About The Sisters of Mercy
The Sisters of Mercy are an English rock band formed in Leeds in 1980. After achieving early underground fame there, the band had their commercial breakthrough in the mid-1980s and sustained it until the early 1990s, when they stopped releasing new records in protest against their record company, WEA. Currently, although the band are a touring outfit only, 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 called Doktor Avalanche are the only points of continuity throughout. Eldritch and Avalanche were also involved in the Sisterhood, a side project connected with Eldritch's dispute with former members.
The Sisters of Mercy ceased recording activity in the early 1990s, when they went on strike against East West Records, who they accused of incompetence and withholding royalties, and had pressured the group to release at least two more studio albums; instead, the label released the album Go Figure under the moniker SSV in 1997. Although the Sisters of Mercy were eventually released from their contract with East West, they have never been signed to another label nor released any new material. They have continued to perform new songs live.
Former members of the group established the bands Ghost Dance and the Mission.
The Sisters of Mercy were formed in Leeds, England, in 1980 by Gary Marx and Andrew Eldritch, to satisfy their desire to hear themselves on the radio. In their first year, the band went through a number of different lineups. One early line-up consisted of vocalist Keith Fuller and keyboardist Claire Shearsby accompanying Eldritch on drums and Marx on guitar. After this lineup dissolved, only Marx and Eldritch remained involved and both also took on vocal duties. During this time, Jon Langford played keyboard in the band but departed due to rarely turning up to practice.
At the end of 1980, the single "Damage Done/Watch/Home of the Hit-men", was recorded and released. On the single Marx played guitar through a practice amplifier and Eldritch was on drums that he had bought from Langford. The duo each wrote and sang on a song: Eldritch on "Damage Done", Marx on "Watch". The band name was influenced by Robert Altman's film McCabe & Mrs. Miller , which featured the Leonard Cohen song "Sisters of Mercy" from his album Songs of Leonard Cohen, "because the Captains of Industry wouldn't have been as funny".
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