Waiting For Another War: A History of The Sisters Of Mercy Vol. I: 1980-1985

by Trevor Ristow

The thrash of Motörhead. The mechanized anxiety of Suicide. The poignancy of Leonard Cohen. The arrogance of Bowie. The Sisters Of Mercy combined it all to create an unforgettable noise.

From 1980 to 1985 lead singer and master strategist Andrew Eldritch maneuvered The Sisters Of Mercy from the grimy pubs and student unions of Northern England to London’s storied Royal Albert Hall. Then the whole thing fell apart.

Based on original research and a thorough reading and synthesis of hundreds of interviews, articles and reviews, Waiting For Another War is a chronicle of The Sisters Of Mercy’s brilliant and tumultuous years from ‘The Damage Done’ to First And Last And Always.

The first printing is hardcover and strictly limited to 200 signed copies.

250 pages.
50 black and white illustrations.
6 x 9 inches.
ISBN 781734 479324.

Genres: Music

337 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 22, 2021

About the author

Trevor Ristow is a film and television producer and editor, an illustrator, painter, dog lover, collector, and father. He studied German history at Columbia University. He is passionate about two things: 19th century militaria and The Sisters Of Mercy. He lives in New York City with his wife, Caroline, and sons, Beowulf and Winston.

Reviews

[Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was late to the party, discovering the Sisters in the early nineties through a friends older brothers record collection. Reading though this excellent book has filled many of the gaps in my knowledge about the Sisters of Mercy, from a time when I was in primary school! A very well written and readable book, clearly written from a lifelong fan who has been researching the band for years. I count myself very lucky to have had the opportunity to get one of the first editions signed copies of this book, it was purely a case of, right place right time as the first printing of 200 sold out in hours. I highly recommended reading this book, hopefully there will be a second edition of this volume and I’m looking froward to volume two. A must for any Sisters of Mercy fans.

[Brian Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Within a couple years of each other, fans of The Sisters of Mercy have been given two books about their early years. This was the first.

An unabashed fan, Ristow compiled and edited a long-time collection of clippings from old fanzines and mainstream magazines with live interviews and some original interviews with prominent fans who attended early shows. It's well-organized into a clear narrative, easy to follow and full of ephemeral information that might otherwise be lost to time.

Ristow does indulge in some subjectivity that dragged the work down for me. Some songs are declared "better" than others; sometimes I agreed, sometimes not, but there seemed no justification other than his preference. There's also some lyrical analysis, which sometimes sheds light on the story, but often feels like a bit of a derailment. Fortunately, these are not too frequent, and the book mostly sticks to an excellent, fairly objective, and well-annotated chronicle.

[Maria Lemmo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aside from my own personal history with the Sisters Of Mercy being unforgettable, this book is the continuation of a gift that keeps on giving! Love it! First And Las And Always 💪♥️🙌🙌🙌

[Peter Alzén · Rating 5 out of 5]

great History of the early years

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book covers The Sisters of Mercy’s first five years. I was totally absorbed and devoured the book quickly. Looking forward to Part Two, which would cover the band’s career from “Floodland” onward (and is apparently in progress).

[Terri Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some Band Wander By Mistake Into The Mess That Egos Make

Probably the best book I've read about the early Sisters era, that isn't opinionated or wrapped in the mythology of individuals or the band. Bristow certainly put in the work, and it pays off. Despite covering really only a half of the band's recording history it finishes at what is really the point of terminus for a band that would become one man. I'd disagree that it's the best period of The Sisters, what followed was pretty epic, but it is the best period (and really only period) in which they were a band. Based on the ebook, because the dead tree version costs far to much for a book about a rock band but then I never appreciated photographs.

[John McDonagh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would suggest this a must have for any fan of "The Sisters of Mercy" - it is one of the best music biographies I have read (and I've read a LOT of them). The book provides insight into the song writing, analysis of lyrics... story of the dynamic of the times, the record industry and most obviously the band.. It's what I want when I get a music biography!

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can read a book about the Germs and I'm good. Parts of another 3-4 books piecing together those early Christian Death years, I'm good. For some reason the '80-'83 period of The Sisters of Mercy is an endless obsession. The presentation of the early singles, the interviews (Eldritch's humor), the songs, it's all so good. When I found an uploaded 1983 soundcheck on YouTube, I was in heaven. A soundcheck? I can't explain it, I don't understand it myself.

This book is essential for any Sisters fan, or not. Great book.

[Colm Mccrory · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and very engaging book.
The bit about the band singing along to Sister Sledge on the road, 'I've got all my sisters with me', was the funniest bit.
I skipped over the lyrics analysis bits but other than that pretty enjoyable.
£38 or whatever it cost was way over the top. Understand it is self published but you would expect to pay £14 max. Still, I don't regret it.

[Killian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very detailed history of the early days of The Sisters of Mercy, very enjoyable

[Dani Host · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must for every Eldritch/Hussey fan out there. It's a perfect book to read after Salad Daze, in my opinion.

[Pete Bratach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good thorough history of the Sisters of Mercy's early days. Nice to see my memory of seeing them live in high school make it onto the page!

[David Ball · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t think about the Sister’s of Mercy much any more. But at one time they were one of a trio of essential goth bands in my dark life along with Bauhaus and Fields of the Nephilim. For such “important” bands there is remarkably little known about them, so when I stumbled across a history of the Sisters covering 1980-85 - their best years in my mind - in the Rough Trade record store in NYC, I decided to relax my rules against nostalgic purchases. Written heart-on-sleeve by a long time Sisters fan, Trevor Ristow, its 259 pages - dedicated to the making of a handful of singles, one album, and an assortment of concert dates - may only be of interest to the Sister’s more obsessive followers. But to his credit Ristow does capture the smoke and mystique and the power of the Sisters’ live performances. The book rekindled my interest in the band. I ended up relistening to some of the Sister’s music (which I attempted to share with my teenaged daughter, who had no time for it) - where I rediscovered Some Kind of Stranger, one of my favourite songs back in the day. And it made me re-examine some of the lyrics, which to say still resonated with me 40 years later is perhaps an overstatement, but at least they did not grate on me as much as everything else does from that era. But most of all the book gave me a better understanding of the enigmatic man with the gravelly, albeit limited voice behind the band, Andrew Eldritch. Eldritch comes across smart, unexpectedly driven, obsessively controlling, wryly funny, but a bit of a wanker. How much of his disorderly personality was due to the copious amount of amphetamines he took is hard to say. But as a shy young man who relied on intoxicants to overcome inhibitions, I saw a bit of myself in him, so I was willing to cut him slack. I did think his penchant for sunglasses, and his acute sense of self image, made him an easy target for mockery. With the goth scene pretty much disappearing (or at least my awareness of it), its been many years since I’ve heard or seen anything from the band. I was curious though, Eldritch seemed like an ambitiously intelligent man, I wondered what he was up to these days. Alas a quick search online indicates the band is still alive and perpetually on tour despite not having released any new music since the early nineties.