Swans Are Dead

Swans Are Dead
Swans Are Dead
Live album (double album) by Swans
Released	January 20, 1998
Recorded	1995 and 1997
Length	142:53
Language	English
Label	Young God
Swans chronology

Swans Are Dead is the fifth double and seventh overall live album by American experimental rock band Swans. It was released in 1998 and was recorded in 1995 and 1997 on the band's final tours, before reuniting in 2010.

The setlists of this era in the Swans live show were probably the most varied in terms of chronology. Although many of the songs performed were taken from Soundtracks for the Blind, the band also resurrected songs from much earlier albums, including a re-worked version of "I Crawled" from the Young God EP (1984).

Background[]

Disc one (Black) was recorded in Amsterdam, New York City, Trondheim, Prague, Brussels and Atlanta on the band's final tour in 1997. Two other songs were performed on this tour, "The Man With the Silver Tongue", which appeared in a revised form on Angels of Light's 1999 debut LP New Mother; and "My Birth", which remained unreleased until it appeared on Swans's 2010 album My Father Will Guide Me up a Rope to the Sky. However, neither tracks were included on the album. Other songs were also sporadically performed, such as "The Sound" (at least twice on the American leg of the tour).

The liner notes state that disc two (white) was recorded in Norway on the band's 1995 tour. The songs "In", "Alcohol the Seed", and "Animus", that had been played during the tour and also for the Amsterdam concert, did not appear on Swans Are Dead (the concert has been recorded by the radio station VPRO, Animus is also cut on that recording).

Critical reception[]

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	^[1]
Pitchfork Media	7.7/10^[2]

The Rough Guide to Rock described the album as "a head-churning final statement".^[3]

Track listing[]

All tracks are written by Michael Gira, except "Yum Yab" and "Lavender", written by Jarboe, and "I Crawled", written by Gira/Crosby/Mossimann/Westberg. "Lavender" would be released as "Lavender Girl" on Jarboe's 1995 album Sacrificial Cake.

Disc one (Black, final tour 1997)
No.	Title	Also on	Length
1.	"Feel Happiness"	None	16:57
2.	"Low Life Form"	Drainland	4:54
3.	"Not Alone"	New Mother	13:12
4.	"Blood On Yr Hands"	Blood, Women, Roses	2:59
5.	"Hypogirl"	Soundtracks for the Blind	3:22
6.	"I Crawled"	Young God (EP)	10:05
7.	"I Am The Sun"	The Great Annihilator	5:27
8.	"Blood Promise"	The Great Annihilator	15:23
Total length:			disc one: 72:19

Disc two (White, 1995 tour)
No.	Title	Also on	Length
9.	"Final Sac"	Shame, Humility, Revenge (as "One Small Sacrifice") and Soundtracks for the Blind (as "The Final Sacrifice")	8:44
10.	"The Sound"	Soundtracks for the Blind	12:52
11.	"I See Them All Lined Up"	Drainland and Soundtracks for the Blind (as "All Lined Up")	6:27
12.	"Lavender"	Sacrificial Cake (as "Lavender Girl")	8:03
13.	"YR PRP"	Soundtracks for the Blind (as "YRP") and Cop (as "Your Property")	8:51
14.	"Yum Yab"	Sacrificial Cake and Soundtracks for the Blind (as "Yum-Yab Killers")	4:36
15.	"Helpless Child"	Soundtracks for the Blind	17:44
16.	"M/F"	The Great Annihilator (as "Mother/Father")	3:25
Total length:			disc two: 70:44 total: 142:52

Personnel[]

Credits for Swans Are Dead adapted from liner notes.^[4]

Disc one (Black)

Michael Gira - vocals, guitar, compiling, mastering, producer, lyrics, music
Jarboe - vocals, keyboards
Bill Bronson - bass guitar
Clinton Steele - guitar
Phil Puleo - percussion, dulcimer (hammer)
Dave Ouimet - performer
Kris Force - performer
Berry Kamer - recording
Josh Wertheimer - live engineer, recording
Chris Griffin - engineer

Disc two (White)

Michael Gira - vocals, guitar, compiling, mastering, producer, lyrics, music
Jarboe - vocals, keyboards
Joe Goldring - bass guitar, guitar
Vudi - guitar, keyboards
Larry Mullins - percussion, vibraphone
Andy Ray - live engineer
Chris Griffin - engineer

References[]

^ Raggett, Ned. "Swans Are Dead (Live '95-'97)". Allmusic. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
^ Mirov, Nick. "Swans: Swans Are Dead". Pitchfork Media. Archived from the original on November 26, 2001. Retrieved March 2, 2013.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
^ Buckley, Peter, ed. (2003). The Rough Guide to Rock. Rough Guides. p. 1042. ISBN 1858284570. swans are dead.
^ Track listing and credits as per liner notes for Swans Are Dead album

[allmusic-1] Raggett, Ned. "Swans Are Dead (Live '95-'97)". Allmusic. Retrieved March 2, 2013.

[pitchfork-2] Mirov, Nick. "Swans: Swans Are Dead". Pitchfork Media. Archived from the original on November 26, 2001. Retrieved March 2, 2013.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)

[3] Buckley, Peter, ed. (2003). The Rough Guide to Rock. Rough Guides. p. 1042. ISBN 1858284570. swans are dead.

[4] Track listing and credits as per liner notes for Swans Are Dead album

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hide v t Swans
Michael Gira Jarboe Algis Kizys Ted Parsons Thurston Moore Roli Mosimann Vincent Signorelli Bill Rieflin Toby Dammit Jonathan Kane Thor Harris Christopher Pravdica Phil Puleo Paul Wallfisch Norman Westberg
Studio albums	Filth Cop Greed Holy Money Children of God The Burning World White Light from the Mouth of Infinity Love of Life The Great Annihilator Soundtracks for the Blind My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky The Seer To Be Kind The Glowing Man Leaving Meaning
Fundraiser albums	I Am Not Insane We Rose from Your Bed with the Sun in Our Head Not Here / Not Now The Gate What Is This?
Live albums	Public Castration Is a Good Idea Feel Good Now Anonymous Bodies in an Empty Room Real Love Omniscience Kill the Child Swans Are Dead We Rose from Your Bed with the Sun in Our Head Not Here / Not Now The Gate Deliquescence
Compilation albums	Body to Body, Job to Job Children of God/World of Skin Various Failures Filth/Body to Body, Job to Job Cop/Young God Greed/Holy Money Forever Burned
EPs	Swans Young God Love Will Tear Us Apart Die Tür ist zu Oxygen
Singles	"A Screw" "Time Is Money (Bastard)" "New Mind" "Can't Find My Way Home" "Saved" "Celebrity Lifestyle"
Related articles	Discography Young God Records Angels of Light The Body Lovers / The Body Haters Cop Shoot Cop Of Cabbages and Kings Prong Sulfur Unsane World of Skin Where Does a Body End?