Floorshow EP
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7" single with studio outtakes recorded in spring 1981 between the releases of "The Damage Done" and "Body Electric" singles.
These demos were circulated by The Sisters of Mercy in order to aquire support slots.
On the other hand, they seem to have been done in first instance for an official Floorshow EP release which never came to see
the light of day.
Anyway, this bootleg is now commonly known and listed in several discographies and reviews as Floorshow EP while the title
derives here from the "Floor Show" print appearing on the labels of the re-issues.
The labels of the first edition were marked by a Merciful Release print in large letters. High quality recording.
Basically, four different releases exist:
Release Notes
| Original Edition | First Reissue | Second Reissue | ICM-Issue | |
| Label | Merciful Release | KROL | KROL | ICM |
| Catalogue# | MR1, RH1, BMcN2 | 3213 | 3213 | CM 803 |
| Format | 7" Vinyl Single - 45 rpm | 7" Vinyl EP - 33 rpm | 7" Vinyl EP - 33 rpm | 7" Vinyl EP - 33 rpm |
| Place and Time of Release | 1986 | 1988 | ca. 1990 | 1986 (Spain) |
Tracks
| A1 Floorshow | 3:20 | B1 Teachers / Adrenochrome | 7:35 * |
| A2 Lights | 5:30 |
Remarks
- Teachers and Adrenochrome segue seamlessly in the way The Sisters used to play these songs live.
- The whole of this 7" is most probably taken from a copy of the so-called Gary Marx Demo Tape.
- In this regard see also Glasperlenspiel, The Sisters of Mercy - A brief(ish) history, April 1999:
The Sisters performed a haphazard series of shows in 1981 and early 82. A four track demo was recorded at this time to tempt promoters. Featuring Floorshow, Lights, Adrenochrome and Teachers, this gave the first indication that the Sisters were developing into an above average band. The recordings were still roughly recorded, but the new songs were highly promising and showed that Adams and Avalanche could harness the band's energy. Floorshow in particular showcased blistering Avalanche drumming and stunning Eldritch vocals...
Limited Editions
- Original Edition (1986) - limited to 500 copies,
- B/W coloured thin paper covers, hand-numbered with either blue or black ink
- Re-issues appear in limited, i.e. numbered, and unnumbered variations of various colours
- Some promotional copies do exist as well. These are, however, not numbered.
- First Reissue (1988) - limited to 1.000 copies in total
- Cover colours of this reissue vary among b/w, blue, orange (yellow) and silver.
- All the b/w, blue, orange (yellow) and silver covers are stamp-numbered and laminated glossy.
- 90 red/beige copies exist as well. These are, however, promotional items that were not numbered
and distributed only privately. Therefore, these are way more rare than the other colours.
Their covers are made of semi-matt paper without lamination and differ from the other issues
insofar as they have no preprinted space for the numbering.
- Second Reissue (ca. 1990) - these are additional pressings, numbered beyond 1.000/1.500
- Insofar this is most likely a limited edition of 500 copies in total.
- The sleeves are b/w like the original editions, but the numbering on the back is stamped, not hand-written.
- The vinyl labels have - like all the other re-releases - no Merciful Release Logo.
- The ICM-Issue is not numbered and comes in a gatefold cover. The picture on the cover is not b/w but toned black, rather.
Cover And Label Variations
- All editions have the same picture on the cover front.
- The back covers vary with regard to the numbering only.
- The labels of the original edition are basically black.
- There is the Head-And-Star-Logo on side A, and "Merciful Release" in large letters and track titles on side B
- The labels of the reissues have a print like - "Promotional copy. Not for resale."
- and "KROL 3213" on black background. No MR logo.
- Cover notes on the ICM-reissue: "Special Limited Edition produced for Luxor Company Madrid - Spain"
- The labels of the ICM-reissue are darkblue instead of black, with the same text, though, as the former reissues.
- As already marked further upwards, the ICM-issues are, allegedly, gatefold. No pictures (evidence) of that has been found as yet ...
Existing Test Pressings For Covers
Several test prints for covers were made and not released. Some were however preserved. These are
- few b/w test proofs for the original edition
- test proofs with blue on black, light mint green on black and beige on black print on a semi-matt paper covers
like for the first re-issue, designed to be numbered, i.e. with the according (here empty) space on the cover back but not yet laminated - the same in orange (yellow) but already laminated
- a test proof with green print on raw matt cardboard material without numbering or lamination
- extremely rare are the test proofs for an intended limited and numbered gatefold edition
with b/w cover art, silver print and silver background inside
