SWANS
Public Castration is a Good Idea (Thirsty Ear)
Reviewed by Jason Thornberry

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The Swans, at the time this was recorded, were easily the most extreme act on the planet, with tempos that make the Melvins sound faster than Slayer, Michael Gira's bassy, sleepy vocals, and feel-good lyrics like "Put it in - Taken it out of me." They eventually influenced a whole slew of artists and painted themselves into a corner, creatively. Then came 1987's Children of God, and these monolithic anti-rockers introduced Jarboe's femme vocals, and melody. This "official bootleg," now re-issued, was brought out the year prior, and proves that it never got more cathartic or single-mindedly powerful than this. The applause on this live album is low in the mix, probably because the audience were in awe.

© 2000 - Jason Thornberry