Mother Fist and Her Five Daughters

Mother Fist and Her Five Daughters (often shortened to Mother Fist) is the third studio album by the British singer/songwriter Marc Almond. It was released in April 1987 and reached number 41 on the UK Albums Chart.[1] Mother Fist and Her Five Daughters includes the singles "Ruby Red", "Melancholy Rose", and "Mother Fist". The album title is taken from Nocturnal Turnings or How Siamese Twins Have Sex, a short story by the American author Truman Capote. Almond dedicates the album in the liner notes to Capote.

Mother Fist and Her Five Daughters
Studio album by Marc Almond and The Willing Sinners
Released	April 1987
Recorded	Summer 1986
Studio	Milo Studios, London, Abbey Road, London
Genre	Art pop
Length	50:02
Label	Some Bizzare, Virgin
Producer	Mike Hedges, Marc Almond
Marc Almond and The Willing Sinners chronology
Stories of Johnny (1985) Mother Fist and Her Five Daughters (1987) The Stars We Are (1988)
Singles from Mother Fist and Her Five Daughters
""Ruby Red" b/w "I'm Sick of You Tasting of Somebody Else"" Released: October 1986 ""Melancholy Rose" b/w "Gyp the Blood"" Released: February 1987 ""Mother Fist" b/w "Two Sailors On the Beach"" Released: April 1987

Almond with his assembled band The Willing Sinners, made up of Annie Hogan, Billy McGee, Martin McCarrick, Richard Riley and Steven Humphreys, accompanied by studio musicians recorded the songs for the album at Milo Studios, London and Abbey Road. The artwork was designed by Huw Feather with photography by Ben Thornberry.

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[3]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Marc Almond; except where indicated.

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Mother Fist"		4:29
2.	"There is a Bed"		4:50
3.	"Saint Judy"		5:53
4.	"The Room Below"	Almond, Annie Hogan	3:30
5.	"Angel in Her Kiss"	Almond, Hogan	3:42
6.	"The Hustler"	Almond, Hogan	3:15

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
7.	"Melancholy Rose"		3:10
8.	"Mr Sad"		3:49
9.	"The Sea Says"	Almond, Hogan	4:03
10.	"Champ"	Almond, Hogan	4:23
11.	"Ruby Red"		3:41
12.	"The River"		5:17

Personnel

• Marc Almond – vocals, arrangements

The Willing Sinners

• Annie Hogan – piano, marimba, pump organ
• Billy McGee – double bass, electric bass guitar
• Martin McCarrick – cello, accordion, yang t'chin, keyboards
• Richard Riley – acoustic guitar, electric guitar
• Steven Humphreys – drums, assorted percussion

with:

• Nigel Eaton – hurdy-gurdy
• Peter Thoms – trombone
• Enrico Tomasso – trumpet
• Jane West – backing vocals
• Audrey Riley – backing vocals

Technical

• Mike Hedges – Vocals, Producer, Engineering (Abbey Road)
• Annie Hogan – Arrangements
• Martin McCarrick – Cello Arrangements
• Charles Gray – Engineering (Milo)
• Haydn Bendall – Engineering (Abbey Road)
• Ian Grimble – Engineering (Abbey Road)
• Huw Feather – Design, Layout
• Ben Thornberry – Photography

References

1. "The Official Charts Company - Marc Almond And The Willing Sinners". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2011-07-28.
2. Allmusic review
3. Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857125958. Retrieved 1 May 2019.