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Swans

Profile:Crawling out of the same noisy, arty New York underground that sired Sonic Youth and Lydia Lunch, Swans created a dark, abrasive, murky, slowed-down noise-rock that served as a starting point for their ruminations about alienation, depression, depravity, and the disturbing side of human nature. Singers Michael Gira and Jarboe have been the group's only constants over the years; Gira has taken the group from its early confrontational shock tactics to a more varied, mature attack. The band first appeared on record in 1982 with a self-titled EP, and its early releases document their search for the musical vocabulary to express their ideas effectively. Female singer Jarboe joined the group for 1986's Holy Money and brought a gentler, more relaxed dimension to Swans' sound. They disbanded in 1997 with both Michael Gira and Jarboe pursuing various musical projects, including Angels of Light and more experimental and abrasive Body Lovers/Body Haters.
URLs:http://swans.pair.com
http://www.myspace.com/swansaredead
Aliases:Skin (2), World Of Skin, The
Members:Algis A. Kizys, Anton Fier, Bill Bronson, Bob Pezzola, Clinton Steele, Daniel Galli-Duani, Jarboe, Jason Asnes, Jenny Wade, Jonathan Kane, Lary Seven, Michael Gira, Norman Westberg, Phil Puleo, Roli Mosimann, Sue Hanel, Ted Parsons, Toby Dammit, Vinnie Signorelli, Vudi, William Rieflin
Name Variations: All | Swans | S·w·a·n·s | Swans, The
  186 for sale in the Discogs Marketplace

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Releases:
Swans (EP) ◄ (2 versions)   Labor ... 1982
Filth (Album) ◄ (6 versions)   Neutral Records (3) ... 1983
Cop (LP)   K.422 1984
Young God (EP) ◄ (2 versions)   K.422 ... 1984
A Long Slow Screw (VHS)   K.422 1986
A Screw ◄ (2 versions)   K.422 ... 1986
Greed (Album) ◄ (5 versions)   K.422 ... 1986
Holy Money (Album) ◄ (4 versions)   K.422 ... 1986
Public Castration Is A Good Idea (Album) ◄ (2 versions)   Not On Label ... 1986
Time Is Money (Bastard) (12")   K.422 1986
Time Is Money (Bastard) / A Screw (Cass)   PVC Records 1986
Children Of God (Album) ◄ (8 versions)   Caroline Records ... 1987
Feel Good Now (Album) ◄ (3 versions)   Not On Label ... 1987
Greed (CD)   K.422 1987
Holy Money (CD)   K.422 1987
Kings Of Independence ◄ (2 versions)   Stud!o K7 ... 1987
New Mind (Single) ◄ (2 versions)   Product Inc. 1987
Real Love ◄ (2 versions)   Atavistic ... 1987
Love Will Tear Us Apart (Maxi, Single) ◄ (7 versions)   Product Inc. ... 1988
New Mind (Version) (Flexi, 6", S/Sided, Promo)   Reflex Magazine 1988
Can't Find My Way Home (Single, Maxi) ◄ (4 versions)   MCA Records Ltd. 1989
Saved (Single) ◄ (4 versions)   MCA Records Ltd. ... 1989
The Burning World (Album) ◄ (8 versions)   UNI Records ... 1989
Anonymous Bodies In An Empty Room ◄ (2 versions)   Not On Label 1990
Filth (Album) ◄ (3 versions)   Young God Records ... 1990
Body To Body Job To Job ◄ (4 versions)   Young God Records ... 1991
Love Will Save You (12", Promo)   Young God Records 1991
White Light From The Mouth Of Infinity (Album) ◄ (6 versions)   Young God Records ... 1991
Cop / Young God ◄ (2 versions)   K.422 ... 1992
Greed / Holy Money (Album) ◄ (2 versions)   K.422 ... 1992
Love Of Life (Album) ◄ (4 versions)   Young God Records ... 1992
Love Of Life / Amnesia (Maxi, EP) ◄ (4 versions)   Sky Records (US) ... 1992
Omniscience (Album) ◄ (3 versions)   Young God Records ... 1992
White Light From The Mouth Of Infinity / Love Of Life ◄ (2 versions)   Young God Records 1992
Celebrity Lifestyle · Mother/Father (CD, Single)   Invisible 1994
The Great Annihilator (Album) ◄ (5 versions)   Young God Records ... 1994
Kill The Child - Live 1985-87 ◄ (2 versions)   Disaster Records ... 1995
Die Tür Ist Zu (Album) ◄ (2 versions)   Rough Trade Germany 1996
Failure / Animus (10", Ltd)   Arts & Commerce 1996
Soundtracks For The Blind (Album) ◄ (4 versions)   Young God Records ... 1996
Children Of God / World Of Skin (Comp) ◄ (2 versions)   Young God Records ... 1997
I Am The Sun ◄ (2 versions)   Überschall Records ... 1997
Swans Are Dead ◄ (4 versions)   Atavistic ... 1998
Cop / Young God / Greed / Holy Money ◄ (2 versions)   Thirsty Ear ... 1999
Various Failures 1988-1992 (Comp) ◄ (3 versions)   Young God Records ... 1999
Filth / Body To Body, Job To Job (2xCD, Comp, RM)   Young God Records 2000
Forever Burned (CD, Album, Ltd)   Young God Records 2003
Appears On:
Fractuur (CD, Album, Clo)   UtterPsalm 1997
Shockwave (CD, Album, Enh) Love Will Save You (Co... Metropolis 2003
Bunkur Vs Moss (CDr, EP) COP Foreshadow Productions 2004
Akron/Family & Angels Of Light (CD, Album, Promo) Mother/Father Young God Records 2005
Retrogression (CD, Album, Enh, RE, Ltd) Sex, God, Sex Subdrone Recordings 2005
From The Kitchen Archives No.3 / Amplified: New Music Meets Rock, 1981-1986 (CD, Album, Comp) Clay Man, Weakling Orange Mountain Music 2006
Trembled (Album) ◄ (3 versions) No Cure For The Lonely Utech Records 2006
When I See The Sun Always Shines On TV (CD, Album) No Cure For The Lonely The End Records 2009
Tracks Appear On:
Bang Zoom Issue #3 (Cass, Comp) Half Life Bang Zoom 1983
Speed Trials (LP) Weakling Homestead Records 1983
Abstract Magazine Issue 5 (LP) Sealed In Skin Sweatbox 1985
Plow! (LP) I Crawled Organik (Switzerland) 1985
It's Clean, It Just Looks Dirty (VHS) A Screw Giorno Poetry Systems 1987
Smack My Crack (LP, Comp) Anything For You (Hang... Giorno Poetry Systems 1987
Smack My Crack (CD, Album, Smplr) Anything For You (Hang... Giorno Poetry Systems 1987
Gigantic! (Cass) Trust Me (Acoustic) Melody Maker 1988
Indie Top 20 Volume V - Spirit Of Independents (Comp) ◄ (4 versions) Love Will Tear Us Apart Beechwood Music ... 1988
Landscapes (LP) Can't Find My Way Home Sonografica 1989
They Came, They Played, They Blocked The Driveway (2xCD, Comp) Can't Find My Way Home WFMU 1993
Drainland (CD, Album) Blind Sub Rosa 1995
Drainland / Sacrificial Cake (3xLP) Blind Alternative Tentacles 1995
Wave 180 (CD, Comp, Mixed, Promo) Love Will Tear Us Apart Not On Label 2003
From The Kitchen Archives No.3 / Amplified: New Music Meets Rock, 1981-1986 (CD, Album, Comp) Clay Man, Weakling Orange Mountain Music 2006
Some Bizzare Artists - Redefining The Prologue 1981-2006 (CD, Comp) Time Is Money (Bastard) Some Bizzare 2006
Unofficial Releases:
Live In Brno 1987 (Cass)   Set (2) 1987
Real Love (LP, Album)   Not On Label (Swans) 1992
Rvng Prsnts Mx6 & Mx6TEN (Comp) ◄ (3 versions) A Screw (Holy Money) Rvng Intl. 2008
Effenaar Eindhoven 27 9 '87 (Cass)   Not On Label  
Filth / Body To Body, Job To Job (2xCD, Ltd, RM, Comp)   ArsNova, ArsNova  
User Reviews:
Alastis, Apr 13, 2006

You will either love or hate Swans, but usually there are no people who are indifferent to what they did throughout 20+ years of existence as a band. They never became extremely popular (aside from few minor hits here and there), but this doesnt have to do with the quality of the material. Rather, lack of popularity have to do with the fact that its hard to classify them. Much of what they were doing had to do with experimental music and ambience, but then there were albums like "Public Castration Is A Good Idea" leaning towards noisy rock.
Overall, this is a stuff that everyones nightmares are made of. Whereas a lot of bands were/are trying hard to put on a mask, Swans were all real and, probably, due to that, underappreciated by large masses. Thank You mr. Gira and thank You, Jarboe. You wont be forgotten.

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