Heartland

I can’t help wondering why we don‘t hear more of The Sisters. I mean, plenty of other bands from that era still get played on the radio. It’s not unusual to hear stuff by The Cure, Siouxie and the Banshees, Joy Division, Jesus and Mary Chain, Echo and the Bunnymen and other similar indie-ish stuff. I think the Sisters would fit into the playlist of any station that plays new and old indie music, but you never hear them. I really don’t understand why.
There’s so many songs, tapping into so many emotions, there’s almost a song for every occasion, so you’d think The Sisters would have found their way onto movie soundtracks. Personally I think you could probably write a musical around Sisters songs. I don‘t understand how come The Sisters have never made it onto a soundtrack or been used on an advert. Do the record company prevent it? Does Eldritch stop it from happening? I seem to remember something about him turning down the offer to do the soundtrack to The Crow because it was too goth, so maybe similar reasons have meant their music never makes it onto soundtracks.
Maybe I’m just paranoid, or maybe I’m just bored on a bank holiday Monday and have nothing better to do than write this , but I can’t help feeling that something or someone is holding The Sisters back, is it the record company, or is it that everyone hates The Sisters?
The thing that sparked this off is that I’ve just sent a request to Radio One’s ten hour take-over, and I know they’ll never play it, they still wouldn’t play The Sisters if we all bombarded them with e-mails for the rest of the day. Though I still don’t know why, considering some of the other stuff they’ve been playing.
This reminded me of the time I sent a request to Jo Whiley when they were doing 25 years of the Brits and playing only great British bands from the last 25 years. She replied to my e-mail by saying ‘this morning, before I started the show, my producer threatened to lynch me if I played anything by The Sisters of Mercy...’ and since then I’ve wondered if people behind the scenes are preventing our favourite band from being heard.
Does anyone else have any thoughts on this, or am I the only person who thinks this way?

replicant wrote:I can’t help feeling that something or someone is holding The Sisters back

replicant wrote:I really don’t understand why.

Because the Girls are as far from a conventional rock band as you can get, and because Eldo is the ultimate non-compromiser.
Awfully simple.

It's the same here on dutch radio , I think , but I often listen to a station from Belgium , ''Studio Brussel" , and they play the Sisters quite often .

Von has done more than enough to attempt to piss off the industry, and the end result is - quite naturally - that the industry is mighty pissed off with him.

Simple as that, I reckon.

Although, with the reissues, and FALAA appearing in Mojo's "How to buy goth" thingie recently (bet Von was dead chuffed at that ), maybe there's something of a critical rehabilitation in the air.

Nah, just kidding meself there.

mh wrote:Von has done more than enough to attempt to piss off the industry, and the end result is - quite naturally - that the industry is mighty pissed off with him.

Simple as that, I reckon.

The whole truth and nothing but the truth....unfortunately...

Elise wrote:It's the same here on dutch radio , I think , but I often listen to a station from Belgium , ''Studio Brussel" , and they play the Sisters quite often .

very true. They (stubru) play Sisters tracks so often it's getting creepy! Bloody goths

replicant wrote:I don‘t understand how come The Sisters have never made it onto a soundtrack or been used on an advert.

Fatih Akin's award-winning 2004 movie "Gegen die Wand" ("Head On") featured Temple of Love.

nowayjose wrote:

replicant wrote:I don‘t understand how come The Sisters have never made it onto a soundtrack or been used on an advert.

Fatih Akin's award-winning 2004 movie "Gegen die Wand" ("Head On") featured Temple of Love.

........and it featured it in a great way!

radiojamaica wrote:

Elise wrote:It's the same here on dutch radio , I think , but I often listen to a station from Belgium , ''Studio Brussel" , and they play the Sisters quite often .

very true. They (stubru) play Sisters tracks so often it's getting creepy! Bloody goths

well that's why this is called the promised land

Maybe The Cure, Siouxie and the Banshees, Joy Division, Jesus and Mary Chain, Echo and the Bunnymen are played becausethey sold a hell of a lot more records than The Sisters.

I've always wondered why The Sisters are consistantly ignored by the likes of the BBC. I've been watching the current BBC series, The Seven Ages of Rock and I'm fully expecting certain aspects to be completely forgotten about.

Jo Whiley's producer is probably a good example, because he personally can't stand The Sisters, they will never be played on any of the radio shows he produces. Remember, when Andy Kershaw was the Student Union ents manager at Leeds Uni, he flatly refused to book The Sisters. But then, Andy Kershaw always has been and always will be a completel wanker.

I am surprised by the BBC's rejection of The Sisters, particularly given their appearences on The Whistle Test, TOTP and various radio sessions.

It's because although a handful of people think the Sisters of Mercy are where music starts and finishes, the rest of the world doesn't give a s**t.

The Cure, Banshees, Bunnymen - they all crossed to the mainstream more than the Sisters. They all ended up more "pop" than the sisters. More people like/liked them. I'm not saying that's how it should be but it is true. I'd guess that many other bands the same size as the sisters from particular genres don't get played much either.

Not a big enough "old" band to be played much. Not a "current" band to be played much either.

Not a great deal of that old goth stuff gets played at all. When was the last time you heard Sex Gang Children on the radio?

I heard Dominion on BBC6 a while back BTW.

It is pretty controversial. "serious" alternative music fans who listen to Dutch radio stations think The Sisters are ehm, "goth".

While After Whithin Forever Evanescense is popular, these proto pop goth fans think The Sisters are not "goth." Which is true. It is meta, i know.

It's really funny, Sisters were almost boycotted in the 90's by "serious" dutch channel VPRO. Only dj's like Edwin Brienen played there songs and Studio Brussel-man Lux.

Recently a radio host called Jaap Boots said after a guest playing Detonation Blvd: "hey this is rock and roll..." He always thought it was heavy gloomy death goth s**t.

Ozpat wrote:

nowayjose wrote:

replicant wrote:I don‘t understand how come The Sisters have never made it onto a soundtrack or been used on an advert.

Fatih Akin's award-winning 2004 movie "Gegen die Wand" ("Head On") featured Temple of Love.

........and it featured it in a great way!

And Eldo didn't give a s**t, by the way.

Alice accompanying the last Robin Hood series? That's exposure, regardless of whether a single person besides us lot had a clue what it was or who it was by. The snooker seems quite fond of them too.

But whatever, Von I'm sure knows there's no chance of housewives ever doing the ironing to Susanne, whether they ought to be or not.

aye. wot biggy said.

This New Year's Andrew Collins (?) played goth records on BBC Radio 6. I thought it was great. No Sisters but, they're not a goth band are they? All the DJs had a slot to play what they liked.

'Dominion' was played in Seaside Rescue a couple of months ago, while some shipwrecked person was hoisted into a helicopter.

I'm glad Mr E is uncompromising. You can walk around Japanese DIY superstores while a keyboard instrumental version of 'Sweet Child O'Mine' warbles in the background. I never want to hear them do 'Nine While Nine'!!

Quiff Boy wrote:aye. wot biggy said.

you love me

nowayjose wrote:

replicant wrote:I don‘t understand how come The Sisters have never made it onto a soundtrack or been used on an advert.

Fatih Akin's award-winning 2004 movie "Gegen die Wand" ("Head On") featured Temple of Love.

and showgirls featured vision thing!

The sisters had everything, wit, intelligence, style and intense music that was brutally honest.......... They had everything.

Now DJs and journalist (aka shallow pond life) just can't handle this. It's like the ad when that bloke pulls up to a club in a Porsche and everyone thinks he must be flawed in some way but he turns out to be witty, intelligent and rich and when he speaks makes them feel like complete idiots.

So it was greatly reassuring when the Sisters shot into the charts at No. 2 with Temple of Love.

I remember seeing an interview with Von at Reading and John Peel commenting that 'he sounds really good'

I remember playing Sisters records to friends and watching their faces............going silent as if they had been reminded of some truth then quickly dismissing it because...............I dont know what.

There is something about the Sisters music that is honest that's why superficial people dont like them.

No, it's not brutally honest. Quite the opposite some of the time. And if DJs/journos can't handle that, it's only the same as fans who can't handle the band's flaws, or aspects which journos DO pick up on, which make the band seem anything but infallible.
And this applies to more bands than just TSOM, before I get flamed.

I think a lot of people want a singer, simple as that.

While I adore Andrew's vocal style, and I can hear its influence all over goth rock most people can get past it.

I had the rertile house playing a little while ago, my mother (who is by no means a serious music fan) came in, stopped and listened, and commented on how she liked, not the music but the way it sounded.
Then Von kicked in and she just walked out...

I have a friend who is into music in a big way, and although he doesn't contest the quality of the sisters music he despises the fool droning in the deepest voice he can manage (and this guy likes BM!).

Ian Curtis sung, after a manner, Siouxsie sung, Robert Smith sung.
Both Von and also Peter Murphy I think, put on a silly voice. I'd say Bauhaus get the same level of exposure as the girls. Everyone has heard OF them, but not actually heard them.

Maisey wrote:Peter Murphy I think, put on a silly voice.

Are you mad?!

Dark wrote:No, it's not brutally honest. Quite the opposite some of the time. And if DJs/journos can't handle that, it's only the same as fans who can't handle the band's flaws, or aspects which journos DO pick up on, which make the band seem anything but infallible.
And this applies to more bands than just TSOM, before I get flamed.

Both of our posts show two sides of a discussion. Either their music is 'brutally honest' or it's not.

It's like (metaphorically speaking) two mountains talking to each other, each according to their levels and what they see.We could go on endlessly.

(Which brings to mind Von's 'common belief theory' or lack of it).

'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder' and the Sisters were beautiful and flawless.