''The Reptile House E.P.'' is the second independent EP by

the Sisters of Mercy The Sisters of Mercy are an English rock band formed in Leeds in 1980. After achieving early underground fame, the band experienced a commercial breakthrough in the mid-1980s, sustaining their success until the early 1990s, when they halted th ...

, released on 12" vinyl in May 1983 on the band's own label,

Merciful Release Merciful Release is a record label started by Andrew Eldritch, frontman with Leeds band the Sisters of Mercy. As Eldritch stated in an early interview, he wanted to hear himself on the radio. He and Gary Marx (Mark Pairman) played and recorded o ...

. The EP was never released as a stand-alone CD, but was included on the ''

Some Girls Wander by Mistake ''Some Girls Wander by Mistake'' is a compilation album by English band the Sisters of Mercy, released on 27 April 1992 on their own label Merciful Release, distributed by East West/Warner Music UK. The album collected the complete and unedite ...

'' collection. The EP was the band's second release in the US, issued by Brain Eater Records (of

Island Park, New York Island Park is a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village located in the Hempstead, New York, Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, New York (state), New York, United States. It is a neighbor to Long Beach, New ...

) 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 ary Marx and Craig Adamsdidn'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 Andrew Eldritch (born Andrew William Harvey Taylor, 15 May 1959) is an English singer, songwriter and musician. He is the lead vocalist and only remaining original member of the Sisters of Mercy, a band that emerged from the British post-punk s ...

– vocals, guitar * Craig Adams – bass guitar *Ben Gunn – guitar *

Gary Marx Gary Marx (born Mark Frederick Pearman) is a British guitarist and musician. He was a founding member of British rock band the Sisters of Mercy and its lead guitarist and songwriter from 1980 to 1985. He left the band in 1985 to form Ghost Da ...

– guitar *

Doktor Avalanche The Sisters of Mercy are an English rock band formed in Leeds in 1980. After achieving early underground fame, the band experienced a commercial breakthrough in the mid-1980s, sustaining their success until the early 1990s, when they halted th ...

(drum machine) – drums

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reptile House 1983 EPs The Sisters of Mercy EPs Merciful Release EPs