About The Sisters of Mercy
The Sisters of Mercy are an English rock band formed in Leeds in 1980. After achieving early underground fame, the band experienced a commercial breakthrough in the mid-1980s, sustaining their success until the early 1990s, when they halted the release of new records in protest against their record company, WEA. Currently, although the band operates primarily as a touring outfit, they continue to perform new and unreleased music live.
The group has released three original studio albums: First and Last and Always , Floodland , and Vision Thing . Each album was recorded by a different line-up; singer-songwriter Andrew Eldritch and the drum machine known as Doktor Avalanche are the only constant elements throughout. Eldritch and Avalanche were also involved in the Sisterhood, a side project linked to Eldritch's disputes with former members.
The Sisters of Mercy ceased recording activity in the early 1990s when they went on strike against East West Records, whom they accused of incompetence and withholding royalties, while pressuring the group to release at least two more studio albums. Instead, the label released the album Go Figure under the name SSV in 1997. Although the Sisters of Mercy were eventually released from their contract with East West, they have never signed with another label nor released any new material. They have continued to perform new songs live.
Former members of the group went on to establish the bands Ghost Dance and the Mission.
The Sisters of Mercy were formed in Leeds, England, in 1980 by Gary Marx and Andrew Eldritch, driven by their desire to hear themselves on the radio. In their inaugural year, the band experienced several lineup changes. One early formation included vocalist Keith Fuller and keyboardist Claire Shearsby, who accompanied Eldritch on drums and Marx on guitar. After this lineup disbanded, only Marx and Eldritch remained involved, both taking on vocal duties. During this period, Jon Langford played keyboard in the band but left due to infrequent attendance at practice.
At the end of 1980, the single "Damage Done/Watch/Home of the Hit-men" was recorded and released. On this single, Marx played guitar through a practice amplifier while Eldritch played drums, which he had purchased from Langford. Each member contributed to the songwriting: Eldritch penned "Damage Done," while Marx wrote "Watch". The band's name was inspired by Robert Altman's film McCabe & Mrs. Miller , which featured Leonard Cohen's song "Sisters of Mercy" from his album Songs of Leonard Cohen, as they believed that " the Captains of Industry wouldn't have been as funny".
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