Vision Thing (album)

Last updated

Vision Thing
The Sisters of Mercy - Vision Thing cover.jpg
Studio album by
Released22 October 1990
Recorded1990
StudioPuk Recording Studios (Gjerlev, Denmark)
Genre
Length42:35
Label
Producer
The Sisters of Mercy chronology
Floodland
(1987)
Vision Thing
(1990)
Some Girls Wander by Mistake
(1992)
Singles from Vision Thing
  1. "More"
    Released: 1 October 1990
  2. "Doctor Jeep"
    Released: December 1990
  3. "Detonation Boulevard"
    Released: 1990 (US radio single)
  4. "When You Don't See Me (Remix)"
    Released: February 1991 (Germany only)
  5. "Vision Thing (Canadian club remix)"
    Released: 1991 (club single)
  6. "I Was Wrong (American fade)"
    Released: 1991 (US radio single)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Chicago Tribune Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [4]
Christgau's Consumer Guide Scissors icon black.svg [5]
Classic Rock 8/10 [6]
NME 10/10 (tracks 1–2) [7]
4/10 (tracks 3–8) [7]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [8]
Record Collector Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [9]
Select 4/5 [10]
Uncut Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [11]

Vision Thing is the third studio album by English gothic rock band the Sisters of Mercy. It was released on 22 October 1990 through Merciful Release and East West Records, [12] with Elektra Records handling the US release.

Contents

Recording

Soon after the release of the band's previous album, Floodland , Eldritch approached guitarist John Perry to join them on writing a new album. After Perry turned down the offer to become a full-time member, the band began to search for a new guitarist through their record label. Eventually, Eldritch was forwarded a demo tape by young and unknown Andreas Bruhn. Bruhn was called to audition a week after turning in his tape. [13]

As the band—now composed of Eldritch, Bruhn and bassist Patricia Morrison—was about to enter the studio, Morrison was abruptly replaced by the former Sigue Sigue Sputnik member Tony James. As Perry recalls, "When I first heard the Vision Thing material, Patricia was there; when I did the album, she wasn't." [14] While details on Morrison parting ways with the band have never been fully disclosed, she herself was allegedly hired by Eldritch on the day her predecessor, Craig Adams, resigned. [15]

Morrison later confirmed to have worked with Eldritch up until December 1989. She would go on to say her resignation was linked to her monthly salary of £300, and that she had her doubts on the band's musical direction. "I wasn't too thrilled with the direction the record was going in. There were elements I didn't like that could have gone either way, and now that Tony James is in I want nothing to do with it. It seems obvious what's going on – it's scam time..." [16]

While Morrison's recording input on Floodland has been contested, Perry raised doubts whether either she or James play on Vision Thing. "By the time of the recording, Tony James was in, but I'm not sure either [he or Patricia] actually played any bass on the record – sounds sequenced to me." [14] James has later admitted his parts took some twenty minutes in total to record. [17]

Ultimately, the band spent nine months in the Danish recording facilities, with guitarist Tim Bricheno recruited during the final two weeks. [13] Then-manager Boyd Steemson followed suit at one point to observe the progress. "I remember flying out to the [Puk] studio when they were making Vision Thing, and Tony [James] spoke to me and said: 'Well, I guess it's going to be a five-song album.' And I said, 'No, it will not be a five-song album.' Two days later they had seven-and-a-half songs. It was a very painful process." [14]

According to the official website of the band, the final mixes were not the ones worked on the most. "'Vision Thing' is a stripped-down affair. Half of the finished mixes for the album are shelved in favour of rough mixes from earlier stages of the recording session, 'monitor mixes' which retain the immediate feel of the songs." [18]

Content

The album was designed by songwriter and singer Andrew Eldritch as an attack on the policies of the George H. W. Bush administration (the title comes from an oft-cited quote by Bush). [19] According to Eldritch, the album's artwork features a barely visible image of Detroit's inner-city. The area had been heavily economically impacted during this period. [20]

Legacy

Described by Andrew Eldritch as "a fine album", [21] it was included by Q magazine on their "Fifty Best Albums of 1990" list. In 1999, Ned Raggett ranked the album at number 69 on his list of "The Top 136 or So Albums of the Nineties". [22]

Track listing

All songs produced by Eldritch, except "More", produced by Eldritch and Jim Steinman, and "When You Don't See Me", produced by Chris Tsangarides.

No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Vision Thing" Andrew Eldritch Eldritch4:35
2."Ribbons"EldritchEldritch5:25
3."Detonation Boulevard"Andreas Bruhn, EldritchBruhn, Eldritch3:52
4."Something Fast"EldritchEldritch4:36
5."When You Don't See Me"EldritchBruhn, Eldritch4:47
6."Doctor Jeep"EldritchBruhn, Eldritch4:41
7."More"Eldritch, Jim Steinman Eldritch, Steinman8:21
8."I Was Wrong"EldritchEldritch6:03
Total length:42:35

2006 reissue

Along with the group's previous two releases, Vision Thing was reissued in November 2006 with bonus tracks.

No.TitleLyricsMusicOriginal singleLength
9."You Could Be the One"EldritchBruhn"More"4:01
10."When You Don't See Me" (remix)EldritchBruhn, Eldritch"When You Don't See Me (remix)"4:43
11."Doctor Jeep" (extended mix)EldritchBruhn, Eldritch"Doctor Jeep" 12″8:59
12."Ribbons (live)"EldritchEldritch"When You Don't See Me (remix)" 12″4:25
13."Something Fast" (live)EldritchEldritch"When You Don't See Me (remix)" 12″3:02
Total length:64:32

Personnel

Guest musicians

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for Vision Thing
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Germany (BVMI) [33] Gold250,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [34] Silver60,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Sisters of Mercy</span> English rock band

The Sisters of Mercy are an English rock band formed in Leeds in 1980. After achieving early underground fame there, the band had their commercial breakthrough in the mid-1980s and sustained it until the early 1990s, when they stopped releasing new records in protest against their record company, WEA. Currently, although the band are a touring outfit only, they continue to perform new and unreleased music live.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Eldritch</span> English musician and frontman of The Sisters of Mercy

Andrew Eldritch is an English singer, songwriter and musician. He is the lead vocalist and only remaining original member of the Sisters of Mercy, a band that emerged from the British post-punk scene, transformed into a gothic rock band, and, in later years, flirted with hard rock.

<i>Floodland</i> (album) 1987 studio album by the Sisters of Mercy

Floodland is the second studio album by English gothic rock band the Sisters of Mercy. It was released on 13 November 1987, through Merciful Release internationally and distributed by WEA, with Elektra Records handling the United States release. After the release of the band's debut studio album, First and Last and Always (1985), members Craig Adams and Wayne Hussey left to form the Mission, causing the dissolution of the Sisters of Mercy. As a result, band frontman Andrew Eldritch formed a side project known as the Sisterhood. After the first Sisterhood album was received negatively overall, Eldritch restarted the Sisters of Mercy and hired the Sisterhood member Patricia Morrison for the recording of a new album.

<i>First and Last and Always</i> 1985 studio album by the Sisters of Mercy

First and Last and Always is the debut studio album by English gothic rock band the Sisters of Mercy, first released on 11 March 1985 through the band's Merciful Release label. Prior to recording sessions for a debut album, the band started off by releasing multiple extended plays and singles from 1980 through 1984. Guitarist Ben Gunn departed the band in October 1983 and was subsequently replaced by Dead or Alive member Wayne Hussey. This created one of the band's most iconic line-ups, comprising Hussey with frontman Andrew Eldritch, guitarist Gary Marx, and bassist Craig Adams.

<i>Some Girls Wander by Mistake</i> 1992 compilation album by the Sisters of Mercy

Some Girls Wander by Mistake is a compilation album by English band the Sisters of Mercy, released on 27 April 1992 on their own label Merciful Release, distributed by East West/Warner Music UK.

<i>A Slight Case of Overbombing</i> 1993 greatest hits album by The Sisters of Mercy

A Slight Case of Overbombing is a greatest hits album by English gothic rock band the Sisters of Mercy. It was released on 23 August 1993 on the band's own label, Merciful Release, under distribution contract with East West Records. All the tracks featured on this compilation album are in reverse chronological order of release. A Slight Case of Overbombing contains mostly remixes and edited versions of songs that the Sisters of Mercy had released by 1993, as well as two never-before released tracks: a re-recorded version of "Temple of Love" from 1992, and one new track, "Under the Gun", which was released as a single to promote this compilation album and is also the band's most recent single as of 2024.

All About Eve were an English rock band. The initial creative core consisted of Coventry-born Julianne Regan (vocals), Huddersfield-born Tim Bricheno (guitar) and Andy Cousin, with other members changing over the years. Their highest-charting UK single was "Martha's Harbour" (1988). The band was active from 1984 to 1993, then 1999 to 2004, achieving four UK Top-50 albums. The band had been recognised for their "unique, folk-rock-influenced take" on the gothic rock style, and Regan has been described as "certainly one of the more talented singers" of the scene in the late 1980s.

<i>Lock Up the Wolves</i> 1990 studio album by Dio

Lock Up the Wolves is the fifth studio album by American heavy metal band Dio, released on May 15, 1990. It displayed a complete change of musician line-up over the previous album, Dream Evil, including 18-year-old guitarist Rowan Robertson and Simon Wright on drums who had played with AC/DC from 1983 to 1989 as well as bassist Teddy Cook who was in the band Hotshot that morphed into Danger Danger. Rod Simpkins from the Hollywood bands Riken and Jungle Alley also filled in on bass for several tour dates in 1990. Former Dio Bass player Jimmy Bain was not able to fill tour dates for Teddy Cook due to health concerns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patricia Morrison</span> American musician (born 1961)

Patricia Anne Rainone, better known by her stage name Patricia Morrison, is an American bass guitarist, singer and songwriter. She has worked with Bags, the Gun Club, Fur Bible, the Sisters of Mercy, and the Damned.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony James (musician)</span> English pop musician and record producer

Anthony Eric James is an English pop musician and record producer, who was the bassist for the 1970s–1980s bands Generation X, Sigue Sigue Sputnik and the Sisters of Mercy.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julianne Regan</span> English-Irish singer, songwriter and musician

JulianneRegan is an English/Irish singer, songwriter, and musician. She achieved success in the late 1980s and early 1990s having formed the band All About Eve. Her major role in the band was as lead singer and songwriter. AllMusic describes Regan as "certainly one of the more talented singers of the late eighties British goth rock scene".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dominion (song)</span> 1988 single by the Sisters of Mercy

"Dominion" is a song by English rock band the Sisters of Mercy. It was released as the second single from their second studio album, Floodland, in February 1988. The version on Floodland features "Dominion" as well as a coda piece titled "Mother Russia". It was written by band frontman Andrew Eldritch and produced by Larry Alexander, Eldritch, and Jim Steinman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucretia My Reflection</span> 1988 single by the Sisters of Mercy

"Lucretia My Reflection" is a song by the English rock band the Sisters of Mercy. Released as the third and final single from their second studio album, Floodland, in June 1988, it reached number 20 on the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">This Corrosion</span> 1987 single by The Sisters of Mercy

"This Corrosion" is a song by English rock band The Sisters of Mercy, released as the lead single from their second studio album, Floodland (1987), in September 1987. The song peaked at number 6 in Ireland, number 7 in the UK, and number 17 in Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">More (The Sisters of Mercy song)</span> 1990 song by The Sisters of Mercy

"More" is a song by The Sisters of Mercy, from their album Vision Thing. It was the first single from the album, reaching number one on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart for five weeks, starting 15 December 1990. The song was co-written and co-produced by Andrew Eldritch and Jim Steinman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Mission (band)</span> English gothic rock band

The Mission are an English gothic rock band formed in 1986. Initially known as the Sisterhood, the band was started by frontman Wayne Hussey and bassist Craig Adams, soon adding drummer Mick Brown and guitarist Simon Hinkler. Aside from Hussey, the lineup has changed several times during the years and the band has been on hiatus twice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Sisters of Mercy discography</span>

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 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doctor Jeep</span> 1990 single by The Sisters of Mercy

"Doctor Jeep" is a song by The Sisters of Mercy, from their album Vision Thing. It was the second single from the album and was later included on their greatest hits compilation, A Slight Case of Overbombing. The single reached no. 37 on the UK Singles Chart in December 1990.

<i>Alice</i> (The Sisters of Mercy song) 1982 single by The Sisters of Mercy

"Alice" is a song by the British rock band the Sisters of Mercy, written by vocalist Andrew Eldritch. The song was released as a non-album single by the band's own label by Merciful Release, on 21 November 1982. It was re-released in March 1983 as a 12" EP.

References

  1. Prown, Pete; Newquist, Harvey P. (1997). Legends of Rock Guitar: The Essential Reference of Rock's Greatest Guitarists. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 238. ISBN   978-0-7935-4042-6.
  2. 1 2 Monger, James Christopher. "The Sisters of Mercy Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic . Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  3. Harper, Jim. "Vision Thing – The Sisters of Mercy". AllMusic . Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  4. Kot, Greg (17 January 1991). "Sisters of Mercy: Vision Thing (Elektra)". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  5. Christgau, Robert (2000). "The Sisters of Mercy: Vision Thing". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. St. Martin's Griffin. p. 283. ISBN   0-312-24560-2 . Retrieved 8 June 2017.
  6. Sleazegrinder (December 2006). "The Sisters of Mercy: Reissues". Classic Rock . No. 100. p. 101.
  7. 1 2 Wells, Steven (20 October 1990). "The Sisters of Mercy: Vision Thing". NME . p. 41.
  8. Kay, Graeme (December 1990). "The Sisters of Mercy: Vision Thing". Q . No. 51.
  9. Buscovic, Alix (December 2016). "Vision Thing | The Sisters Of Mercy". Record Collector . No. 460. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  10. Marlowe, Chris (December 1990). "Prophets of Profit". Select . No. 6. p. 106.
  11. Sutherland, Steve (5 December 2006). "The Sisters Of Mercy – Reissues". Uncut . Archived from the original on 13 January 2007. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  12. "New Albums" (PDF). Music Week . 20 October 1990. p. 36. ISSN   0265-1548 via World Radio History.
  13. 1 2 "View topic - Heartland Interview with Andreas Bruhn :: Heartland :: The Sisters of Mercy Forum". Myheartland.co.uk. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  14. 1 2 3 "The Sisterhood". Classic Rock. July 2007.
  15. "Untitled Document". Gps.tsom.org. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  16. "The Sisters of Mercy Ultimate Resource Guide - Transcribed articles 1990-1999". Ultimatesistersguide.org. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  17. "View topic - Heartland Interview with Tony James :: Heartland :: The Sisters of Mercy Forum". Myheartland.co.uk. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  18. "Sisters Biography". Thesistersofmercy.com. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  19. "George H.W. Bush and "the vision thing"". This Day in Quotes. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  20. Mark Andrews (11 May 2023). "The Sisters of Mercy's Andrew Eldritch thinks 'Fear of the Dark' by Iron Maiden is like a Sisters cover version". louder. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  21. "Sisters Discography". Thesistersofmercy.com. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
  22. "The Top 136 or So Albums of the 90s". Archived from the original on 20 January 2000. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  23. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 255.
  24. "Austriancharts.at – The Sisters of Mercy – Vision Thing" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  25. "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 7, no. 47. 24 November 1990. p. VIII. OCLC   29800226 via World Radio History.
  26. "Offiziellecharts.de – The Sisters of Mercy – Vision Thing" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  27. "Charts.nz – The Sisters of Mercy – Vision Thing". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  28. "Swedishcharts.com – The Sisters of Mercy – Vision Thing". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  29. "Swisscharts.com – The Sisters of Mercy – Vision Thing". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  30. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  31. "The Sisters of Mercy | Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2 August 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  32. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts – 1991" (in German). GfK Entertainment . Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  33. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Sisters of Mercy; 'Vision Thing')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie . Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  34. "British album certifications – Sisters of Mercy – Vision Thing". British Phonographic Industry. 6 November 1990. Retrieved 7 January 2022.