First and Last and Always
Encyclopedia
First and Last and Always is the debut album by the British gothic rock
band The Sisters of Mercy
, which was released in 1985 and proved to be style-shaping in the musical category of gothic rock
.
and Gary Marx
in Leeds
and up to 1983 produced five singles and two EPs
, which were released on the band's own indie label
Merciful Release and were distributed independently as well. As the band became increasingly successful and featured regularly in the UK Indie Chart
, a first studio album was announced in 1983 for the following year. Eldritch estimated the production costs at £40,000, a sum which exceeded the financial capabilities of an indie band. Around the same time talks with interested record labels began.
In October 1983 guitarist Ben Gunn
left and at the end of the year, through CBS Records
who were interested in signing The Sisters, was replaced by former Dead or Alive
member Wayne Hussey
. Hussey soon realised serious tensions within the group: „I started rehearsing with Craig and Gary in the cellar of Eldritch's place. It was very primitive, we did a lot of rehearsing but never with Andrew. [...] Gary was becoming disillusioned and after I'd been in the band only about three weeks, he asked me to leave with him and Craig. I think from that point on I held the band together in many ways.“
Eldritch, who handled management and business affairs of the band, negotiated with several record companies early in the new year and finally signed a satisfactory contract with WEA Records
. Merciful Release opened an office in London and founded its own publishing company Candelmaesse Limited, as well, which licensed the future song material to the publisher of RCA Records
, RCA Music Limited.
The new band line-up played its debut concert on 7 April 1984, which featured the newly written songs "Body and Soul", "Train" and "Walk Away". The gig was followed by a short American tour until 16 April.
After returning to the UK Eldritch wrote a new song called "Wide Receiver" which was inspired by a term
in American Football
and which he recorded on his own at home as a demo. The rudimentary song wasn't used in the end but Eldritch's solo demo recording appeared in early 1992 on a bootleg album.
At Strawberry Recording Studios
in Stockport
The Sisters of Mercy recorded their first single for WEA ("Body and Soul") which was composed and produced by Eldritch himself and which was released on 4 June 1984. "Body and Soul" did not make the Top 40
and stalled at no. 46.
From 2 May to 6 June the band toured the UK and Europe and tried out a new Gary Marx composition which he later used in Ghost Dance
. Marx: „The tune was always known as 'Surfing Glam' - I'm sure we assumed it was a descriptive name for the guitar style. […] The tune which became 'Where Spirits Fly' was never more than an instrumental we would play around with in soundcheck and we certainly wouldn't have bothered to demo it.“
Recommended by WEA Records
, Cure
producer Dave Allen saw the band in Amsterdam (2 June 1984) and later got a telegram by Andrew Eldritch which said: „The Sisters say yes to Dave Allen.“
After the end of the tour The Sisters began to prepare themselves for the album recordings. But first they entered Maida Vale Studios
on 19 June to record a John Peel Session
for BBC Radio 1
. The session was broadcasted on 13 July when The Sisters of Mercy were already in the recording studio.
Eldritch was enthusiastic about the new material and played some instrumental demos to Melody Maker
journalist Adam Sweeting: „I think this stuff's gonna be incredible, like nothing we've ever done before.“
near Manchester
for five weeks to record their first studio album. Studio costs were £500 a day and £3,250 a week, resp. Eldritch spent the whole five weeks inside the studio and, according to Dave Allen, used large amounts of Amphetamine
on a daily basis.
In Stockport backing tracks and vocals were to be recorded. Additional vocals, overdubs and the final mix were planned for August at Genetic Studios. The finished album was to be released in the third week of October 1984.
The band immediately started to record, with Hussey and Marx often providing guide vocals
with their own lyrics which later showed up on bootlegs. Both Hussey and Marx later used some of these lyrics for their own bands, The Mission
and Ghost Dance
.
An early recording of "First and Last and Always", which according to Gary Marx was „previously called 'The Scottish One'“, was „completed pretty early on“. Marx sang an early draft of the later Ghost Dance
lyric of When I Call, which mentioned the name of a friend of the band from Hamburg, Marianne.
On "Nine While Nine", which according to Marx was „recorded at the same time“ and „had the working title 'Child of Light'“, Gary Marx sang a guide vocal which he reused later for the Ghost Dance
song "A Deeper Blue".
"Black Planet" exists in form of an early version with a Wayne Hussey lyric which he later used for the Mission
songs "Dance on Glass" and "Naked and Savage".
Additional songs which were left unused were the later Mission
song "Garden of Delight" and the later Ghost Dance
song "Yesterday Again". Gary Marx: „The Sisters minus Eldritch had actually recorded a version of the song which became 'Yesterday Again' in Strawberry. It was originally titled 'Frail and Torn' and Wayne sang my half finished lyric one afternoon along with the first draft of the Mission’s 'Garden Of Delight'. We used to refer to 'Frail and Torn' jokingly as a potential Christmas single for the Sisters.“
Eldritch later sang his own version of "Garden of Delight" which remained unused as well: „There are a few bootlegs in existence of me trying to sing Wayne's words, and you can hear that I'm not convinced by them. I can't breathe any meaning into them.“ „The guy didn't have a clue - he'd just string buzz words together.“
Recordings were delayed to the frustration of the band as Eldritch was still working on lyrics. Gary Marx: „He'd got far too caught up in the business and had lost his edge as a writer. We wasted weeks at a time in the studio, waiting for him to come up with a handful of lyrics. It was very painful and very expensive.“
A notable exception was "Marian". Eldritch, inspired by Gary Marx's original lyrics to "First and Last and Always", wrote new words to a Wayne Hussey composition which contained a few passages sung in German: „'Marian' is a very special song, it's not like any of the other songs. I wrote it in ten minutes, usually the lyrics take me up to half a year.“
The vocal takes proved to be time-consumingly elaborate. Marx: „After each session Andy would say 'But is it epic?' and we'd go 'Yeah Andy, it's great!' And he'd go back and do it again. Andy's a complete perfectionist.“ „We could write and record a double album in the time it took him to get the headphone mix to his liking.“
At the end of July 1984 recordings were finished and the band had completed raw mixes of 18 songs on ten analogue master reels
:
reel 1: "Tones" / "No Time to Cry"
reel 2: "Emma"
/ "Walk Away"
reel 3: "Poison Door" / "A Rock and a Hard Place"
reel 4: "First and Last and Always" (album version) / "First and Last and Always" (Japan version)
reel 5: "Possession" / "Spit on Your Grave" / "Evil Come Evil Go"
reel 6: "Marian" / "Wide Receiver"
reel 7: "Nine While Nine"
reel 8: "Some Kind of Stranger"
reel 9: "Some Kind of Stranger" (early)
reel 10: "Down to E....." / "On the Wire"
According to Dave Allen "Tones", "Spit on Your Grave", "Evil Come Evil Go" and "Down to E....." are working titles for known songs. "Amphetamine Logic", according to Gary Marx, had the working title "Horned One Stabs", which indicates that this song was not recorded at Strawberry but at later sessions.
In early August 1984 the band flew to the US to play three concerts.
Weakened by continuous Amphetamine use, insomnia, malnutrition and hypoglycaemia, Eldritch collapsed in the studio one night. Marx: „He was completely exhausted, hallucinating. Despite this part of him still wanted to carry on, although the other part knew that he had to stop because he was so ill.“ Eldritch: „I enjoy it so much, being strung out for a very long time. I'm told you can't do it for that long.“
Eldritch was rushed to the next hospital where he had to stay for a while because of heart complications and reduced general and nutritional condition.
In time for two festival appearances in Germany in early September 1984 Eldritch was released from hospital, but the band couldn't meet the scheduled release date of the album. During an interview in Ahlen
on 8 September Eldritch said the release had been postponed to the beginning of the next year.
The band then returned to Genetic Studios to put the finishing touches on the album.
It was possibly at these sessions that the band recorded a studio version of the Bob Dylan
song "Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door", which is an indication of the band's black humour.
Studio versions of the two later Mission
songs "Serpents Kiss" and "Wake" exist. Wayne Hussey: „Both of these songs were actually first recorded during the sessions for The Sisters of Mercy's 'First and Last and Always' album, but weren't completed at that time.“ It's not clear whether these two songs were recorded at Strawberry or at Genetic Studios.
On 22 September 1984 the band made an appearance at a festival in York
and then went on the Black October tour through the UK and Europe from 4 October till 18 November 1984, which was originally set up to coincide with the release of the album.
To coincide with the tour, a first single off the album was released on 8 October 1984, "Walk Away", which included a limited edition flexidisc featuring an "Amphetamix" of the song "Train". With the release schedule disrupted and the album postponed to the next year, the record company unsuccessfully requested to postpone "Walk Away" too. "Walk Away", like its predecessor, did not make the Top 40
and stalled at no. 45.
After the end of the tour the band returned to Genetic Studios without bassist Craig Adams or producer Dave Allen to mix the album. On this occasion two new songs were recorded, "Blood Money" and "Bury Me Deep", which were produced by Eldritch and were intended as b sides for the next single "No Time to Cry".
At the end of 1984 Eldritch also produced the mini album Clash of Dreams by Salvation at Strawberry Recording Studios in Stockport, which was intended for a March 1985 release on his Merciful Release label. The album was shelved.
After the Xmas break the band spent January and February 1985 with preparations for the album release, which again had been postponed to March. The artwork was completed and delivered, and various tapes with different mixes to pick circulated at the WEA offices. Additionally the band negotiated the release of a live video on PolyGram
which was to be filmed on Gary Marx's birthday on 18 June 1985 at the Royal Albert Hall
.
Around that time lead guitarist and band co-founder Gary Marx decided to leave The Sisters: „My relationship to all three of them was completely shattered.“ „As a songwriter it was a frustrating time in The Sisters. I wrote a lot of songs but they weren't used.“ „We were working on stuff before I left with a view to carry on in a slightly different line-up but still the same people.“ It has been presumed that Hussey should switch to keyboards, a step which Hussey would never have tolerated.
and stalled at no. 63.
To coincide with the album release a UK tour began on 9 March.
On 11 March WEA Records Ltd.
released the album in the UK to positive press reactions.
On 1 April Marx played his last concert with The Sisters of Mercy, followed by a TV appearance the day after, during which the band played live in the studio versions of "First and Last and Always" and "Marian".
The remaining trio, with Wayne Hussey shouldering all guitar parts, started another tour through Europe and the USA on 12 April, which continued till 7 June. A second TV appearance for German TV show Formel Eins, during which the band mimed to "No Time to Cry", was broadcast on 15 April 1985.
The Sisters of Mercy played their final concert as planned on 18 June 1985 at the Royal Albert Hall
. Gary Marx, who was announced to take part, didn't show up. The video was released in 1986 by PolyGram
.
In the summer of 1985 the music press reported that The Sisters of Mercy were planning an ABBA
cover version as their next single. Eldritch later confirmed that he had indeed contacted producer Jim Steinman
: „I called him up [in 1985] when the band had 'Gimme Gimme Gimme'
in their set and told him about the song and that our version had to be absolutely stupid. He agreed with me but he was booked out. And then the band broke up.“
On Saturday 2 November 1985 the music press reported the band's split. Andrew Eldritch: „The people that are now The Mission and myself had an agreement, no one would use the name when the band went its separate ways.“ „The band was good and successful, each of us could continue. The split came at a time when it wouldn't do us any damage.“
band and rejected this categorisation vehemently. He saw the band as a modern continuation of the 1960s classic rock
music: „We come from 1969, we are the children of Altamont. We don't know who the fuck Alien Sex Fiend
are and we don't want to know. Throughout our career we've had to fight against the preconception that most of the public has of us as being something that sprang out of post-punk
. We regard ourselves as having sprung from pre-1970s rock music, as the inheritors of that tradition and the only people with any chance of propagating it further.“ „I think the title track is gloomy, but not the others. They may not be tremendously optimistic ... Gloomy and doomy suggest an air of apathetic resignation, which I don't think we're prone to.“
The band's co-founder Gary Marx was of the same opinion, but later said that Hussey joining the band had shifted the focus: „It was my version of The Sisters and Wayne's version of The Sisters. This is my version, which means more basic rock, American rock, whilst Wayne's version was more Banshees.“
Wayne Hussey said his songwriting had led to a change in the musical direction of the band: „I think my coming into the band has instilled a high level of awareness of song arrangements and things like that, embellishments and textures, rather than having one guitar line that's put through a fuzzbox. They were great songs but they were never fully realised.“
In the same interview Eldritch admitted that working in a hi-tech recording studio had influenced the approach to the songs: „A lot of people didn't realise that once we'd found the ability to do it we'd be quite happy to make records where you could hear all the instruments and all the words, and it would sound OK on the radio. A lot of people get pissed off when you make records like that, they figure you've changed somehow.“
Both Eldritch and Marx later criticised Dave Allen's work, with Eldritch speaking of „iffy production“ and Gary Marx of „production weaknesses“.
Gary Marx: „When we were making ‘First And Last And Always’ Andrew was effectively splitting with his long-term girlfriend and I was close to leaving the band. The two things led to a number of references in the lyrics which seemed to cover his farewells to us both.“
Eldritch later confirmed that the lyrics of "Walk Away" were directed to Gary Marx: „I thought one of them in particular might have found it a bit relevant.“ Gary Marx: „‘Walk Away’ may or may not be about me, I don’t care because I don’t particularly like the song – the one lyric which always bugs me is the line from ‘Some Kind of Stranger’ which says ‘careful lingers undecided at the door’, which I definitely took as a shot at me.“
In the UK the album went silver (with 60,000 sold units) on 30 October 1987 and gold (with 100,000 sold units) on 8 May 1989. Its highest position in the UK album charts was no. 14.
In Germany, The Sisters' second largest market after the UK, the album has not reached silver to date. Its highest position in the German album charts was no. 40.
In the USA the album did not enter the Billboard 200
.
Regarding the failure of the band's singles to reach the Top 40
, Eldritch later commented: „We came close. Our failure to crack it wasn't anything to do with us. I think the band did everything required, although we weren't prepared to package ourselves in the way other acts were.“
Gothic rock
Gothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...
band The Sisters of Mercy
The Sisters of Mercy
The Sisters of Mercy are an English rock band that formed in 1980. After achieving early underground fame in UK, the band had their commercial breakthrough in mid-1980s and sustained it until the early 1990s, when they stopped releasing new recorded output in protest against their record company...
, which was released in 1985 and proved to be style-shaping in the musical category of gothic rock
Gothic rock
Gothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...
.
Background (1980-84)
The band was founded in 1980 by Andrew EldritchAndrew Eldritch
Andrew Eldritch is the English frontman, singer, songwriter and only remaining original member of The Sisters of Mercy, a band that emerged from the British post-punk scene, transformed into a gothic rock band and, in later years, flirted with pop and hard rock.Eldritch also programs the tracks...
and Gary Marx
Gary Marx
Gary Marx is a founding member of British rock band The Sisters of Mercy and its lead-guitarist and songwriter from 1979 to 1985....
in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
and up to 1983 produced five singles and two EPs
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, which were released on the band's own indie label
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
Merciful Release and were distributed independently as well. As the band became increasingly successful and featured regularly in the UK Indie Chart
UK Indie Chart
The UK Independent Chart or Indie Chart is a chart of the best-selling independent record releases in the UK.- History :In the wake of punk, small record labels began to spring up, as an outlet for artists that were unwilling to sign contracts with major record companies, or were not considered...
, a first studio album was announced in 1983 for the following year. Eldritch estimated the production costs at £40,000, a sum which exceeded the financial capabilities of an indie band. Around the same time talks with interested record labels began.
In October 1983 guitarist Ben Gunn
Ben Gunn (guitarist)
Ben Gunn is a British guitarist who was with The Sisters of Mercy from 1981 to 1983, appearing on several of their early singles....
left and at the end of the year, through CBS Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
who were interested in signing The Sisters, was replaced by former Dead or Alive
Dead or Alive (band)
Dead or Alive were a British New Wave band from Wirral, England, United Kingdom, Europe. The band rose to fame in the 1980s with their number one single on the UK Singles Chart, "You Spin Me Round ". They were the first group to have a number one single under the production team Stock Aitken Waterman...
member Wayne Hussey
Wayne Hussey
Wayne Hussey is a British musician, best known as lead singer of The Mission and guitarist with The Sisters of Mercy....
. Hussey soon realised serious tensions within the group: „I started rehearsing with Craig and Gary in the cellar of Eldritch's place. It was very primitive, we did a lot of rehearsing but never with Andrew. [...] Gary was becoming disillusioned and after I'd been in the band only about three weeks, he asked me to leave with him and Craig. I think from that point on I held the band together in many ways.“
Eldritch, who handled management and business affairs of the band, negotiated with several record companies early in the new year and finally signed a satisfactory contract with WEA Records
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
. Merciful Release opened an office in London and founded its own publishing company Candelmaesse Limited, as well, which licensed the future song material to the publisher of RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
, RCA Music Limited.
The new band line-up played its debut concert on 7 April 1984, which featured the newly written songs "Body and Soul", "Train" and "Walk Away". The gig was followed by a short American tour until 16 April.
After returning to the UK Eldritch wrote a new song called "Wide Receiver" which was inspired by a term
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
in American Football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and which he recorded on his own at home as a demo. The rudimentary song wasn't used in the end but Eldritch's solo demo recording appeared in early 1992 on a bootleg album.
At Strawberry Recording Studios
Strawberry Studios
-Formation:The facility was originally called Inner City Studios and located above a music store in the town centre. In early 1968 it was bought by Peter Tattersall, a former road manager for Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas. Tattersall invited Eric Stewart – then lead guitarist and singer of...
in Stockport
Stockport
Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground southeast of Manchester city centre, at the point where the rivers Goyt and Tame join and create the River Mersey. Stockport is the largest settlement in the metropolitan borough of the same name...
The Sisters of Mercy recorded their first single for WEA ("Body and Soul") which was composed and produced by Eldritch himself and which was released on 4 June 1984. "Body and Soul" did not make the Top 40
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
and stalled at no. 46.
From 2 May to 6 June the band toured the UK and Europe and tried out a new Gary Marx composition which he later used in Ghost Dance
Ghost Dance (band)
Ghost Dance were a British gothic rock and post-punk band. formed in 1985 by Gary Marx and Anne-Marie Hurst as both were leaving their respective bands...
. Marx: „The tune was always known as 'Surfing Glam' - I'm sure we assumed it was a descriptive name for the guitar style. […] The tune which became 'Where Spirits Fly' was never more than an instrumental we would play around with in soundcheck and we certainly wouldn't have bothered to demo it.“
Recommended by WEA Records
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
, Cure
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
producer Dave Allen saw the band in Amsterdam (2 June 1984) and later got a telegram by Andrew Eldritch which said: „The Sisters say yes to Dave Allen.“
After the end of the tour The Sisters began to prepare themselves for the album recordings. But first they entered Maida Vale Studios
Maida Vale Studios
Maida Vale Studios is a complex of seven BBC studios on Delaware Road, Maida Vale, London.It has been used to record thousands of classical music, popular music and drama sessions for BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 3 and BBC Radio 4 from 1946 to the present...
on 19 June to record a John Peel Session
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
for BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
. The session was broadcasted on 13 July when The Sisters of Mercy were already in the recording studio.
Demo sessions Parkside Studios (spring 1984)
After intense songwriting sessions Gary Marx entered Parkside Studios, „a tiny studio in a rehearsal complex off Armley Road where I’d been with Wayne to record some new demos with him singing.“ The recordings were engineered by Steve Allen.Eldritch was enthusiastic about the new material and played some instrumental demos to Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
journalist Adam Sweeting: „I think this stuff's gonna be incredible, like nothing we've ever done before.“
Strawberry Recording Studios (June to July 1984)
At the end of June 1984, The Sisters of Mercy went with producer Dave Allen into the Strawberry Recording Studios in StockportStockport
Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground southeast of Manchester city centre, at the point where the rivers Goyt and Tame join and create the River Mersey. Stockport is the largest settlement in the metropolitan borough of the same name...
near Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
for five weeks to record their first studio album. Studio costs were £500 a day and £3,250 a week, resp. Eldritch spent the whole five weeks inside the studio and, according to Dave Allen, used large amounts of Amphetamine
Amphetamine
Amphetamine or amfetamine is a psychostimulant drug of the phenethylamine class which produces increased wakefulness and focus in association with decreased fatigue and appetite.Brand names of medications that contain, or metabolize into, amphetamine include Adderall, Dexedrine, Dextrostat,...
on a daily basis.
In Stockport backing tracks and vocals were to be recorded. Additional vocals, overdubs and the final mix were planned for August at Genetic Studios. The finished album was to be released in the third week of October 1984.
The band immediately started to record, with Hussey and Marx often providing guide vocals
Guide track
A guide track or ghost track is a recorded selection of music or song used as an aid in sound recording, filmmaking and performance. It is closely related to the click track, and the two are typically used in conjunction....
with their own lyrics which later showed up on bootlegs. Both Hussey and Marx later used some of these lyrics for their own bands, The Mission
The Mission (band)
The Mission are a gothic rock band formed in 1986 from the splinters of the freshly dissolved rock band The Sisters of Mercy.The band was started by frontman Wayne Hussey and bassist Craig Adams , soon adding...
and Ghost Dance
Ghost Dance (band)
Ghost Dance were a British gothic rock and post-punk band. formed in 1985 by Gary Marx and Anne-Marie Hurst as both were leaving their respective bands...
.
An early recording of "First and Last and Always", which according to Gary Marx was „previously called 'The Scottish One'“, was „completed pretty early on“. Marx sang an early draft of the later Ghost Dance
Ghost Dance
The Ghost Dance was a new religious movement which was incorporated into numerous Native American belief systems. The traditional ritual used in the Ghost Dance, the circle dance, has been used by many Native Americans since prehistoric times...
lyric of When I Call, which mentioned the name of a friend of the band from Hamburg, Marianne.
On "Nine While Nine", which according to Marx was „recorded at the same time“ and „had the working title 'Child of Light'“, Gary Marx sang a guide vocal which he reused later for the Ghost Dance
Ghost Dance (band)
Ghost Dance were a British gothic rock and post-punk band. formed in 1985 by Gary Marx and Anne-Marie Hurst as both were leaving their respective bands...
song "A Deeper Blue".
"Black Planet" exists in form of an early version with a Wayne Hussey lyric which he later used for the Mission
The Mission (band)
The Mission are a gothic rock band formed in 1986 from the splinters of the freshly dissolved rock band The Sisters of Mercy.The band was started by frontman Wayne Hussey and bassist Craig Adams , soon adding...
songs "Dance on Glass" and "Naked and Savage".
Additional songs which were left unused were the later Mission
The Mission (band)
The Mission are a gothic rock band formed in 1986 from the splinters of the freshly dissolved rock band The Sisters of Mercy.The band was started by frontman Wayne Hussey and bassist Craig Adams , soon adding...
song "Garden of Delight" and the later Ghost Dance
Ghost Dance (band)
Ghost Dance were a British gothic rock and post-punk band. formed in 1985 by Gary Marx and Anne-Marie Hurst as both were leaving their respective bands...
song "Yesterday Again". Gary Marx: „The Sisters minus Eldritch had actually recorded a version of the song which became 'Yesterday Again' in Strawberry. It was originally titled 'Frail and Torn' and Wayne sang my half finished lyric one afternoon along with the first draft of the Mission’s 'Garden Of Delight'. We used to refer to 'Frail and Torn' jokingly as a potential Christmas single for the Sisters.“
Eldritch later sang his own version of "Garden of Delight" which remained unused as well: „There are a few bootlegs in existence of me trying to sing Wayne's words, and you can hear that I'm not convinced by them. I can't breathe any meaning into them.“ „The guy didn't have a clue - he'd just string buzz words together.“
Recordings were delayed to the frustration of the band as Eldritch was still working on lyrics. Gary Marx: „He'd got far too caught up in the business and had lost his edge as a writer. We wasted weeks at a time in the studio, waiting for him to come up with a handful of lyrics. It was very painful and very expensive.“
A notable exception was "Marian". Eldritch, inspired by Gary Marx's original lyrics to "First and Last and Always", wrote new words to a Wayne Hussey composition which contained a few passages sung in German: „'Marian' is a very special song, it's not like any of the other songs. I wrote it in ten minutes, usually the lyrics take me up to half a year.“
The vocal takes proved to be time-consumingly elaborate. Marx: „After each session Andy would say 'But is it epic?' and we'd go 'Yeah Andy, it's great!' And he'd go back and do it again. Andy's a complete perfectionist.“ „We could write and record a double album in the time it took him to get the headphone mix to his liking.“
At the end of July 1984 recordings were finished and the band had completed raw mixes of 18 songs on ten analogue master reels
Master Reel
A master reel is a single-track mono or two-track stereo reel-to-reel which stores the master recording of a professional record album. These tapes are archived in a cold room or a very cold safe. A backup copy of a master reel, known as a safety copy, is always made to ensure the recording will...
:
reel 1: "Tones" / "No Time to Cry"
reel 2: "Emma"
Emma (song)
Emma, also known as Emma, Emmaline or Emmeline, is a song by Errol Brown and Tony Wilson released as a single by Hot Chocolate in 1974. It reached No.3 in the UK charts and No.8 in the US charts. Brown explained to The Mail on Sunday in 2009: "The story is tied to the death of my mother, aged 38...
/ "Walk Away"
reel 3: "Poison Door" / "A Rock and a Hard Place"
reel 4: "First and Last and Always" (album version) / "First and Last and Always" (Japan version)
reel 5: "Possession" / "Spit on Your Grave" / "Evil Come Evil Go"
reel 6: "Marian" / "Wide Receiver"
reel 7: "Nine While Nine"
reel 8: "Some Kind of Stranger"
reel 9: "Some Kind of Stranger" (early)
reel 10: "Down to E....." / "On the Wire"
According to Dave Allen "Tones", "Spit on Your Grave", "Evil Come Evil Go" and "Down to E....." are working titles for known songs. "Amphetamine Logic", according to Gary Marx, had the working title "Horned One Stabs", which indicates that this song was not recorded at Strawberry but at later sessions.
In early August 1984 the band flew to the US to play three concerts.
Genetic Studios (August to September and November 1984)
After the three US gigs the band went into Genetic Studios near Reading with producer Dave Allen as planned to complete the album with engineer Tim Baldwin. But the sessions at Genetic Studios dissolved according to Gary Marx into „madness of Eldritch walking into walls between vocal takes and us generally losing the plot. [Tim Baldwin] seemed to remember it fondly enough.“Weakened by continuous Amphetamine use, insomnia, malnutrition and hypoglycaemia, Eldritch collapsed in the studio one night. Marx: „He was completely exhausted, hallucinating. Despite this part of him still wanted to carry on, although the other part knew that he had to stop because he was so ill.“ Eldritch: „I enjoy it so much, being strung out for a very long time. I'm told you can't do it for that long.“
Eldritch was rushed to the next hospital where he had to stay for a while because of heart complications and reduced general and nutritional condition.
In time for two festival appearances in Germany in early September 1984 Eldritch was released from hospital, but the band couldn't meet the scheduled release date of the album. During an interview in Ahlen
Ahlen
Ahlen is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is part of the District of Warendorf and is economically the most important town in that district. Ahlen is part of the larger Münster region, and of the historic Münsterland area....
on 8 September Eldritch said the release had been postponed to the beginning of the next year.
The band then returned to Genetic Studios to put the finishing touches on the album.
It was possibly at these sessions that the band recorded a studio version of the Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
song "Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door", which is an indication of the band's black humour.
Studio versions of the two later Mission
The Mission (band)
The Mission are a gothic rock band formed in 1986 from the splinters of the freshly dissolved rock band The Sisters of Mercy.The band was started by frontman Wayne Hussey and bassist Craig Adams , soon adding...
songs "Serpents Kiss" and "Wake" exist. Wayne Hussey: „Both of these songs were actually first recorded during the sessions for The Sisters of Mercy's 'First and Last and Always' album, but weren't completed at that time.“ It's not clear whether these two songs were recorded at Strawberry or at Genetic Studios.
On 22 September 1984 the band made an appearance at a festival in York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
and then went on the Black October tour through the UK and Europe from 4 October till 18 November 1984, which was originally set up to coincide with the release of the album.
To coincide with the tour, a first single off the album was released on 8 October 1984, "Walk Away", which included a limited edition flexidisc featuring an "Amphetamix" of the song "Train". With the release schedule disrupted and the album postponed to the next year, the record company unsuccessfully requested to postpone "Walk Away" too. "Walk Away", like its predecessor, did not make the Top 40
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
and stalled at no. 45.
After the end of the tour the band returned to Genetic Studios without bassist Craig Adams or producer Dave Allen to mix the album. On this occasion two new songs were recorded, "Blood Money" and "Bury Me Deep", which were produced by Eldritch and were intended as b sides for the next single "No Time to Cry".
At the end of 1984 Eldritch also produced the mini album Clash of Dreams by Salvation at Strawberry Recording Studios in Stockport, which was intended for a March 1985 release on his Merciful Release label. The album was shelved.
After the Xmas break the band spent January and February 1985 with preparations for the album release, which again had been postponed to March. The artwork was completed and delivered, and various tapes with different mixes to pick circulated at the WEA offices. Additionally the band negotiated the release of a live video on PolyGram
PolyGram
PolyGram was the name of the major label recording company started by Philips from as a holding company for its music interests in 1945. In 1999 it was sold to Seagram and merged into Universal Music Group.-Hollandsche Decca Distributie , 1929-1950:...
which was to be filmed on Gary Marx's birthday on 18 June 1985 at the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
.
Around that time lead guitarist and band co-founder Gary Marx decided to leave The Sisters: „My relationship to all three of them was completely shattered.“ „As a songwriter it was a frustrating time in The Sisters. I wrote a lot of songs but they weren't used.“ „We were working on stuff before I left with a view to carry on in a slightly different line-up but still the same people.“ It has been presumed that Hussey should switch to keyboards, a step which Hussey would never have tolerated.
Album release and split
On 8 March 1985 the single "No Time to Cry" was released, which did not make the Top 40UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
and stalled at no. 63.
To coincide with the album release a UK tour began on 9 March.
On 11 March WEA Records Ltd.
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
released the album in the UK to positive press reactions.
On 1 April Marx played his last concert with The Sisters of Mercy, followed by a TV appearance the day after, during which the band played live in the studio versions of "First and Last and Always" and "Marian".
The remaining trio, with Wayne Hussey shouldering all guitar parts, started another tour through Europe and the USA on 12 April, which continued till 7 June. A second TV appearance for German TV show Formel Eins, during which the band mimed to "No Time to Cry", was broadcast on 15 April 1985.
The Sisters of Mercy played their final concert as planned on 18 June 1985 at the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
. Gary Marx, who was announced to take part, didn't show up. The video was released in 1986 by PolyGram
PolyGram
PolyGram was the name of the major label recording company started by Philips from as a holding company for its music interests in 1945. In 1999 it was sold to Seagram and merged into Universal Music Group.-Hollandsche Decca Distributie , 1929-1950:...
.
In the summer of 1985 the music press reported that The Sisters of Mercy were planning an ABBA
ABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
cover version as their next single. Eldritch later confirmed that he had indeed contacted producer Jim Steinman
Jim Steinman
James Richard "Jim" Steinman is an American composer, lyricist, and Grammy Award-winning record producer responsible for several hit songs. He has also worked as an arranger, pianist, and singer...
: „I called him up [in 1985] when the band had 'Gimme Gimme Gimme'
Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)
"Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! ", originally titled "Been and Gone and Done It", is one of Swedish pop group ABBA's biggest disco hits. It was recorded and released in 1979 with "The King Has Lost His Crown" as the B-side. It appears on ABBA's Greatest Hits Vol...
in their set and told him about the song and that our version had to be absolutely stupid. He agreed with me but he was booked out. And then the band broke up.“
On Saturday 2 November 1985 the music press reported the band's split. Andrew Eldritch: „The people that are now The Mission and myself had an agreement, no one would use the name when the band went its separate ways.“ „The band was good and successful, each of us could continue. The split came at a time when it wouldn't do us any damage.“
Instrumentation
- Lead guitarist Gary MarxGary MarxGary Marx is a founding member of British rock band The Sisters of Mercy and its lead-guitarist and songwriter from 1979 to 1985....
used a hired TelecasterFender TelecasterThe Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele , is typically a dual-pickup, solid-body electric guitar made by Fender.Its simple yet effective design and revolutionary sound broke ground and set trends in electric guitar manufacturing and popular music...
for the album sessions. On earlier recording he had used a ShergoldShergoldShergold Guitars, or Shergold Woodcrafts Limited, was established in October 1967 by former Burns London employees Jack Golder and Norman Houlder...
guitar. His silver-black Gibson Les PaulGibson Les PaulThe Gibson Les Paul was the result of a design collaboration between Gibson Guitar Corporation and the late jazz guitarist and electronics inventor Les Paul. In 1950, with the introduction of the Fender Telecaster to the musical market, electric guitars became a public craze. In reaction, Gibson...
he used only for live concerts in The Sisters of Mercy. Marx: „As dumb as it may sound to people who play guitar, I hardly ever played chords with The Sisters - I didn't know how.“ On the song "Marian" he used an EBow.
- Rhythm guitarist Wayne Hussey used a twelve string Aria Pro II RS-800Aria (guitar company)Aria is a Japanese manufacturer of acoustic and electric guitars and basses.- History :Aria was formed in Japan in 1953 by Shiro Arai as Arai and Company. They began retailing acoustic guitars in 1960, although the company didn't actually start manufacturing their own until 1964. Aria arranged for...
.
- Bassist Craig Adams used an Ibanez RoadsterIbanezis a Japanese guitar brand owned by Hoshino Gakki. Based in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan, Hoshino Gakki were one of the first Japanese musical instrument companies to gain a significant foothold in import guitar sales in the United States and Europe, as well as the first brand of guitars to mass produce...
bass. Adams: „It's always been my policy to play as few notes as possible. That's what I've always stood for.“ On the song "A Rock and a Hard Place" the bass part was played on a synthesizer.
- For the album sessions the band had acquired a new drum machine, an Oberheim DMXOberheim DMXThe DMX is a programmable digital drum machine introduced in 1981 by Oberheim Electronics.The Oberheim DMX was the second digital drum computer ever to be sold to the public as a product, following the Linn LM-1 in 1980...
. Hussey: „If we wrote a song it would take us three fucking days because we had to program the drum machine.“
Musical style and image
Andrew Eldritch didn't consider The Sisters of Mercy to be a gothic rockGothic rock
Gothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...
band and rejected this categorisation vehemently. He saw the band as a modern continuation of the 1960s classic rock
Classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...
music: „We come from 1969, we are the children of Altamont. We don't know who the fuck Alien Sex Fiend
Alien Sex Fiend
Alien Sex Fiend is a deathrock band from the UK, composed of the married couple Nik Fiend and Mrs. Fiend . Currently, the band is based in Cardiff, Wales.-History:...
are and we don't want to know. Throughout our career we've had to fight against the preconception that most of the public has of us as being something that sprang out of post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
. We regard ourselves as having sprung from pre-1970s rock music, as the inheritors of that tradition and the only people with any chance of propagating it further.“ „I think the title track is gloomy, but not the others. They may not be tremendously optimistic ... Gloomy and doomy suggest an air of apathetic resignation, which I don't think we're prone to.“
The band's co-founder Gary Marx was of the same opinion, but later said that Hussey joining the band had shifted the focus: „It was my version of The Sisters and Wayne's version of The Sisters. This is my version, which means more basic rock, American rock, whilst Wayne's version was more Banshees.“
Wayne Hussey said his songwriting had led to a change in the musical direction of the band: „I think my coming into the band has instilled a high level of awareness of song arrangements and things like that, embellishments and textures, rather than having one guitar line that's put through a fuzzbox. They were great songs but they were never fully realised.“
In the same interview Eldritch admitted that working in a hi-tech recording studio had influenced the approach to the songs: „A lot of people didn't realise that once we'd found the ability to do it we'd be quite happy to make records where you could hear all the instruments and all the words, and it would sound OK on the radio. A lot of people get pissed off when you make records like that, they figure you've changed somehow.“
Both Eldritch and Marx later criticised Dave Allen's work, with Eldritch speaking of „iffy production“ and Gary Marx of „production weaknesses“.
Lyrical content
The album lyrics were all written by Andrew Eldritch, who said his „writing owes more to collage editing in film“. Their content with various references to drugs and separation mirror Eldritch's condition at the time: „I was so shot when I wrote the lyrics on the album that there's no distancing of persona at all.“Gary Marx: „When we were making ‘First And Last And Always’ Andrew was effectively splitting with his long-term girlfriend and I was close to leaving the band. The two things led to a number of references in the lyrics which seemed to cover his farewells to us both.“
Eldritch later confirmed that the lyrics of "Walk Away" were directed to Gary Marx: „I thought one of them in particular might have found it a bit relevant.“ Gary Marx: „‘Walk Away’ may or may not be about me, I don’t care because I don’t particularly like the song – the one lyric which always bugs me is the line from ‘Some Kind of Stranger’ which says ‘careful lingers undecided at the door’, which I definitely took as a shot at me.“
Commercial success of the album
The production of the album left the band initially in enormous debts. Gary Marx: „We need to make a lot of money to repay the cost of the LP as it's run so much over budget.“ According to Andrew Eldritch the album recouped the production costs in 1988.In the UK the album went silver (with 60,000 sold units) on 30 October 1987 and gold (with 100,000 sold units) on 8 May 1989. Its highest position in the UK album charts was no. 14.
In Germany, The Sisters' second largest market after the UK, the album has not reached silver to date. Its highest position in the German album charts was no. 40.
In the USA the album did not enter the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
.
Regarding the failure of the band's singles to reach the Top 40
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, Eldritch later commented: „We came close. Our failure to crack it wasn't anything to do with us. I think the band did everything required, although we weren't prepared to package ourselves in the way other acts were.“
Different editions of the album
- The original vinyl album was released in March 1985 in the UK, the USA and Europe.
- In July 1985 Warner-Pioneer Corporation in Japan released a version of the album that contained different mixes of some tracks ("Black Planet" is some 10 seconds longer, "A Rock and a Hard Place" features additional guitar tracks, while "First and Last and Always" features a totally different drum track as well as a totally different arrangement and has an intro which is 15 seconds longer; the remaining tracks are identical to the standard vinyl release).
- In March 1988 the album was released on CD for the first time, but it was the Japanese version that was used.
- In May 1992 a digitally remastered version of the CD was released, again using the Japanese version.
- In October 2006 a remastered version of the original vinyl album was released for the first time on CD. This CD edition featured some bonus tracks such as an early version of "Some Kind of Stranger" with different lyrics, plus the b sides of the singles "Walk Away" ("Poison Door", "On the Wire" and "Long Train") and "No Time to Cry" ("Blood Money" and "Bury Me Deep").
Track listing (original vinyl album)
2006 Re-issue
Along with the group's other two releases, First and Last and Always was re-issued in November 2006 with bonus tracks, which, listed as follows:Personnel
- Andrew EldritchAndrew EldritchAndrew Eldritch is the English frontman, singer, songwriter and only remaining original member of The Sisters of Mercy, a band that emerged from the British post-punk scene, transformed into a gothic rock band and, in later years, flirted with pop and hard rock.Eldritch also programs the tracks...
- vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Wayne HusseyWayne HusseyWayne Hussey is a British musician, best known as lead singer of The Mission and guitarist with The Sisters of Mercy....
- guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, backing vocals - Gary MarxGary MarxGary Marx is a founding member of British rock band The Sisters of Mercy and its lead-guitarist and songwriter from 1979 to 1985....
- guitar - Craig AdamsCraig Adams (musician)Craig Adams is a British musician, bass guitarist and songwriter. Over his career he worked with a variation of rockbands while also being part of a touring crew....
- bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Doktor Avalanche (drum machine) - drumsDrum machineA drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
- Dave AllenDave Allen (producer/bassist)Dave Allen was the bass guitarist for the post-punk band, Gang of Four. In 1981, he left Gang of Four to found Shriekback....
- producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...