Electric Garden

A 12" live bootleg-LP from the 1990ies ...

There is nothing much known about the release of this bootleg itself. The whole production appears to be relatively low-level with badly glued covers showing the logo in home-printer quality of back in those years. And also the labels are simple and do not give an further information. The reproduced audience recording sounds rather flat and shows some up and downs in the volume regulation, which finally gives the impression of an average sound quality of the end-product.

And that is a pity, given the definitely invaluable worth of the musical content of this bootleg with regard to the chronicle of music of the Sisters of Mercy and the band's history. Read more about that issue further down under Recording Notes.

Electric Garden - Cover (front)

Some Girls Wander By Mistake - Cover (front)

Release Notes

• Label: unknown

• Catalogue#: non

• Format: 12" vinyl LP

• Run-outs: Mercy A, Mercy B

• Released:

after April 1992, the release date of the official

2LP-compilation album Some Girls Wander By Mistake

which served as a blueprint for the front coverart

of the present bootleg.

Electric Garden - Cover (back)

Remarks

• Pressed on black vinyl with plain white labels.

• The centre-hole of some of the vinyls is slightly too small.

• The album cover is black with white print.

• The artwork on front was culled from the Some Girls Wander By Mistake logo.

The text "SOME GIRLS WANDER BY MISTAKE" changed into

"ELECTRIC GARDEN  -  STOCKHOLM 26 OCTOBER 1983",

while the dates "80" and "83" were blanked.

• The back cover notes are just the track list an the venue dates.

• The only written hint on the cover front and back about the performers of the LP is

the word "SISTERS" that remained within the logo. At least, though, on the spine

"sisters of mercy" is printed in small letters.

Source

• Recored live on 26 October 1983 at Electric Garden, Stockholm, Sweden

The title of this bootleg it derived from the name of the venue.

• This is an incomplete recording, as Emma and Adrenochrome were performed just before Floorshow, but they are not included.

Electric Garden - Back cover notes

Track List

A1   Burn	B1   Floorshow
A2   Valentine	B2   Body Electric
A3   Anaconda	B3   Kiss The Carpet
A4   Temple Of Love	B4   Alice
A5   Heartland	B5   Sister Ray

For recent price developments see sistersbootlegs/Electric Garden...

Recording Notes

• At Electric Garden, the band appeared on stage as a three-men piece.

Many months later, during the Armageddon Tour there were several concerts held this way, but then the line-up was always Adams - Eldritch - Hussey.

compared to the present Electric Garden gig where the line-up consisted of Adams - Eldritch - Marx.

• The Sisters of Mercy played only 4 concerts (ever and worldwide) in the latter formation:

Manchester and Stockholm as well as two times in the USA, Los Angeles and San Francisco in September and October 1983.

This was due to the fact that Ben Gunn had already left the band, while they were still waiting for Wayne Hussey to join them.

• A vinyl bootleg based on the concert in San Francisco does also exist, the much sought-after Tender Mercies LP.

Anyway, after all, these two live recordings are the only evidence saved on vinyl of those rare occasions when Gary Marx

was the only guitar player of The Sisters of Mercy on stage.

• Due to (logistic) problems, the sound of the drum machine Doktor Avalanche had to be reproduced from a tape recorder during the whole concert.

Maybe this is the main reason for the "flatness" of the sound of the present recording.

However, on the other hand, this release is - again - the only document on vinyl where Doktor Avalanche was not recorded "live", but in "playback" mode.

Electric Garden - Black vinyl with plain white label

Some quotes from the gig

• Before Heartland:

From the audience: “Where’s the drummer ?”
Andrew: “He’s in the box. What’s in the basket?”

(The box refers to the tape recorder.)

• Before Floorshow referring to the circumstance of being just three band members:

“We’ve got a new guitarist who can’t be with us today, so next time we’ll be four people.
This is called “Floorshow” and it’s bloody good!”

(The new guitarist would be Wayne Hussey.)

• Before Body Electric:

From the audience: “1969!!!"
Andrew: "No, we don't play 1969 anymore.
                ... Body Electric"

(Confirming the message about this song from the famous concert at Brixton Ace half a year before.)

A few more bits of information around this bootleg and the according concert
at Electric Garden can als be found here at Heartland Forum ...