Children of God (Album)
Occupation
- Vocals, guitar, keyboards: Michael Gira
- Vocals, keyboard, piano: Jarboe
- Guitar: Norman Westberg
- Bass Guitar: Algis Kizys
- Drums: Ted Parsons
- Piano on Blackmail: William Barnhardt
- Oboe on Blackmail and Trust Me: Lindsay Cooper
- Flute on In My Garden: Simon Fraser
- Cello on Like a Drug ( Sha La La La): Audrey Riley
Children of God is the fifth studio album by the American band Swans. It was published in 1987 as a double LP and CD on the American label Caroline Records, the British label Product Inc. ( a sub label of Mute Records ).
History and music style
Children of God was completely in the UK. The album was recorded in February and March 1987 at Sawmills Studio included in Golant, Cornwall, and in March and April in the Guerilla Studios, London, mixed.
The previously dominated by power rock rhythms repertoire of the band was here, even more than on the previous albums Greed and Holy Money to extended melodic compositions with acoustic instrumentation.
Michael Gira called Children of God as a turning point in the history of Swans. He wrote on his website about the album and the extension contained therein the noise rock structures:
"I wanted to turn to other things and not remain in any style of music in our case could have been silly if we had just done so on. [ ... ] Children of God was a major turning point for the Swans, and the first time outcropping musical direction was the fertile soil for the next album. "
Title list
View all tracks by the Swans.
The terms correspond to the information on the LP. The piece Trust Me at the end of the third side fades in just a one-minute, not listed in the track list audio recording of moving through water boat paddle. Blackmail is an alternative version of the same piece of the EP A Screw.
On later reissues Children of God was combined with compositions of the Swans side project World of Skin and two pieces of the EP New Mind. The LP version of Our Love Lies was replaced by the version of the Love Will Tear Us Apart EP.
Reception
For many critics Children of God is regarded as a key work of the Swans:
" On Children of God makes the band a big step forward. The changes that hinted at on previous albums, back here in the foreground [ ... ] "
" The early work on the Swans Filth or Young God showed the band on simple beats in brutal hinwegfegenden, mechanical cacophony fixed; in many ways the realization of the theories of the Futurists. Later, with amplification by Jarboe, Gira extended through the whole thing more varied tones, mixed barbs and spatial extensions in the rigid rhythms. Children of God is an example of this change: the manic- heavy drone of the opening piece New Mind giving way to the fragility of Jarboes In My Garden ".