The Sisters Of Mercy - A Merciful Release (2007) 3CD Box Set

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The Sisters Of Mercy - A Merciful Release (2007) 3CD Box Set

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When WEA International remastered, expanded, and re-released the first three Sisters of Mercy albums in late 2006, fans received excellent upgrades with much better sound, great bonus tracks, and beautiful packaging. Behind the scenes there were finally signs that record labels were once again caring about Andrew Eldritch's infamous goth rock band and signaling that the door was open for a new album. If it was a step forward, the three-CD box A Merciful Release, released in early 2007, is at least a half-step back, one of those seedy record company moves that sent the temperamental Eldritch into an unproductive world he shares with My Bloody Valentine and Guns N' Roses. The remastered editions of First and Last and Always, Floodland, and Vision Thing are simply thrown into a flimsy box with nothing new added. Fans who have kept up with the reissues are cheated out of the flimsy box, which isn't nearly as bad as being cheated out of a new album, a problem they've dealt with for well over a decade. Anyone who sat out the remasters need only worry about the spotty Vision Thing, which actually sounds much more powerful here since everything is much bigger sonically. Any high score A Merciful Release earns is because of their classic debut and the epic Floodland both making Vision Thing sound like a bonus disc in comparison. They're huge, important, and authoritative when it comes to goth rock, and are given a new life by the amazing improvement in sound quality. Don't think you're getting the whole story, since so many of the Sisters' great moments were on singles that aren't included here. Still, until the definitive Sisters box is released, this is an easy way to consume two amazing albums and a third that now just misses the mark.

Review by David Jeffries, Allmusic.com

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The Sisters Of Mercy - A Merciful Release (2007) 3CD Box Set

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The Sisters Of Mercy - A Merciful Release (2007) 3CD Box Set

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There are interesting questions that come to mind in the remastered, expanded and reissued Sisters of Mercy catalog. First and Last and Always was originally issued in 1984. The band was far from a household name due to its theatrically spooky live performances and ever shrouded in mystery; no small thanks to Andrew Eldritch, the Sisters' lead vocalist, and their original graphic scheme that was almost uniform for the band's early singles and this album, and the British music press that followed Eldritch's every slithery strut and menacing utterance (never had anybody wanted to be Iggy so badly; the band even covered the Stooges "1969" on one of its singles) with fervid devotion. As always, however, it comes down to the music. Does this recording sound as fresh now that Rhino UK has issued it in this manner with six bonus cuts (four are single B-sides; one, "Long Train," was originally issued as a free flexi-disc; and one is an unreleased outtake of the album's closer, "Some Kind of Stranger"). No doubt gothic music lovers with find this irresistible, because it is part of their music's canon. But how does it hold up as rock & roll? Sonically, there is more reverb, but the sound is still a bit thin, even through headphones. Musically, it sounds dated, nor does necessarily measure up to the band's run of early singles, from "Anaconda" through to their inimitable cover of the Rolling Stones "Gimme Shelter." The music on this set was indeed a sound exactly of its time. The melodies aren't particularly imaginative, but the lyrics are wonderful, and the cuts are solid when all the parts are assembled; they are undeniable as great, subterranean '80s rock. The Sisters will not necessarily be remembered for their subsequent recordings – which were basically Eldritch with whatever lineup he could come up with – here the classic lineup remains with him, Wayne Hussey, Craig Adams, Gary Marx (all of whom later became the Mission UK) and Doktor Avalanche (the band's metronomic drum machine). If you have the standard Warner edition, pick it up. This is as good as it gets apart form the singles collection, which should also be remastered if there is any justice.

Review by Thom Jurek, Allmusic.com

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The Sisters Of Mercy - A Merciful Release (2007) 3CD Box Set

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The Sisters Of Mercy - A Merciful Release (2007) 3CD Box Set

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While the goth scene in England was picking up commercial steam in the mid-'80s, the Sisters of Mercy may have seemed quiet, but they roared back with 1987's Floodland. Opening with the driving two-part hymn "Dominion/Mother Russia," Sisters leader Andrew Eldritch (along with bassist Patricia Morrison) creates a black soundscape that is majestic and vast. While the earlier Sisters releases were noisy, sometimes harsh affairs, Floodland is filled with lush production (thanks to Meat Loaf writer/producer Jim Steinman and the New York Choral Society) and lyric imagery that is both scary and glorious. The slower tracks, like "Flood" and "1959," are some of the best ethereal sounds goth has to offer, and the downright regal "This Corrosion" is one of the best songs of the genre. A definite milestone. [The 2006 edition includes four bonus tracks.]

Review by Chris True, Allmusic.com

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The Sisters Of Mercy - A Merciful Release (2007) 3CD Box Set

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The Sisters Of Mercy - A Merciful Release (2007) 3CD Box Set

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By the time of Vision Thing, the Sisters of Mercy's final offering, Andrew Eldritch had himself a hired-gun band, complete with guests. The sound was more metallic, big beat, angrier, less alienated, and by and large, irrelevant. The title track is simply an angry reaction to George Bush's (the first one) America. This is the sound of a band resting on its laurels. The formulaic song structures, Eldritch's low-end growl, and big fat guitars provided by Tim Bircheno, Andreas Bruh, bassist Tony James (yep, that one from Generation X and Sigue Sigue Sputnik) and guest John Perry. Backing vocals were provided by Maggie Reilly on loan from Paul Weller, and the set was recorded by Mark Freegard. The Rhino U.K. remastered version fares better than the original did, as the guitars are boosted into the red, and Eldritch's vocals and their newly acquired scream are elevated as well. The two singles, "Detonation Boulevard" and "Doctor Jeep" still sound relatively fresh. The new version includes remixes of "When You Don't See Me," and extended "Doctor Jeep," a pair of live cuts – "Ribbons" and "Something Fast" – as well as the inclusion of "You Could Be the One," a cut left off the original album.

Review by Thom Jurek, Allmusic.com

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The Sisters Of Mercy - A Merciful Release (2007) 3CD Box Set

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