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Swans Are Dead
Swans Are Dead
Live album (double album) by Swans
Released	January 20, 1998
Recorded	September 20–23, 1995; January 24 & 29, February 15 & 27, March 13–14, 1997
Venue	Stiftelsen, Stavanger, NOR; Garage, Bergen, NOR; Sentrum Scene, Oslo, NOR; Studentersamfundet, Trondheim, NOR; Irving Plaza, New York City, USA; House of Blues, Atlanta, USA; Palác Akropolis, Prague, CZE; Paradiso Grote Zaal, Amsterdam, NLD; L’Orangerie du Botanique, Brussels, BEL
Length	142:53
Language	English
Label	Young God
Swans chronology

Swans Are Dead is the fifth double and seventh overall live album by American experimental rock band Swans. It was released in 1998 and was recorded in 1995 and 1997 on the band's final tours, before reuniting in 2010.

The setlists of this era in the Swans live show were probably the most varied in terms of chronology. Although many of the songs performed were taken from Soundtracks for the Blind, the band also resurrected songs from much earlier albums, including a re-worked version of "I Crawled" from the Young God EP (1984).

Background

Disc one (Black) was recorded during on the band's Final Tour in 1997: Amsterdam (March 13), New York City (January 24), Trondheim (February 15), Prague (February 27), Brussels (March 14) and Atlanta (January 29).^[1] Two other songs were performed on this tour, "The Man With the Silver Tongue", which appeared in a revised form on Angels of Light's 1999 debut LP New Mother; and "My Birth", which remained unreleased until it appeared on Swans's 2010 album My Father Will Guide Me up a Rope to the Sky. However, neither tracks were included on the album. Other songs were also sporadically performed, such as "The Sound" (at least twice on the American leg of the tour).

The liner notes state that disc two (white) was recorded in Norway on the band's 1995 tour (September 20-23).^[2] The songs "In", "Alcohol the Seed", and "Animus", that had been played during the tour and also for the Amsterdam concert, did not appear on Swans Are Dead (the concert has been recorded by the radio station VPRO, "Animus" is also cut on that recording).

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	^[3]
Pitchfork Media	7.7/10^[4]

The Rough Guide to Rock described the album as "a head-churning final statement".^[5]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Michael Gira, except "I Crawled" by Gira/Norman Westberg/Harry Crosby/Roli Mosimann, and "Lavender" and "Yum Yab" by Jarboe

Disc one (Black, final tour 1997)
No.	Title	Also on	Length
1.	"Feel Happiness"	None	16:57
2.	"Low Life Form"	Michael Gira's Drainland (1995)	4:54
3.	"Not Alone"	Angels of Light's New Mother (1999)	13:12
4.	"Blood On Yr Hands"	Skin's Blood, Women, Roses (1987)	2:59
5.	"Hypogirl"	Soundtracks for the Blind (1996)	3:22
6.	"I Crawled"	Young God (EP) (1984)	10:05
7.	"I Am the Sun"	The Great Annihilator (1995)	5:27
8.	"Blood Promise"	The Great Annihilator	15:23
Total length:			72:19

Disc two (White, 1995 tour)
No.	Title	Also on	Length
1.	"Final Sac"	Skin's Shame, Humility, Revenge (1988) (as "One Small Sacrifice") and Soundtracks for the Blind (as "The Final Sacrifice")	8:44
2.	"The Sound"	Soundtracks for the Blind	12:52
3.	"I See Them All Lined Up"	Michael Gira's Drainland, Die Tür ist zu (1996) (as "Ich Sehe Die Alle In Einer Reihe"), and Soundtracks for the Blind (as "All Lined Up")	6:27
4.	"Lavender"	Jarboe's Sacrificial Cake (1995) (as "Lavender Girl")	8:03
5.	"YR PRP"	Soundtracks for the Blind (as "YRP") and Cop (1984) (as "Your Property")	8:51
6.	"Yum Yab"	Jarboe's Sacrificial Cake and Soundtracks for the Blind (as "Yum-Yab Killers")	4:36
7.	"Helpless Child"	Soundtracks for the Blind	17:44
8.	"M/F"	The Great Annihilator (as "Mother/Father")	3:25
Total length:			70:44 142:53

Personnel

Credits for Swans Are Dead adapted from liner notes.^[6]

Disc one (Black)

Michael Gira - vocals, guitar, compiling, mastering, producer, lyrics, music
Jarboe - vocals, keyboards
Bill Bronson - bass guitar
Clinton Steele - guitar
Phil Puleo - percussion, dulcimer (hammer)
Dave Ouimet - performer
Kris Force - performer
Berry Kamer - recording
Josh Wertheimer - live engineer, recording
Chris Griffin - engineer

Disc two (White)

Michael Gira - vocals, guitar, compiling, mastering, producer, lyrics, music
Jarboe - vocals, keyboards
Joe Goldring - bass guitar, guitar
Vudi - guitar, keyboards
Larry Mullins - percussion, vibraphone
Andy Ray - live engineer
Chris Griffin - engineer

References

^ "Search for setlists: artist:(Swans) tour:(Final Tour 1997)". setlist.fm. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
^ "Search for setlists: tour:(The Great Annihilator)". setlist.fm.
^ Raggett, Ned. "Swans Are Dead (Live '95-'97)". Allmusic. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
^ Mirov, Nick. "Swans: Swans Are Dead". Pitchfork Media. Archived from the original on November 26, 2001. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
^ Buckley, Peter, ed. (2003). The Rough Guide to Rock. Rough Guides. p. 1042. ISBN 1858284570. swans are dead.
^ Track listing and credits as per liner notes for Swans Are Dead album