Severina - The Mission

Probably the biggest asset of the British band The Mission is that sometimes they used the angelic voice of Julianne Regan from All about Eve for their backing vocals. They did this, for instance, on their 1987 single 'Severina'. It was great that this 12" remix of 'Severina' highlights her voice even more.

The 12" single became an even more attractive package because of the limited edition poster included with it. Not that the men from the Mission were so handsome, but anything extra is always fun to have.

My collection: 12" single no. 323
Found: Record fair, 2000
Cost: 25 guilders
Tracks: 'Severina (Aqua-marina mix)', 'Wishing well' / 'Tomorrow never knows (Amphetamix)'

Tower of strength (remix) - The Mission

In 1994, the Mission released the compilation album 'Sum and substance'. The album was preceded by this single release, a remix of their biggest hit up until then: 'Tower of strength'. The 'East India Trans Cairo Mix' was created by Youth.

The single charted in the following January, reaching number 33 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 3009
Found: Wreckastow, Rotterdam, June 28, 1998
Cost: 5 guilders
Tracks: 'Tower of strength (East India Trans Cairo Mix)' / 'Wasteland (Musketeer mix)'

Into the blue - The Mission

'Into the blue' was released in 1990 as the third single from the Mission's fourth album 'Carved in sand'. I never bought the single because of the similarity between the sleeve of this single and the one of 'Hands across the ocean' (at least, in my mind), which made me think I already had it.

The single reached number 32 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 4714
Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, March 13, 2010
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Into the blue' / 'Bird of passage'

Deliverance - The Mission

Released as the second single from the Mission's 1990 album 'Carved in sand', 'Deliverance' is a perfect piece of trademark Mission rock: an intense track with deep, dark vocals and a storming guitar and drum backing.

The single reached number 27 in the UK singles chart, but unlike the first single from the album, 'Butterfly on a wheel', it didn't manage a chart placing elsewhere in Europe.

My collection: 7" single no. 3010
Found: Parkpop, Den Haag, June 28, 1998
Cost: 5 guilders
Tracks: 'Deliverance' / 'Mr. Pleasant'

Tower of strength - The Mission

After the release of their second album 'Children', the Mission released the single 'Tower of strength' from that album. The single version was edited down from the 8 minute album version to 4 minutes 30 seconds. It still retained much of the strength and character of the track, and so the band were rewarded with their biggest hit yet.

'Tower of strength' was the first single by the Mission to achieve some success abroad: it reached number 30 in the Dutch Top 40 in April 1988. Two months prior to that, the single reached number 12 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 795
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, April 15, 1989
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Tower of strength' / 'Fabienne', 'Breathe (vocal)'

Butterfly on a wheel - The Mission

The history of the bands All about Eve and The Mission has been intertwined from the very beginning. Mission frontman Wayne Hussey sang backing vocals on some tracks on All about Eve's debut album, whereas Julianne Regan from All about Eve sang backing vocals on the Mission's 'Severina'.

Also, Regan was in a relationship with Mission guitarist Simon Hinkler for some time. When the couple broke up, it inspired Hussey to write 'Butterfly on a wheel'. The track was featured on the Mission's album 'Carved in sand' and was released as a single just before the end of 1989. It reached number 12 in the UK singles chart in January 1990.

My collection: 7" single no. 1165
Found: Free Record Shop, 1990
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Butterfly on a wheel' / 'The grip of disease'

Wasteland - The Mission

'Wasteland' was the second single taken from the Mission's 1986 album 'God's own medicine'. There was a limited edition box set release of this single at the time of its release. As far as single box sets go, this one was quite lavish: not only did it include five colour photographs, it also had a second single with two bonus live tracks.

Perhaps as a consequence of this, 'Wasteland' became the Mission's biggest hit up until then, reaching number 11 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 3153
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, 2000
Cost: 10 guilders
Tracks: 'Wasteland' / 'Shelter from the storm (live)' // 'Serpent's kiss (live)' / '1969 (live)'

Stay with me - The Mission

When you see this sleeve, it's easy to conclude that this is the third single by the Mission. 'Stay with me' was the first single taken from the Mission's debut album 'God's own medicine', but two previous singles had already been released, reaching the lower regions of the UK singles chart.

This was the first single by the Mission to reach the UK top 40, peaking at number 30 in the summer of 1986. 'Stay with me' has got all the sounds the band would become renowned for.

My collection: 7" single no. 2878
Found: House of Rhythm, London, October 28, 1997
Cost: 60p
Tracks: 'Stay with me' / 'Blood brother'

Hands across the ocean - The Mission

'Hands across the ocean' was in fact an ep, containing three songs that were all interesting to me for a variety of reasons. The title track featured backing vocals by Julianne Regan from All about Eve. 'Amelia' was an emotional track about child abuse, apparently written by the band after reading the story of a fan. And finally, 'Love' is a cover of the John Lennon track.

The single was released to promote the release of the 'outtakes' album 'Grains of sand' in 1990. It reached number 28 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 2203
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, October 8, 1994
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Hands across the ocean' / 'Amelia', 'Love'

Severina - The Mission

When I became a fan of All about Eve in the late eighties, I quickly found out that Julianne Regan, lead singer of the band, had done some backing vocals on some tracks by The Mission. Most notably the single 'Severina', which is one of the best tracks in the Mission's catalogue. Naturally I wanted to have it, but I wasn't consciously searching for it all the time.

Then, of course, I stumbled into a special edition of that very single. It included a 21" x 14" colour poster of the band. Being a sucker for special editions, I bought this copy straight away. It was a great find during a sunny day during a holiday in the South of England. It didn't matter that in fact this item was slightly overpriced...

My collection: 7" single no. 2387

Found: Grammar School Records, Rye, July 3, 1995

Cost: 6 pounds

Tracks: 'Severina' / 'Tomorrow never knows'

Download: here