The Burning POLL: Swans Studio Albums

Nearly impossible, torn like a big teary thing.

Tempted to vote Cop. Children of God is also fantastic. I haven't heard The Great Annihilator, I must say

For me it's either Greed or Children of God, though my favorite Swans release is Public Castration is a Good Idea.

I started listening with the release of the Raping a Slave EP & that stuff was huge for me but honestly? White Light from the Mouth of Infinity is my favorite one. More than Children of God, even, which completely blew my mind when it was new. White Light seemed like the successful accomplishment of a lot of the aesthetic goals that had started germinating on the quieter numbers from CoG.

Has anybody got idea what Gira might have meant when he said, to the NME, that the title of Children of God was "a pun"? This has bothered me for decades.

I was never much of an early Swans fan; I really hop on board around Children of God, and my favorite would be (at first glance) White Light.

Early: Cop (live: castration)

Middle: White Light (live: audience recording of 1992 Love Of Life show > omni)

Late: Soundtracks (live: dead)

Overall studio winner of my vote: soundtracks.

Soundtracks, as it offers a little of everything and a lot more, or is that cheating?

Just heard reunion rumor on Facebook.

Not just a rumour Nate, it's confirmed. Being discussed on this thread:

Classic or Dud: Swans

Although reunion is not really the word since this is not any Swans line-up that previously existed. "Resurrection" is better given that the last (live) album was called Swans Are Dead.

Voted White Light as well. Hits as hard as the earlier work but with this overwhelming sense of drama and sadness which the earlier ones don't really have. And the crescendo in a song like "Will We Survive" is just breathtaking.

I've always thought White Light and Love of Life were ill served by their covers. The bunnies have this tragicomic quality that isn't really reflected in the music – which is tragic in the extreme, but hardly ever comic. Something more sombre was called for.

Of this list, White Light. I have trouble listening to Children of God, given the kind of huge sonic improvement of its live cousin Feel Good Now (which is my favorite album by this band). 2nd favorite is also not on this list: the World of Skin "Ten Songs" which has such an amazing opening.

filth vs. cog for me

if public castration was on here this would be easy

I've always loved Drainland as well.

i love it all. every bit of it. the double whammy of white light and love of life though, man, words fail me. i loved swans to death and then they proceeded to blow my mind all over again. not too many bands have done that for me. and they pretty much did it again with soundtracks.

i feel like i've said all this 50 times on 50 threads. i have nothing new to add.

man that is exactly the thing about those albums though. I wasn't exactly sitting around goin "I bet Swans will just keep making awesome shit." I liked the Burning World better than a lot of people do but it seemed to signal a shift that wouldn't be resulting in something that'd really flatten me the way Children of God had. And then I go into the record store one day and there's White Light, and I buy it, and holy shit.

the back-to-back of public castration -> COG was the one that blew my mind

In retrospect, Cop just edges out Children Of God for me but they're the only 2 candidates these days. I've been very much enjoying Norman Westberg's new baby pics on his Facebook page btw. That guy still doesn't smile much...

Soundtracks, always and forever.

Cop, always and forever.

This silence is disappointing, ILM.

Filth for early, White Light for late

Once I saw them live I had a hard time going back to the albums. Just not enough of an experience, as good as some of them are.

Gotta go White Light as well for many of the reasons JD had elaborated on above.

the Various Failures era is definitely my favorite (not that I don't have love for stuff before and after) - wish I knew which actual album culled for that I'd want to vote for.

man I remember being stunned, flat out stunned, by Greed - it was so rhythmic and complex compared to Cop, so much going on. I mean, I think if I ranked 'em, Cop would still be higher up because it's so incredibly pure, but Greed was really a big move to make. Holy Money, too - I think I sell that era short when I think about the band because what came next was Children of God, which was like this huge peak imo, and overshadowed what came before it

i was never more than an incidental fan, but a cutout-bin purchase of holy money blew my mind just a little and opened it to other things, so i vote that.

is it lame to like the Burning World more than anything else? because most days I do. It was my first Swans album and I hold it dear even though I guess everyone dislikes it. After that, probably White Light and Annihilator.

"cop" had the biggest initial impact on me but like lee dorrian grey, i was flat out stunned by "greed". the opening of that record can still reduce me to tears and the live tour for it and "holy money" still ricochets through my memory. "greed" and "holy money" came out almost simultaneously (initially "holy money was meant to be a mini lp but they expanded it at the last minute) and in my mind are really two half albums equaling one album. beyond stunning.

nothing will go wrong...protect yourself

also probably the only band to cost me a friend. i used to listen to them relentlessly and my then best friend loathed them so much he told me it was swans or him. i chose swans.

its kind of weird that white light and love of life are out of print; I like that various failures comp but those albums should be around.

Will be buying one of these: https://younggodrecords.com/Releases/Detail.asp?C=2326

weird i was listening to cop and raping a slave the other day but i don't know anything beyond the early stuff so i have no idea

The early stuff is impressive but it is way too much for me to listen to very often. I voted for The Great Annihilator as I got into the Swans around the time that came out new and I got kind of obsessive listening to that one. Children of God is really good front to back and there is really good stuff on the record in-between. I also got pretty obsessive on Soundtracks for the Blind and some of the more 'audio collage' are the best tracks.

I'll rep for Holy Money as my favorite. In large part because it was the first I got, and I'd never heard anything like it (though I'd bought Halber Mensch within the month, can't recall which came first). But mostly 'cause me and friends discovered that a walk with "Money is Flesh" playing on the Walkman was like turning into Godzilla for five minutes.

Apparently Swans are in the studio right now recording. Excited.

ladies and gentlemen, swans 2010

Michael Gira / guitar / voice / mendicant friar act (original swans)

Norman Westberg – guitar (original swans)

Christoph Hahn – guitar (mid period swans and most angels)

Phil Puleo – drums, percussion, dulcimer etc etc (final swans tour and most angels)

Chris Pravdica – bass and gadgets (flux information sciences / services/ gunga din)

Thor Harris - drums, percussion, vibes, dulcimer, curios, keys, etc etc... (angels, now also with shearwater)

Phil Puleo <- also Cop Shoot Cop, lest we forget

dig dat hole, never forget

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

first time i saw thor drum was when he was playing with lisa germano years ago. he's great.

i dunno how i feel about new swans. i liked that there was such a finalness to the last tour.

they are one of my top five bands ever....so, i guess i should be happy. or excited.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Love of Life isn't that bad. On the contrary, imho.

Love of Life IS pretty good - it just had the misfortune of appearing directly next to breathtaking albums is all.

I adore Love of Life

I would've voted Love of Life. It's always dismissed as White Light leftovers but it's my favorite. Maybe it's because that was the one that introduced me to them. But I love the found tapes, the psychedelia of it etc

Cool, the right album one.

I only just noticed that this line-up has two drummers. Man it's gonna be loud.

i probably like love of life as much as white light. they are both great. the great annihilator is the album i've listened to least over the years. i still like it, but if i had to pick a least favorite? that would be the one. having said that, i haven't listened to the really early stuff in years. i couldn't even tell you the last time i heard Cop or Filth. i don't even own vinyl of them anymore. which is sad. always mean to buy them again, but then i forget.

I also like Love Of Life a lot. Definitely a worthy companion to White Light... The whole double-album 3-LP box package is great.

Great Annihlator is the only one I don't have. I remember when it came out it didn't sound as "psychy" or experimental as the ones before and I thought it was a step back, but I know people love it. Soundtracks for the Blind is great. I don't listen to the early ones at all. I'm all about Children of God and later. With a bit of Greed/Holy Money.

fyi, Children of God engineered by Rico Conning of the Lines.

for me White Light > Great Annihilator > Love of Life is the order of goodness from that era - Annihilator is a powerful album imo

i listen to swans are dead more than anything these days outside of the very early stuff.

but i'd probably have voted for soundtracks of all the studio albums because it's been a constant companion for the last 13 years.

Just got my copy of I Am Not Insane CD/DVD in the mail - signed on the CD, plus a nice handwritten "Thanks Sean!" note both inside the package and on the outside of the envelope. Haven't listened but already well worth getting!

Got mine too. I asked for a particular numbered copy and he sent me that very number. What a cool guy.

What # did you ask for?

#23, I'm afraid. Still in thral to that old TG/TOPY numerology thing.

fyi, all the heads switched to 42 a few months ago

The CD/DVD package is sold out now, but the piece acompanying the page is vv interesting re: why Swans again etc: http://younggodrecords.com/Releases/Detail.asp?C=2326

and this is how the covers were made http://younggodrecords.com/Artists/MichaelGira/IAmNotInsane/I-Am-Not-Insane-Details.asp

I'm sure next record is going to be a good one as all people that are going to participate is nice,I love all SWANS,but very curious about the upcoming album,I hope it will be killer album,but don't know what Michael Gira&co is planing,maybe acoustic? maybe punk? maybe industrial? maybe noise? maybe experimental? don't know,keep it as a surprise people!

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am i right in assuming that The Seer would've ended at least 2nd here?

this would be a good time to re-do this poll, right?

yeah I think the new 3 would rank quite well

imagine we'd get quite a few more responses, too

Kinda feel like a Seer vs. To Be Kind is in order or even "The Seer" vs. "Bring The Sun/Toussaint L'Ouverture" in battle of songs that could be an EP in the old days.