THE SISTERS OF MERCY / Some Girls Wander by Mistake (1992)

Some Girls Wander is a compilation album but it's not a Best Of..., that would come the following year (see HERE). It's a collection of the almost impossible to find and even harder to afford early Sisters vinyl releases from 1980 to 1983.
The striped-down sound can seem cavernous and muddy to non-fans, and admittedly Doktor Avalanche sounds primitive, but for Sisters lovers it's a genuine goldmine of classic era output, and a history lesson in atmospheric minimalism.

Songs of Note: Alice; Temple of Love

4 messes that scalpels make out of 5

VARIOUS ARTISTS / Under the Influence of Alice: Music Inspired by the Classic Tale (2010)

Twelve songs that have Lewis Carroll's classic children's story as an influence. It turns out that's all they have in common. It flits from Indie to Folk to Pop to Alternative to Psychedelic and back again. Not everyone has such eclectic tastes, so it's a hard sell, even on paper. It's the kind of compilation only really good for introducing the listener to new artists. Once it's achieved that, or failed at the same, it becomes nothing but a box on a shelf collecting dust. Be a good chap and pass it on to someone else when you're done with it, eh?

Songs of Note: Jefferson Airplane: White Rabbit; The Incredible String Band: The Mad Hatter's Song

2 bunnies on 'shrooms out of 5

THE SISTERS OF MERCY / First and Last and Always (1985)

The unique sound of the first Sisters album is a love it or hate it thing. Somewhat similar in tone to Joy Division or Bauhaus, it's infused with a gloomy repetitive atmosphere that'll depress or elate the individual, and only really works in the correct environment. It's solely responsible for the gothic tag that dogged the band for years afterwards. It's nihilistic 80s Rock music that engulfs the listener in a fog of self-reflection. If you can embrace that, it'll never leave you.

Songs of Note: Walk Away; First and Last and Always

5 voices that pass with time out of 5

THE SISTERS OF MERCY / Floodland (1987)

Andrew Eldritch and Doktor Avalanche were all that was left of TSoM after the first album. And seeing as how Doktor Avalanche doesn't have a body, Floodland is basically an Eldritch solo album. It sounds like it was conceived to be played in a sunken cathedral, as you float along in a current of shadows, hell-bent on dragging you into a ruminative atmosphere... It's a soundtrack to the opening of your eyes to the bastardry of love and the reason the world is all wrong, until it all crumbles around you. Get the extended version for extra sparkly bonus track goodness, including a twelve minute version of Neverland.

Songs of Note: Dominion / Mother Russia; 1959 

4½ corrosion songs out of 5

THE SISTERS OF MERCY / A Slight Case of Overbombing (1993)

The inevitable 'end of an era' Best Of... but it's one that collects all the A-Sides of the Sisters' singles, so it includes stuff that isn't on any of the previous albums, which warrants its inclusion for review. Under the Gun, Temple of Love (1992 - Touched by the hand of Ofra Haza) and some remixes are all new - unless you were lucky enough to have bought the singles at time of release.
It does what very few Best Of... albums do, which is manage to be both a good starting point for new listeners who've yet to be turned onto the dance-friendly gothic beats, and be an essential purchase for existing fans.
It says Volume One on the front, but there never was a Volume Two.

Songs of Note: Temple of Love (1992); Under The Gun

5 fuck yous to the record company out of 5

THE SISTERS OF MERCY / Vision Thing (1990)

The third and final official (non-Best of) album by The Sisters is a huge departure from where they started out. Listen to Vision Thing without knowing anything about the earlier releases and you'd wonder where the goth connection came from. It's fast and punchy radio-friendly Power-pop played in a Rock style. There's less dark brooding synth and more guitars than ever before.  And Eldritch's vocals are clearer than they'd ever been. I'm not saying it's a bad album, I think it's a great album, but not very much of it resembles the expected TSoM template.

Songs of Note: Ribbons; I Was Wrong

4 red lights (and Oh No! Jim Steinman) out of 5