There is an ad in the current issue of the Wire (the New Year 2000 issue) for Musick To Play in the Dark Volume 2. There is an NB saying volume 1 is now sold out. There is also a note saying that the following will be released in the year 2000:
Coil:Astral Disaster CD edition
Time Machines 5CD box
Backwards
ELpH: Santaplasm 7" pic-disc
The Star Shaped Individual In Society compilation

The release date for Musick To Play in the Dark Volume 2 is now 31st January, 2000.

from Jhon Balance:
"We have just finished the Noton series ELpH piece and that should be out soon. We are working to finish Astral Disaster CD version for a release BEFORE Christ-Mass. And then we are working on the Twintub and Beaver new track for their special release, which has been horribly delayed (Our apologies to them!)

We'll be recording and working over the New Year on new material and on finishing Backwards. Peter met Trent Reznor a few weeks back. Peter did some work on digital effect backdrops for use in the new NIN live events. He's Okay with our 5 year delivery time on the album.

Thighpaulsandra is in deep Spiritualised mode rehersing and recording a new album with the new line-up over the next month or two.

I've been in touch with John Everall who has been walking with me in these dark, dark woods. He's piss poor and is currently researching the life and work of Dr Wiliam Price amongst other welsh poet/mystics. He may be moving to London and will resume his internet life when and if he gets there. He's started writing his long planned book about COIL too."

from Peter Christopherson & Jhon Balance:
"We are now accepting money for Musick to Play in the Dark, Volume II, to be released January 2000ev. Please note that this new album will not be manufacutred by World Serpent and available anywhere other that from us by SUBSCRIPTION. We intended Volume 1 to be this way, but somehow our intentions were eroded and some distributors were able to obtain small quantities to sell at an even more exorbitant price.

We will be setting up our own credit card payment system before the record comes out, but in the meantime we are accepting orders by mail with cash, UK or Euro cheques or International Money Orders, payable to THRESHOLD HOUSE. As before the prices will be £12 /20$ for CD and £15 /25$ for the vinyl (which includes postage and packaging). Cash is preferred as it cuts banks out!

To reward early subscribers we will be issuing a bonus CD, featuring previously unreleased material to the first 500 orders.

All further information will be posted here on the web site. Unfortunately, at the moment we do not have time to answer email enquiries about the status of orders, so if you need to please write: Our address is: BM/Codex, London, WC1N 3XX, UK."

Simon and Stephen from Cyclobe have recently spent some time with Coil this past month, no word on the Wormsongs project. At this time, there is no expected time of completion, tracks, release or other information available right now.

A CD of Astral Disaster is being currently produced. This will be a different version than the previously limited released LP. The album is being produced by Coil themselves this time with an expected release in October. Cover designed by Steven Stapleton who claims it's one of his best works.

Song of the week is closed down, look below for the letter from Peter and Jhon.

from Peter Christopherson & Jhon Balance:

We feel this whole SOTW thing is getting out of hand - We do not want these pieces archived for public download, NOT because of money or copyright or any of that crap, but because they are not good enough to represent COIL as a historical document.

Our albums are the works that contain our imagination, craft, and spirit. These alone say what we want in the form we want it.

The SOTW project was simply there as an amusing diversion and entertainment for those hard-core fans patient enough to download them. The 'one week only' rule, reflects the fact that we do not feel these pieces are important enough to last any longer.

If people have information about Coil bootleggers please let us know.

Thanks.

I just wonder whether people would like to know the status of our NOTHING album. We are assembling the tapes and expect to deliver it all to Trent by the middle of August, 1999ev.

It WILL be called BACKWARDS. We recorded about 12 'songs' in new Orleans at Hot Snakes studio ,was it 3 or 4 years ago? SOME of these will be on the record and we have recorded about 4 more new ones to keep in exicting for us to do.Some of the origins of the tracks go back as far as 1992!!! there is a track called Elves which is on the album which predates the whole of this digital hardcore genre by a good 3 years. I think we will have to date the tracks to give some sort of scale to the whole project.

For the record it is us, COIL who are delaying over this particular title. Not trent or Nothing who have been very very quiet about it all and have waited patiently for it. Too patiently I say because if they had hurried us along and shown some hands on interest and action over it all it would have beeen out years,literally, ago!

Still here we are with it very nearly finished.

We have no news over Nothing releasing Horse Rotorvator and Scatology because we gave them it about 5 years ago and had it legally able to be released in the US but Nothings lawyers were unhappy with a slightly less than watertight legal situation so didn't go ahead. Since that that fucking arsehole Stevo Pearce has reared his very unpleasant head again and asked Nothing for more money and generally thrown a spanner in the works. He originally gave COIL permission to give it to Nothing as part of a half-hearted attempt to be nice to us and make some amends ,including financial for the terrible way he has continued to treat us over the fate of these two records.Actaually he wasn't trying to be nice he was trying to cover his ASS for some early crap he tried to pull off. Since then he has re-issued the CDs in the Uk without our permission in the mistaken belief that he hold sole copyright on these two titles and has not paid us royalties to date. He even refuses to supply us with copies of our own records repeatedly ignoring requests for promotional/ complimentary copies!!!!!!

I repeat again that these two titles issued by Some Bizarre are cursed by me, John Balance . Do not buy them!!!! They are subject to complex BINDRUNES which tie Stevo up into his own hell with each subsequent purchase. this will only end when he signs over the rights to both titles to COIL without attachments.

John Balance InGerlant

we are about to give out info regarding the subscription ONLY perchase of Musick To Play In The dark Volume 2! It will be sent out in january 2000. Those people who order it early on will recieve a FREE CD of unreleased and unavailable NEW material from the COIL/Threshold House mailorder section -- end of forwarded message --

• Copies of MUSICK TO PLAY IN THE DARK on vinyl LP are sold out, sorry. Do not send money for it.
• "MUSICK TO PLAY IN THE DARK volume One" ships today. For those who are still interested in ordering it, here are the details:
  It is a full length album of new 'musick' on our own Chalice label. GRAAL CD OO2. It is a subscription only release for the first six months. It will then be made available to certain shops and distributors. It is £12.00 for the CD, $20.00 when shipped to the USA. ALL PRICES INCLUDE POSTAGE.
  Please include Money Order, postal orders or cheques payable on a UK bank. Please make cheques payable to Threshold House. Cash will also be accepted, but sent at your own risk. We are accepting orders now. Send money to:

  COIL
  BM. Codex.
  London
  WC1N 3XX.UK

  World Serpent is also carrying this as well for those wishing to purchase using a credit card. This record is mail order only, however - no wholesale prices available.

  The World Serpent version does not however come autographed or numbered. The vinyl copies are all autographed and a numbered autographed Certificate of Provenance comes along with all copies mail ordered direct from the band.

• Coil are still looking for Optigan disks, if you have any you would like to sell, please email them at john@loci.demon.co.uk. Coil are offering rewards like autographed copies of a strange version of the North 7" single on orange vinyl.

• The Coil Mart has now become fully automated. Take a peek and see who's buying and selling...

Website news:

• Thread's metamorphoses on songs "Glowworms/Waveform" and "Dark River" are now available through the Brainwashed Recording Label. It is the first release, limited to 1,027 copies, clear vinyl with special postcard and sticker included.