The Sisters Of Mercy - Some Girls Wander by Mistake

Some Girls Wander by Mistake serves as a definitive time capsule of The Sisters of Mercy’s formative years, compiling their independent EPs and singles released between 1980 and 1983. It is widely praised for capturing the band’s raw, post-punk energy and the atmospheric "gothic" gloom that established their cult status before they moved toward a more polished, commercial rock sound. While the production across tracks like "Alice," "Temple of Love," and the experimental Reptile House EP varies from primitive to cinematic, the collection is considered essential for its brooding basslines, shimmering guitars, and the debut of the iconic Doktor Avalanche drum machine. Critics generally view it as a high-water mark for the genre, offering a dark, cohesive journey through the band’s most influential early work.

Some Girls Wander by Mistake is widely celebrated as the definitive anthology of The Sisters of Mercy’s formative years, capturing their transition from raw post-punk experimentalists to the architects of gothic rock. Released in 1992, the compilation gathers independent EPs and singles from 1980 to 1983, a period marked by Andrew Eldritch’s cavernous vocals and the clattering, primitive precision of the Doktor Avalanche drum machine. While later albums like Floodland embraced high-gloss production, this collection is praised for its "ferocious and angry" energy, offering a rare look at the band's gritty, Leeds-born roots.

Critics frequently highlight the The Reptile House EP tracks as the collection's atmospheric peak, described as some of the band's "bleakest and most anguished work". These songs, alongside "Alice" and "Floorshow," establish a shamanic, coiling sound where shimmering guitars and razor-edged basslines create a "darkly erotic" and nihilistic landscape. For many fans, this material represents the band's most "authentic" era, rooted in a minimalist aesthetic that shared more sonic territory with acts like The Fall or Suicide than the polished "none-more-black" goth acts that followed.

The inclusion of the early 1983 version of "Temple of Love" serves as the compilation's epic centerpiece, providing a bridge to the band's eventual commercial success. While some reviewers note that early experiments like "The Damage Done" or "Watch" are rough-hewn and haven't all "aged gracefully," they are nonetheless valued as "priceless" artifacts of the goth movement's punk beginnings. These tracks reveal a band "slouching towards" their iconic sound, confessing their influences—from The Stooges to disco—through a "morbid and decadent sensitivity".

Ultimately, Some Girls Wander by Mistake is regarded as an essential purchase, often cited by critics as "the best thing they've had in their career" due to its cohesive, dark journey. It remains a top-tier recommendation for "dedicated fans" because it compiles tracks that were largely unavailable elsewhere, presented with the original single artwork that serves as a visual "manifesto" of the era. Despite its non-chronological tracking, it stands as a colossal high-water mark for the genre, cementing Andrew Eldritch's legacy as "The Dark Lord of Leeds".

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1. Alice

2. Floorshow

3. Phantom

4. 1969 (The Stooges cover)

5. Kiss the Carpet

6. Lights

7. Valentine

8. Fix

9. Burn

10. Kiss the Carpet (Reprise)

11. Temple of Love (Extended Version 1983)

12. Heartland

13. Gimme Shelter (The Rolling Stones cover)

14. The Damage Done

15. Watch

16. Home of the Hit-Men

17. Body Electric

18. Adrenochrome

19. Anaconda