Any Swans fans here? (Michael Gira, Jarboe)

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Chris M, Apr 15, 2011.

  1. missedexit

    missedexit New Member

    My introduction to them & I love it. The melancholy in his vocals is heartfelt.
     
  2. Neonbeam

    Neonbeam All Art Was Once Contemporary

    Location:
    Planet Earth

    Just preordered the vinyl at JPC. Even though it's a triple set the tracklist will be very hard to fit onto it, just look at the running time of some of the songs, wow. Can't wait to hear it....

    CD One


    1. "Lunacy" (featuring Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker) 6:09
    2. "Mother of the World" 9:57
    3. "The Wolf" 1:35
    4. "The Seer" 32:14
    5. "The Seer Returns" (featuring Jarboe) 6:17
    6. "93 Ave. B Blues" 5:21
    7. "The Daughter Brings the Water" 2:40

    CD Two

    No. Title Length
    1. "Song for a Warrior" (featuring Karen O) 3:58
    2. "Avatar" 8:51
    3. "A Piece of the Sky" (featuring Jarboe, Akron/Family & Ben Frost) 19:10
    4. "The Apostate" 23:01
     
  3. Neonbeam

    Neonbeam All Art Was Once Contemporary

    Location:
    Planet Earth
    Got "The Seer" today, nice double gatfold with poster. The pressing is very quiet. Just spinning it, sounds fascinating but it is completely clear that this needs time. The long songs are broken into parts so the six sides don't run too long. Pitchfork has a very good interview with Michael Gira! BTW: Just noticed the vinyl has a different running order to the one I posted above!
     
  4. Synthfreek

    Synthfreek I’m a ray of sunshine & bastion of positivity

    After just a few listens I much prefer this to the last album. I've listened to "Song For A Warrior" like five times now before realizing that this is Karen O. Forgot she was making an appearance.
     
  5. Neonbeam

    Neonbeam All Art Was Once Contemporary

    Location:
    Planet Earth
    Absolutely! Sounds like a cross between "Children Of God" & "Soundtracks For The Blind". Like Nick Cave Gira is on top of his game at the moment. Totally fascinating listen! Just wish he would issue "Soundtracks" on vinyl :( And maybe reissue "The Great Annihilator". I've got the "Bunny Box" but I'm still missing that album...
     
  6. DCW

    DCW been a-boogeyin' since I ditched the stroller.

    Hell, YAAAAAAAAAAA!!

    I don't like the "New Johnny Cash" label as applied to Mike G, though. That's missing the point/losing the plot.
     
  7. GodShifter

    GodShifter Forum Member

    Location:
    Dallas, TX, USA
    I agree with Synthfreek about The Seer being a better outing than the last one. It's more cohesive & has a heavier impact for me. I'm looking forward to, possibly, seeing them live this time. I hear they're a crushing experience. I think I need to see that.
     
  8. JL6161

    JL6161 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Michigan, USA
    Thanks for the reminder to pick this up. I love the excerpt of "The Apostate" streaming at Young God although one of my cats looks vaguely upset -- I'm not sure if it's the screeching or church bells. Can't wait to share it with the neighborhood!
     
  9. Neonbeam

    Neonbeam All Art Was Once Contemporary

    Location:
    Planet Earth
    Here is the running order for the vinyl version:


    A1 Lunacy 6:07
    A2 The Apostate Pt. 1 13:18
    B1 The Apostate Pt. 2 9:36
    B2 A Piece Of The Sky Pt. 1 9:36
    C1 A Piece Of The Sky Pt. 2 9:30
    C2 93 Ave. B Blues 5:22
    C3 The Daughter Brings The Water 2:33
    C4 Song For A Warrior 3:58
    D1 Mother Of The World 9:59
    D2 Avatar 8:49
    E1 The Wolf 1:35
    E2 The Seer Pt. 1 18:56
    F1 The Seer Pt. 2 13:17
    F2 The Seer Returns 6:15

    I think it's interesting that the long songs have been broken into parts because apart from "The Seer" it wouldn't really have been necessary if Gira had organized the running order different. But then the album would have been top heavy with short tracks. Which apparently wasn't the idea ;) Will give this a deep listen over the next days and once I'm familiar with the songs I will compare this to the CD version's running order.
     
  10. Neonbeam

    Neonbeam All Art Was Once Contemporary

    Location:
    Planet Earth
    BTW: Am I alone in thinking that M.Gira did certain of his albums a disservice when he decided to replace the original versions with long compilation CDs?

    I think "Greed", "Holy Money" and the two related 12 Inches where much more powerful in their shorter original form than on the 70+ minutes CD. It's just TOO much. Same goes for "White Light" and "Love Of Live", that the tracks - with the exception of "She Cries (For Spider)" - of these two great albums are only available scattered across "Various Failures" and "Forever Burned" is downright tragic.

    Since he never touched "Filth", "Cop" and "Children Of God" it's understood that he is not completely happy with the money and bunny releases but I think it would be better to FINALLY rerelease them in their original form. So new listeners can experience them as they originally were...
     
  11. Neonbeam

    Neonbeam All Art Was Once Contemporary

    Location:
    Planet Earth
    Been playing "White Light From the Mouth Of Infinity" and "Love Of Life" this week and think they have gotten better with age. Back in 1991 the first one was my introduction to Swans and even though I liked it I always thought that there was something missing, that this music sounded impressive and majestic on the sonic surface but was cool and distant at it's very heart.

    Now 22 years down the road I find that my memories of the early 90's fill this void and suddenly these albums sound... well.... not exactely "cosy" but comforting, like meeting an old friend. Very strange because I've never had an experience like that with an other album. Love the artwork btw...
     

    Attached Files:

  12. fortherecord

    fortherecord Senior Member

    Location:
    Rochester, NY
    I haven't played them in a long time, still have the album with the lily on the cover (Burning World?) and the Love Will Tear Us Apart 12" single, which is what brought me to them in the first place. What do you think of the LWTUA cover(s)? They recorded two versions, one with Jarboo doing the lead vocal, and one with Gira.
     
  13. Neonbeam

    Neonbeam All Art Was Once Contemporary

    Location:
    Planet Earth
    I only have the red vinyl version (Gira Vocals) and think it is a good version. Even though I'd love to hear the Jarboe vocal but somehow every time I come across this it's the red one :(

    I definitely will play "The Burning World" and "Children Of God" next. Before moving to the earlier stuff. Since "The Seer" Swans' back catalogue makes a lot more sense to me. If this statement makes any sense to you...
     
  14. dsky

    dsky Little Blue Light

    Location:
    Fukuoka
    Having the original LPs I bought a couple of these comps (Filth/Body to Body, Children of God and Various Failures.) Actually, I don't think they're too bad. Various Failures plays quite well as a comp., I feel. The other two are basically in their original play order.
    However, having said that, I'm glad I have my Burning World, White Light and Love of Life LPs as discrete entities.
    I can definitely take your point about 70+ mins of the dollar albums being too much though. They are my favorite Swans LPs but I haven't got round to picking this set up yet. Or the Seer. Man, I really need to get onto Amazon.
     
  15. Neonbeam

    Neonbeam All Art Was Once Contemporary

    Location:
    Planet Earth
    Would have been different if Gira had made clear what track came from where but to mish mash "Greed", "Holy Money", "A Screw" & "Time Is Money" takes away some of the power. Because I really love the way these releases mirror and complement each other. Same with "Various Failures": It's a nice compilation if you are familiar with Swans. But if you're not than it is just an overlong collection of songs. I definitely think Young God Records should put these back in print. It really feels weird when an album you bought on the day of release suddenly is out of print :(
     
  16. humpf

    humpf Allowed to write something here.

    Location:
    Silesia
    Does anybody here own the deluxe edition of Seer? I am curious about the dvd. Some concert recordings? Complete tracks? How long in total? PCM?
     
  17. 93curr

    93curr Senior Member

    Concert recordings, shot at various locations - some in black & white, some in color - harshly edited with extremely variant picture quality (i.e. lots of it is intentionally grainy and some heavily detailed, occasionally split-screen; all relatively art-sy) The songs are complete, it's 200 minutes long, NTSC and only Dolby Digital Stereo (sorry - WHY do people still use that?)

    I'd classify it as "essential" and, even if you already have the 3LP or 2CD editions, it's worth buying the set again for the DVD alone. The only other Swans video I've seen is the 'Long Slow Screw' videocassette, and that's so old my copy is on Betamax!! - how has that never been reissued on DVD? (Preferably in a set with the complete remastered 'Greed' and 'Holy Money' discs)
     
  18. humpf

    humpf Allowed to write something here.

    Location:
    Silesia
    Thank you! Now there's no hope for me - I must buy, buy, buy, it's my time of buying.
     
  19. ArpMoog

    ArpMoog Forum Resident

    Location:
    Detroit
    I love them as well and bought all there cd's as they came out. Does anyone have Love and White on vinyl ? How do they sound ? Never seen them and would love to have them.
    How about soundtrack and Annihilator ? Were they ever released on vinyl?
    Seen them three times and they were a very powerful band live.
     
  20. dsky

    dsky Little Blue Light

    Location:
    Fukuoka
    Wow, didn't know about the dvd edition. I need it!
     
  21. Roninblues

    Roninblues 猿も木から落ちる。

  22. soundQman

    soundQman Senior Member

    Location:
    Arlington, VA, USA
    I haven't heard Children of God, but each of the other four you listed are terrific and I would recommend them heartily as well.
     
  23. cc--

    cc-- Forum Resident

    Location:
    brooklyn
    Children of God may be overall the best place to start -- not their most beautiful but perhaps their most intense album.
     
  24. slayerhatesusall

    slayerhatesusall Well-Known Member

    Soundtracks for the blind and The Seer are probably my favorite swans albums. The dvd that comes with the seer is really good quality, well worth getting.
     
  25. Front 242 Addict

    Front 242 Addict I Love Physical format for my listening pleasure

    Location:
    Tel Aviv ,Israel

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