The discography of the English rock band the Sisters of Mercy consists of three studio albums, two compilation albums, two extended plays (EPs), and sixteen singles. The Sisters of Mercy were formed in Leeds in 1980 by Andrew Eldritch (vocals, drums) and Gary Marx (guitar) and released their debut single, "The Damage Done", the same year on their own independent record label, Merciful Release. In early 1981, Craig Adams (bass) joined the band and they started to use a drum machine, which was christened Doktor Avalanche. Ben Gunn joined the band as a second guitarist by the end of 1981 and this line-up recorded four more singles and two EPs during 1982 and 1983. Guitarist Wayne Hussey replaced Gunn in early 1984 and, after building up their live reputation, The Sisters signed with WEA, who distribute the band's releases on Merciful Release in the United Kingdom and on Elektra Records in the United States. The band's next single, 1984's "Body and Soul", became their first charting effort in the UK when it reached number 46. Three more singles were released before the band reached number 14 on the UK Albums Chart with their debut album, First and Last and Always, which was released in March 1985. Following the album's release, Marx left the band, before the rest of the group disbanded in mid-1985.
After releasing a single and album with the Sisterhood, and a legal dispute with Adams and Hussey over ownership of the band name the Sisters of Mercy, Eldritch reformed the Sisters of Mercy with himself as vocalist and Patricia Morrison on bass. The band continued to be supplemented by the drum machine known as Doktor Avalanche. This new line-up reached number seven in the UK with their first single, "This Corrosion", which was released in September 1987. Floodland, released in November 1987, also made the top ten when it reached number nine on the UK Albums Chart. Two further singles from Floodland – "Dominion" and "Lucretia My Reflection" – reached numbers 13 and 20 in the UK in early 1988.
Another line-up change in early 1990 saw Morrison being replaced on bass by Tony James; guitarists Tim Bricheno and Andreas Bruhn were also recruited. This line-up released the single "More" and the album Vision Thing in October 1990, which reached numbers 21 and 11 on the UK Singles Chart and UK Albums Chart respectively. A further single, "Doctor Jeep", was released from Vision Thing in December 1990 and reached number 37 in the UK. James left the band in 1991 before the single "Temple of Love (1992)", a re-recording of their 1983 single, was released in April 1992 and became the band's highest-charting single when it reached number three in the UK. Some Girls Wander by Mistake, a compilation of the band's early material was also released in April 1992 and reached number five in the UK. With Bricheno leaving the band by the end of 1992, a new guitarist, Adam Pearson, was recruited before the band recorded the single "Under the Gun", which was released in August 1993 and reached number 19 in the UK. A greatest-hits compilation album, A Slight Case of Overbombing, was also released in August 1993 and reached number 14 on the UK Albums Chart. The Sisters of Mercy have not made any more commercial releases, but continue to tour under various line-ups, with Eldritch as the only main stable member.
Albums Studio albums + List of studio albums, with selected chart positions and certifications Title Details Peak chart positions Certifications UK AUSPeaks in Australia: All except noted: "Doctor Jeep": AUT GER NZ SWE SWI US First and Last and Always Released: 11 March 1985 Labels: Merciful Release Formats: LP, CD, cassette 14 — — 40 — 23 — — BPI: Gold BVMI: Gold Floodland Released: 16 November 1987 Labels: Merciful Release Formats: LP, CD, cassette 9 — — 32 28 28 24 101 BPI: Gold BVMI: Gold Vision Thing Released: 13 November 1990 Labels: Merciful Release, East West Formats: LP, CD, cassette 11 73 21 13 38 22 22 136 BPI: Silver BVMI: Gold "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
Compilation albums + List of compilation albums, with selected chart positions and certifications Title Details Peak chart positions Certifications UK AUS AUT BEL (WA) GER NZ POR SWE SWI Some Girls Wander by Mistake Released: 27 April 1992 Labels: Merciful Release, East West Formats: 2×LP, CD, CS 5 98 7 — 9 27 — 17 22 BPI: Silver BVMI: Gold A Slight Case of Overbombing Released: 23 August 1993 Labels: Merciful Release, East West Formats: 2×LP, CD, CS 14 — — — 11 — — 11 21 BPI: Gold BVMI: Gold BBC Sessions 1982–1984 Released: 17 July 2021 Labels: BBC, Warner Music Formats: 2×LP, CD 55 — — 151 — — 49 — —Body and Soul/Walk Away Released: 20 April 2024
Labels: Warner, Merciful Release Formats: LP————————— "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
Box sets Title Details Merciful Release Released: 2007 Label: Merciful Release, Rhino Format: 3×CD
Extended plays Title Details Alice Released: March 1983 Label: Merciful Release Format: 12-inch The Reptile House Released: 16 May 1983 Label: Merciful Release Format: 12-inch Body and Soul Released: 4 June 1984 Label: Merciful Release, WEA Format: 12-inch
Singles + List of singles, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name Title Year Peak chart positions Album UK AUS AUT GER IRE NZ SWE US Alt US Dance "The Damage Done" 1980 — — — — — — — — — rowspan="5" "Body Electric" 1982 — — — — — — — — — "Alice" — — — — — — — — — "Anaconda" 1983 — — — — — — — — — "Temple of Love" — — — — — — — — — "Body and Soul" 1984 46 — — — — — — — — Body and Soul "Walk Away" 45 — — — — — — — — First and Last and Always "No Time to Cry" 1985 63 — — — — — — — — "This Corrosion" 1987 7 — — 17 6 — — — 38 Floodland "Dominion" 1988 13 — — — 7 — — — 30 "Lucretia My Reflection" 20 — — — 22 — — — 30 "More" 1990 14 74 — 14 10 41 — 1 — Vision Thing "Doctor Jeep" 37 125 — 45 — — — — — "When You Don't See Me" 1991 — — — 74 — — — — — "Temple of Love (1992)" 1992 3 — 16 5 15 — 24 — — "Under the Gun" 1993 19 — — 40 — — 17 — — A Slight Case of Overbombing "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
Other charting singles + List of promotional singles, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name Title Year Peak chart positions Album US Alt "Detonation Boulevard" 1991 17 Vision Thing
Videography Video albums Title Details Wake Released: 25 February 1986 Label: PolyGram Music Video Formats: VHS, LD Shot Released: 31 October 1988 Label: Warner Music Vision Format: VHS Shot Rev 2.0 Released: 1993 Label: Warner Music Vision Format: VHS
Music videos + List of music videos, showing year released and directors Title Year Director "Body and Soul" 1984 "Walk Away" Stevie Price "No Time to Cry" 1985 Pete Cornish "Black Planet""Sisters of Mercy Rock Video Shoot "Black Planet" - 1985" by Robert Webb. Steve Martin Note this director is not Steve Martin the actor. "This Corrosion" 1987 Stuart Orme Shot. [VHS]. Warner Music Vision. 1988. 244053-3. "Dominion" 1988 David Hogan "Lucretia My Reflection" Peter Sinclair "1959" "More" 1990 Dominic Sena "Doctor Jeep" Jon Klein "The Sisters Of Mercy – Doctor Jeep VHS". discogs.com, Retrieved on 20 August 2022. "Detonation Boulevard" 1991 Matt Mahurin "Temple of Love (1992)" 1992 John Mills "The Sisters Of Mercy – Temple of Love VHS". discogs.com, Retrieved on 9 November 2024. "Under the Gun" 1993 Jon Klein
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