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The Reptile House E.P.

Field	Value
name	The Reptile House E.P.
type	ep
artist	The Sisters of Mercy
cover	The Sisters of Mercy - The Reptile House EP cover.jpg
released	16 May 1983
recorded	1983
length	25:12
producer	Andrew Eldritch
prev_title	Alice
prev_year	1983
next_title	Body and Soul
next_year	1984

Gothic rock
post-punk
Merciful Release
Brain Eater

The Reptile House E.P. is the second independent EP by the Sisters of Mercy, released on 12" vinyl in May 1983 on the band's own label, Merciful Release. The EP was never released as a stand-alone CD, but was included on the Some Girls Wander by Mistake collection.

The EP was the band's second release in the US, issued by Brain Eater Records (of Island Park, New York) on 10 July 1983. Brain Eater had previously issued the band's "Alice" EP earlier that year. The EP was rereleased on vinyl on April 22, 2023 (Record Store Day).

Artist's commentary

Andrew Eldritch (1983/92): "I thought 'The Reptile House' was our finest hour yet because it was the most serious record we ever made, but it was also the most perverse. Everything about that record is perverse. It's really slow, it's really long, and I just love the way all the lead lines are hidden in the mix, involved in all the effects, completely submerged, you really have to fight with that record. And the last track starts like it's gonna be a sort of pop number and the voice just slithers back into the mix and the tune distorts itself, and then that's finished you just get a reprise of the beginning which brings you right back full circle. It's a very perverse record. It's part of the concept of the thing, that there's no escape from The Reptile House. But a lot of this does go over people's heads, they just think,'Ah yeah, a long, slow record!'" “On records like 'Reptile House' or 'Temple of Love' they [Gary Marx and Craig Adams] didn't even play. They weren't into recording that much, they just wanted to play live. They were sleeping in some corner until I woke them up after I had played and recorded everything on my own. When they asked me how their guitar and bass parts had turned out, I used to say to them they performed very well. Gary didn't even listen to 'The Reptile House EP' until it had been released on vinyl and I handed it to him with the words, 'This is our new record, you'll like it!'"
Gary Marx (1983): "The new EP is pretty slow, which is a deliberate move to prove what we're not just a rama-lama punk band."

Track listing

Personnel

Andrew Eldritch – vocals, guitar
Craig Adams – bass guitar
Ben Gunn – guitar
Gary Marx – guitar
Doktor Avalanche (drum machine) – drums

Charts

Chart (2023)	Peak
position	UK Physical Albums (OCC)
91

References

Release date according to ''United States Copyright Office'' website
"RSD '23 Special Release: The Sisters of Mercy - the Reptile House".
Andrew Eldritch interview, [[WNYU-FM]] radio, New York, 19 September 1983
Marcel Anders: Andrew Eldritch interview, ''Visions'' magazine, Germany, 1992
"Two sisters, at our mercy! (part one)". Ultimatesistersguide.org.
"Two sisters, at our mercy! (part two)". Ultimatesistersguide.org.
"Official Physical Albums Chart Top 100: 28 April 2023 – 04 May 2023". [[Official Charts Company]].

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

1983-eps the-sisters-of-mercy-eps merciful-release-eps

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