Dr. Avalanche (drums, bass & synths) Or as a pop band. Patricia Morrison (bass) We play concerts, sometimes. Medley: Comfortably Numb/Some Kind of Stranger (Pink Floyd/The Sisters of Mercy) Burn Knocking on Heaven`s Door (Bob Dylan) That fluidity does tempt me to be very absorbed with tinkering, which I find a very fulfilling process in itself. It was an impact. How did you relate to him on a personal level? And, because success and growing fame go hand in hand, major labels were increasingly interested in the Sisters. Did you know? I like some of the songs on the first album. There was endless legal wrangling about the final album, which had been contractually agreed but not delivered; in the end, Eldritch found a way to meet his contractual obligations with a small ploy, which was probably accepted in part because EAST WEST/TIME WARNER were also sick arguing and other bands were more important. For the time being. A must at every concert. For the second Sisters Of Mercy album Floodland, you worked with Jim Steinman – writer of Meat Loaf’s Bat Out Of Hell – on two songs, This Corrosion and Dominion. “Lucretia My Reflection” was the last single to be released during the “Floodland” era. You’re welcome.”, “It’s all a matter of technique. I thought that was nice. The band have cited Leonard Cohen, Hawkwind, Gary Glitter, Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground, Iggy And The Stooges, Motörhead, Suicide, The Birthday Party and the Fall as among their influences. 2nd US tour 1984 Yes, that’s right. Adam Pearson (guitars) From this perspective, this clip from 2003 was the last official release except for some album compilations and remastered albums (2007), some of which contained demo recordings for collectors. This cute little helper was baptized Dr. Avalanche, and at their first gig on 16 February 1981 the Sisters were joined by Ben Gunn (Benjamin Matthews) on second guitar and Jon Langford on bass. Emma (Hot Chocolate) Uptown Top Ranking (Althea&Donna) He was only in the band for a year. Or alternative rock? But the icing was always very shiny. Insiders know that there are still quite a few of them. But disagreements soon arose. The Sisters of Mercy is regarded as a major influence on gothic rock, and Eldritch, with his (former) shock of black hair, bass-baritone vocal style and pale and thin look (with prominent cheekbones), was described in the media as a poster boy for the genre, earning him the label "the Godfather of Goth", which he frequently denies. So that didn’t work. Everybody said, ‘You can’t survive as a band if you don’t put out albums – you’ve got to keep your record company.’ Twenty years later, I’m not so sure. Tony James (bass) Behind then I might clear your Fans were slightly mystified by a press release towards the end of the year saying that Tony James was being replaced by Dr Avalanche. I didn’t realise that he paid no attention whatsoever to the cake until I worked with him. Although the Sisters toured all the time during their first 5 years, it now seemed as if they did not want to play live any more. “Far Parade” has never been played live, or hinted at during a soundcheck. Hard guitar riffs, a brilliant bridge leading to an awesome finale, interspersed with rock, brilliant synthesizers and lyrics that show a flash of Eldritch’s genius and humourous way with words “Do I drive, or am I driven? Eldritch’s Iggy worship was undeniable, as were his subtler undertones of The Doors, Lou Reed, and the swagger of ’70s hard rock. Whereas “No time to cry” was rather commercial, the B-sides of this single were more convincing. Which is the name of a music project that had nothing to do with the Sisters in terms of music, except for some vocal samples by Eldritch in some songs on the “Go figure” album. He`s got the whole World/Always look on the bright side of Life (Traditional/Monty Python) I’d grown up with Top Of The Pops, so that was like an Oscar to me. The fact is that Gary Marx played the guitar and Andrew was on drums. Need it, want it. But it finally happened at the end of 1983. Or to discuss the presence of Eldritch‘s voice at different tours, or if there was too much or not enough fog (“Fog me and mumble me numb”). At these concerts they introduced a song that is now considered a true classic: “Temple of Love“ (B-side: “Heartland/Gimme Shelter“) was released in October 1983 and is the song that led to the Sisters‘ breakthrough: Full of energy and drive, an inferno descends upon the listener after the long guitar intro. Nobody knew at that time that he would stay with the Sisters for twelve years. On “Floodland”, the guitars move into the background to make room for Eldritch‘s acoustic scenery and Jim Steinman‘s megalomania. Nobody knows if there will ever be another studio album by the Sisters. It’s a very coherent record and that’s what gives it a lot of its power. Will Eldritch‘s voice ever recover to such an extent that you can describe his whimpering as singing? The band had lost its first guitarist. I’m still very European in my outlook. Listen to medieval minstrels play Rainbow In The Dark by Lord Ronald of The House Dio, Ozzy: ‘This year has been the worst year of my life’, Smashing Pumpkins mesh enigmatic synth-pop and mysticism on Cyr, Volbeat hit the heights on Rewind, Replay, Rebound - Live In Deutschland. And an industrial groove machine. SSV is short for the acronym SSV-NSMABAAOTWMODAACOTIATW, which in turn is short for “Screw Shareholder Value – not so much a band as another opportunity to waste money on drugs and ammunition, courtesy of the idiots at Time Warner”. I went to our local goth club one time. 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