SWANS (early)

absurdexposition · September 23, 2016, 04:47:32 AM

I prefer their version of Love Will Tear Us Apart to the original.

NO PART OF IT · September 23, 2016, 10:32:49 AM

Quote from: absurdexposition on September 23, 2016, 04:47:32 AM
I prefer their version of Love Will Tear Us Apart to the original.

Me too. With respect to Ian Curtis, I don't care much for a whole lot of Joy Division.

One of my favorite albums is Public Castration. There's not a single SWANS album that I don't see value in, although I don't care for COP or FILTH or BODY TO BODY JOB TO JOB. I prefer the more dirgey stuff to the no wave stuff. And also, while the newer stuff gets on a little bit of boogie territory, I still like more than 50% of it to say the least.

I would like to point out the scraping prepared piano mixed with an atonal brass section on "You Fucking People Make Me Sick" as well as "If You..." from Michael Gira's "Drainland" for noisey material. I don't need the experimental project "Body Haters/Body Lovers" much, but it's solid too.

collapsedhole · September 24, 2016, 03:01:25 AM

'body to body, job to job' is my fav... i feel the live cuts are far superior to the album versions.

but no way would i take the swans version of 'love will tear us apart' over joy division... blasphemy! then again, my sons name is ian....

ya know what kicked ass though? seeing YELLOW TEARS play as swans on halloween several years ago... awesome... i think theres vids on youtube, maybe.

david lloyd jones · September 27, 2016, 07:12:09 PM

Quote from: absurdexposition on September 23, 2016, 04:47:32 AM
I prefer their version of Love Will Tear Us Apart to the original.

fuck no!

ANDROPHILIA · September 27, 2016, 07:58:42 PM

Quote from: absurdexposition on September 23, 2016, 04:47:32 AM
I prefer their version of Love Will Tear Us Apart to the original.

oh no !!!

david lloyd jones · September 27, 2016, 08:14:02 PM

not a complete jd junkie, their studio output far outstripping live, thanks to gannet.
honestly, though, their output is so personal that covers cannot compete.now go to the jd strain.

Andrew McIntosh · September 28, 2016, 05:00:14 PM

Weird, I was just catching up with Joy Division tonight. Didn't even know Swans had done "Love..." until now. Had a listen - it's okay, not a bad version. But I'm sticking with the original. Fucking great song. It's the synth that makes it, that's what The Swans version lacks.

And going by videos, Joy Division had better taste in guitars.

Dr Alex · September 28, 2016, 05:05:35 PM

I'm big fan of Joy Division but I never liked "Love Will Tear Us Apart" so much. Same with SWANS cover.

ConcreteMascara · September 28, 2016, 07:16:27 PM

Quote from: Dr Alex on September 28, 2016, 05:05:35 PM
I'm big fan of Joy Division but I never liked "Love Will Tear Us Apart" so much. Same with SWANS cover.

agreed 100%

ANDROPHILIA · September 28, 2016, 08:08:24 PM

Quote from: Dr Alex on September 28, 2016, 05:05:35 PM
I'm big fan of Joy Division but I never liked "Love Will Tear Us Apart" so much. Same with SWANS cover.

well is the most easy listening and pop song of the band. is a singular episode of unique and indefinibile style.
Swans cover results this in a typical (and catchy in some kind of way) gloom atmosphere

david lloyd jones · September 29, 2016, 09:59:17 PM

love will tear us apart seems a real song that joined the two lp's
not one of the early hard tracks but not as dissipated as tracks from 2nd lp, good as they are still.

collapsedhole · September 30, 2016, 04:07:31 PM

i'd agree - love will... is definitely not on my list of top JD songs....

but back to Swans.. i guess i have a soft spot for Children Of God also... only in the summertime though, weird as that is.

cr · October 23, 2016, 04:20:34 PM

Saw Swans live yesterday and I must say that I really liked it. Ears are still ringing. So all the newer material is definitely better to be experienced live.

From the early Swans 'Cop/Young God' is my favourite. 'Half Life' was the first song I ever heard from them.

david lloyd jones · October 24, 2016, 07:33:28 PM

Quote from: cr on October 23, 2016, 04:20:34 PM
Saw Swans live yesterday and I must say that I really liked it. Ears are still ringing. So all the newer material is definitely better to be experienced live.

From the early Swans 'Cop/Young God' is my favourite. 'Half Life' was the first song I ever heard from them.

live, swans always were loud. several friends over the years have attributed hearing damage to their live shows.
early swans-' filth' even rougher than cop. sonic equivalent to the richard kern amateur films of the time

post-morten · October 25, 2016, 11:50:09 PM

Quote from: david lloyd jones on October 24, 2016, 07:33:28 PM
live, swans always were loud. several friends over the years have attributed hearing damage to their live shows.
early swans-' filth' even rougher than cop. sonic equivalent to the richard kern amateur films of the time

First time seeing (perhaps "experiencing" is more appropriate?) Swans live: summer of -84, opening for The Fall at London Heaven (whose gloryholes Gira allegedly made good use of that night) which I believe was their first ever UK gig. Pretty much hated it then, and to this day can't get into their early phase. Seen Swans 5-6 more times over the years, as well as Gira solo. I find the current incarnation balancing the fine line between genius and tedium. For me they were at their finest around halftime; records such as White Light..., Love Of Life, Omniscience. Also very partial to the drone excesses on Soundtracks for the Blind. Have a guitar pick from a gig on the night that Gira turned 43, when he treated fans to fine cognac backstage, how cool is not that?