

CD bronzing

CD bronzing is a specific variant of disc rot, a type of corrosion that affects the reflective layer of CDs and renders them unreadable over time...

.

This album is currently available in aac, mp3, and flac formats at Coil's official website, Thresholdhouse.com.

Track listing

1. "Various Hands"– 3:26
2. "The Swelling of Leeches"– 3:04
3. "The Pope Held Upside Down"– 3:34
4. "His Body Was a Playground for the Nazi Elite"– 3:28
5. "Homage to Sewage"– 2:22
6. "Here to Here (Double Headed Secret)"– 4:51
7. "S Is for Sleep"– 3:26
8. "Dream Photography"– 3:22
9. "Comfortable"– 1:40
10. "Never"– 4:36
11. "Penetralia II"– 3:10
12. "Sicktone"– 3:22
13. "How to Destroy Angels"– 16:41