Author:Mark Andrews / Trevor Ristrow
I came late to the Sisters of Mercy – just after their second lineup split following a concert in the Royal Albert Hall in June 1985 and the release earlier in the year of their first album – First and Last and Always. With no product for another 2 years (Floodland) or live appearance until Wembley Arena in 1990, all that there was to absorb from the band was the first album, previous singles, eps, bootleg live albums, one video from the RAH (Wake) and collections of old music press stories and reviews.
These two books are biographies of the band in those first 5 years from 1980, coincidentally both published last year. Although my quest for TSOM product has long been sated, and the story of Eldritch and co was quite familiar –
Ely>Cambridge>Leeds>multiple gigs/groupies/alcohol/speed/monomaniacal powercraziness>band collapse
I was intrigued by how the two authors would flesh out the story.
Both start well by choosing as Book titles song quotes the fans would know (Heartland/Valentine), and there’s a fair amount of reference in both books to the literary/linguistic wordplay that Eldritch liked and that drew me to the band.
Although covering the same time period, they use different sources for their texts. Andrews rigorously interviewed pretty much everyone associated with the band (even Eldritch himself at some point). Ristrow seems to draw from the sources he himself had gathered as a dedicated archivist of the band. I can only imagine both authors sitting at their desk/in front of a massive time line, piecing together quotes and stories from different sources to build a composite picture of key scenes in the band’s development – the alternative music clubs in Leeds where the band first formed, Wayne Hussey’s selection interview, the American tours, and of course the chaos that was the recording of the first album.
I read the Ristrow book first (on Kindle), which may have spoiled me. He is the genuine fanboy and tells his story with gusto and enthusiasm, starting with a sprawling but joy-filled anecdote about the first TSOM gig he attended in the States. There’s a real care in the way he puts together the story, and even though it’s familiar, it has good devices and little cliff-hangers that left me wanting to read the next chapter to find out what he meant with an enigmatic sign off of the previous chapter – quite an Eldritchian touch.
I had to wait till I was in the UK to pick up the Andrews book (hardback), and was looking forward to reading it more, the author’s articles in The Quietus are intelligent, probing and thoughtful, revealing the layers and complexities of Eldritch, other band members, their influences and interests. But for some reason, the book, impeccably referenced to interview sources for pretty much everything described, seemed factual, encyclopaedic, and rather archival. It was interesting to read about the reasons why some music studios had such a positive effect on the singles produced, and there’s a lot of content, but I found it a slog, waiting for the dramatic assessment, or critical overview, which never came. It was quite dispassionate, where the Ristrow book was in the moshpit with the touring fans.
Both books were clearly written with a lot of care and affection for the band, while spelling out the serious character traits that led them on the trajectory the band followed. What TSOM achieved in their first five years was remarkable, given the two starting members, Eldritch and Marx were not musicians, and had no experience of the music industry. The music they made, the whole imagery and stagecraft, and the following they drew made their collapse in 1985 a terrible what-if, but also a glorious explosion. Better a bang than a whimper. Both Andrews and Ristrow in their way captured this story well – thanks to them for their books.
Length of Read:Medium
Might appeal to people who enjoyed…
The Sisters of Mercy, obvs.
One thing you’ve learned
The Sisters really loved America – I think it made them the band they were
I’d been sitting on the idea of writing this books review for some time, wondering how to do the two books justice. In the end I thought it best to just put out my impressions, in case there’s any other AW TSOM fans interested.
Whenever I hear anything by or about the SoM I think of the late James Blast who introduced me to them by burning a compilation of his favourite SoM songs for me.
That however does not make me in any way appropriate for reviewing the books.
I just meant I wanted to alert people to the books’ existence – not to ask them to review them. Did you like the compilation?
On the whole yes. I wasn’t converted into a die-hard fan, but I was pleased to be introduced to the best of their oeuvre.
I saw the Sisters at Reading Festival in {checks notes} 1991. By then it was just Eldritch, Tim from All About Eve on guitar, and wotsername from the Gun Club on bass. An impressive spectacle, but I never felt the need to see them again.
I wasn’t aware of either book, so thanks for letting me know.
Fun though it would have been to see the Sisters live with Patricia Morrison on bass, by that time, she’d been chucked in bad blood and Tony James was rocking the 4 strings on stage*.
One thing I did learn from the books was that Eldritch and Morrison were good friends from times of TSOM and The Gun Club playing together. So they started the Sisterhood/Floodland era on good terms, even if she was mainly decorative, and things soured.
*I can hardly believe I used such uncool language.
Thanks, Salwarpe, for these thoughtful reviews. I much prefer Floodland to the majority of the first album and the early singles, but it’s clear that the Sisters’ early years were some wild’n’crazy times indeed, so I might have a look at both of these books.
By the time of Floodland, Andrew Eldritch had clearly smoothed off the rough edges, and for me the music sounds all the better for it. I would pay good money for a 5.1 surround version of that album – and if they could throw in surround-sound versions of Marianne and Temple of Love as well, that would be a perfect Sisters release.
The chances of a new album are practically nil, but your reviews make me want to listen to their small but perfectly formed discography yet again.
I have both these books, you may not be surprised to learn. Quite bizarre that they came out so close to each other, but I think they complement each other well. I did prefer PMNIBAG for not being afraid to delve into how unpleasant control/speed freak Eldritch could and did become.
If you wanted to round out the trilogy, Wayne Hussey published the first volume of his autobiography not so long ago, which takes him up to his exit from the Sisters. It is an altogether less serious read than the other two, but a lot of fun, especially when he is talking about his childhood growing up in almost exactly the same area that I live in now.
No, it doesn’t surprise me. If anyone on here had it, I’d guess it would be you.
Also, Andrews clearly took good note from what his interviewees said about Eldritch to form his authoritative picture of the man – the impact of his interactions with and actions towards those interviewed leaving a clear sense of who and what he is/was.
I bet Wayne’s book is a lot of fun, but I’m not that much of a fan to read it. His superb contributions to FALAA don’t make up for me for his Mission work, which does nothing for me.