Children of God really is that turning point where Swans make it abundantly clear that they have an unreal amount of range. To transition from hard industrial to gothic folk in a few years is crazy. But without this album it's hard to imagine Swans becoming what they did by the mid 90s.
Children Of God was my first, and therefore holds a very special place. And for convenience I always say to people it's my favourite, even though I could never pick one definitively. I think it's a masterwork of juxtaposition, with each track contrasting perfectly with each other. And I love Gira's lyrical approach here, as he says, he's neither admonishing nor embracing religion, but just exploring the power that it holds over human beings. The live performances during this time were very intense - my father saw them at the Town & Country in London, and he still cites it as the loudest thing he's ever experienced - and we both saw Sunn O))) at Temples Fest...didn't come close for him 😆 I can only be envious
It's my favourite Swans album - and the first one I heard too. The moment I heard Beautiful Child I was sold. I wasn't aware of the cult, many of the songs make a lot more sense now, thanks for that.
Taped this off a friend when it came out and was totally mesmerised. Old Testament in scale, my young mind was blown between this and Dead Can Dance's "Within the Realm of a Dying Sun" which came out the same year and is similarly epic. The next album though..."The Burning World" on a major label...eagerly bought that and have never been so disappointed...
I really hope you listen to the two World of Skin albums (Blood Women Roses & Shame Humility Revenge). Both are essentially Jarboe and Gira solo projects brought about by the intimate relationship they had formed and tracks like The Centre of Your Heart and The Man I Love mirror this perfectly. Listen to them in a dark room and let their dark ambience take you away.
![ทางเดินชีวิต - ธีเดช ทองอภิชาติ x อ.ไข่ มาลีฮวนน่า [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/1f3wcG16dd4/mqdefault.jpg)
![ว้าว!ลุงบีมแบกทองมารับขวัญหลานกันยกบ้าน [cc] แดนแพทตี้ SS2 | EP.49 |](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Osihq1OAs-4/mqdefault.jpg)
Children of God really is that turning point where Swans make it abundantly clear that they have an unreal amount of range. To transition from hard industrial to gothic folk in a few years is crazy. But without this album it's hard to imagine Swans becoming what they did by the mid 90s.
These videos have taught me that I like Swans when Jarboe is given centre stage
#teamjarboe
Children Of God was my first, and therefore holds a very special place. And for convenience I always say to people it's my favourite, even though I could never pick one definitively. I think it's a masterwork of juxtaposition, with each track contrasting perfectly with each other. And I love Gira's lyrical approach here, as he says, he's neither admonishing nor embracing religion, but just exploring the power that it holds over human beings. The live performances during this time were very intense - my father saw them at the Town & Country in London, and he still cites it as the loudest thing he's ever experienced - and we both saw Sunn O))) at Temples Fest...didn't come close for him 😆 I can only be envious
It's my favourite Swans album - and the first one I heard too. The moment I heard Beautiful Child I was sold. I wasn't aware of the cult, many of the songs make a lot more sense now, thanks for that.
There was a music video for A Screw, but New Mind was the first video produced by a company (Channel 4, I believe)
the goat
Taped this off a friend when it came out and was totally mesmerised. Old Testament in scale, my young mind was blown between this and Dead Can Dance's "Within the Realm of a Dying Sun" which came out the same year and is similarly epic. The next album though..."The Burning World" on a major label...eagerly bought that and have never been so disappointed...
Dude I love these videos!!! Perfect accompaniment to my discog dive. So excited to see them live.
Loving this series and awaiting the next installment. Feel Good Now has one of the finest opening ten seconds of any live album
Really appreciate your very thoughtful reviews, both of stuff I'm familiar with and new stuff. Thank you!
I really hope you listen to the two World of Skin albums (Blood Women Roses & Shame Humility Revenge). Both are essentially Jarboe and Gira solo projects brought about by the intimate relationship they had formed and tracks like The Centre of Your Heart and The Man I Love mirror this perfectly. Listen to them in a dark room and let their dark ambience take you away.