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.
Formed in 2008, AGENTS OF MERCY was originally a side-project by Roine Stolt (guitars, bass, vocals) of The Flower Kings fame, whrere the goal was to create a low key, mostly acoustic based type of music…
BBC Sessions 1982-1984 features three BBC sessions which have never been available physically before. Two of the sessions were with admired radio broadcaster John Peel. Includes early versions of the singles “Walk Away” and “No Time To Cry” that would end up on their debut First And Last And Always. Includes covers of The Stooges’ “1969”, Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” & Hot Chocolate’s “Emma”. This title charts their earliest days as an indie band in 1982 to the time they signed to Warner Records in 1984.
Mercy is among the most fascinating and overlooked acts to emerge from Sweden. Formed in the early 1980s by Andrija Veljaca, a native Croatian who moved to Sweden in the 1970s and was the band’s only constant member, Mercy was one of a handful of groups that established Sweden as a hub for a new raw and visceral style of heavy metal in the 1980s…
Following an unsatisfying three-year stint at Mercury Records, Chuck Berry returned home to Chess in 1969, just like Phil Chess predicted. Heading home didn’t necessarily mean retreating, as the four-disc Have Mercy: His Complete Chess Recordings 1969-1974 illustrates. During his time at Mercury, Chuck followed the kids wherever they went, aligning himself with the psychedelic ‘60s in a way none of his peers did. This shift is immediately apparent on “Tulane,” the very first song he cut upon his return to Chess. An ode to a couple of kids who dealt dope underneath the counter of a novelty shop, “Tulane” puts Chuck on the side of the counterculture, and over the next five years, he never strayed back to the other side of the fence, often singing about getting stoned, dabbling with a wah-wah pedal, rhapsodizing about rock festivals, cheerfully telling smutty jokes.
Chairs Missing is the second studio album by English rock band Wire. It was released in August 1978. The album peaked at number 48 in the UK Albums Chart. Although it features some of the minimalist punk rock of the band's debut Pink Flag, it features more developed song structure (taking some cues from 1970s prog-rock, psychedelia, and art rock), keyboard and synthesizer elements brought in by producer Mike Thorne, and a broader palette of emotional and intellectual subject matter. The title is said to be a British slang term for a mildly disturbed person, as in "that guy has a few chairs missing in his front room". The single "Outdoor Miner" was a minor hit, peaking at number 51 in the UK Singles Chart.