The Sisterhood was a short-lived English musical project, consisting of Andrew Eldritch (writer and producer), drum machine Doktor Avalanche and the "Chorus of Vengeance" of Lucas Fox (drums), Patricia Morrison (bass and vocals), James Ray (guitar and vocals) and Alan Vega (synthesizer and vocals). Eldritch does not sing lead vocals on the record. For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... A closeup of Eldritch at a concert in Portland, OR, in March of 2006. ... A Boss DR-202 Drum Machine A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums and/or other percussion instruments. ... Lucas Fox is a drummer who was a member of British heavy metal band Motörhead and London punk rockers Warsaw Pakt. ... Patricia Morrison (born January 14, 1962 in Los Angeles) is an American bass guitarist, singer and songwriter. ... James Ray is a rock singer and band-leader, best known as a member of Andrew Eldritchs side-project The Sisterhood. ... Alan Vega (born 1948) is the vocalist for 1970s and 80s punk/post punk duo Suicide. ...

History

The band was formed by Eldritch after the 1985 breakup of his band The Sisters of Mercy. There had supposedly been an agreement among Eldritch and the ones leaving the band that Eldritch would retain the rights to the songs and the names, while the ex-Sisters would play their old songs under the name of Sisterhood^{[citation needed]}. Eldritch would not accept this close a name, especially with them breaking the agreement by playing songs they weren't allowed to. See also: other events of 1985 Musical groups established in 1985 Record labels established in 1985 list of years in music 1980s in music // January 28 - Various artists, including Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson, Billy Joel, Cyndi Lauper, Steve Perry, Kenny Loggins, Willie Nelson, Lionel Richie, Smokey Robinson, Kenny... For the religious organisation of this name, see Sisters of Mercy. ...

Quickly, he formed The Sisterhood to force the old band members out of the game. Enlisting the helping hand of Patricia Morrison, formerly of The Gun Club and soon-to-be member of the reformed Sisters, and Alan Vega of the New York outfit Suicide. The Gun Club were a rock band from Los Angeles in the 1980s led by the flamboyant singer, ex-rock critic Jeffrey Lee Pierce. ... This article is about the state. ... Suicide is an American rock music group intermittently active since 1971 and composed of Alan Vega (vocals) and Martin Rev (synthesizers and drum machines). ...

Their first release was a single, featuring two versions of the one song, Giving Ground.

Gift

The Gift Cover Art

The Sisterhood released one LP, Gift, in 1986 on Eldritch's own Merciful Release label, which includes "Giving Ground" and four other songs. Not named after the English word but rather the German word for poison, Gift is quite simple with its long, droning rhythms and ill sentiment ("what you have lost can never be found" and "trust lies broken, and the truth is drowned") towards the former Sisters members, especially Wayne Hussey. See also: Musical groups established in 1986 Record labels established in 1986 // 1986 - Goo Goo Dolls are formed in Buffalo, New York. ... Merciful Release is a record label started by Andrew Eldritch, frontman with Leeds outfit The Sisters of Mercy. ... Hussey in 2004. ...

On "Jihad" Patricia Morrison recites the numbers 2-5-0-0-0 several times. According to rumours this is a reference to the amount of money that Eldritch won from The Mission in the civil courts after suing them over the ownership of the name "The Sisterhood".^{[citation needed]}

A version of "Colours" with Eldritch singing was later included as a b-side of "This Corrosion" and then a bonus track on the CD of The Sisters of Mercy album Floodland. For the religious organisation of this name, see Sisters of Mercy. ... Floodland is the album released by The Sisters of Mercy in 1987, complete with heavy production, layers of synthesizer, choral singing, and the drum machine Doktor Avalanche. ...

On "Finland Red, Egypt White", Lucas Fox reads the technical specifications of an AK-47 rifle to several minutes of sheer repetition. Lucas Fox is a drummer who was a member of British heavy metal band Motörhead and London punk rockers Warsaw Pakt. ... Avtomat Kalashnikova model 1947 g. ...

The hit single "This Corrosion" that appeared on "Floodland" was originally planned for the Gift album, harboring the same vitriol towards the betrayers of Eldritch's trust.^{[citation needed]}

Aftermath

Sure enough, the release copyrighted the name of the band, forcing the other Sisterhood to initiate a name change. Changing to The Mission, supposedly taking the name from the next Sisters LP that had been planned, Left on Mission and Revenge, the band quickly started a life of its own. The Mission (known as The Mission UK in the United States due to a naming clash with a Philadelphia R&B band) is a gothic rock band formed in 1986 from the splinters of the freshly-dissolved rock band The Sisters of Mercy. ...

Discography

Giving Ground (1986)

A1. Giving Ground [RSV]
B1. Giving Ground [AV]

Gift (1986)

1. Jihad
2. Colours
3. Giving Ground
4. Finland Red, Egypt White
5. Rain From Heaven

Trivia

• The Sisterhood song 'Giving Ground' remains a part of The Sisters of Mercy's live set to this day (2007).
• An entirely unrelated "The Sisterhood" appear on the compilation album "American Song-Poem Christmas".