then download these two disks. Better yet, find an actual copy of this re-release so that you can have the missing tracks. The covers of "Cry Me A River" and "I Want To Be Your Dog" alone are worth whatever you would pay for it. "My Own Hands" and "Everything at Once" are two of the heaviest tracks I have heard. Obviously World of Skin is my favorite of the two, but they are both great, great albums.
My first exposure to Swans was Channel 4's 'The Tube' playing videos for New Mind and 1,000 years. That such a contrast in musical forms could be produced by the same musicians just blew me away. There's nothing quite like this release in their catalogue, the ebb and flow of Gira's doom laden preacher fueled on incest and moonshine vocals between Jarboes lullabies drives you between wanting to obliterate everything in existence to telling the girl across the road that you love her and shouldn't we just do something about that before the world ends. While CoD and the Skin albums were a possible high point in Swans commercial success that's not to say they're not an artistic success, no sell out here. Only grumble about this release is the re-mastering and alterations/replacements of some tracks. Star Wars fans could relate when their beloved original trilogy saw an updated release.
I bought this on it's original release in 1987 (ish), so it was interesting listening again after some time out. It's still as powerful as ever, and really is music that will move you. Original as it gets - who else has ever sounded like this?
i never thought that Swans could be so engaging if you don't get scared by Gira's voice, let yourself be stunned by Jarboe vocals, lush and warm songs are minimalistic but swallow you in a endless swirl of marching power ..and those jarboe's songs, try with second song first
It used to be easier to pretend that an album was its own perfectly self-contained artifact. The great records certainly feel that way. But albums are more permeable than solid, their motivations, executions and inspirations informed by, and often stolen from, their peers and forbearers. It all sounds awfully formal, but it's not. It's the very nature of music — of art, even. The Six Degrees features examine the relationships between classic records and five… more »
