Swans / Feel Good Now (2 x Vinyl LP)

Description

2 x Vinyl LP / Reissue

Ltd Edition – Remastered

Includes poster + download card

*An “official bootleg” recorded during the Swan’s “Children Of God” tour of Europe, 1987.

1987-US

Format: 2 x Vinyl LP

#Ref: STUMM466

Release date: 2023

Release notes

Infamous “bootleg” double live album from the Swans 1987 Children of God tour of primarily former “Iron Curtain” countries. Personnel during this period was Jarboe, Gira, Kizys, Parsons, Westberg. Recorded by sound man Jack Balchin and lovingly remastered by Doug Henderson @ Micro-Moose Berlin in 2022. One time only repress includes sumptuous 24” x 36” poster. Not seen on vinyl in decades.

Recorded on the European tour supporting Children of God, it packs some storming live renditions of songs culled from Children of God performed during a quite specific peak of the band’s live career.
Swans have always pushed the limits live, and taken the songs to new and different levels of intensity and duration, and the eighteen-minute rendition of ‘Blind Love’ on offer here is a prime example. It’s barely recognisable, and despite being led by a simple acoustic guitar, it’s absolutely fucking punishing – and not necessarily in a good way: Gira’s elongated notes and wordless, formless yells are uncomfortable, a raging beast tortured and pained, while the guitar and rhythm section batter away without mercy. The drums are brutal. Having witnessed Swans live post-millennium, I have come to appreciate that nothing short of nuclear annihilation can convey the sheer force and volume of Swans live. However, Feel Good Now definitely goes a long way to capture the intensity of that volume… The sawing churn of ‘Like a Drug’ is pulverising, brutal, nauseating, and while ‘Children of God’ may only run for five and a half minutes, the effect is something else, the drumming thumping relentlessly in rolls of pure assault. Gira hollers impenetrably into the void as Jarboe ‘s voice floats effortlessly and with grace and true beauty over the ugly, pounding mess.
‘Beautiful Child Reprise’ is so savage as to be almost unlistenable long before it gets to the ‘Kill, kill, kill’ chant. It will come as no surprise for anyone who’s encountered Swans’ pre-85 live material, but fuck me. If one band could be considered to define excruciating sonic brutality, it’s Swans… (Auralaggravation.com)

Tracklisting