SWANS

VARIOUS FAILURES

 Disc one :
  1/  Miracle Of Love                            (Gira)                        6.25
  2/  Black Eyed Dog                             (Drake)                       3.59
  3/  The Golden Boy That Was Swallowed          (Gira)                        5.09
                 by the Sea
  4/  (-)                                        (Gira)                        2.07
  5/  I Remember Who You Are                     (Gira)                        4.24
  6/  Her                                        (Gira)                        5.23
  7/  No Cruel Angel                             (Gira)                        4.28
  8/  When She Breathes                          (Gira)                        4.31
  9/  Why Are We Alive?                          (Gira)                        6.05
  10/ The Child’s Right                          (Gira)                        3.35
  11/ (-)                                        (Gira)                        1.03
  12/ The Other Side Of The World                (Gira)                        4.39
  13/ Song For Dead Time - mg version            (Gira)                        4.34
  14/ Love Will Save You                         (Gira)                        6.05
  15/ Blind                                      (Gira)                        4.31
  16/ Unfortunate Lie - instrumental version     (Gira)                        2.20
  17/ Was He Ever Alive?                         (Gira)                        6.25
 
 Disc two :
  1/  Failure                                    (Gira)                        6.19
  2/  Identity                                   (Gira)                        5.35
  3/  Can’t Find My Way Home                     (Winwood)                     4.48
  4/  Trust Me                                   (Gira,Westerberg,Jarboe)      4.19
  5/  Better Than You                            (Gira)                        5.58
  6/  Love Will Tear Us Apart - j.version        (Joy Division)                3.44
  7/  Will We Survive?                           (Gira)                        5.56
  8/  Drink To Me Only With Thine Eyes           (Traditional)                 1.17
  9/  God Damn The Sun                           (Gira)                        4.21
  10/ Eyes Of Nature                             (Gira)                        4.40
  11/ You Know Everything                        (Gira)                        4.28
  12/ Song For Dead Time - j. version            (Gira)                        4.59
  13/ Picture Of Maryanne                        (Gira)                        4.22
  14/ Amnesia                                    (Gira)                        3.42
  15/ Dream Dream                                (Gira)                        5.32
  16/ Please Remember Me                         (Gira)                        4.48
  17/ New Mind - acoustic                        (Gira,NW,Kizys,Parsons)       3.26
 
          Disc one, tracks 5 and 13 & disc two, tracks 3 and 9 recorded at Platinum
            Island, New York and B.C. Studio, Brooklyn, New York
          Produced by Michael Gira
          Disc one, tracks 5 and 13 & disc two, tracks 3 and 9 produced by Bill
            Laswell/Michael Gira
          Disc two, track 4 produced by Mosimann/Gira 
          All material remastered 1988 by M. Gira
(Disc one, tracks 5 and 13 & disc two, tracks 3 and 9) : Michael Gira : vocals, guitars; Norman Westberg : guitars; Jarboe : vocals, keyboards; Bill Laswell : bass; Jason Asnes : bass; Virgil Moorefield : drums; Nicky Skopelitis : baglama, bazouki; Shankar : double violin; Fred Frith : violin; Jeff Bova : keyboards; Aiyb Dieng : percussion; Trilok Gurtu : tablas; Fred & Bernard Fowler : background vocals; Karl Berger : vibes, string arrangements; Mark Feldman : violin; Larry Packer : violin; John Kass : viola; Richard Carr : viola; Garo Yellin : cello.

          1999  -  Young God Records/Fringecore (USA),  Fr002  (2CD)

REVIEWS :

Given the label troubles which rendered much of Swans' late-'80s/early-'90s work out-of-print all too quickly - Gira's comments on MCA and Sky Records since that period have never been less than utterly scathing - this particular entry in the late-'90s reissue series was one of the most eagerly awaited releases by fans, though not without controversy. Rather than completely reissuing everything - Burning World, White Light, Love of Life, the World of Skin album Ten Songs From Another World, plus numerous singles and the live Omniscience - Gira compiled and fully remastered a broad-ranging (and as has often been the case with these reissues, non-chronologically ordered), two-disc distillation of what he considered to be the best moments of the period. (In many cases he selected alternate or unreleased takes, some notably better than the more familiar versions, as with Burning World's "God Damn the Sun," one of only two tracks taken from that troubled album; Omniscience itself is not featured at all on this collection.) There was some griping from Swan's fan base over this, but the fact is Gira's instincts were spot on; Failures pulls together all of the fantastic, often unappreciated highs from these years, resulting in something arguably better than all of the original releases put together. The band's spectral, mysterious, folk-influenced side (such as "Failure" and the World of Skin's take on Nick Drake's "Black-Eyed Dog") and the epic, film soundtrack-sounding side ("Better Than You," "The Golden Boy...") are both featured in full force, as are the many side explorations and combinations of the same. As a further welcome bonus, just about every B-side from the singles of those years appears here, including such wonders as Gira's take on "Song for Dead Time" and the acoustic version of "New Mind," along with Jarboe's truly fascinating take on "Love Will Tear Us Apart."

4 stars out of 5

Ned Raggett (courtesy of the All Music Guide website)