Sixteen Days / Gathering Dust is an EP released in 1983 by This Mortal Coil, a supergroup assembled by Ivo Watts-Russell for his record label, 4AD. Watts-Russell had signed Modern English in 1980. A few years later, he asked them to record a medley of two of their early songs, "Sixteen Days" and "Gathering Dust". The band had been performing these particular songs together at the conclusion of their live sets. When the band declined, Watts-Russell decided to assemble a group of musicians to record the medley instead. He chose members of Cocteau Twins, Colourbox, and Modern English itself, along with vocalist Gordon Sharp of Cindytalk.