Watts-Russell had founded 4AD in 1980, and the label established itself as one of the key labels in the British
post-punk movement. Following several releases, Watts-Russell developed the idea of collaborating under the name This Mortal Coil. which in turn alludes to
Shakespeare's
Hamlet ("... what dreams may come, when we have shuffled off this mortal coil..."). The 4AD website said: One of the label's earliest signings was
Modern English. In 1983, Watts-Russell suggested that the band re-record two of its earliest songs, "Sixteen Days" and "Gathering Dust", as a medley. At the time, the band was closing its set with this medley, and Watts-Russell felt it was strong enough to warrant a re-recording. When the band rebuffed the idea, Watts-Russell decided to assemble a group of musicians to record the medley:
Elizabeth Fraser and
Robin Guthrie of Cocteau Twins;
Gordon Sharp of
Cindytalk (later known as Cindy Sharp or Cinder); and a few members of Modern English. An
EP,
Sixteen Days/Gathering Dust, resulted from these sessions. A cover of
Tim Buckley's "
Song to the Siren", performed by Fraser and Guthrie alone, was recorded as a
B-side for the EP. Pleased with the results, Watts-Russell decided to make this the A-side of the 7" single version of the EP, and the song quickly became an underground hit, leading Watts-Russell to pursue the recording of a full album under the This Mortal Coil moniker, 1984's ''
It'll End in Tears''. In June 1998, Watts-Russell began releasing albums in a similar vein to his TMC projects, under the name
The Hope Blister.{{cite book ==Discography==