If you like bands like Bauhaus or even early Cranes, you'll find this CD worth your 30 bux. If you're more into the high production albums (Vision Thing), or heavy guitars, you might want to hear some of the songs before parting with your hard-earned money.


A must-have for any tortured youth, or ex-tortured youth   May 26, 1998
 13 out of 15 found this review helpful

Ah, the wonder of this CD. For far too long, the majority of the songs on this album could only be found individually on scarce 45's in the most out-of-the-way record stores. And to complete this collection, you'd have to shell out big bucks: one could easily pay upwards of twenty bucks PER TUNE!!!! But now they're all here on one glorious shining disc.

With very few exceptions, the songs on this album reflect the brilliance of these lords of Gothic Rock. The infectious rhythms and showering, noise-drenched guitars accompany Andrew Eldritch's poignant lyrics perfectly, and for a precious few minutes per song, they join together to perfectly voice the angst we've all felt at one time or another.

The Sisters of Mercy have had a second coming of sorts with albums like "Floodland" and "Vision Thing," but this CD represents the original Sisters, the true Sisters, the Sisters who ruled the Gothic Rock scene of the early- to mid-eighties. Some Girls Wander By Mistake is a must-have for old fans, as well as fans of Marilyn Manson and his ilk, who want to hear where he got his ideas and styles.


Must-have collection of rarities   February 3, 2004
 13 out of 15 found this review helpful

This album earns its 5 stars with its moments of excellence, its ability to show all sides of the early Sisters and by the sheer rarity of the songs contained. Be forewarned, they are not all gems and this is a poor place to start if you don't know the band in depth; start with Floodland, then get get FALAA, and then get this... you really don't ever need "Vision Thing" in my opinion but that's your call.

The centerpieces are "Alice" and "Temple of Love" with other standouts "Anaconda", "Adrenochrome", "Body Electric" and Floorshow" close behind. The Stones cover "Gimme Shelter is fantastic as is the Stooges (Iggy Pop) cover "1969" which seems like metal by comparison to the other tracks. After hearing the quality of these tracks you will be baffled as to how the band never managed to compile these into a debut album; It would have been as good as their others. Equally baffling however is the exclusion of the "Body & Soul" single which would have fit the timing and quality perfectly; if you don't have that one you are missing something (ah, there's a reason we weenies collected all of those 12" vinyl singles after all). Given the '92 release date it would have been nice if certain later-period Sisters b-sides had been included. "Poison Door" and "Train" would be nice things to have on CD too but alas.

Maybe the coolest thing about this album though is the inclusion of the entire "Reptile House" EP. These songs are not as directly listenable as many of the other tracks but they offer the Sisters at their most somber and intimidating, surpassing even the Cure's "Pornography" on the dreaded darkness meter. If you thought that other Sisters was jet black to the center then you need to hear the "Kiss the Carpet" through "Burn" section of this disc. "Fix" is a straight shot to the bowels of your own personal hell. You'll also probably come to the rapid conclusion that Eldritch had a sinister, despairing battle with meth-amphetamine addiction, but then who didn't.

In summary, a great collection of the early material of a masterful band despite its minor misses. My compilation would have been worthy of 6 stars, but then again I knew that (it's a joke).


Doktor Avalanche strikes...   June 13, 2002
 10 out of 10 found this review helpful

This is 100% essential for any Sisters fan, period. Forget the import price, buy it. If you have even half a passing interest in this band, this is still worth the price. Intrigued by goth? Alice, Adrenochrome, Body Electric, Temple of Love, Valentine--these are the highlights that will stay with you. Most of them instantly likable and memorable.

The EP tracks are in order, but the order of the EPs is off. (In other words, The Damage Done and Home of the Hitmen, the first record, are together as a and b-sides, but they don't appear until later in the disc.) Perhaps all the better that this disc starts with Alice, an instantly catchy and driving goth classic. Midway through we get perhaps the best achievement of this album--Temple of Love Extended Version. Amazing--driving, dancy, deep, broad vocals from Eldritch. This is preceded by the Reptile House EP: 5 songs that are deep, dark, dark, and dark. Keep the knives away from yourself. Great songs. All in all the collection is very balances.

This was basically put together so that fans didn't have to hunt down the original singles or buy shoddy bootlegs. A great idea. They cover Gimme Shelter and 1969, though it's strange that they didn't record studio versions of some of the other tunes they constantly covered (making them part of every set) like Emma, Sister Ray, Ghostrider, etc. They would have sounded great in the more raw studio form of the time. (Emma would appear as a b-side non-lp track in 1988.)

Sure, the sound quality on all of the tracks is not up to Floodland, of course, but there's a lot to appreciate here. Marvel at Eldritch's drumming on The Damage Done. He described himself as the worst drummer in Leeds, and...he's right.

Not to fear--you get to hear the evolution of Dr. Avalanche from drum machine to the rig he is now.

Buy this album. Buy it now. Worth the extra import dollars; it's essential Sisters.


Dancefloor smoke, strobe lights, and... The Sisters!   June 27, 2000
 9 out of 9 found this review helpful

I remember when this compilation was released I was ecstatic about finally having all their early vinyl on one CD. As some reviewers here mentioned, there is a lot more early material available on B-sides from the FALAA era and of course the Body And Soul EP, but this has all the official releases before their first album and said EP. I regard this era as their best, with classic goth anthems such as "Alice" and "Temple Of Love", "Gimme Shelter", "Body Electric", "Floorshow" (the list goes on...), and my favourite EP, "Reptile House" featuring the dark, slow, passionate numbers "Fix" and "Valentine". This is memory lane (early eighties), GOOD memories, emotional stuff! The Sisters of Mercy represent the part of "goth" I choose to remember, timeless music that still sells by the truckload, and for good reason. This compilation is a must, together with the albums "First, Last And Always" and "Floodland".