Gift

Product Information

Following the musical split of The Sisters Of Mercy after their show at Royal Albert Hall, Andrew Eldritch formed The Sisterhood in early 1986 together with Alan Vega (Suicide), Lucas Fox (Motorhead), Patricia Morrison (Sisters Of Mercy), James Ray (Gangwar) and Doktor Avalanche (the Sisters’ drum machine) – hurriedly beating his former band mates Craig Adams and Wayne Hussey for control of the Sisterhood name. 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]

In July 1986 Eldritch put the album out on his Merciful Release label to unanimously negative press reactions. The album did not accomplish its purpose, as RCA Records dissolved the publishing contract with Eldritch [29] and decided to keep the Mission instead. a b c [12] [ permanent dead link] Michael Ruff: "Prinz der Feuchtgebiete" ( SPEX magazine January 1988) Tony Perrin, the Mission's manager: "I think Eldritch perpetuated it longer than anyone else bothered. We'd still get letters from his lawyers ages after but nothing would ever come of it. The whole thing cost us legal bills and that's all, the rumours about big losses by us were all rubbish, it was never going to court." [32]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] 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]

The Sisters of Mercy are scheduled to play a pair of rare U.S. shows this spring — a festival in Las Vegas and a headlining date in Los Angeles — as the lone album from Andrew Eldritch’s mid-’80s side project The Sisterhood finally sees a reissue several years after it was announced. 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." Hussey and Adams, who like Eldritch remained under contract with WEA Records, booked studio time at Slaughterhouse Recording Studios in Driffield at the end of October 1985, recorded a four-song demo tape, and set up a new band. But the demo tape was rejected by the record company who were not convinced by Hussey's singing talents. [14]On Facebook, the label suggests the reissue will be released later this year or in early 2020, after Eldritch finishes his current tour with The Sisters of Mercy. Following the release of “Gift,” The Sisterhood disbanded, and Andrew Eldritch returned his focus to The Sisters of Mercy. The band underwent significant lineup changes, with Patricia Morrison joining as bassist. Eldritch has been relatively quiet about The Sisterhood project in interviews, stating that it served its purpose and that he has moved on from that chapter of his career. 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.

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." 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] Hussey and Adams had to give up the Sisterhood name. A radio session for the Janice Long Evening Show on BBC Radio 1 on 10 February was broadcast under the provisional name of the Wayne Hussey and Craig Adams Band, and at the end of February 1986 the new name the Mission was announced. The long-out-of-print album by The Sisterhood— the project born out of Andrew Eldritch’s feud with ex- Sisters of Mercy bandmates Wayne Hussey and Craig Adams — will be reissued on CD, cassette and vinyl for the first time in decades, and released digitally for the first time ever.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] Sounds magazine reported on 20 February 1986 that "a new 12-inch EP called 'This Corrosion' will soon be in the shops, featuring the same line-up but with the addition of a mysterious and so far undisclosed American vocalist." [24] This 12inch single even appeared in German music paper adverts as "available soon". [25] 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.

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 thinkThe 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.” 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.