The Sisters of Mercy – Floodland Collection (1987/2015) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

The Sisters of Mercy – Floodland Collection (1987/2015)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:39:50 minutes | 2,10 GB | Genre: Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Warner Music UK

Floodland is the second studio album by English rock band The Sisters of Mercy. It was released on 13 November 1987 by Merciful Release and Warner Music Group. The recording of the album began in January 1987, roughly two years after the band disbanded following the departures of band members Craig Adams and Wayne Hussey. It was produced by Larry Alexander, band frontman Andrew Eldritch, and Jim Steinman while being recorded at Power Station Studios in Manhattan, Strawberry Studios in Manchester, The Wool Hall in Bath, and AIR Studios in London.

The Sisters of Mercy broke up soon after the band finished the tour for its 1984 debut, First and Last and Always. Undaunted, the group’s founder and frontman Andrew Eldritch kept the name and continued to make music with his faithful drum machine Doktor Avalanche. The Sisters of Mercy came back stronger than ever in 1987 with second album, Floodland, a commercial and artistic breakthrough.

In the summer of 2015, Rhino released a vinyl box set that focused on the music surrounding the band’s first album. Continuing that trend, the next set will spotlight the group’s influential sophomore album, and will include a trio of 12″ singles from that era: “This Corrosion,” “Dominion” and “Lucretia My Reflection.”
The second incarnation of The Sisters – which featured bassist Patricia Morrison of Gun Club – explored new sonic avenues on Floodland. The tone was still dark and moody, but now the loud guitars shared space with keyboards and the rich orchestrations of producer Jim Steinman (Meat Loaf) on tracks like “This Corrosion” and “Dominion/Mother Russia.” When the album was released in November 1987, it climbed the charts in England where it reached the Top Ten.

Along with the studio album, the box set features further essential music released during that time including the 12″ version of the first single, “This Corrosion.” It features a different mix of the title track, along with the B-sides “Torch” and “Colours.”

While the goth scene in England was picking up commercial steam in the mid-’80s, the Sisters of Mercy may have seemed quiet, but they roared back with 1987’s Floodland. Opening with the driving two-part hymn “Dominion/Mother Russia,” Sisters leader Andrew Eldritch (along with bassist Patricia Morrison) creates a black soundscape that is majestic and vast. While the earlier Sisters releases were noisy, sometimes harsh affairs, Floodland is filled with lush production (thanks to Meat Loaf writer/producer Jim Steinman and the New York Choral Society) and lyric imagery that is both scary and glorious. The slower tracks, like “Flood” and “1959,” are some of the best ethereal sounds goth has to offer, and the downright regal “This Corrosion” is one of the best songs of the genre. A definite milestone. –AllMusic Review by Chris True

Tracklist:
01. The Sisters of Mercy – Dominion / Mother Russia (07:00)
02. The Sisters of Mercy – Flood I (06:17)
03. The Sisters of Mercy – Lucretia My Reflection (04:55)
04. The Sisters of Mercy – 1959 (04:12)
05. The Sisters of Mercy – This Corrosion (09:30)
06. The Sisters of Mercy – Flood II (06:14)
07. The Sisters of Mercy – Driven Like The Snow (04:38)
08. The Sisters of Mercy – Never Land (A Fragment) (02:48)
09. The Sisters of Mercy – This Corrosion (12″ Version) (08:46)
10. The Sisters of Mercy – Torch (03:57)
11. The Sisters of Mercy – Colours (07:16)
12. The Sisters of Mercy – Dominion (12″ Edit) (05:08)
13. The Sisters of Mercy – Untitled (03:36)
14. The Sisters of Mercy – Sandstorm (01:49)
15. The Sisters of Mercy – Emma (06:20)
16. The Sisters of Mercy – Lucretia My Reflection (12″ Version) (09:51)
17. The Sisters of Mercy – Long Train (07:27)

Personnel:
Andrew Eldritch – vocals, keyboards, synthesizers, guitar, bass guitar, programming
Patricia Morrison – bass guitar, vocals
Doktor Avalanche (drum machine) – drums

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