Andrew Eldritch radio interview [ permanent dead link] (Andrew Collins Show, BBC 6 Music 17 April 2003) On Facebook, the label suggests the reissue will be released later this year or in early 2020, after Eldritch finishes his current tour with The Sisters of Mercy.

The Gift album was issued on CD for the first time in 1989 then reissued in 1994, but has been out of print on all formats — aside from bootleg repressings — since then, and had yet to debut digitally. Recording took place at Fairview Studios [27] near Hull with in-house engineer John Spence. American vocalist Alan Vega, who had made friends with the Sisters of Mercy in 1983, [28] and undertook a solo tour through the UK and Europe during February and March 1986, recorded one version of the song, other vocal takes featuring James Ray and Andrew Eldritch are in existence as well.As to the involvement of Alan Vega in this album, Andrew Eldritch replied in an interview with The Quietus by Ben Graham of November 12th, 2011: RCA, the record label and publisher of the music of The Sisters of Mercy, and the band that would eventually become The Mission were also signed to, profited from the feud a lot. Another Eldritch press release commented: "We assume that their choice of name is entirely unconnected with the forthcoming Andrew Eldritch album that for some months has had the working title Left on Mission and Revenge."

Eldritch went into the studio at the tail end of 1985 to produce the debut single of James Ray and the Performance for his Merciful Release label. [15] James Ray: "The Sisterhood project arose during the recording of 'Mexico Sundown Blues'." [16] On 2 March 1986 the Mission played in Birmingham. Wayne Hussey: "The majority of the songs we've been doing in the set so far are my songs that Andrew rejected for the Sisters' second album. It's ironic cos he saw us at Birmingham and told us how good he thought the songs were." [23] "This Corrosion" 12 inch EP (spring 1986, unreleased) [ edit ]The Sisterhood album was a weapon in this corporate war. That’s why I called it Gift (in German: poison) But I still like the record. It’s weird but it’s fine. I see it as a techno record. Or what I thought to be techno at the time.” The Sisterhood was a musical project led by Andrew Eldritch. With guest musicians, the Sisterhood recorded songs he had originally intended for a second album by the Sisters of Mercy. The Sisters of Mercy are scheduled to play a pair of rare U.S. shows this spring — a festival in Las Vegas and a headlining date in Los Angeles — as the lone album from Andrew Eldritch’s mid-’80s side project The Sisterhood finally sees a reissue several years after it was announced. Released in two official editions. The original artwork differs slightly, mostly inasfar as the print on the cover

The relationship between RCA and Eldritch was just as bad as the relationship between Eldritch and Hussey. Going from memory, I believe both were still signed to RCA. Either way, RCA was benefitting from the press coverage. I have read and heard that Eldritch deliberately made his album rubbish so that he would be released from his contract (cf Lou Reed). Despite the fact that I don't think the album was rubbish and the unlikelihood of Eldritch releasing a substandard record, it does reinforce the idea that Eldritch was not pleased with RCA. In July 1986 Eldritch put the album out on his Merciful Release label to unanimously negative press reactions. The album did not accomplish its purpose, as RCA Records dissolved the publishing contract with Eldritch [29] and decided to keep the Mission instead. Eldritch: "Then they said 'Well, okay, what are we gonna do for new songs?' And I said 'How about this, this and this' and, unfortunately, the first 'this' I cited had too many chords per minute and Craig said 'If that's the guitar line, I'm not playing it' and walked out. That was really that." [8] "The others didn't want to play my new songs, such as 'Torch' for instance. [...] The song has some unusual chord changes. Craig thought it was crap, he said 'I'm not playing it, I'm going home.' And there he stayed." [9] Following the musical split of The Sisters Of Mercy after their show at Royal Albert Hall, Andrew Eldritch formed The Sisterhood in early 1986 together with Alan Vega (Suicide), Lucas Fox (Motorhead), Patricia Morrison (Sisters Of Mercy), James Ray (Gangwar) and Doktor Avalanche (the Sisters’ drum machine) – hurriedly beating his former band mates Craig Adams and Wayne Hussey for control of the Sisterhood name.

Versions

Following the release of “Gift,” The Sisterhood disbanded, and Andrew Eldritch returned his focus to The Sisters of Mercy. The band underwent significant lineup changes, with Patricia Morrison joining as bassist. Eldritch has been relatively quiet about The Sisterhood project in interviews, stating that it served its purpose and that he has moved on from that chapter of his career. James Ray: "Lucas Fox done the spoken word stuff." [26] "If I remember correctly I advised Andrew on how Lucas Fox should approach his vocals and that was quite enough for me." [16]

The Gift album was issued on CD for the first time in 1989 then reissued in 1994, but has been out of print on all formats — aside from bootleg repressings — since then, and has yet to debut digitally. Eldritch was alarmed: "They began to claim rights to [the Sisters name], which patently had to be stopped. And when they wanted to be called the Sisterhood, there was nothing I could do but be the Sisterhood before them – the only way to kill that name was to use it, then kill it." [12] "Warners thought they could have two bands on the same label with pretty much the same name." [17] Merciful Release announced the single’s release with a press statement: “From among the forces allied to Merciful Release we bring you the Sisterhood. capturing (in this instance) the musical bile of Andrew Eldritch, and introducing James Ray and the Performance … of whom more soon.”

Reviews

The Sisterhood, a project thus named to prevent Wayne Hussey’s use following the intial demise of The Sisters of Mercy, is finally seeing a reissue on CD, cassette and vinyl, after 25 years of being out of print. Music Written and Produced by Andrew Eldritch Featuring Doktor Avalanche and The Chorus Of Vengeance The introduction to "Jihad" consists of the numbers "Two-Five-Zero-Zero-Zero". This is the amount of money (in sterling...) Hussey had to pay Eldritch after he sued for using the name "Sisterhood" with the pre-Mission name Hussey was using to tour with... In March 1986, the Mission began negotiations with Phonogram Ltd. as WEA Records refused to release any material. So the band released the October 1985 demo tape in slightly re-recorded form as an independent single on 9 May 1986. The single (its b-side was titled "Wake (RSV)" as a nod to "Giving Ground (RSV)") promptly entered the UK Indie Chart at no. 1. WEA Records had to release the Mission from their contract. Tony Perrin, the Mission's manager: "I think Eldritch perpetuated it longer than anyone else bothered. We'd still get letters from his lawyers ages after but nothing would ever come of it. The whole thing cost us legal bills and that's all, the rumours about big losses by us were all rubbish, it was never going to court." [32]