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Way back in 1979, Andrew Eldritch formed The Sisters of Mercy. Right time, right place; it was apparent from the very start that The Sisters would be in very high demand…
After several corking singles (which featured some truly stonking B sides) and their amazing ‘Reptile House’ EP, the band embarked on their first proper album. ‘First and Last and Always’ proved to be an overnight success and it looked as if The Sisters were on the road to very big things indeed. However, after continual and largely unresolvable arguments between Andrew Eldritch and Wayne Hussey, it was decided that The Sisters of Mercy were going to split.
The music press was full of bitchy statements from both parties and no-one had any idea about the future of The Sisters. But after several years of wrangling (and a now infamous lawsuit), Eldritch went on to release ‘Gift’ by his new (and temporarily) formed group, ‘The Sisterhood’. Not only did this poke fun at his former band mates in a lyrical sense, but it also gave fans a glimpse of things to come. ‘Gift’ had a more industrial and synthesised sound compared to any previous Sisters of Mercy track and it helped to pave the way for chapter two…
1987 saw the release of ‘Floodland’; an album that took everyone’s breath clean away. The first single, ‘This Corrosion’ made it quite clear that The Sisters had moved on musically; big time. Layer upon layer of sound, a mega amount of production and the use of the New York Choral Society gave ‘This Corrosion’ a feel that was quite unlike anything that had ever been recorded before; by any band!
The two follow-up singles, ‘Dominion’ and ‘Lucretia’ were equally as impressive and fans of The Sisters were really lapping it all up. ‘Floodland’ was quickly viewed as a classic and it is still seen as a landmark album to this very day. It is cold, dark, industrial, theatrical, personal and very, very clever.
But Mr Eldritch had other plans for The Sisters and another big change was approaching. After dispensing with Patricia Morrison who had worked with him on both ‘Gift’ and ‘Floodland’, Andrew went on to recruit some new band members. This was to be The Sisters of Mercy MK III…
‘Vision Thing’ (released in 1990) saw yet another shift in musical style. With Tim Bricheno, Andreas Bruhn, Tony James and Dan Donovan on board, the new Sisters material had a much harder and far more guitar-driven sound. The very first track on the album showed fans exactly what to expect; never before had Eldritch growled, shouted and screamed to quite the same degree.
However, apart from a few stand-out tracks such as ‘Ribbons’ and ‘More’, ‘Vision Thing’ proved to be a bit of a let-down for many true ‘Sisterheads’. It just didn’t have the same magic as ‘Floodland’ and it even had a touch of (shudder) Bon Jovi-ness about it all somehow. But Eldritch still had some other delights in store…
Over the next three years, one or two new tracks would crop-up on compilations, bootlegs and B sides. However, the two proper singles to emerge during this period are most certainly worth a mention.
First came, ‘Temple of Love 1992′, a reworking of the band’s classic 1983 track. This was exciting stuff in itself, but the real treat was that it featured the beautiful voice of the (now) late Ofra Haza. Not only did this song get a huge amount of airplay, but it also went on to become The Sisters highest ranking single ever; peaking at number three in the UK charts!
1993 saw what was/is the be the last official Sisters of Mercy single to date. ‘Under the Gun’ was another blinding track, again incorporating backing vocals from another very talented lady (this time it was Terri Nunn formerly the lead singer of Berlin).
But since that time; nothing. At least not on the recorded material front… The Sisters of Mercy have performed a colossal amount of tours over the last eighteen years and they have played quite a lot of new songs at these shows. There have been numerous rumours about a fourth album, but there is still nothing concrete as yet. However, one thing is for sure; if Mr Eldritch ever does take the plunge and put out some new material, then it will be very gladly received. The Sisters of Mercy still have a very large Gothic following and everyone is just dying to see what might happen next.
Way back in 1979, Andrew Eldritch formed The Sisters of Mercy. Right time, right place; it was apparent from the very start that The Sisters would be in very high demand…
After several corking singles (which featured some truly stonking B sides) and their amazing ‘Reptile House’ EP, the band embarked on their first proper album. ‘First and Last and ogłoszenia towarzyskie Always’ proved to be an overnight success and it looked as if The Sisters were on the road to very big things indeed. However, after continual and largely unresolvable arguments between Andrew Eldritch and Wayne Hussey, it was decided that The Sisters of Mercy were going to split.
The music press was full of bitchy statements from both parties and no-one had any idea about the future of The Sisters. But after several years of wrangling (and a now infamous lawsuit), Eldritch went on to release ‘Gift’ by his new (and temporarily) formed group, ‘The Sisterhood’. Not only did this poke fun at his former band mates in a lyrical sense, but it also gave fans a glimpse of things to come. ‘Gift’ had a more industrial and synthesised sound compared to any previous Sisters of Mercy track and it helped to pave the way for chapter two…
1987 saw the release of ‘Floodland’; an album that took everyone’s breath clean away. The first single, ‘This Corrosion’ made it quite clear that The Sisters had moved on musically; big time. Layer upon layer of sound, a mega amount of production and the use of the New York Choral Society gave ‘This Corrosion’ a feel that was quite unlike anything that had ever been recorded before; by any band!
The two follow-up singles, ‘Dominion’ and ‘Lucretia’ were equally as impressive and fans of The Sisters were really lapping it all up. ‘Floodland’ was quickly viewed as a classic and it is still seen as a landmark album to this very day. It is cold, dark, industrial, theatrical, personal and very, very clever.
But Mr Eldritch had other plans for The Sisters and another big change was approaching. After dispensing with Patricia Morrison who had worked with him on both ‘Gift’ and ‘Floodland’, Andrew went on to recruit some new band members. This was to be The Sisters of Mercy MK III…
‘Vision Thing’ (released in 1990) saw yet another shift in musical style. With Tim Bricheno, Andreas Bruhn, Tony James and Dan Donovan on board, the new Sisters material had a much harder and far more guitar-driven sound. The very first track on the album showed fans exactly what to expect; never before had Eldritch growled, shouted and screamed to quite the same degree.
However, apart from a few stand-out tracks such as ‘Ribbons’ and ‘More’, ‘Vision Thing’ proved to be a bit of a let-down for many true ‘Sisterheads’. It just didn’t have the same magic as ‘Floodland’ and it even had a touch of (shudder) Bon Jovi-ness about it all somehow. But Eldritch still had some other delights in store…
Over the next three years, one or two new tracks would crop-up on compilations, bootlegs and B sides. However, the two proper singles to emerge during this period are most certainly worth a mention.
First came, ‘Temple of Love 1992′, a reworking of the band’s classic 1983 track. This was exciting stuff in itself, but the real treat was that it featured the beautiful voice of the (now) late Ofra Haza. Not only did this song get a huge amount of airplay, but it also went on to become The Sisters highest ranking single ever; peaking at number three in the UK charts!
1993 saw what was/is the be the last official Sisters of Mercy single to date. ‘Under the Gun’ was another blinding track, again incorporating backing vocals from another very talented lady (this time it was Terri Nunn formerly the lead singer of Berlin).
But since that time; nothing. At least not on the recorded material front… The Sisters of Mercy have performed a colossal amount of tours over the last eighteen years and they have played quite a lot of new songs at these shows. There have been numerous rumours about a fourth album, but there is still nothing concrete as yet. However, one thing is for sure; if Mr Eldritch ever does take the plunge and put out some new material, then it will be very gladly received. The Sisters of Mercy still have a very large Gothic following and everyone is just dying to see what might happen next.