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It was started by frontman Wayne Hussey and Craig Adams (both of the Sisters), soon adding Mick Brown (of Red Lorry Yellow Lorry ) and Simon Hinkler (of Artery / Pulp ). Aside from Hussey, the line-up has changed several times during the years, and the band has been dusted up from a state of dormancy once or twice. The backbone of the band's catalogue consists of seven main Album s (Gods Own Medicine, Children, Carved in Sand, Masque, Neverland, Blue and Aura) with several complementing albums, compilations and other miscellaneous releases also in existence. DETAILED HISTORY Incarnation Initially touring as Sisterhood, the new band played songs originally written for the Sisters of Mercy. Some were already released, some vetoed by band leader Andrew Eldritch . "Dance on Glass" was essentially Sisters' "Black Planet", while "Garden of Delight", "Over the Hills and Far Away" (one of several original songs with an identical name, great grounds for confusion), "Bridges Burning", "Serpent's Kiss" and "And the Dance Goes On" were previously unreleased. Meanwhile, Eldritch was not too happy about their usage of Sisters of Mercy songs — or the Sisterhood name, not only because it was too similar a name, but also as it was what the band's fans were called. In order to stop the practice, he got together with friends and released an Album and a Single lifted off it, as The Sisterhood . Now that there was a band named such with major releases under its belt, any court would have turned sour on Hussey's troupe. In need of a new band name, supposedly the combination of Mick's brand of speakers, a book relating to Hussey's Mormon upbringing and in a bite of an ankle, an originally-planned Sisters of Mercy album ''Left on a Mission and Revenge'' led them to decide on The Mission. Using the Eldritch-rejected material from their Sisters sessions, The Mission quickly released two indie singles on the Chapter 22 label, generating great interest from various record companies. Signing a seven-album deal with Phonogram , their debut album ''Gods Own Medicine'' was then recorded in six weeks with novice producer Tim Palmer — an acquaintance from Hussey's Dead Or Alive days. The band then headed touring around Europe, culminating in a prestigious slot at the Reading Festival . As the American leg of their "World Crusade Tour" went into overdrive, the heavy schedule lead to the temporary departure of Adams. A reflective mood followed Adams' return as Hussey found himself to be a father to a girl named Hannah. A live video entitled ''Crusade'' was released, capturing the band and their noisy audience at the early stage of their career. Turbulent recording sessions of the John Paul Jones -produced second album ''Children'' gave way to " Tower Of Strength ", the band's biggest hit yet. The following world tour "Children Play" included South America , and the band was developing into Britain's #1 touring outfit, supported by a legion of devoted fans (dubbed ''eskimos'' or ''missionaries''), to whom this era would mark the high peak of the band's (and hence, the very country's) live prowess. In a few months, the record company released a collection of music videos as From Dusk to Dawn, and to recapture the intimacy of the early gigs, the band travelled around Scotland to try out some new material, hitting the studio afterwards to carve out their next album, only to be briefly paused for the Hillsborough Disaster benefit, spearheaded by Hussey, a lifelong Liverpool F.C. fan. Much material was recorded for ''Carved in Sand'', and the band was never unanimous about what songs made the cut, so the album was quickly followed by ''Grains of Sand'', containing the rest of the candidates. To heal disagreements with humour, the foursome then promptly went Camp to form a Glam Rock Tribute Band The Metal Gurus , playing support for The Wonder Stuff and recording a Cover of Slade 's "Merry Xmas Everybody" with Noddy Holder and Jim Lea from Slade. However, as the Deliverance World Tour rolled on it became clear that it had not been enough. Strains between the founding members resulted in Hinkler storming off the stage during a Toronto gig, never to return. He would be sorely missed by the fans. He was replaced by David Wolfenden for the remainder of the tour, while Tim Bricheno (of All About Eve ) guests before joining the Sisters. With Paul Etchell (ex- Ghostdance ) on keyboards and guitars, the last leg of the tour was finished and the sorrowful band retreated to lick their wounds, with Hussey moving to Herefordshire countryside, cherishing his newly-wed status and a brand-new Driver's Licence . Music promptly followed the man, however, as equipment was moved into an adjacent barn for some musical planning. Brimming with new life in a few months, the recuperated bandsmen teamed up with engineer Joe Gibb to create a high-tech studio setup. Brown had been soaking up the Leeds dance scene, while Hussey's explorations were towards folk music. The band, asked to perform a lucrative headlining gig at Finsbury Park in 1991 , brought out quite a different side, joined by Martin Allcock (ex- Fairport Convention ) and Anthony Thistlethwaite (ex- The Waterboys ). Many of old fanbase left the gig worried about the direction of the forthcoming release, and indeed 1992's ''Masque'' (produced by Mark Saunders ) became a highly-contested release, seeing an evolution of Hussey's songwriting from the drama-and-nothing-but towards the personal, but its colourful, beat-driven pop instincts seriously alienated their traditional goth-rock following. Many have likened the record to a Hussey solo album, which evidently was the plan even though the end result wore The Mission's name. Without a tour planned, the new direction caused Craig Adams to depart towards The Cult . Reduced to a duo, the Mission began searching for new members — even placing an ad in the Melody Maker . Childhood's end The second incarnation of the Mission consisted of Brown, Hussey, Mark Gemini-Thwaite on guitar (ex Spear Of Destiny , National Velvet ), Rik Carter (ex Pendragon and Heartland ) on keyboards and eventually Andy Cousin (ex 'Eve again) on bass, and the line-up's first release was a fanclub-only Flexi Disc cover of The Osmonds song " Crazy Horses " in early 1993 . The recording of a new album started, while a BBC live album ''"No Snow No Show" for the Eskimo'' was compiled by Hussey and Joe Gibb. For the first time in three years, the band decided to tour, and a warm-up was arranged as the "Off the Street" Benefit for the homeless in Leeds. As Andrew Eldritch signed up, completely unfounded press speculation about a Hussey/Eldritch reunion became rife. The Club Mission tour romped through some smaller venues around Europe, with new tracks "Afterglow" and "Raising Cain" becoming a regular feature in the set. The end of 1993 saw Hussey remixing "Tower of Strength" with Youth , and revisiting some of the past material for a Greatest Hits compilation. "Tower '93" charted in the following January, and the band made their last appearance on Top Of The Pops . The compilation — ''Sum & Substance'' — was released in a month, bringing together most of the singles and two new tracks; "Sour Puss" (relating to Adams departing) and a ragged "Afterglow" remixed by Mark "Spike" Stent . The latter was also released as the final single through Vertigo /Phonogram — the seven-album contract was now up, and neither of the parties was interested in a continued relationship. A short U.K. tour (and some scattered summer dates) had the band keeping a low profile, and Hussey's second daughter Dylan-Rae was born. Recordings proceeded slowly, while the band negotiated a new independent record deal, and Hussey produced a collection of three BBC sessions as ''Salad Daze''. In late 1994, a single "Mission:1" containing an edgy "Raising Cain" had its release on the Equator Records label. And early in 1995 , the single "Swoon" paved way for the next album, ''Neverland'', more or less a Mission signature sound with a much heavier production. The Cure fans noticed the curious resemblance between "Pictures of You" and Mission's new "Heaven Knows". A following 'Neverland Tour' signals a slight revival of popularity as two concerts of the band were filmed for German television, a promo-only ''Live EP'' released and a handful of summer festivals played. In early and South Africa , the latter being their final gig at the Kyalami racetrack in Johannesburg . Afterlife In 1999 , after releasing revamped versions of Mission classics under the Cleopatra Records label, Hussey resurrected the band (with Craig Adams , Mark Thwaite and Scott Garrett (formerly of The Cult ), for what was to be a one-off tour with Gene Loves Jezebel across the USA and an also-resurrected All About Eve across the United Kingdom. The success of the tour and the reaction of the crowds gave the band plenty of encouragement to continue beyond the tour, and 2000 saw the band take on a mammoth world tour, heading festivals in Europe and sharing the bill with the Sisters of Mercy at the M'era Luna Festival in Germany. A souvenir of the 1999 tour was released as ''Ever After'', with the various live tracks complemented by 3 tracks from the 1995 promo-only Live EP and the even-rarer fanclub-only studio outtake "Crazy Horses". At the end of 2000, the band recorded some initial tracks in the Levellers Brighton's studios, while again thinking about a new album, and Dave Allen (who produced the first Sisters album) was drafted in to oversee the recording of tracks in Bath. Before the release of the album, dubbed '' Aura '', the band was invited to play support for the German tour of the Finnish band HIM . At this juncture, Mark Gemini-Thwaite left the band (first due to previous touring commitments with Tricky and later to form the band New Disease ) to be replaced by Rob Holliday of Sulpher . ''Aura'' hit the stores, released on their own Playground label run by former Phonogram A&R man Charlie Eyre, garnering varying degrees of appreciation. The sound was heavy and the production very intricate, but fans noted that "Dragonfly" flew almost identically to the past hit "Butterfly on a Wheel", with many other songs having their analogies in Mission back-catalogue as well. Nonetheless, the band undertook a large world tour supporting the album. However, stresses of touring and diminishing returns once again saw tensions grow, and during a shambolic South American leg of their 2002 tour, Craig Adams decided to leave — later joining the Alarm. Hussey continued the leg of the tour by himself, with some acoustic shows backed by pre-recorded tapes, also lining himself up for a number of much more successful solo acoustic shows in Europe. In early 2003, the Mission gained a new bass player in the form of Ritchie Vernon and after some months, losing Scott Garrett due to personal reasons, gained a new drummer in the form of Steve Spring . This new line-up had the band on firm ground, with a new fire in their bellies, resulting in some blistering shows across Europe, carrying on through to mid-2004. Recency September 2005 was when the band and the German SPV label released The Mission's first DVD, ''Lighting the Candles'', complemented by a live CD. It took over a year for Hussey to compile this 2 dvd set which includes a live gig, some video-clips, a commented biography and discography and plenty of inteviews, live performances and backstage shots. The result is awesome, complimented by very good reviews and good sales. The single "Breathe Me In" hit the top of the Alternative Chart in Germany, and the band once again undertook an extensive EU tour. Mark Gemini-Thwaite is back on the line as Rob Holliday is occupied with the touring Prodigy . The band evolved the hard-rock angle further, while audience ranks grew throughout the tour. Hussey announced that 2006 would hold no tours, as he would concentrate on the new album and his personal projects. Early 2006 sees Brazil -bound Hussey celebrating the 20th anniversary of the band, marked by the issue of a special T-shirt designed for the occasion. The old record company is inspired as well, delving into the vaults and coming out with a 2CD greatest hits / rarities set, titled ''The Mission: the Phonogram Years''. Hussey provides copious liner notes, examining all those demos and alternative takes — even an unreleased outtake from the ''Carved in Sand'' sessions ("Diamond Cuts Diamond") sits together with live takes on "Amelia" and "Blood Brother". Universal also releases the Mission classic ''Crusade'' and the documentary ''Waves Upon the Sand'' on DVD. In March 2006, Hussey announces that Mark Gemini-Thwaite is officially again part of The Mission line-up, replacing permanently Rob Holliday due to the latter's ever increasing workload with The Prodigy and his own band, Sulpher, and because of his inability to be able to commit to being involved in the creative process of writing and recording the new Mission album. CRITICAL INFAMY Hussey's explicitly-stated dreams of rockstardom did not escape attention. And especially in the earlier days, his lyrics presented a splashy, fragmented canvas of a million different idioms and imagery, woven together mostly for dramatic effect and occasionally, without a story at all to tell. It comes as no surprise that during their active years, the band was almost constantly under the gun of critics, who saw the band and its frontman in particular as the embodiment of "style over substance", deriding him all the way for spewing utter nonsense (an accusation joined in by former bandmate Eldritch on '' Floodland '''s "This Corrosion") over musical ideas allegedly lifted from "real" rock music grands ( Led Zeppelin was an oft-quoted example and comparison). DISCOGRAPHY Long Play -length material only: Gods Own Medicine ( 1987 ) #"Wasteland" - 5:42 #"Bridges Burning" - 4:08 #"Garden of Delight (Hereafter)" - 3:42 #"Stay With Me" - 4:37 #"Blood Brothers" - 5:16 #"Let Sleeping Dogs Die" - 5:53 #"Sacrilege" - 4:45 #"Dance on Glass" - 5:10 #"And the Dance Goes on" - 4:10 #"Severina" - 4:15 #"Love Me to Death" - 4:38 #"Island in a Stream" - 5:25 First Chapter ( 1987 ) ''Collection of the early indie singles. Several versions with different tracklists exist.'' #"Tomorrow Never Knows" ''( Beatles cover)'' - 3:30 #"Over the Hills and Far Away" - 3:56 #"Naked and Savage" - 4:46 #"Serpent's Kiss" - 4:15 #"Wake (RSV)" - 5:00 #"Like a Hurricane" ''( Neil Young cover)'' - 4:55 #"Garden of Delight (extended)" - 5:00 #"Wishing Well" ''( Free cover)'' - 2:45 #"Dancing Barefoot" ''( Patti Smith cover)'' - 3:05 #"The Crystal Ocean (extended)" - 7:35 Children ( 1988 ) #"Beyond the Pale" - 7:49 #"Wing and a Prayer" - 3:41 #"Fabienne" - 3:41 #"Heaven on Earth" - 5:19 #"Tower of Strength" - 8:03 #"Kingdom Come" - 4:50 #"Breathe" - 1:26 #"Child's Play" - 3:39 #"Shamera Kye" - 0:34 #"Black Mountain Mist" - 2:54 #"Dream On" ''( Aerosmith cover)'' - 3:54 #"Heat" - 5:14 #"Hymn (For America)" - 6:35 Carved in Sand ( 1990 ) #"Amelia" #"Into the Blue" #"Butterfly on a Wheel" #"Sea of Love" #"Deliverance" #"Grapes of Wrath" #"Belief" #"Paradise (Will Shine Like the Moon)" #"Hungry as the Hunter" #"Lovely" Grains of Sand ( 1990 ) ''Additional material from the Carved in Sand studio sessions.'' #"Hands Across the Ocean" - 3:49 #"The Grip of Disease" - 4:12 #"Divided We Fall" - 3:40 #"Mercenary" - 2:50 #"Mr. Pleasant" ''( The Kinks cover)'' - 2:50 #"Kingdom Come (Forever and Again)" - 4:57 #"Heaven Sends You" - 4:54 #"Sweet Smile of a Mystery" - 3:55 #"Tower of Strength (The Casbah Mix)" - 4:30 #"Butterfly on a Wheel (Troubadour Mix)" - 4:29 #"Love" ''( John Lennon cover)'' - 1:51 #"Bird of Passage" - 6:28 Masque ( 1992 ) #"Never Again" - 5:05 #"Shades of Green, Pt. 2" - 3:59 #"Even You May Shine" - 4:41 #"Trail of Scarlet" - 3:43 #"Spider and the Fly" - 4:49 #"She Conjures Me Wings" - 2:48 #"Sticks and Stones" - 4:45 #"Like a Child Again" - 3:38 #"Who Will Love Me Tomorrow?" - 4:09 #"You Make Me Breathe" - 4:36 #"From One Jesus to Another" - 3:50 #"Until There's Another Sunrise" - 5:33 "No Snow, No Show" For The Eskimo ( 1993 ) ''Live album taken from two arena shows, one in 1988 and another in 1990 .'' #"Amelia" - 2:57 #"Wasteland" - 6:19 #"Serpent's Kiss" - 4:06 #"Belief" - 7:35 #"Severina" - 3:49 #"Butterfly on a Wheel" - 5:46 #"Into the Blue" - 4:27 #"Kingdom Come" - 4:55 #"Deliverance" - 6:21 #"Tower of Strength" - 8:20 #"Crystal Ocean" - 6:27 Sum and Substance ( 1994 ) ''A Best Of compilation with some new material'' #"Wasteland" - 5:38 #"Severina" - 4:03 #"Stay With Me" - 4:37 #"Tower of Strength" - 8:08 #"Beyond the Pale (Armageddon Mix)" - 8:44 #"Butterfly on a Wheel" - 5:38 #"Deliverance" - 6:00 #"Into the Blue" - 4:09 #"Amelia" - 2:53 #"Hands Across the Ocean" - 3:47 #"Never Again" - 5:06 #"Like a Child Again (remix)" - 3:38 #"Shades of Green, Pt. 2" - 3:59 #"Sour-Puss" - 3:32 #"Afterglow" - 4:05 Salad Daze ( 1994 ) '' BBC Radio sessions from 1986 , 1988 and 1990 .'' #"Like a Hurricane" - 5:31 #"Severina" - 3:49 #"And the Dance Goes on" - 4:24 #"Wasteland" - 5:25 #"Tomorrow Never Knows" ''( Beatles cover)'' - 3:18 #"Wishing Well" ''( Free cover)'' - 2:45 #"Shelter From the Storm" ''(cover)'' - 5:27 #"Deliverance" 6:41 #"Grip of Disease" - 4:29 #"Belief" - 7:44 #"Kingdom Come" - 5:03 #"Butterfly on a Wheel" - 4:42 #"Bird of Passage" - 4:26 Neverland ( 1995 ) #"Raising Cain" #"Sway" #"Lose Myself in You" #"Afterglow (Reprise)" #"Stars Don't Shine Without You" #"Celebration" #"Cry Like a Baby" #"Heaven Knows" #"Swim With the Dolphins" #"Neverland (Vocal)" #"Daddy's Going to Heaven Now" #"Bates Motel" ''( Secret Bonus Track )'' Blue ( 1996 ) #"Coming Home" #"Get Back to You" #"Drown in Blue" #"Damaged" #"More Than This" #"That Tears Shall Drown the Wind" #"Black & Blue" #"Bang Bang" #"Alpha Man" #"Cannibal" #"Dying Room" #"Evermore & Again" Resurrection ( 1999 ) ''Re-recordings of fan favourites with instrumental interludes and a new song - Without You. The album is also named Revisited or Sacrilege on some markets.'' #"Prelude: Anniversary" - 0:29 #"Wasteland" - 4:45 #"Severina" - 4:30 #"Love Me to Death" - 4:56 #"Interlude: Never Forever" - 1:12 #"Beyond the Pale" - 5:18 #"Deliverance" - 4:42 #"Without You" - 5:15 #"Like a Child Again" - 4:35 #"Sacrilege" - 4:58 #"You Make Me Breathe" - 4:59 #"Crystal Ocean" - 5:03 #"Interlude: Suffer the Children" - 0:58 #"Butterfly on a Wheel" - 4:55 #"Interlude: Infection" - 0:24 #"Hands Across the Ocean" - 4:40 #"1969" ''( The Stooges cover)'' - 2:53 #"Resurrection" - 2:01 Ever After ( 2000 ) ''Live album plus unreleased-on-CD studio cover song - Crazy Horses.'' #"Beyond the Pale" - 4:49 #"Hands Across the Ocean" - 3:28 #"Into the Blue" - 4:03 #"Butterfly on a Wheel" - 5:54 #"Raising Cain" - 5:15 #"Heaven Knows" - 5:55 #"Sway" - 4:30 #"Sacrilege" - 5:39 #"Swoon" - 5:35 #"Tower of Strength" - 8:14 #"Deliverance" - 4:45 #"Like a Child Again" - 3:37 #"Can't Help Falling in Love" - 1:57 #"Like a Hurricane" - 4:51 #"1969" - 3:06 #"Crazy Horses" ''( The Osmonds cover)'' - 2:52 Aura ( 2001 ) #"Evangeline" - 3:57 #"Shine Like the Stars" - 4:34 #"(Slave to) Lust" - 5:41 #"Mesmerised" - 5:14 #"The Light That Pours from You" - 5:25 #"Dragonfly" - 5:41 #"Happy" - 3:07 #"To Die by Your Hand" 1:18 #"Trophy / It Never Rains..." - 5:42 #"Burlesque" - 4:56 #"Lay Your Hands on Me" - 5:36 #"Cocoon" - 7:33 #"In Denial" - 9:05 #"Frozen" ''(secret bonus track)'' Aural Delight ( 2002 ) ''Collection of Aura-era singles and related studio material, essentially a complementary album to Aura'' #"Amelia" - 4:57 #"Even You May Shine" - 4:46 #"Spider & The Fly (In the Ointment)" - 4:32 #"Sorry..." - 3:56 #"Anyone But You" - 4:07 #"Never Let Me Down" ''( Depeche Mode cover)'' - 4:33 #"Never Again" - 4:20 #"Melt" - 4:21 #"Mesmerised (reprise)" - 5:36 #"Swoon (reprise)" - 7:13 #"Dragonfly (demo)" - 5:36 #"Can't Help Falling In Love With You" - 2:20 A limited edition also includes acoustic versions of "Dragonfly", "Never Let Me Down", "Happy" and "Burlesque". SINGLES EXTERNAL LINKS
OTHER REFERENCES Book: Names Are For Tombstones, Baby (Independent Press, 1993) |
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