After the March 1985 release of the first Sisters of Mercy album First and Last and Always the band prepared themselves for a follow-up. Eldritch: "The next Sisters album was going to be called 'Left On Mission and Revenge'." [1] Von told something that he called Vega for birthday party this year with no response from Alan other way sisterhood II may become something like ssv project, so better don't touch the legend me think The Sisterhood album was a weapon in this corporate war. That’s why I called it Gift. [in German: poison] But I still like the record. It’s weird but it’s fine. […] I see it as a techno record. Or what I thought to be techno at the time.” Following the concert at Royal Albert Hall, Craig Adams and Wayne Hussey went on to form a new band, called The Sisterhood. After an “amicable” break up, with Andrew, Wayne and Craig arguing about the musical direction the band was supposed to take, with the promise that no party involved should use the name The Sisters of Mercy again, this was deemed as unacceptable for Andrew Eldritch, who saw this as a broken gentleman’s agreement, who became furious about that matter. Merciful Release announced the single's release with a press statement: "From among the forces allied to Merciful Release we bring you the Sisterhood. capturing (in this instance) the musical bile of Andrew Eldritch, and introducing James Ray and the Performance ... of whom more soon."

It’s not known whether there will be more U.S. shows. The Sisters haven’t played U.S. dates since 2008. The band’s only other announced shows for 2023 include four concerts in Mexico and South America in June. Andrew Eldritch later said about the album: "The Sisterhood album was a weapon in this corporate war. That's why I called it Gift. [in German: poison] [...] But I still like the record. It's weird but it's fine." [30] "I see it as a techno record. Or what I thought to be techno at the time." [33] RCA, the record label and publisher of the music of The Sisters of Mercy, and the band that would eventually become The Mission were also signed to, profited from the feud a lot. On 2 March 1986 the Mission played in Birmingham. Wayne Hussey: "The majority of the songs we've been doing in the set so far are my songs that Andrew rejected for the Sisters' second album. It's ironic cos he saw us at Birmingham and told us how good he thought the songs were." [23] "This Corrosion" 12 inch EP (spring 1986, unreleased) [ edit ]

Barcode and Other Identifiers

The Gift album was issued on CD for the first time in 1989 then reissued in 1994, but has been out of print on all formats — aside from bootleg repressings — since then, and has yet to debut digitally. Andrew Eldritch: "The people that are now the Mission and myself had an agreement, no one would use the name when the band went its separate ways." [12] "The band was good and successful, each of us could continue. The split came at a time when it wouldn't do us any damage." [2] "Giving Ground" single (January 1986) [ edit ] "Giving Ground"

The Gift album was issued on CD for the first time in 1989 then reissued in 1994, but has been out of print on all formats — aside from bootleg repressings — since then, and had yet to debut digitally. a b c [12] [ permanent dead link] Michael Ruff: "Prinz der Feuchtgebiete" ( SPEX magazine January 1988)Your computer may be infected with malware or spyware that makes automated requests to our server and causes problems. Music Written and Produced by Andrew Eldritch Featuring Doktor Avalanche and The Chorus Of Vengeance Meanwhile, the reissue of the long-out-of-print album by The Sisterhood — the project born out of Eldritch’s feud with ex-Sisters of Mercy bandmates Wayne Hussey and Craig Adams — is finally here, more than three years after it was first announced by London-based Cadiz Music. The Sisterhood was a musical project led by Andrew Eldritch. With guest musicians, the Sisterhood recorded songs he had originally intended for a second album by the Sisters of Mercy. Gary Marx left earlier to form Ghost Dance, famously not showing up to perform the final concert dubbed “Wake” on his birthday.

The Sisterhood, a project thus named to prevent Wayne Hussey’s use following the intial demise of The Sisters of Mercy, is finally seeing a reissue on CD, cassette and vinyl, after 25 years of being out of print. James Ray: "I wasn't involved too much with the album, as it was taking ages for Eldritch to formulate any concrete ideas, and I wanted to be writing my own stuff. I personally think the album transpired to cash in on the sales of the single." [26]

Credits

Eldritch: "Then they said 'Well, okay, what are we gonna do for new songs?' And I said 'How about this, this and this' and, unfortunately, the first 'this' I cited had too many chords per minute and Craig said 'If that's the guitar line, I'm not playing it' and walked out. That was really that." [8] "The others didn't want to play my new songs, such as 'Torch' for instance. [...] The song has some unusual chord changes. Craig thought it was crap, he said 'I'm not playing it, I'm going home.' And there he stayed." [9] London-based Cadiz Music has announced the reissue is “coming soon” and is being produced in conjunction with Eldritch’s Merciful Release label, which first issued The Sisterhood’s album Gift in 1986. On the very same day Eldritch made a phone call to bassist Patricia Morrison, whose band Fur Bible was on a UK tour with Siouxsie and the Banshees at the time, and asked her to play on his planned album. Morrison: "The day they fell apart he called me and said 'Will you do it?' and I said yes. [...] We had some tours set up, so I waited until that was cleared, then left." [13] There was nothing I could do but be the Sisterhood before them — the only way to kill that name was to use it, then kill it,” Eldritch told the NME. James Ray: "Lucas Fox done the spoken word stuff." [26] "If I remember correctly I advised Andrew on how Lucas Fox should approach his vocals and that was quite enough for me." [16]

Another Eldritch press release commented: "We assume that their choice of name is entirely unconnected with the forthcoming Andrew Eldritch album that for some months has had the working title Left on Mission and Revenge." The relationship between RCA and Eldritch was just as bad as the relationship between Eldritch and Hussey. Going from memory, I believe both were still signed to RCA. Either way, RCA was benefitting from the press coverage. I have read and heard that Eldritch deliberately made his album rubbish so that he would be released from his contract (cf Lou Reed). Despite the fact that I don't think the album was rubbish and the unlikelihood of Eldritch releasing a substandard record, it does reinforce the idea that Eldritch was not pleased with RCA. Recording took place at Fairview Studios [27] near Hull with in-house engineer John Spence. American vocalist Alan Vega, who had made friends with the Sisters of Mercy in 1983, [28] and undertook a solo tour through the UK and Europe during February and March 1986, recorded one version of the song, other vocal takes featuring James Ray and Andrew Eldritch are in existence as well. Because Eldritch, as an artist, was under contract to WEA Records, he could not sing on the record, otherwise WEA would have had an option on the recording. James Ray: "He asked me and I did the vocals, as easy as that". [21] London Independent Cadiz Music in conjunction with Merciful Release has announced that a re – mastered version of the ‘Gift’ album by The Sisterhood, the musical project formed by Andrew Eldritch after the demise of The Sisters of Mercy, will be re- issued on the 26th of May 2023.

Eldritch was alarmed: "They began to claim rights to [the Sisters name], which patently had to be stopped. And when they wanted to be called the Sisterhood, there was nothing I could do but be the Sisterhood before them – the only way to kill that name was to use it, then kill it." [12] "Warners thought they could have two bands on the same label with pretty much the same name." [17] Eldritch went into the studio at the tail end of 1985 to produce the debut single of James Ray and the Performance for his Merciful Release label. [15] James Ray: "The Sisterhood project arose during the recording of 'Mexico Sundown Blues'." [16] The music press reported the break-up of the band on Saturday, 2 November 1985: "The Sisters of Mercy were down to singer Andrew Eldritch and his faithful drum machine Doktor Avalanche this week after guitarist Wayne Hussey and bassist Craig Adams left the band. Although this has scuppered recording plans for a new album this month, Andrew now intends to record the same album in the New Year and could well be using Wayne as a session guitarist. The split was described as 'friendly' by a Merciful Release spokesperson. 'The cliché of musical differences would not be inappropriate. Wayne and Craig were unable to comprehend the direction the band was going.' Andrew has also approached former Gun Club bassist Patricia Morrison – now in Fur Bible – to play on the album, but it's not yet known whether Andrew will continue with the name Sisters of Mercy. Wayne and Craig are now reported to be getting their own band together." [11] While Eldritch was in the studio, Hussey and Adams, who had taken over the Sisters' roadcrew and equipment, announced their debut concert for 20 January 1986, which they were going to play under the new name the Sisterhood.