GIFT by the Sisterhood -- Classic or Dud

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http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0000246NZ.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

Assembled by Andrew Eldritch in 1986 to stymie plans by Hussey and Adams to prize all the publishing after their departure from the Sisters of Mercy. Recorded swiftly and arguably "written to be unpalatable", Eldritch himself supposedly doesn't vocally appear on the record, his place taken by Suicide's Alan Vega and Merciful Release protoge, James Ray. Thick, plodding, impenetrable, lumbing -- but still compelling, albeit in a typically sombre, morbid, vengeful way.

Your thoughts?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 19 May 2005 02:50 (twenty years ago)

lumbing

Lumbering.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 19 May 2005 02:51 (twenty years ago)

I'm confused as to how releasing this would have stymied Hussey and Adams. more info?

― donut debonair (donut), Thursday, 19 May 2005 02:56 (twenty years ago)

Colors is the song I want played at my execution.

― -rainbow bum- (-rainbow bum-), Thursday, 19 May 2005 03:47 (twenty years ago)

Ze stymie story:

It was Hussey and Adams what wanted to do their own band the Sisterhood following the vague SoM implosion of the mid-eighties, and initial shows were done calling themselves that. Mr. Eldritch thought "Fuck those fucking punks" and therefore actually released something under the name so they couldn't.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 19 May 2005 04:46 (twenty years ago)

I'm really happy there are so many SoM threads lately

― Zack Richardson (teenagequiet), Thursday, 19 May 2005 04:55 (twenty years ago)

So than they went with the name the Mission instead, only to have to add UK at a later date in the US. I use to love the Mission but now looking back they were just another U2 wantabee.

I have that LP and can’t for the life of me remember if it’s any good. Not having my record player out of storage for three years has only a minor role in that, as I doubt it would have been played anyways.

― BeeOK (boo radley), Thursday, 19 May 2005 05:15 (twenty years ago)

Even though that was yet another unoriginal idea - the working title for the next Sisters album was aparently "Lost On Mission Of Revenge" (or "Hell-Bent On Mission Of Revenge", depending which side of the bed Andrew has got out of).

― aldo_cowpat (aldo_cowpat), Thursday, 19 May 2005 05:38 (twenty years ago)

Eldritch himself supposedly doesn't vocally appear on the record

If you don't know, you'll never notice, but indeed:

Colours (Gift) : James Ray
Colours (Floodland CD) : Eldritch

― StanM, Thursday, 19 May 2005 08:34 (twenty years ago)

"Gift" is a fantastic album, I'm actually using a track in my next mix...

― Siegbran (eofor), Thursday, 19 May 2005 09:55 (twenty years ago)

AARRGH! This fucker is C.L.A.S.S.I.C. and I haven't heard it in EONS! Must must rectify A.S.A.P.!

― The Silent Disco of Glastonbury (Bimble...), Thursday, 19 May 2005 12:38 (twenty years ago)

So who sings "Giving Ground"? Is it Vega? It so doesn't sound like him.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 19 May 2005 20:14 (twenty years ago)

I always thought it was Lucas Fox, but it isn't confirmed here either:

http://www.mixi.net/Sisters.Of.Mercy/Related.Works/Sisterhood/Gift.Page.html

― StanM, Friday, 20 May 2005 06:02 (twenty years ago)

So I dug this out and played it again (on my discman while walking through a deserted cemetary no less) and I'd say it still holds up. Though it's hard to say why, exactly. On the surface it would seem many of the songs here are just repetitive, but they manage to be hypnotic rather than tiresome. You almost feel as if you've been taken in, that they must have spiked the music with some drug or other, because otherwise it's hard to explain why it all comes off so well. I remember kinda feeling that way about it at the time, too, because it just kept drawing me in, despite its surface appearance of simplicity.

Also re: Vega vocals, I listened very carefully and I don't think he sings the lead on anything here, although I could see how some of the background vocals on Giving Ground could be him.

― The Silent Disco of Glastonbury (Bimble...), Thursday, 26 May 2005 13:51 (twenty years ago)

Vega vocals, I listened very carefully and I don't think he sings the lead on anything here

I've never heard him within either.....unless he's singing in a strikingly different style than he usually does.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 26 May 2005 13:53 (twenty years ago)

EGYPT RED, FINLAND WHITE

― Snowy Mann (rdmanston), Thursday, 26 May 2005 14:09 (twenty years ago)

There was an old sink on the side of the mausoleum. It seemed strange to me, to be there. I was a bit startled by the sight. The cabinet below the sink was of old wood. Will-rot-one-day-soon kind of wood. OLd wood.
Then I determined that this shouldn't disturb me it was all normal the business of owning a cemetary...
and I kept walking.
The song playing in my ears was "Finland Red, Egypt White"

― The Silent Disco of Glastonbury (Bimble...), Friday, 27 May 2005 05:04 (twenty years ago)

one year passes...

I've been playing this EP nonstop lately. "Colours" and "Giving Ground" are kickass (and the former is better without Eldritch singing, I think).

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Thursday, 27 July 2006 02:28 (nineteen years ago)

two weeks pass...

I played this tonight for the first time in ages. Still fucking classic considering it was knocked together in about 10 minutes.

Fact fans: Gift is German for "poison"

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Saturday, 12 August 2006 00:13 (nineteen years ago)

Yes! You are right! I remember that now. Cheers to you!

― Armadillo Rhinocerous (Bimble...), Saturday, 12 August 2006 00:29 (nineteen years ago)

It's a great record, one of my favourites ever. I love how minimal and brutal the beats are. 'Finland Red, Egypt White', awesome tune.

My understanding is that the record has been deleted and is only available now on e-bayland (or from people who will burn a copy for you).

― DV (dirtyvicar), Saturday, 12 August 2006 14:53 (nineteen years ago)

one year passes...

"Two...five...zero..."

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 21 March 2008 03:13 (seventeen years ago)

"EVERYTHING IS LOST..."

― Alex in NYC, Friday, 21 March 2008 15:48 (seventeen years ago)

I think I still need this.

― HI DERE, Friday, 21 March 2008 16:08 (seventeen years ago)

You don't have this? Seriously?

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 21 March 2008 18:32 (seventeen years ago)

Seriously!

― HI DERE, Friday, 21 March 2008 18:56 (seventeen years ago)

This will be corrected.

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 21 March 2008 18:56 (seventeen years ago)

There Will Be Music

― HI DERE, Friday, 21 March 2008 19:00 (seventeen years ago)

I'm really happy there are so many SoM threads lately

-- Zack Richardson (teenagequiet), Thursday, 19 May 2005 14:55 (2 years ago)

arf

― energy flash gordon, Sunday, 23 March 2008 07:55 (seventeen years ago)

four weeks pass...

lol the vocals on "Giving Ground" are so ridiculous

especially when you remember that the dude looks like this http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/_/437998.jpg

― Curt1s Stephens, Sunday, 20 April 2008 05:27 (seventeen years ago)

nine months pass...

"You reap what you sow..."

― baaderonixx, Monday, 9 February 2009 14:25 (sixteen years ago)

YES YES YES YES YES THIS RECORD YES YES YES YES OTM

― Gross Chapel British Grenadiers (Bimble), Monday, 9 February 2009 14:29 (sixteen years ago)

No, this is totally the record right now. I associate it with the cemetary near my house, and I took my friend into the cemetary last weekend, and I was trying to get in touch with this record at the same time, but I listened to Stevie Nicks instead, but I was trying to get back in touch with this record, so thanks for reminding me.

― Gross Chapel British Grenadiers (Bimble), Monday, 9 February 2009 14:32 (sixteen years ago)

thirteen years pass...

So yeah, Cadiz Music, that remastered reissue, not happening then? It was Coming Soon in 2019.

― StanM, Saturday, 22 October 2022 18:48 (two years ago)

well i guess those words are just dust

― o shit the sheriff (NickB), Saturday, 22 October 2022 19:23 (two years ago)

lol

― StanM, Saturday, 22 October 2022 19:24 (two years ago)

still never got round to hearing this thing tbh, but did have the giving ground single, which i LOVED

― o shit the sheriff (NickB), Saturday, 22 October 2022 19:26 (two years ago)

i love this album so much. time has been very kind to it.

Two-Five-Zero-Zero-Zero

― stirmonster, Sunday, 23 October 2022 02:01 (two years ago)

WE FORGIVE AS WE FORGET...AS THE DAY IS LONG...

― stirmonster, Sunday, 23 October 2022 10:42 (two years ago)

I'm shocked that the guy who claimed he would finally put out a new album if Donald Trump was elected flaked out on a reissue.

I also love this, maybe more than anything else he's done but Floodland and Reptile House. I wish he'd mined this sound more (outside of Flood I and Never Land I guess).

― Doctor Madame Frances Experimento, LLC", Sunday, 23 October 2022 22:23 (two years ago)

this thing rules, that is all

did anyone ever figure out who the actual "Giving Ground" vocalist is?

― sleeve, Sunday, 23 October 2022 22:56 (two years ago)

it's James Ray.

― stirmonster, Sunday, 23 October 2022 23:01 (two years ago)

wait sorry I mean "Rain From Heaven"

― sleeve, Sunday, 23 October 2022 23:02 (two years ago)

i have also heard it actually is eldritch on all vocals.

i guess we will never truly know.

― stirmonster, Sunday, 23 October 2022 23:08 (two years ago)

I kind of like that, this weird enigmatic release deserves no less

― sleeve, Sunday, 23 October 2022 23:10 (two years ago)

Listen to the difference. notEldritch = from GIFT, Eldritch = Floodland bonus track.

https://we.tl/t-kktwDApkTm

― StanM, Monday, 24 October 2022 08:09 (two years ago)

= two +/- 18 second clips

― StanM, Monday, 24 October 2022 08:10 (two years ago)

(this is Colours though, but Giving Ground isn't E either)

― StanM, Monday, 24 October 2022 08:10 (two years ago)

three months pass...

so yeah, I've been checking this page every couple of Months since 2019, not expecting anything anymore : https://viveleshop.com/blogs/news/coming-soon-the-sisterhood-gift

but... they're finally taking preorders! Maybe to be released in March! https://viveleshop.com/collections/the-sisterhood-gift/products/the-sisterhood-gift-cd

― StanM, Tuesday, 14 February 2023 13:45 (two years ago)

oh, it IS already out? https://www.discogs.com/release/25442728-The-Sisterhood-Gift

― StanM, Tuesday, 14 February 2023 16:52 (two years ago)

two weeks pass...

Ordered on Feb 14 and it's here today (after a Royal Mail being hacked issue, and then then customs+taxes (more than the actual CD price, seriously: fuck everyone who voted for brexit) ).
Doesn't sound *massively* different from the original CD except some differences that show they really have the master tapes (tracks not fading out but going on until the cold end, for instance) - worth it, still.

― StanM, Friday, 3 March 2023 10:17 (two years ago)

the label on the packaging couldn't have been more correctly filled in though: they selected "Gift" :-)

― StanM, Friday, 3 March 2023 10:43 (two years ago)

hearing it on good headphones now - it's an upgrade for sure, clearer sound. (And none of the lead vox are Eldritch, how can anyone think that?)

― StanM, Friday, 3 March 2023 19:17 (two years ago)

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