Heartland

Question: can someone tell me which sisters songs are real rare, or even unknown to many? I'm asking because I'm trying to hear all of their songs, but I keep stumbling upon songs I've never heard of before and haven't seen in any list. Apart from the mainstream lists like the albums and singles, there seem to be many "hidden" songs. I found a song called "Driver" today and thought it was nothing, but it was a real Sisters song as far as I could hear.
Now I assume there must be a lot of songs like this...

Tidal wrote: Now I assume there must be a lot of songs like this...

Not a whole lot actually. There are the pre-FALAA demos, including a good number of alternative versions (Body politic, Red skies disappear...).
And there are those songs that very few people have heard, and that are still sleeping on Von's shelves...

i don't know if Wide Receiver is such a rarity but i love it, same with Bury Me Deep.

The next one....

Badlander wrote:

Tidal wrote: Now I assume there must be a lot of songs like this...

And there are those songs that very few people have heard, and that are still sleeping on Von's shelves...

From the vaults of Maximum Jack ? Paris Riots ? Vision Thing alternate mixes ? maybe he's a bit like Prince and has been stockpiling albums for ages.

Unfortunately your already reaching the point of a sisters fan and its off to the live/ bootleg department from now on for your fix.
Lots of live jems out there...have you heard the Sister Ray from Stavenhagen ?

I don't really think there's much that can be considered "rare" nowadays, especially since the past few months when we're have widespread circulation of Never Land (full length), FALAA (original mixes) and a share of some of the TC demos.

In fact, once upon a time it was the case that people felt so strongly that everything was available, that when a genuine bit of gold like Wide Receiver slipped out, it was questioned if it was really the Sisters.

I think the top of the list today might probably be the Von/Wayne/Skeletal Family take on KOHD. It's certainly the main big thing that is definitely known to exist but has yet to hit Sharing, which is as good a barometer of "raritude" as anything else.

No, I don't have it either

Edit: Ghost Riders In The Sky is another... must do the necessary some day soon...

dude you should have said... I have it on a tape somewhere. If its unavailable then I can maybe send a tape to someone who can convert it to whatever format and post in in sharing, cos its fuckin great.

I love Red Skies Dissapear. I think it stands up as a song in its own right. Neither better, nor worse, than the song it would one day become.

Still unsure about 'Maximum Jack'... does it even exist?

It was on the 'future' playlist of the new album, but I never heard it.

Another 'obscurity' might be one of the first 'Garden Of Delight' versions with Eldo on vox.

The song which would later become a Mish song...

'Red Skies Disapear' (sic) is just FALAA with different lyrics, but not really bad.

'Wide Receiver' is really a cool song as well.

And I always loved the lyrics of 'Driver' (well, the lines you actually understand anyway)

Others, outta my head, excluding the cover versions:

'Dance On Glass', 'Never Land' long version, 'Burn It Down', 'Fix' the different version with the Crowley Lyrics...

IZ.

if hispaintedblackness isn't smoking the daily mirror, then the other track written at the same time as still -"etto"- must rate as being pretty damned rare.

Yep. But I always had Ez down as an Independent smoker. Manx edition.

Izzy HaveMercy wrote:And I always loved the lyrics of 'Driver' (well, the lines you actually understand anyway)

Those lyrics always seemed to be the most honest. Just "let's have a drink, take a few drugs, then go on a road trip, loud music, high speed.." as opposed to any pretensions..

The sound that fills the big black cars, is ours
The drum machines and fast guitars

Yeah, all more complicated than that is just pretensions.

You know perfectly well what I mean, and you know it.

Those lyrics always seemed to be the most honest. Just "let's have a drink, take a few drugs, then go on a road trip, loud music, high speed.." as opposed to any pretensions..

I see where your coming from, but don't you think that the "we like to rock and sing about beer and chics" territory has been covered a thousand times over by the rock and roll lot?

I mean, even if they deny it, thats one of the things that puts the girls in with the early goths, they weren't any old rock outfit, they were doing something so much more sophisticated.
You might not agree with me, but i believe that the smoke, mirrors, arrogance and pretention is what The Sisters of Mercy is about. If they really were just about hammering out solid riffs and thoatily singing about there testostorine fueled fantasies I don't think they would have be a tenth as special as they are.

Obviously no one told them you can't really "rock" with a drum machine, I doubt they would have cared if anybody had.

Badlander wrote:Body politic

Are you sure? I assumed it was a bootleggers error. What Sisters song do you know that has a similar title? (And the track itself is a mundane version of Fix.)



I'd say one of the most rare things is their live version of Sweet Home Alabama, because as far as I know there's no recording of it. I'd love to be proved wrong though. Someone's hoarding it, surely?

Maisey wrote: i believe that the smoke, mirrors, arrogance and pretention is what The Sisters of Mercy is about. If they really were just about hammering out solid riffs and thoatily singing about there testostorine fueled fantasies I don't think they would have be a tenth as special as they are.

I'm inclined to agree with you, Maisey. Smoke, mirrors, arrogance, pretension etc makes a great combination... assuming that one knows how to do it properly. (And as long as we don't all take it too seriously.)

Dan wrote:

Badlander wrote:Body politic

Are you sure? I assumed it was a bootleggers error. What Sisters song do you know that has a similar title? (And the track itself is a mundane version of Fix.)

With different lyrics iirc, but I may be wrong. Most definitely a bootlegger's error.

Smoke, mirrors and arrogance definitely but i've never quite considered the Sisters pretentious. maybe i should look it up. and even as a young lad i never took the Sisters seriously, no more than the situation demanded anyway.

i haven't heard 'driver' in a long time but i think i'll dig it out, if i can find it!

Another rare song "un-rared" - Yippie-aye-ayyyy!

mh wrote:Another rare song "un-rared" - Yippie-aye-ayyyy!

The Trashmen did a stonking instrumental version of this. Nice to hear the Sissies did this too. Do you know what date this is from?

@mh: ! That´s GEIL!

Andrew, I herewith ask for a Ghostrider full version for this years´ festivals! That´ll be fun!

I have (at least) two boots with a version of ghostriders in the sky (the guitar line anyway), but I don't think this upload is either one of them...

Mine are from Sheffield 25/6/83 & Münster 1/9/83, so look for gigs in those days and that should do the trick

radiojamaica wrote:I have (at least) two boots with a version of ghostriders in the sky (the guitar line anyway), but I don't think this upload is either one of them...

Mine are from Sheffield 25/6/83 & Münster 1/9/83, so look for gigs in those days and that should do the trick

Not 100% sure as it's a long time since I heard it, but it might be Nijmegen 5.6.84, probably wrong though.

Well, just pick a dub