Customer Reviews

Cop / Greed / Holy Money

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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...

I bought this double album in 2000, while in college and rapidly expanding my highly eclectic music collection. I sold it within the year. I simply could not handle it. Open-minded but not knowing what to expect, I was scared by this dismal noise and shockingly bleak poetry. Though I haven't heard this "music" for quite awhile now, I still distinctly remember the sound and the dull, dark pressure it caused in my chest, as I forced myself to sit through both discs in their entirety. How unfortunate for me now that this CD is difficult to find, as my tastes have expanded to include extremely challenging music. This early SWANS material is such a challenge.

i was first turned on to the Swans, by hearing tools front man talk about them in a radio interview, and they played a clip of COWARD and i liked it. the beat was so dense, and repetitive, that it does create some sort of weird effect. All the songs, have up to a maximum of 2 different parts, but at the intensity that the Swans play, and the loudness of it all, its hard to ignore, and at some times can be a little hard to enjoy. If you are used to radio music, i highly advise that you dont look into this band at all. it is very repetative, and and not at all radio material. The lyrics are very straight foreward, and are in your face. Michael Gira is speaking into the music, and fighting with it. i can imagine that this band would be awesome to see live. if you are a fan of noise rock, and industrial art house music, i reccomend you check out the swans.

This band was at the apex of the NY Noise Rock scene with this set of albums. I would call it true heavy metal in the sense that these songs will lull you with brutality. This is not as "heavy" as say the guitar tone of Megadeth/Slayer, but these songs move like classical pieces that would later evoke the more concise versions of heavy that those bands play. It is heavy in an I-will-drown-your-ears-in-heroin-anguish way. If you don't like having nightmares, then go away.

These are the best albums by the Swans. The rest of their stuff is not as focused as this set, though I honestly can't diss any of their music. Seriously, these guys have never made a bad CD. I won't recommend this, though, to people who don't have an interest in challenging music. They can get pretty dense--some songs stretch on for over 10 mins. often without presenting a duplicating verse-chorus pattern. Ironically, the music fits these categories without being heady; it's rooted in emotion. Listen to "Heaven" and experience the crushing beauty of SWANS.

If you are willing to take a trip to the dark side, however, The Swans entire catalogue will reward countless active hours of exploration. Cop/Young God/Greed/Holy Money is the place to start your initiation. Now all that's left is the choosing, grasshopper.

SWANS early experiments in audio horror cannot be pigeonholed as metal, ambient, or industrial music. Transcending normal classification, SWANS brewed the most sullen and loathsome music I've ever had the (dis)pleasure of hearing. Along with this double disc, and "Filth" / "Body to Body, Job to Job"; they should all be listened to in one sitting, to achieve the appropriate (hopefully desired) effect.

If the pure essence of dread could be captured and harnessed into audio form, it would result in these particular recordings.
Norman Westberg's sluggish, discordant riffs consistently keep the listener off balance. The drums pound, clank, and plod along in the same gloomy manner; akin to the sounds one might hear inside a decaying industrial factory. Michael Gira's vocals apathetically wail and shout with a great sense of misanthropy. Gira's baritone delivery can at one moment lull you into a dark reverie, and the next moment, intimidate you with his confrontational bark. As for the lyrics? Minimalist and depraved. They represent a multitude of grotesque thoughts and dismal commentaries on various sociopathic behaviors and societal ill's. These are the enraged messages of a calloused individual.

As an enthusiast of avant-garde and eccentric music, I tend to listen to a lot of Doom and Dark Ambient, for it helps create a unique mood, and that brooding sense of hopelessness (which I happen to enjoy).
SWANS, however, were certainly not a metal band; just an artistic collective, years ahead of their time. They created music that would scare the daylights out of most brutal Death Metal, and even the heaviest of Doom bands.
This expression is what naturally flowed out of Michael Gira and Co. and I don't believe their intention was to be "heavy". SWANS simply were. Their emotions, ideas, and abilities came oozing forth from their shadowy depths, and these are the grim results of their negative output.

If one "enjoys" the primal origins of SWANS, I would recommend taking the plunge into their live albums. Public Castration is a Good Idea and Real Love are completely different beasts in comparison to their studio counterparts. Live Swans induced unreasonable amounts of cynicism and anxiety. The songs are performed minimally, and produce a quality of dilapidation. Both recordings are equally, if not, more disturbing than their studio efforts.

Too dissonant and morose for the average listener, and too "artsy" and industrialized (not the pseudo, dance/pop nonsense) for the staunch metal aficionado. This is only for the most extreme and open-minded individuals who appreciate music for its ability to create moods and a lasting impression. Personally, I could listen to this era of SWANS all day long.

...There must be something wrong with me.


Note: A few years after SWANS released these recordings, a band came along known as Godflesh (from the ashes of Fall of Because). Godflesh was fronted by Justin Broadrick, who was also a brief member of Head of David, and a founder of Napalm Death. If you happen to listen to their first two albums, you'll notice a resemblance to the early years of SWANS. Many believe Godflesh are the originators of this style of extremity, but to overlook SWANS would be a criminal offense. Coincidentally, one time drummer of SWANS Ted Parsons performed on the final Godflesh album "Hymns", and is now involved in Justin's jesu project.

I recommend this era of SWANS to fans of Godflesh, Skin Chamber, and Khanate.

Swans are just brutal and relentless. It's just audio insanity at a monolithic pace. Like one reviewer here said, there is absolutely no middle ground when listening to Swans. You will either love it or loathe it. It demands that you play it loud.

This was music I listened to when I was an alcoholic, drinking alone at night. It has an extremely disturbing aura to it, particularly when listened to at maximum volume (as suggested on the the album covers of the original releases).

If you are a fan of the new "doom" stuff out there like Sunn O))), Khanate or Boris, you absolutely have to listen to this. This is "music" that is so heavy and devasting, words really fail to do it justice.

I still listen to these old records, even though I don't drink anymore.

I have been putting off reviewing Cop/Greed/Holy Money for years now.

Really, mere words cannot describe the sheer brutality of this music. In their earliest form, The Swans were described as "audio pornography" and "uncompromising noise." When it came down to their fanbase, you were either devoted to The Swans or you completely loathed them. There was hardly any middle ground. Cop will show you why. It is a very confrontational record. It is the type of album that would make an impression on even the most passive and uninvolved of music listeners. Cop deals with themes of control, humiliation, and power. With lyrics like, "THE PUNISHMENT FITS THE CRIME. NOTHING BEATS HUMILIATION. HUMILIATION'S A DISEASE. NOTHING BEATS HUMILIATION. NOTHING BEATS THEM LIKE A COP WITH A CLUB." it is easy to understand why this might not be the most cheerful music around. Gira's unrelenting rants about the loss of identity and ego are gripping; it is almost like a working class man's angst. He seems to be fed up with living an aimless life of being victimized and degraded by insipid, pointless, and dehumanizing labor jobs. With that said, this album is probably The Swans' heaviest. The band's first album, Filth, was just as noisy and heavy sounding, but Cop seems to have more of a general focus. It hits you harder.

The second CD, Greed/Holy Money, is grinding dance music. Yes, it is just as good as Cop, and it is probably the only Swans CD I would even consider to be "industrial" sounding. It also showed an indication that The Swans were leaving the sound of Filth and Cop behind (although, a full departure wouldn't come until after the Children of God release in 1987). Nonetheless, Greed/Holy Money is some of the best music The Swans have ever made. And since it is packaged along with Cop, it is something that is truly worth spending your own money on...

i'll keep this rather brief because a lot of people have said what i would have said already. in their early years swans were a dark and strange force, the first black disc being very raw and dark with loud drums, rumbling bass, and noisey guitars. Gira's vocals were sort of raw then, and his lyrics were very forward. the 'young god' ep is a bit more harsh than the 'cop' songs, but with a similar feel. i really enjoy these, but i don't like 'filth' very much at all, go figure.

however, the second disc really has the best songs. 'greed' and 'holy money' really had a strange sound, industrial sounding, yet too organic and raw in some aspects. Gira began using his very low, almost gothic sounding vocals and the combination is very cool. jarboe really isn't heard that much, but she has a great performance in "blackmail" that really sticks with me. however, don't let overly exagerated reviews fool you, this is very listenable, these songs got into my head very quickly. my absolute favorite out of the whole thing would be "fool #2." there are harsher musics out there, but very few in 1984! my favorite out of a 13 album haul i took in. recomended.