Sisters Of Mercy
Biography Sisters Of Mercy
Sisters Of Mercy
British band formed in 1980 by Andrew Eldritch and Gary Marx (they took artistic names to avoid losing unemployment benefit payments) under the name of a Leonard Cohen song. After releasing a single, on which they shared vocals and Eldritch attempted drums, they added bassist Craig Adams and included a drum machine, Doktor Avalanche, to handle percussion. Guitarist Ben Gunn entered at the end of 1981.
Although they were ignored in the first wave of gothic/post-punk bands, they began to develop a cult following through gigs and singles. Finally, they gained some notoriety in 1983, releasing the acclaimed EPs Alice, The Reptile House and Temple of Love / Heartland / Gimme Shelter. The songs Alice and Temple of Love were hits on the indie chart, the latter only stopped by New Order's Blue Monday in its way to the top of the list. By then, Ben Gunn had left, and would be replaced by the more talented Wayne Hussey, former member of Dead or Alive.
After Body and Soul, they finally released their debut album First and Last and Always, which was well received both by critics and commercially. However, the band splintered shortly after, due to tensions between Eldritch and the rest of the band. Hussey and Adams went on to form The Mission (they tried to call themselves The Sisterhood, but Eldritch, now living in Germany, prevented them to do so by releasing an EP, Gift, under that name in 1986); Marx formed Ghost Dance. At this point, although former Gun Club bassist Patricia Morrison was added, The Sisters was basically an Eldritch solo project.
In 1987, he returned with Floodland, a more commercial effort that made the band more appealing for a pop audience, which made this album his best selling, thanks also to the strength of the singles This Corrosion, and Lucretia My Reflection. By this time, the band had definitely left its post-punk roots, as the excesses on production evidenced.
Eldritch decided not to tour, and Morrison left the band shortly afterwards. The Sisters of Mercy didn't regroup until 1989, when guitarist Andreas Bruhl and former Sigue Sigue Sputnik then guitarist now bassist Tony James were recruited by Eldritch. Finally, former All About Eve guitarist Tim Bricheno also joined.
The resulting line-up recorded Vision Thing in 1990. More rock-oriented than its predecessor, it was an attempt to break in America; but it didn't live up to those expectations, partially due to a disastrous U.S. tour with Public Enemy. However, it was a success outside America, despite bad reviews.
In 1991, James left, and bass duties were assigned to Doktor Avalanche. The following year they released a compilation of early material Some Girls Wander by Mistake, and the hugely successful reworking of Temple of Love, which was in some way the swan song for the goth genre, which was in total decadence by that time. In 1993 Tim Bricheno left, and was replaced by Adam Pearson. That year, they released another compilation, A Slight Case of Overbombing, and a new single, Under the Gun.
After that, Eldritch decided not to fulfill his contract with East West, and the band remained inactive until 1996, when it was revived just to perform a handful of concerts per year.
