The Sisterhood - pre-order

The Sisterhood was a musical project led by Andrew Eldritch. With guest musicians, the Sisterhood recorded songs rumored to be intended for a second album by the Sisters of Mercy. Within months of  the first Sisters of Mercy album First and Last and Always ’s release all but guitarist Wayne Hussey was remaining with Eldritch in the band. After Hussey attempts to make a second album with Andrew Eldritch in Hamburg failed because Eldritch was mostly checked out of participating, Hussey returned to England joining Craig Adams to form a new band. 


Hussey and Adams, who like Eldritch remained under contract with WEA Records, booked studio time to record a four-song demo tape, and set up a new band. 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. While Eldritch was in the studio, Hussey and Adams, who had taken over the Sisters' roadcrew and equipment, announced their debut concert for 20 January 1986, which they were going to play under the new name the Sisterhood.


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." "Warners thought they could have two bands on the same label with pretty much the same name."




Eldritch decided to secure the rights to the Sisterhood name as quickly as possible. He registered a company under the name and prepared a record to be released on his own label. In only five days Eldritch recorded a song called "Giving Ground," which he co-wrote with Merciful Release manager Boyd Steemson and co-produced with Lucas Fox. Eldritch recorded all instruments himself (guitar, bass, synthesizers and drum programming), while Fox programmed some additional percussion tracks.

Because Eldritch, as an artist, was under contract to WEA Records, he could not sing on the record, otherwise WEA would have had an option on the recording. James Ray: "He asked me and I did the vocals, as easy as that".
The single was released as planned on 20 January 1986, the same day that Hussey and Adams played their debut concert in London as the Sisterhood. 

Hussey and Adams had to give up the Sisterhood name and became known as the new name: the Mission. An 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."

Andrew Eldritch and the Mission still had a publishing contract with RCA Records from their days in the Sisters of Mercy. A sum of £25,000 for one studio album was payable for the year of 1986 in an Advance against royalties deal, so RCA decided to split up the money to the two concerned parties. Eldritch decided to claim the whole sum for himself by being first to compose, produce and release a studio album. Future Sisters’ bassist, Patricia Morrison, got her first opportunity to collaborate with Eldritch on the full Length album, but her only verified contribution to the album is one spoken passage on the opening track "Jihad". Eldritch: "So I asked Patricia to come to the studio and told her: 'Speak this – Two-Five-Zero-Zero-Zero'. It took the Mission two months to realize the meaning of those words. Two months!" i.e. £25,000. 


Eldritch, Vega, Hussey, Adams
Alan Vega gets a credit on the album cover but it remains unknown whether he made any contributions to the recording. He was possibly part of the "Chorus of Vengeance" on the track "Rain from Heaven"

Andrew Eldritch later said about the album: "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."