Cop / Greed / Holy Money

Swans | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 23, 1999)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Thirsty Ear
• ASIN: B00000G5PY
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #346,219 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Angry Gnostics Discover Electricity and Make Ears Bleed, October 29, 2002

By 

C. Gardner (Washington D.C., D.C. United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cop / Greed / Holy Money (Audio CD)

No pain, no gain. Swans were genuinely one of a kind in these early recordings, making records that were cathartic rituals for player and listener both. It's guaranteed you'll never hear anything like this music, which demonstrates a huge degree of psychological and spiritual insight. Many people are tempted to laugh when confronted with this band's music, so bleak and full of loathing it seems at first, and it's understandable when the other alternative--to take them seriously--seems too painful...But Michael Gira's is a truly individuated musical and philosophical stance. "Hanging" on disc two is one of the most powerful pieces of organized sound I've ever heard, some kind of Gnostic hymn directed at a blameworthy God...But prepare yourself to be pummelled by bass frequencies and the most beautifully dissonant vocal harmonies.

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sheer misanthropy, August 27, 2002

By 

S. Holliday "Nae'blis" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cop / Greed / Holy Money (Audio CD)

One point I want to get out of the way is that the music of Swans is really NOT for everyone. Anyone looking for a positive, upbeat message is going to be sorely disappointed here. Swans are perhaps the most bleak, depressing, unfriendly band that ever existed. In other words, they are the band that most metal groups want to be. Their music defies easy categorization. The music on the first disc is like a brutal, abrasive electric dirge, with molasses slow drumbeats and heavy guitars, M. Gira's raspy, deep voice spewing bile over it all. The second disc is much more industrial in tone, and by industrial I mean Throbbing Gristle, not nine inch nails. It is slightly more accessible, with some beats occasionally approaching a danceable speed, but the lyrics are, if anything, even more caustic and disturbing than those on Cop/Young God. I don't really know what audience would truly appreciate this music. Most punks would find it too slow and repetitive. Most goths would dislike the atonality and lack of melody. Perhaps Flipper fans would get into it. It is worth seeking out if you are an adventurous listener, and are not easily depressed.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars bloodsweatandnotears, December 27, 2004

By 

fear-of-pop (portugal) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cop / Greed / Holy Money (Audio CD)

the first 4 albuns of the swans are an aquired taste..people who adore korn or staind will never understand this music because this was not made for them...it's that simple. there are no catchy lyrics, no melodies no handsome faces: this is music made to punish the listener: repetative, pounding, abrasive and suffocating: exactly what the mainstream despises. michael gira's screams and rants about power, humiliation and control are about as real as it gets.. this is true sonic masochism, try it someday.. if you like it spread the word...