The Great Annihilator

The Great Annihilator
The Great Annihilator
Studio album by Swans
Released	January 23, 1995
Recorded	February 1993 – June 1994
Studio	show Various
Genre	Post-punk; gothic rock;
Length	68:06
Label	Young God
Producer	Michael Gira
Swans chronology
Singles from The Great Annihilator
	"Celebrity Lifestyle"; Released: October 24, 1995; "I Am The Sun"; Released: 1997; "Mind/Body/Light/Sound"; Released: April 3, 2017;

The Great Annihilator is the ninth studio album by American experimental rock band Swans. It was released on January 23, 1995, through frontman Michael Gira's own record label, Young God. The album has been described by Gira as a companion album to his solo album Drainland (1995); the two were remastered and re-released together in April 2017.^[3]

Critical reception[]

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[4]
Blurt	^[5]
Classic Rock	^[6]
CMJ New Music Monthly	favorable^[7]
The Line of Best Fit	9/10^[8]
New Noise Magazine	^[2]
Pitchfork	7.2/10^[9]
PopMatters	^[10]
Spectrum Culture	3.75/5^[11]

The Great Annihilator received a generally positive reception from critics. AllMusic called the album "an epic, incredible work of art."^[4] Trouser Press, on the other hand, wrote that the album "reveals [...] that the band is running out of ideas", commenting that is "unlikely to satisfy long-term followers. A more accessible Swans may also be a less cathartic one."^[12]

Track listing[]

All lyrics are written by Michael Gira; all music is composed by Gira, except tracks 8 and 16 (which are also composed by Jarboe).

No.	Title	Length
1.	"In"	2:27
2.	"I Am the Sun"	3:23
3.	"She Lives!"	7:00
4.	"Celebrity Lifestyle"	4:10
5.	"Mother/Father"	4:07
6.	"Blood Promise"	4:15
7.	"Mind/Body/Light/Sound"	4:52
8.	"My Buried Child"	2:58
9.	"Warm"	4:54
10.	"Alcohol the Seed"	3:29
11.	"Killing for Company"	6:55
12.	"Mother's Milk"	2:26
13.	"Where Does a Body End?"	3:42
14.	"Telepathy"	6:11
15.	"The Great Annihilator"	4:53
16.	"Out"	2:24
Total length:		68:06

2002 reissue bonus track
No.	Title	Length
17.	"I Am the Sun" (Live at the Flesh Club 1996)	5:48
Total length:		73:54

2017 remaster disc two, *Drainland*
No.	Title	Length
17.	"You See Through Me"	5:41
18.	"Where Does Your Body Begin?"	3:04
19.	"I See Them All Lined Up"	4:13
20.	"Unreal"	4:48
21.	"Fan Letter"	7:01
22.	"Your Naked Body"	2:30
23.	"Low Life Form"	3:41
24.	"If You..."	4:41
25.	"Why I Ate My Wife"	5:53
26.	"Blind"	4:33
Total length:		46:05

Personnel[]

Credits adapted from The Great Annihilator liner notes.^[13]^[14]

Swans

Michael Gira – vocals, guitars, sounds, art design, production
Jarboe – vocals, sounds, organ, keyboards
Bill Rieflin – drums, percussion, sounds, additional sequencing
Algis Kizys – bass
Norman Westberg – guitar
Clinton Steele – guitar

Additional musicians

Ted Parsons – drums (tracks 3, 4, and 15)
John Sarfell – piano (track 9)
Nicky Skopelitis – guitar (track 9)

Technical personnel

Martin Atkins – additional mastering, drums (tracks 8)
Martin Bisi – engineering, mixing
Bryce Goggin – engineering
Larry Seven – engineering, double bass (track 16)
Scott Ramsayer – engineering, additional sequencing
Fred Breitberg – engineering
Van Christie – engineering
Jay O'Rourke – mastering
Doug Henderson – remastering
Jim Marcus – additional sequencing
Mark Falls – layout
Phil Puleo – artwork

References[]

^ Terich, Jeff (September 26, 2013). "Beginner's Guide: Swans". Treblezine. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c Haugen, Tom (September 26, 2017). "Album Review: Swans – The Great Annihilator / Drainland". New Noise Magazine. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
^ Gira, Michael (2017). "Great Annihilator / Drainland (Remastered 2017)" (Press release). Young God Records. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Raggett, Ned. "The Great Annihilator – Swans : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
^ Mills, Fred (May 24, 2017). "SWANS - The Great Annihilator/Drainland". Blurt. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
^ Lawson, Dom (April 28, 2017). "Swans – The Great Annihilator Album Review". Classic Rock. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
^ Jarman, David (March 1995). "Reviews". CMJ. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
^ Cartledge, Luke (April 21, 2017). "Swans' The Great Annihilator Chews Us Up and Swallows Us Whole". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
^ Reyes-Kulkarni, Saby (April 29, 2017). "Swans: The Great Annihilator". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
^ Schiller, Mike (June 28, 2017). "Swans: The Great Annihilator / Michael Gira: Drainland". PopMatters. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
^ Beaudoin, Jedd (May 11, 2017). "Swans / Michael Gira: The Great Annihilator / Drainland". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
^ Leland, John; Sheridan, David; Kenny, Glenn; Frampton, Scott. "Trouserpress.com :: Swans". Trouser Press. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
^ The Great Annihilator (CD liner notes). Swans. Young God Records. 1995. YGCD 009.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ The Great Annihilator (2017 remaster) (CD liner notes). Swans. Young God Records. 2017. YG59.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

[1] Terich, Jeff (September 26, 2013). "Beginner's Guide: Swans". Treblezine. Retrieved May 31, 2020.

[newnoise-2] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c Haugen, Tom (September 26, 2017). "Album Review: Swans – The Great Annihilator / Drainland". New Noise Magazine. Retrieved August 18, 2018.

[press1-3] Gira, Michael (2017). "Great Annihilator / Drainland (Remastered 2017)" (Press release). Young God Records. Retrieved August 18, 2018.

[AllMusic-4] Jump up to: ^a ^b Raggett, Ned. "The Great Annihilator – Swans : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved March 1, 2013.

[5] Mills, Fred (May 24, 2017). "SWANS - The Great Annihilator/Drainland". Blurt. Retrieved January 27, 2021.

[6] Lawson, Dom (April 28, 2017). "Swans – The Great Annihilator Album Review". Classic Rock. Retrieved August 18, 2018.

[7] Jarman, David (March 1995). "Reviews". CMJ. Retrieved March 1, 2013.

[8] Cartledge, Luke (April 21, 2017). "Swans' The Great Annihilator Chews Us Up and Swallows Us Whole". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved August 18, 2018.

[9] Reyes-Kulkarni, Saby (April 29, 2017). "Swans: The Great Annihilator". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 18, 2018.

[10] Schiller, Mike (June 28, 2017). "Swans: The Great Annihilator / Michael Gira: Drainland". PopMatters. Retrieved August 18, 2018.

[11] Beaudoin, Jedd (May 11, 2017). "Swans / Michael Gira: The Great Annihilator / Drainland". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved August 18, 2018.

[12] Leland, John; Sheridan, David; Kenny, Glenn; Frampton, Scott. "Trouserpress.com :: Swans". Trouser Press. Retrieved March 1, 2013.

[notes1-13] The Great Annihilator (CD liner notes). Swans. Young God Records. 1995. YGCD 009.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

[notes2-14] The Great Annihilator (2017 remaster) (CD liner notes). Swans. Young God Records. 2017. YG59.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

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show 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?