The Mission - Lighting the Candles

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Description
In late 1985 Wayne Hussey and Craig Adams left The Sisters Of Mercy and formed The Mission and in early 1986 embarked on their first European tour, supporting The Cult. They released 2 singles independently, both reaching No.1 in the UK alternative charts, before signing a worldwide record deal with Phonogram (now Universal). In 2003, The Mission continued to play shows around the globe and it was during this time that drummer Steve Spring first played with the band and in April 2004 The Mission filmed and recorded their show in Cologne, Germany for a DVD that is entitled Lighting The Candles and scheduled for release in late August 2005. To coincide, the band will be embarking on their longest European tour for quite some time. (See the dates below.)

2005 sees The Mission at almost 20 years old but the energy that the band exudes from the stage is the energy of a band that is both still vital and valid and imbued with a self belief and confidence born of knowing that, for the first time in years the band line-up is stable, and their rightful place is amongst the all time greats.

Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews...

3 out of 5 stars

The Mission, Major, above all, the Mission November 19, 2005
5 out of 6 found this review helpful

First off, let me say that this is the first Mission DVD in 19 years of existence as a band... and Amazon got the title wrong. It's "Lighting the Candles" not "Lightning."

Second, this DVD is definitely packed full of stuff. It is good value for the money if you are a Mission fan. So, why only 3 stars? Well, several reasons...

I think everyone will agree, the classic Mish line-up was Wayne, Craig, Mick and Simon. So, here you have a whole concert from Wayne... and a bunch of new-hires. Rob Halliday (who played with Toni in CURVE) is a great guitarist and his killer tone gives the songs more crunch and a harder edge. The bass player is serviceable but definitely no Craig Adams. The drummer is atrocious. About 4 songs in I thought that, while energetic, there was just something off. Then I realized the drummer was playing the same Boom-Bap-Boom-Bap through every damn song! Not a great drum tone and just Boom-Bap-Boom-Bap until that's all I could focus on. "Brothers, sisters, give me deliverance, deliver me!" Boom-Bap-Boom-Bap. "You are a Tower of Strength - to May-hay" Boom-Bap-Boom-Bap. I never realized what a good drummer Mick Brown was until watching this. Now, I realize I may be biased, having seen the Mish in 1987, '89, '90, and '95, but this just isn't "The Mission" - it's Wayne and some dudes playing Mission songs.

What this DVD also illuminates is the frustration of being a fan of this band. In the Bootleg section you can see a couple performances from the classic line-up that are quite exciting, beyond the ridiculous attire and make-up. But somewhere after Simon left the band in '90/'91, the plot was lost. They went from the rockers who ripped off plenty of Zeppelin riffs to pretentious rockers with U2-like aspirations to aping the Cure's abominable cutesy side. (A funny aside is that nowhere in the 355 minutes is any mention made of Simon's replacement - The Etch).

So, Wayne made the very Cure-like "Masque" which had some decent songs but was essentially a Wayne solo album and sticks out like a sore thumb in their catalogue. By the time they returned to sounding anything like themselves, on "Neverland," it was 1995 and most people had forgotten about them. By that point it was Wayne, Mick, and a bunch of new-hires. And much of that album features a drum machine. Anyway, watching the BIO secton, one can see what could have been, but never was. And at the end of the day, still the burning question remains - how can someone come up with such great music as "Deliverance" and then write some totally absurd lyrics about Excalibur and the Lady of the Lake to go with it?!?!?

My other complaint is just the usual about song selection. The live CD features "Wing and a Prayer" and "Grip of Disease" while the DVD concert does not. Also, why are you using the same horrid drum sequences for "Butterfly on a Wheel" as you were in 1990?? And what's worse, for "Tower of Strength" the band are essentially playing over the 1994 remix. I mean, it really sounds like somebody just popped in the CD and the band then plays over that. L-A-M-E. And actually, if you watch the Wayne solo stuff on Disc 2, it gets worse. There is actual footage of Wayne doing some live shows where he simply played guitar and sang over pre-recorded music. It's The Mission Karaoke! COME ON!

I hope somebody gives Von a copy of this for Xmas. He will soil himself in uproarious laughter.

5 out of 5 stars

Thank you! October 27, 2005
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

To Wayne Hussey: Thank you, thank you, thank you! Thank you for putting such an incredible DVD package together. This is what every Mission fan has been hoping for. Lighting the Candles far exceeds anything I would have imagined. Incredible sound-the live recording is as good as they come. I had feared a 'bootleg' quality but that fear was unfounded. Seriously, the audio is as good as anything U2 would put out. The DTS sound cranks on my home theater system.
And Wayne, Thank you for not mucking up the visual part of the concert with cheesy effects (ala recent live DVD's from David Bowie, Peter Gabriel and Placebo.) The camera work is excellent and really focuses on the playing with edits and cuts at just the right times. You feel like you are in the front row watching this show.
And thank you for giving us several different tracks on the audio CD instead of just an edited version of the DVD track listing.
But as much as I love the live performance, it is DVD 2 that is really special. I really enjoyed your commentary as well as the behind the scenes of the recent MIsh tour as well as the classic clips, footage, pictures etc of the original lineup.
And lastly, thank you for parterning with SPV (Oblivion) to release this special package. This guaranteed good distribution here in the States. It was available on time at both Lou's (the finest music store in Southern California) but also at Tower. I have all ready recommended this to several friends.

Like Aura, "Lighting the Candles" further brings The Mission back into the limelight. For all Mish fans, old and new, this DVD collection is a testament both to the excellent music that comprises the Mission catalogue but to the heart and soul of its leader. It is obvious that this collection was lovingly put together by Wayne, both for himself, as a document to be treasured but also for the fans! Most music DVD's are thrown together by a label and massed produced. But this one, far surpasses anything I have seen before....and I mean by leaps and bounds.

Once again...thank you!

5 out of 5 stars

The Mission still rock and still maintain that gothic edge! November 12, 2005
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

The concert on the first disc is inspiring. I've seen the Mission twice, back in the day and a few years ago, and this is just as good! TOWER OF STRENGTH as yet again undergone a transformation with a loop used from an early Dead Can Dance song mixed in. Just about all of the songs still retain their original sound and cool intros and although the original TOWER OF STRENGTH is my one of my favorite Mission tunes, this new version is cool to listen and I don't think it takes anything away from the original plus it is a live version to boot! The way the entire concert is shot and the sound are excellent as well.

The one thing I am a little surprised by, even a little disappointed is in the fact Wayne doesn't use an electric 12-string. When I saw him here in Minneapolis a few years ago he didn't have a 12-string either, just a big hollow body rockabilly looking guitar like the one Billy Duffy from The Cult used in the early days. He still used plenty of effects but oh the sound of a 12-string....

Like another reviewer said, the second disc really is the treasure. Solo performances and a glimpse into the early days and early performances. You get to see what Wayne looked like before he had long hair, he looked quite preppy! The bigraphy section is very cool as well and it is a photo montage narrated by Wayne. As a fan of older sisters material, it was cool to see some photos included from Wayne and Craig's days in the Sisters too.

The third disc which is a live show sounds excellent and has a good tracklisting that would please any Mission fan.

I do have to say as musician myself, one thing I have always appreciated about wayne Hussey is his guitar playing. He really is a guitarist's guitarist. The one consistency in the three discs is excellent musicianship and top notch songwriting. Man that guy can play and still can!!

5 out of 5 stars

Mish Dvd November 25, 2005
1 out of 2 found this review helpful

I saw them in Manchester, England live in September this year on the lighting the Candles tour they were awesome. I have seen them 4 times before in the glory days in much larger venues.
However, this was the best yet. There was agreat acoustic version of Like a Child Again. Some of the songs have evolved and are better than ever. Wayne left the stage with the whole crowd singing deliverance for about 10 minutes.
They really are one of the greatest live bands. Every one should see this band live once.
They need more people at the shows and if you get the chance go, you will not regret it.
The DVD is great. The concert foorage sounds great on surround and the interviews are great.

Really good value for money. They deserve to be big again.
Buy this DVD it is a must.

5 out of 5 stars

Great Collection January 2, 2006
1 out of 2 found this review helpful

This DVD/CD package is a really nice collection of Mission songs with great recording quality.

Many songs have been reworked and given a heavier edge probably due to the younger guitar player Rob who's quite good, while others, such as Tower of Strength, sound fresh with this "new-age meets goth" sound. I also like the fact that in addition to all the classics such as Deliverance and Beyond the Pale, this collection includes some songs previously not included on their live recordings - Daddy's Going to Heaven, Belief, Wing and a Prayer.

I didn't think that this would be possible, but if anything, this collection has too much. There are many demo sessions, old videos, interviews - the 2nd dvd is quite a bit to digest.

I highly recommend this collection - you won't regret getting it.

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