Merciful Release
Merciful Releaseis arecord labelstarted byAndrew Eldritch,frontman with Leeds bandthe Sisters of Mercy.As Eldritch stated in an early interview, he wanted to hear himself on the radio. He andGary Marx(Mark Pairman) played and recorded on the Sisters of Mercy's initial single "Damage Done" and pressed one thousand copies. This record was something of a collector's item.
Throughout the early 1980s, the band released several singles on Merciful Release, controlling the format and image of the records, typically in a black sleeve with artwork centrally mounted and a head and star logo on the rear of sleeves. A notable example of this beingHenri Matisse'sBlue Nudein gold on black for the single Alice.
By 1984, the band had signed a distribution deal withWarner Bros. Records(Elektrain the US) whilst still maintaining control of Merciful Release.
In the 1990s, a number of CDs were released on the Merciful Release label forthe MK Ultra:theirBeluga PopandThis Is Thisalbums, and German band Scoda Blush.