Vision Thing

The Sisters Of Mercy

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 13, 1990)
• Original Release Date: November 13, 1990
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Elektra / Wea
• ASIN: B000002H8P
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #78,338 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Meanwhile, at the Sheraton..., October 29, 2003

By	N. P. Stathoulopoulos "nick9155" (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

When looking at each of the three Sisters' LPs, you have to note who 'the Sisters' were. The band has one constant--Andrew Eldritch. The history of the band features a rotating cast of supporters. For Vision Thing it includEd Andrea Bruhn and Tim Bricheno on guitars and Tony James on bass. Drums by the Doktor.

The album sounds like metal, and this being 1990, no surprise. There's guitars--big, grinding, swirling, metal guitars with big, fat riffs. The Sisters went on to feature a harder, almost industrial tone later on live, with metal guitars and thundering beats.

Track by track:

Vision Things opens with a snort and we're into heavy metal guitars and a driving beat that sets the trendo of half the album as two others songs sound similar.

Ribbons - one of the great Sisters songs. An evil rhthym, Eldritch's menacing whispers, and one of the best lines: "Flowers on the razor wire".

Doctor Jeep - Infectious guitar and Avalanche song with more political references wrapped up in a deceivingly fun and shiny package

More - the epic, Jim Steinman produced track. Instead of a choir, this time it's gospel singers and it works very well. Apparently half of the original lyrics had to be taken out for legal reasons, leaving the remaining words an enigmatic skeleton. Not sure who it's directed at (Patricia Morrison or other former bands members? The fans?)

I Was Wrong - does not sound like anything the Sisters have done before. A typically cynical song that works as a ballad

When You Don't See Me - Some of his best lyrics--head on to the listener. One of the best songs by any rocker about the cult of rock personality ("You bought a mask, I put it on") and even a bit of venom-- "Get real, get another..." though it could be addressed to a lover as well. The single version featured a slightly remixed version.

Detonation Boulevard - You can hear a similarity in Vision Thing, Doctor Jeep, and this song. It's guitar driven and fast and fun, heavy on the chorus like many songs on the album. Took time to grow; love the "bang bang" ending.

Something Fast - The follow-up to Amphetamine Logic? (Give me more sssssssssssssss...) On the one hand there's a the sensitive, sing-a-long chorus, but listen closely. The guitar distortion builds up toward the end, lending the track an underlying menace that shows why we love the Sisters.

This is the last long player from Eldritch and co., as the 1990s would be marked by a bitter contract holdout followed by promised and never delivered singles. The band has existed in a state of semi-activity.

Lovers of the album will say it takes time to grow on you; I found this to be true, but that's only evidence of a carefully crafted work. Some people downright dismiss it. Don't. You'll read a lot of reviews that say the album sounded weaker at first, but there's a lot going on here, as in most everything the Sisters release (and we know they don't release anything anymore).

All Sisters available material is highly recommended.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars night ride on eldritch boulevard, November 19, 2004

By	torquemada "sweating_demon" (beirut, lebanon) - See all my reviews

people who bash this album for not being "floodland II" are not to be taken seriously; they're simply being too narrow minded.
most of the reviewers here have either downloaded a couple of tracks from this album or have been 'reviewing' the album based on somebody else's opinion, and it painfully shows in their writing. this band deserves far more respect.
vision thing prides itself to possess one of the most devastating openers (no matter how many 'sorry trends' it lead to) ever. eldritch is truely a wizard when it comes to bore-free, minimalistic melody making. you get 8 minute long songs which are and will never sound too long, irresistibly persistant melodies carrying vitriolic but most of the times, abstract lyrics. the robotic feeling of the album, served courtesy of eminent drum machine Dr. Avalanche, brings back the best moments of floodland, making of vision thing, a logical projection of its predecessor. ranging from pure hard rocking goodness (title track, when you dont see me, dr jeep...) to otherwordly gothicness (ribbons, arguably their most 'goth' song), this album spans over 40 minutes of incredibly varied music and, sadly enough, finishes while we have just started to love it, not getting enough of the vicious three guitar attacks, the devastating drumbeats, the guy's voice, or maggie reilly's backing vocals. owe it to yourself to ignore the sillies who obviously gave this album no more than a three minute listen (that is, if ever!) before deciding that floodland or FALAA are more 'goth'...
for once, ignore the labeling and discover the music, that shouldnt be fitting a given genre in order to be enjoyed.
enough said...

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Something of a social comentary perhaps?, August 3, 1999

By A Customer

I listen to Vision Thing late at night, when I'm driving along the abandoned city streets. The mood of the album, found in songs like 'Detonation Boulevard', 'Doctor Jeep' and 'Someting Fast', is urban decay. The other songs are filled with emotions like regret, desire, and resentment. The fact that Eldrich uses a louder rock style to convey these feelings is no sin to me.