Public Castration Is a Good Idea [Live]

Swans | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 20, 1999)
• Original Release Date: July 20, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Live
• Label: Thirsty Ear
• ASIN: B00000JCC9
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #394,497 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hey tough guy..., March 24, 2007

By 

Jacob N. Miller "JakeVanCleef" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Public Castration Is a Good Idea (Audio CD)

Swans ATE your band over 20 years ago. Seriously, this is the "test" record. While Swans were always great on studio albums, nothing compares to the absolute primal, primordial beauty on display here. I can honestly say that when I first heard this record about 8 years ago, I instantly decided that metal was dead. So much darker than metal, so intense that it's nearly painful to listen to. Put it on and watch as your so-called "friends" flee in disgust. An important document of brutal truth from the beginning of time.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the rituals killing of farm animals, October 9, 2002

By 

"garhob" (a happy family) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Public Castration Is a Good Idea (Audio CD)

If you listen to this CD without any background or knowledge of the swans, one thought will most likely dominate your mind, the rituals killing of farm animals. It turns out that M Gira is not a Satanist to the dismay of some but an artist exploring an extremely raw grinding repetitious sound. This is a live album with only 8 tracks but those 8 tracks fill over 70 minutes and the quality is great. The live versions are far more affective than the studio material and M Gira's voice is at its most sinister. This may not be a swans jumping in point but it's not just for the swans enthusiast ether.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars True heaviness. True brutality., January 8, 2001

By 

Jeffrey S. Mcleod (Montgomery, AL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Public Castration Is a Good Idea (Audio CD)

Swans are the greatest band you've probably never heard of. Together for roughly 13 years, Swans made music that, over time, intelligently evolved from hunks of primal brutality to compositions of subtle beauty.

Public Castration is a live document that captures the 1986 version of the band at it's raw, howling best. While it's not the most pristine of recordings, the grubby, oxidized sound nearly suits the mood and music perfectly. From the slow grind of "Money Is Flesh" to the closing noise punishment of "Another You," it's easy to see how the early period of Swans was the complete blueprint for countless bands including Godflesh and Skin Chamber.

This recording is stark and pummeling, focusing on the roaring voice of Michael Gira. I've read where Gira has said that live Swans song versions got to the point of being so slow that he could nearly smoke a whole cigarette between notes. That's the feel on Public Castration.

This one's the type of recording that you can play for all your friends who supposedly like "heavy" music and see their true colors. Public Castration is a bleak, rumbling disc, capturing the early colossal grace of the most powerful band of all time.