Gift

Product Information

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] 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.

Music Written and Produced by Andrew Eldritch Featuring Doktor Avalanche and The Chorus Of Vengeance a b c [12] [ permanent dead link] Michael Ruff: "Prinz der Feuchtgebiete" ( SPEX magazine January 1988) 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] 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] Andrew Eldritch radio interview [ permanent dead link] (Andrew Collins Show, BBC 6 Music 17 April 2003)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] 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] 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.

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] In March 1986, the Mission began negotiations with Phonogram Ltd. as WEA Records refused to release any material. So the band released the October 1985 demo tape in slightly re-recorded form as an independent single on 9 May 1986. The single (its b-side was titled "Wake (RSV)" as a nod to "Giving Ground (RSV)") promptly entered the UK Indie Chart at no. 1. WEA Records had to release the Mission from their contract. 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.” 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.

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. 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. Thus he took Eldritch took the name The Sisterhood for himself and announced single through his own Merciful Release label:“Giving Ground”. Eldritch raced to record a new single under the Sisterhood name, releasing “Giving Ground”– with James Ray on vocals, since Eldritch couldn’t contractually appear — on his Merciful Release label on the very same day that Hussey and Adams played their first gig. 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]

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, 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. Released in two official editions. The original artwork differs slightly, mostly inasfar as the print on the cover 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 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 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. 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. The introduction to "Jihad" consists of the numbers "Two-Five-Zero-Zero-Zero". This is the amount of money (in sterling...) Hussey had to pay Eldritch after he sued for using the name "Sisterhood" with the pre-Mission name Hussey was using to tour with... 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 thinkRCA, 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. 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.