Filth is the debut studio album by American post-punk band Swans. It was released in 1983, following their self-titled debut EP, through record label Neutral.
Background
Only band leader and vocalist Michael Gira and drummer Jonathan Kane remained from the original lineup. This is the first Swans release to feature the experimental and noisy playing style that the band's early work would become known for. The album's distinct sound is partly the product of a new lineup featuring two drummers (Roli Mosimann and Kane). It also marks the first appearance of future Swans regular Norman Westberg.
Release history
The 1990 CD and audio tape releases featured the four tracks from Swans' first EP as bonus tracks. The 1990 vinyl re-release preserved the original nine-song track listing.
The double CD re-release in 2000 on Gira's label Young God Records (paired with Body to Body, Job to Job) included a 1982/1983 live set from The Kitchen in New York City. This 24:18 long extra track consisted of the songs "Strip/Burn", "Heatsheet", "Blackout", "Clay Man", "Stay Here" and "Weakling". The tracks from the first EP were not included.
As of 2012, a bootleg/unofficial repress of Filth was released by Neutral. It's inauthenticity has been confirmed by Gira[2]
Critical reception
In a contemporary review for The Village Voice, music critic Robert Christgau found the album "fun" and described its music as "no wave with five years of practice, too messy for mysticism and too funny for suicide."[1] In their retrospective review, AllMusic's Ned Raggett wrote, "early Swans really is like little else on the planet before or since."[3] Piero Scaruffi described the album as "the ideal soundtrack for mass suicides or nuclear holocausts. Gira's agonizing roars echoed against a wall of sound as brutal as hardcore, as depressed as Joy Division, as strident as industrial music, as distorted as psychedelic rock, as loud as heavy metal."[4]
Track listing
All lyrics written by Michael Gira, all music composed by Swans (Gira, Jonathan Kane, Roli Mosimann, Norman Westberg, Harry Crosby).
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|
| 1. |
"Stay Here" |
5:44 |
| 2. |
"Big Strong Boss" |
3:07 |
| 3. |
"Blackout" |
3:49 |
| 4. |
"Power for Power" |
6:03 |
|
|
| 1. |
"Freak" |
1:15 |
| 2. |
"Right Wrong" |
4:48 |
| 3. |
"Thank You" |
3:56 |
| 4. |
"Weakling" |
5:30 |
| 5. |
"Gang" |
3:20 |
Personnel
- Swans
- Additional personnel
- Sonda Andersson – "mechanicals"
- Mike Berry – engineering
References
External links
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| | | | Studio albums | |
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| | Live albums | |
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| | Compilation albums | |
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| | EPs | |
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| | Singles | |
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| | Related articles |
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