I fully intended to be back with new posts this week and am actually ready to do so, but then my wife planned a surprise getaway next week and so rather than worry about posting from our trip I will be delayed one more week. Thanks for understanding!
Hello faithful readers,
My life has become quite busy of late. Combine that with some technical issues I’ve had with my computer and I have found that I am feeling the need for a break for a week (maybe even two, especially if the tech issues persist). I will be back (soon). I am still very much enjoying this project but it does take time and effort to research and write the articles so it’s time for a pause to refresh and maybe to work ahead a little again. I am now a little less than halfway through my planned list having done 96 artists (although the final number could change a little.
Feel free to look back on the alternative rock artists I have already done so far. You can scroll back or enter them into the site’s search bar. You can also go to the Categories section and check out some of my past projects here. However, here is a list of the artists covered so far:
| The Velvet Underground (67) |
| David Bowie (69) |
| Can (69) |
| Kraftwerk (70) |
| Roxy Music (72) |
| Brian Eno (73) |
| Sparks (71) |
| Big Star (72) |
| Patti Smith (75) |
| Split Enz (75) |
| The Ramones (76) |
| Blondie (76) |
| Iggy Pop (69) (77) |
| The Sex Pistols (77) |
| Buzzcocks (77) |
| The Clash (77) |
| The Jam (77) |
| The Damned |
| Wire (77) |
| Elvis Costello (77) |
| Television (77) |
| Talking Heads (77) |
| Ultravox (77) |
| Peter Gabriel (77) |
| Kate Bush (78) |
| The Police (78) |
| XTC (78) |
| Magazine (78) |
| Siouxsie & The Banshees (78) |
| Public Image Ltd |
| Tubeway Army/Gary Numan (78) |
| Devo (78) |
| The Cars (78) |
| Midnight Oil (78) |
| Joy Division (79) |
| Bauhaus (79) |
| The Cure (79) |
| The Fall (79) |
| Simple Minds (79) |
| The Pretenders (79) |
| Gang Of Four (79) |
| Adam Ant (79) |
| The Human League |
| The B-52’s (79) |
| The Specials (79) |
| Madness (79) |
| English Beat (80) |
| X (80) |
| Black Flag |
| The Go Go’s (80) |
| Psychedelic Furs (80) |
| Echo & The Bunnymen (80) |
| U2 (80) |
| INXS (80) |
| OMD (80) |
| Men Without Hats (80) |
| Depeche Mode (81) |
| Eurythmics (81) |
| New Order (81) |
| The The (81) |
| Thompson Twins (81) |
| Duran Duran (81) |
| Oingo Boingo (81) |
| REM (81) |
| Husker Du (81) |
| The Replacements (81) |
| The Church (81) |
| Billy Idol (81) |
| Cocteau Twins (82) |
| Front 242 (82) |
| Bad Religion (82) |
| Meat Puppets (82) |
| Social Distortion (83) |
| Sonic Youth (83) |
| Violent Femmes (83) |
| Nick Cave (83) |
| Tears For Fears (83) |
| Nitzer Ebb (83) |
| Ministry (83) |
| Pulp (83) |
| 10,000 Maniacs (83) |
| Billy Bragg (83) |
| The Smiths (84) |
| Sisters of Mercy (84) |
| Dead Can Dance (84) |
| Soul Asylum (84) |
| Red Hot Chili Peppers (84) |
| Faith No More (85) |
| Dinosaur Jr (85) |
| Camper Van Beethoven (85) |
| Jesus & Mary Chain (85) |
| My Bloody Valentine (85) |
| Big Audio Dynamite (85) |
| Love & Rockets (85) |
| Peter Murphy (86) |
| The Mission (86) |
7. “Within The Deepest Darkness (Fearful)” – The Mission
(From the album Another Fall From Grace)
2016
Following the underwhelming reception to the God Is A Bullet album Wayne Hussey put The Mission on the back burner and worked on other projects. However, as the 25th anniversary of the band approached it was suggested to Hussey that he should reform the original lineup. Originally uninterested, Hussey slowly warmed up to the idea and ultimately both bassist Craig Adams and guitarist Simon Hinkler agreed to participate. Original drummer Mick Brown chose not to so Mike Kelly of Spear of Destiny was brought in to man the drumkit. This lineup (almost the original one) toured in support of the band’s 25th anniversary, playing only songs from the band’s classic 1986-1990 period. The tour was a success and, unlike on past tours, the chemistry was strong throughout so this version of the band went into the studio and recorded The Brightest Light, which was released in 2013. Three years later The Mission released their tenth album Another Fall From Grace. Another Fall From Grace was the band’s most successful album in years, going Top 40 in the UK and doing well in other territories such as Australia and New Zealand as well. One of the album’s highlights was “Within The Deepest Darkness (Fearful)” which was an update of the band’s classic goth rock sound. The band toured in support of the album both as the headliner and as the opening act for Alice Cooper before going on a lengthy hiatus. That break ended with some touring in 2020 but most of that tour had to be postponed due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
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6. “Evangeline” – The Mission
(From the album Aura)
2001
Following the relatively poor reception to Neverland The Mission took some time off before reuniting to work on their next album Blue. Blue, released in 1996, was not any more successful than Neverland had been and Hussey and Brown decided to end the band later in the year after playing a short farewell tour. However, in 1999 Hussey reformed the band with a lineup of original member and bass player Craig Adams, drummer Scott Garrett of The Cult (who Adams had been playing with most recently), and guitarist Mark Thwaite. This reformed version of The Mission was intended to be a temporary reunification to play tour with Gene Loves Jezebel in the USA and All About Eve in the UK but the reception towards the band was so overwhelmingly positive that The Mission decided to stay together and the band soon headed back into the studio to record a new album, Aura, that was released in 2001. Aura was a full-blown return to the classic sound of the band and generally was well-received by fans, even if the album was generally ignored by the mainstream. Opening track and lead single “Evangeline” was a crowd pleaser for fans of The Mission though and sounded like it could have been an outtake from either Children or Carved In Sand (although it only peaked commercially at #115 on the UK charts). Unfortunately, this reunion of The Mission fell apart almost as quickly as it had formed. Guitarist Mark Thwaite had to leave the group due to other prior commitments before the supporting tour for Aura could begin. Once on tour the stresses of the road caused old tensions and animosities between Hussey and Adams to arise and Adams quit the group mid-tour. Hussey and the remaining musicians staggered through the rest of the tour. The next few years saw The Mission continue to tour on occasion, release the occasional non-album single, video rereleases, and compilations, all why the lineup of the band continued to nearly-constantly revolve around Hussey. 2007 however saw The Mission release a new album, God Is A Bullet, Like several previous album God Is A Bullet did not do well commercially. It also did not have a single break into the UK charts; the first time that had happened for a new studio album from The Mission. However, The Mission did still have a devoted fan base though and drew well for shows on the supporting tour.
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5. “Swoon” – The Mission
(From the album Neverland)
1995
Following the release of Masque bassist Craig Adams decided to leave the group, leaving the band as just the duo of Wayne Hussey on guitars and vocals and Mick Brown on drums. To buy time and highlight what they had done with the original core lineup of the band The Mission released the compilation album Sum And Substance. Hussey and Brown also began looking for new band members and eventually brought in guitarist Mark Thwaite, bassist Andy Cousin, and keyboardist Rik Carter. 1994 saw The Mission release the single “Raising Cain” and by 1995 the new album Neverland was released, with “Swoon” as its lead single (although “Raising Cain” was included on the record as well). Neverland found the band pulling back from the more diverse nature of Masque and returning to the darker, goth sound the band was known for. That said, The Mission was not ignoring the current trends either, and Neverland has a more 90’s tone to it that keeps the album from feeling dated. This updating of the band’s sound can be heard on “Swoon”, which uses distortion and feedback in a way that draws on both American alternative rock and British shoegaze to a degree, while also echoing the marriage of anthemic 80’s rock with 90’s production values, a la U2 on Achtung Baby. The truth is that “Swoon” is a very good song and probably should have been much more successful as ultimately the song peaked at #73 in the UK. This poor performance likely has more to do with the fact that The Mission was strongly associated with the very out of vogue at the time 1980’s (after all, The Cure struggled to seem relevant at this time too) and not the quality of the song or album itself. “Swoon” is well worth a listen for those who like The Mission’s earlier work or those who enjoy 90’s alternative rock more generally.
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4. “Like A Child Again” – The Mission
(From the album Masque)
1992
By the time The Mission released their next album Masque in 1992 the alternative music scene had changed significantly. This undoubtedly had an effect on both the critical evaluation and the sales of Masque, which were not nearly as strong as those of the two previous albums. However, that said, there are other reasons why Masque did not do as well. First and foremost among them is that the album simply isn’t as good as the ones that came before it (not to mention the album art looks both cheap and offputting). Across the album The Mission repeatedly try out different styles. Sometimes these experiments work better than others (and truthfully they are generally more interesting that the few goth rock retreads on the album). To help diversify their sound The Mission bring in several guest musicians including members of Fairport Convention, The Waterboys and The Wonder Stuff. These guest musicians often add unexpected layers to the music, but also often make the album feel like it is the work of a different band. This lack of consistency meant it was hard for any new fans to find more of what brought them in; while older fans were often turned off at the change of direction, making it difficult to know who The Mission were targeting as their audience on Masque. While the album is scattershot and unfocused there are strong moments. Among these highlights is the second single “Like A Child”, which layers prominent keyboards, horns, and violin over Hussey’s strummed guitar and a propulsive rhythm section. “Like A Child” echoes the sound of The Waterboys and Dexy’s Midnight Runners as much as it sounds like The Mission, but it is a joyous and uplifting song that rushes by like a warm breeze. “Like A Child” is a strong song and proved to be Masque’s biggest hit, peaking in the UK at #30. However, it did not have any chart presence in the grunge-mad US; and neither of the album’s other singles – the more traditionally goth lead single “Never Again” or the danceable, industrial-influenced “Shades Of Green” – did any better in America, nor did they even crack the UK Top 30. And while Masque did enter the Top 40 on the UK album chart it would be the last time The Mission would do so until 2016. Still, for the open-minded and/or the truly devoted, there are enough positive things to find on Masque to make it worth a listen.
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3. “Butterfly On A Wheel” – The Mission
(From the album Carved In Sand)
1990
Things were relatively quiet for The Mission in between the release of their second album Children and the release of their third album Carved In Sand, which was released in February 1990. The writing and recording of Carved In Sand had been productive and the band ended up with more material than they needed for the album. The run of positivity continued for The Mission when the album’s lead single, the sad and elegant ballad “Butterfly On A Wheel” became The Mission’s most successful single by hitting #12 in the UK while also becoming their first song to chart at all in the USA when it hit #23 on the modern rock tracks chart. Several other songs from Carved In Sand were released as follow-up singles to some success in the UK, while “Deliverance” did even better in the US than “Butterfly On A Wheel” had done, going all the way to #6 on the American modern rock chart and #27 on the mainstream rock chart. The Mission followed up this relative success by releasing many of the extra songs recorded during the Carved In Sand recording sessions as the Grains of Sand companion album in November of 1990. 1990 had been a good year for The Mission and the band seemed like they may even be about to really break through in America. However, 1991 saw the release of Nirvana’s Nevermind and the alternative rock landscape changed dramatically, especially in the USA. The Mission would continue to be popular with their core audience in the goth scene but the changing landscape robbed them of much of their momentum and their career never again hit the heights they achieved in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, leaving “Butterfly On A Wheel” as their commercial peak.
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2. “Tower Of Strength” – The Mission
(From the album Children)
1988
The Mission followed up the success of God’s Own Medicine by touring both Europe and North America, including a few shows with U2 on their tour in support of The Joshua Tree. The tour was generally a success but the the drugs and alcohol flowed freely and ultimately caught up to bassist Craig Adams who collapsed at a show in Los Angeles, forcing him to leave the band for a time although he would return. Following the tour The Mission went back to the studio to work on their second album. Two events played key roles in shaping the sound and direction of the band’s second album Children. The first, as the title of the album implied, was that leader Wayne Hussey became a father for the first time. The second was that former Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones would serve as the album’s producer. The first of these facts would shape much of the lyrical content of the album, while the second would take the band in a more Zeppelin-inspired rock direction. Both facts can be heard on the first single from Children, the eight-minute epic “Tower of Strength” (although there would be a radio edit that cut the song to about half that length). “Tower of Strength” finds a convergence between the band’s own gothic past (and their roots in Sisters Of Mercy), the anthemic sound of 80’s Simple Minds, and the enigmatic mystery of Zeppelin. This formula helped to make “Tower Of Strength” another UK hit, going to #12. However, just as had happened with their previous record God’s Own Medicine, The Mission struggled to follow up the success of the lead single. For Children the band followed up “Tower Of Strength” with second single “Beyond The Pale”, which only peaked at #32. Following the release of Children The Mission would hit the road again with John Paul Jones joining them as a guest keyboardist at a show one night in London. The Led Zeppelin connection would continue during this era as The Mission would also tour as the opening act for Robert Plant on one of his solo tours.
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1. “Wasteland” – The Mission
(From the album God’s Own Medicine)
1986
The Mission formed in the wake of the implosion of The Sisters of Mercy following their debut album First And Last And Always. While Sisters of Mercy frontman Andrew Eldritch would continue to work under that name, in essence making it his personal project, his former bandmates Wayne Hussey and Craig Adams decided to continue to work together without Eldritch and formed a new band called The Sisterhood. Hussey would continue to play guitar and provide lead vocals, while Adams played bass. Added to this duo would be drummer Mick Brown and guitarist/keyboardist Simon Hinkler. From the beginning the press buzz around The Sisterhood was considerable and soon the new group found themselves opening shows for The Cult in Europe. The Sisterhood however had not released any new material yet and before they could their old bandmate Eldritch released a new single under the name The Sisterhood, in large part just to block them from using a name so close to their old name, The Sisters of Mercy. This war over the name The Sisterhood led to a bad feelings between the two camps, rivalry in the press, confusion amongst some fans, and in the end, legal action. Ultimately, Hussey and Adams new group was renamed The Mission, after Wayne Hussey’s upbringing in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints where serving a proselytizing mission is common practice (although Hussey himself did not choose to serve one), while also working as a possible jab back at Eldritch who had intended to call the second Sisters of Mercy album Left On Mission and Revenge. Soon The Mission released a pair of EP’s. 1986 saw The Mission release their first full-length album God’s Own Medicine, which was largely composed of songs that Hussey and Adams had originally composed for the second Sisters of Mercy album. While in the studio to record that album though Eldritch had rejected the songs, which played a large role in Hussey and Adams’ decision to abandon The Sisters of Mercy. The lead single from God’s Own Medicine had been the song “Stay With Me”, which had managed to crack the UK Top 40 at #30. However, it was the follow up single “Wasteland” that became the band’s first big hit when it peaked at #11 on the UK charts. Built up from a propulsive, danceable beat, and featuring moody atmospherics supporting Hussey’s ominous vocals and wiry guitar riffs, “Wasteland” became one of the landmark tracks of the emergent goth scene.
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7. “Lion” – Peter Murphy
(From the album Lion)
2014
Following the release of 1995’s Cascade Murphy left the Beggars Banquet label and signed with Red Ant Records, where he released the Recall EP. Murphy’s signing with Red Ant meant that he was on the same label as Love & Rockets, the band made up of his former Bauhaus bandmates, and while the label soon imploded the former bandmates decided to reunite as Bauhaus to go on tour. This experience led to the Bauhaus live album Gotham which was recorded during a show in New York City. 2002 saw Murphy release the album Dust. On Dust Murphy wrote and recorded with Turkish artist Mercan Dede and exhibited a strong Turkish influence in its origins and instrumentation. While a departure from the rock sound of Murphy’s past, Dust was a critical success, if not a commercial one. Two years later in 2004 Murphy released Unshattered, an album that returned to his the more pop-oriented side of his work and features several guest musicians including members of Jane’s Addiction, Porno For Pyros, and Kevin Haskins of Bauhaus. In spite of the more pop-oriented sound and these guest musicians Unshattered was a commercial and critical disappointment. Following Unshattered Murphy focused on touring for the rest of the decade, with the only new solo music being a series of cover songs he released directly to the internet in 2009. However, Murphy did reunite with his former Bauhaus bandmates briefly to record a new Bauhaus record, Go Away White, which was released in 2008. The album earned solid sales and reviews but the old animosity between band members resumed and Bauhaus never toured in support of the album (although there have been a few Bauhaus shows scattered over the many years since). 2011 saw Murphy finally release a new album of original material, the appropriately titled Ninth, which did well critically and had a minor hit single with “I Spit Roses”. Ninth found Murphy returning to a more raw, band-oriented sound than he had done since the early 90’s. Murphy followed up that album three years later with Lion. Lion was the first Murphy album to break into the Billboard album chart since 1992’s Holy Smoke and it’s lead single “Hang Up” earned some notice. However, it is the title track and closing song, “Lion”, that is the true showcase of the album. Built off roaring guitars and a cavernous rhythm section, “Lion” sounds and feels like the best of Murphy’s solo career – darkly beautiful and epic – while showcasing his masterful vocals. To date (as of 2023) Lion has been his final solo album and, if that proves to eventually be the case, it is a fine way to end an influential and original career.
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Alternative Reality: An Alternative Music Blog 