The Sisters of Mercy discography
| The Sisters of Mercy discography | |
|---|---|
 The Sisters of Mercy performing live in 2019 | |
| Studio albums | 3 |
| Compilation albums | 2 |
| Video albums | 3 |
| Music videos | 9 |
| EPs | 2 |
| Singles | 16 |
The discography of the English rock band the Sisters of Mercy consists of three studio albums, two compilation albums, two extended plays (EPs), and sixteen singles. The Sisters of Mercy were formed in Leeds in 1980 by Andrew Eldritch (vocals, drums) and Gary Marx (guitar) and released their debut single, "The Damage Done", the same year on their own independent record label, Merciful Release. In early 1981, Craig Adams (bass) joined the band and they started to use a drum machine, which was christened Doktor Avalanche. Ben Gunn joined the band as a second guitarist by the end of 1981 and this line-up recorded four more singles and two EPs during 1982 and 1983. Guitarist Wayne Hussey replaced Gunn in early 1984 and, after building up their live reputation,[1] The Sisters signed with WEA, who distribute the band's releases on Merciful Release in the United Kingdom and on Elektra Records in the United States. The band's next single, 1984's "Body and Soul", became their first charting effort in the UK when it reached number 46. Three more singles were released before the band reached number 14 on the UK Albums Chart with their debut album, First and Last and Always, which was released in March 1985. Following the album's release, Marx left the band, before the rest of the group disbanded in mid-1985.
After releasing a single and album with the Sisterhood, and a legal dispute with Adams and Hussey over ownership of the band name the Sisters of Mercy,[1] Eldritch reformed the Sisters of Mercy with himself as vocalist and Patricia Morrison on bass. The band continued to be supplemented by the drum machine known as Doktor Avalanche. This new line-up reached number seven in the UK with their first single, "This Corrosion", which was released in September 1987. Floodland, released in November 1987, also made the top ten when it reached number nine on the UK Albums Chart. Two further singles from Floodland – "Dominion" and "Lucretia My Reflection" – reached numbers 13 and 20 in the UK in early 1988.
Another line-up change in early 1990 saw Morrison being replaced on bass by Tony James; guitarists Tim Bricheno and Andreas Bruhn were also recruited. This line-up released the single "More" and the album Vision Thing in October 1990, which reached numbers 21 and 11 on the UK Singles Chart and UK Albums Chart respectively. A further single, "Doctor Jeep", was released from Vision Thing in December 1990 and reached number 37 in the UK. James left the band in 1991 before the single "Temple of Love (1992)", a re-recording of their 1983 single, was released in April 1992 and became the band's highest-charting single when it reached number three in the UK. Some Girls Wander by Mistake, a compilation of the band's early material was also released in April 1992 and reached number five in the UK. With Bricheno leaving the band by the end of 1992, a new guitarist, Adam Pearson, was recruited before the band recorded the single "Under the Gun", which was released in August 1993 and reached number 19 in the UK. A greatest-hits compilation album, A Slight Case of Overbombing, was also released in August 1993 and reached number 14 on the UK Albums Chart. The Sisters of Mercy have not made any more commercial releases, but continue to tour under various line-ups, with Eldritch as the only main stable member.
Albums[edit]
Studio albums[edit]
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [2] |
AUS [3] |
AUT [4] |
GER [5] |
NZ [6] |
SWE [7] |
SWI [8] |
US [9] | |||
| First and Last and Always |
|
14 | — | — | 40 | — | 23 | — | — | |
| Floodland |
|
9 | — | — | 32 | 28 | 28 | 24 | 101 | |
| Vision Thing |
|
11 | 73 | 21 | 13 | 38 | 22 | 22 | 136 | |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||
Compilation albums[edit]
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [2] |
AUS [3] |
AUT [4] |
BEL (WA) [12] |
GER [5] |
NZ [6] |
POR [13] |
SWE [7] |
SWI [8] | |||
| Some Girls Wander by Mistake |
|
5 | 98 | 7 | — | 9 | 27 | — | 17 | 22 | |
| A Slight Case of Overbombing |
|
14 | — | — | — | 11 | — | — | 11 | 21 | |
| BBC Sessions 1982–1984 |
|
55 | — | — | 151 | — | — | 49 | — | — | |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||
Box sets[edit]
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Merciful Release |
|
Extended plays[edit]
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Alice[14] |
|
| The Reptile House |
|
| Body and Soul |
|
Singles[edit]
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [2] |
AUS [3] |
AUT [4] |
GER [5] |
IRE [15] |
NZ [6] |
SWE [7] |
US Alt [9] |
US Dance [9] | |||
| "The Damage Done" | 1980 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles |
| "Body Electric" | 1982 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Alice" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Anaconda" | 1983 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Temple of Love" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Body and Soul" | 1984 | 46 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Body and Soul |
| "Walk Away" | 45 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | First and Last and Always | |
| "No Time to Cry" | 1985 | 63 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "This Corrosion" | 1987 | 7 | — | — | 17 | 6 | — | — | — | 38 | Floodland |
| "Dominion" | 1988 | 13 | — | — | — | 7 | — | — | — | 30 | |
| "Lucretia My Reflection" | 20 | — | — | — | 22 | — | — | — | 30 | ||
| "More" | 1990 | 14 | 74 | — | 14 | 10 | 41 | — | 1 | — | Vision Thing |
| "Doctor Jeep" | 37 | 125 | — | 45 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "When You Don't See Me" | 1991 | — | — | — | 74 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Temple of Love (1992)" | 1992 | 3 | — | 16 | 5 | 15 | — | 24 | — | — | Non-album single |
| "Under the Gun" | 1993 | 19 | — | — | 40 | — | — | 17 | — | — | A Slight Case of Overbombing |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||
Other charting singles[edit]
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Alt [9] | |||
| "Detonation Boulevard" | 1991 | 17 | Vision Thing |
Videography[edit]
Video albums[edit]
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Wake | |
| Shot |
|
| Shot Rev 2.0 |
|
Music videos[edit]
| Title | Year | Director |
|---|---|---|
| "Body and Soul" | 1984 | |
| "Walk Away" | Stevie Price | |
| "No Time to Cry" | 1985 | Pete Cornish |
| "Black Planet"[16] | Steve Martin [17] | |
| "This Corrosion" | 1987 | Stuart Orme [18] |
| "Dominion" | 1988 | David Hogan [18] |
| "Lucretia My Reflection" | Peter Sinclair [18] | |
| "1959" | ||
| "More" | 1990 | Dominic Sena |
| "Doctor Jeep" | Jon Klein [19] | |
| "Detonation Boulevard" | ||
| "Temple of Love (1992)" | 1992 | |
| "Under the Gun" | 1993 | Jon Klein |
References[edit]
- ^ a b Strong, Martin C., ed. (1998) [1994]. The Great Rock Discography (4th ed.). Florence: Giunti. p. 751. ISBN 88-09-21522-2.
- ^ a b c "Sisters of Mercy | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
- ^ a b c Peaks in Australia:
- All except noted: Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 255.
- "Doctor Jeep": "Bubbling Down Under Week Commencing 25 March 1991". Retrieved 25 March 2022.
- ^ a b c "Discographie The Sisters of Mercy". austriancharts.at (in German). Retrieved 22 September 2009.
- ^ a b c "Offizielle Deutsche Charts – Suchen nach "The Sisters of Mercy"" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
- ^ a b c "Discography The Sisters of Mercy". charts.nz. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
- ^ a b c "Discography The Sisters of Mercy". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
- ^ a b "The Sisters of Mercy". hitparade.ch (in German). Retrieved 8 January 2022.
- ^ a b c d "The Sisters of Mercy | Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2 August 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
- ^ a b c d e "British certifications – Sisters of Mercy". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 8 January 2022. Type Sisters of Mercy in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
- ^ a b c d e "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Sisters of Mercy)" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
- ^ "Discographie The Sisters of Mercy" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
- ^ "Discography The Sisters of Mercy". portuguesecharts.com. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
- ^ "The Sisters of Mercy". AllMusic. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
- ^ "Search the charts". The Irish Charts. Archived from the original on 8 January 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
- ^ "Sisters of Mercy Rock Video Shoot "Black Planet" - 1985" by Robert Webb.
- ^ "New Video Clips". Billboard. August 10, 1985. p. 31. Note this director is not Steve Martin the actor.
- ^ a b c Shot. [VHS]. Warner Music Vision. 1988. 244053-3.
- ^ "The Sisters Of Mercy – Doctor Jeep VHS". Retrieved on 20 August 2022.
External links[edit]
- Official website
- The Sisters of Mercy at AllMusic
- The Sisters of Mercy discography at Discogs
- The Sisters of Mercy discography discography at MusicBrainz