| Love of Life | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1992 | |||
| Recorded | October–December 1991 | |||
| Studio | B.C. Studios (Brooklyn, New York) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 53:58 | |||
| Label | Young God | |||
| Producer | Michael Gira | |||
| Swans chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Love of Life | ||||
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Love of Life is the eighth studio album by American experimental rock band Swans. It was released in 1992 on Young God Records.
Like its predecessor, White Light from the Mouth of Infinity , Love of Life was out of print for a long time and had not been reissued until December 2015. [2] Six of the eleven songs appear on the Various Failures compilation, and a further four appear on the Forever Burned compilation. These two compilations therefore contain all the material on this release, except the Jarboe composition "She Cries (For Spider)", as well as tracks 1 and 9.
The cover art is a painting by Deryk Thomas. All of the untitled segues, listed as both "(—)" and "(---)", are credited to the band Beautiful People LTD, which is a one-off collaboration between Jarboe and then-Swans bass player Lary 7.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Pitchfork | 8.0/10 [4] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 6/10 [5] |
Trouser Press wrote, "Not as stunning in its passion as the band's best work, Love of Life is still an often beautiful, haunting record." [6] AllMusic wrote, "Love of Life unsurprisingly proves to be yet another Swans masterpiece." [3]
All tracks are written by Michael Gira, except where indicated
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "(---)" | Jarboe, Lary Seven | 0:17 |
| 2. | "Love of Life" | 3:41 | |
| 3. | "The Golden Boy That Was Swallowed by the Sea" | 4:32 | |
| 4. | "(---)" | Jarboe, Seven | 0:37 |
| 5. | "(---)" | Jarboe, Seven | 2:06 |
| 6. | "The Other Side of the World" | Gira, Jarboe | 4:40 |
| 7. | "Her" | 5:24 | |
| 8. | "The Sound of Freedom" | 4:34 | |
| 9. | "(---)" | Jarboe, Seven | 0:34 |
| 10. | "Amnesia" | 4:19 | |
| 11. | "Identity" | 4:31 | |
| 12. | "(---)" | Jarboe, Seven | 1:02 |
| 13. | "In the Eyes of Nature" | 4:42 | |
| 14. | "She Cries (For Spider)" | Jarboe | 4:57 |
| 15. | "God Loves America" | 3:43 | |
| 16. | "(---)" | Jarboe, Seven | 1:20 |
| 17. | "No Cure for the Lonely" (this track is not present on all vinyl releases) | 2:56 | |
| Total length: | 53:58 | ||
All tracks are written by Michael Gira, except track 9 (Nick Drake), track 13 (Jarboe), track 15 (traditional)
| No. | Title | Source | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Amnesia (Long)" | "Love of Life"/"Amnesia" single (1992) | 7:42 |
| 2. | "Song for Dead Time" (M. Gira version) | "Love of Life"/"Amnesia" single | 4:34 |
| 3. | "You Know Everything (Reprise 1990)" | "Celebrity Lifestyle" single (1994) | 4:25 |
| 4. | "Mother's Milk (live)" | Omniscience (1992) | 4:37 |
| 5. | "The Child's Right" | World of Skin's Ten Songs for Another World (1990) | 3:36 |
| 6. | "Love of Life (Short)" | "Love of Life"/"Amnesia" single | 3:20 |
| 7. | "Unfortunate Lie (Instrumental Version)" | Various Failures (1999) | 2:18 |
| 8. | "No Cruel Angel" | "Saved" single (1989) | 4:29 |
| 9. | "Black Eyed Dog" | World of Skin's Ten Songs for Another World | 3:48 |
| 10. | "Love of Life (Long)" | "Love of Life"/"Amnesia" single | 6:07 |
| 11. | "Picture of Maryanne" | "Love of Life"/"Amnesia" single | 4:22 |
| 12. | "Amnesia (live)" | Omniscience | 6:20 |
| 13. | "Dream Dream" | World of Skin's Ten Songs for Another World | 5:32 |
| 14. | "Please Remember Me" | World of Skin's Ten Songs for Another World | 4:37 |
| 15. | "Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes" (edit) | World of Skin's Ten Songs for Another World | 1:18 |
| 16. | "The Unknown (live)" | previously unreleased from 1988-89 tour | 6:45 |
| 17. | "Blood on Your Hands (live)" | Anonymous Bodies in an Empty Room (1990) | 3:11 |
| 18. | "A Young Girl Needs (live)" | Anonymous Bodies in an Empty Room | 2:35 |
Swans are an American experimental rock band formed in 1981 by singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Michael Gira. One of the few acts to emerge from the New York City-based no wave scene and stay intact into the next decade, Swans have become recognized for an ever-changing sound, exploring genres such as noise rock, post-punk, industrial and post-rock. Initially, their music was known for its sonic brutality and misanthropic lyrics. Following the addition of singer, songwriter and keyboardist Jarboe in 1986, Swans began to incorporate melody and intricacy into their music. Jarboe remained the band's only constant member except Gira and semi-constant guitarist Norman Westberg until their dissolution in 1997.
Michael Rolfe Gira is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, author and artist. Now based in New Mexico, he founded the band Swans, in which he sings and plays guitar, in New York City in the 1980s at the height of the no wave movement. He is also the founder of Young God Records and previously fronted Angels of Light.
The World of Skin was a music project springing out of the American group Swans, which was a collaboration between the core Swans members Michael Gira and Jarboe. The project was initially called Skin, with the first two albums being released under that name, the last one being released under the name the World of Skin. In the UK, the first two albums were released by Product Inc., an imprint of Mute Records, while the last was released on Gira's own Young God label.
Greed is the third studio album by American experimental rock band Swans. It was released in 1986, through record label K.422. Greed marks the slow turning point for Swans away from the harsh, brutal noise rock of prior releases, and is also the first Swans album to contain contributions from Jarboe.
Children of God is the fifth studio album by American experimental rock band Swans. It was released on October 19, 1987, through record label Caroline and on K.422 in the United Kingdom.
Soundtracks for the Blind is the tenth studio album by Swans. It was released as a double CD on October 22, 1996, through Young God Records. Soundtracks for the Blind was intended, as suggested by the title, to function as a "soundtrack for a non-existent film." Upon its release, it received widespread acclaim from critics, but was the last studio album released by the band until 2010's My Father Will Guide Me up a Rope to the Sky. A reissue of the album was released on July 20, 2018, marking the first time Soundtracks for the Blind was released on vinyl.
The Great Annihilator is the ninth studio album by American experimental rock band Swans. It was released on January 23, 1995, through frontman Michael Gira's own record label, Young God. The album has been described by Gira as a companion album to his solo album Drainland (1995); the two were remastered and re-released together in April 2017.
The Burning World is the sixth studio album by American experimental rock band Swans. It was released in 1989, through record label Uni Records, the band's only major-label release. Co-produced by Bill Laswell and band leader Michael Gira, the album features a major stylistic shift from their past releases, being very tuneful and accessible compared to the bleak, industrialized sound from their past records. It received a mixed reception and was a commercial disappointment; the band was dropped from the record label following its poor performance.
White Light from the Mouth of Infinity is the seventh album by the American experimental rock band Swans. It was released in 1991, through the record label Young God. The band supported the album with a North American tour.
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.
"Time Is Money (Bastard)" is a song by American experimental rock band Swans. It was released as a 12-inch single in 1986, through record label K.422. The single is notable for the first official appearance of vocalist Jarboe.
Holy Money is an album by American experimental rock band Swans. It was released in March 1986, through record label K.422. The album was recorded in the same sessions as "Time Is Money (Bastard)", "A Screw", and Greed.
New Mind is a single by the New York City band Swans. The title track appears in a one-minute-longer version on the band's next studio album, Children of God. "Damn You to Hell" and "I'll Swallow You" are included simply as "I'll Swallow You" on the CD re-release Children of God/World of Skin, but not on the initial release.
Omniscience is the fifth live album by the American experimental rock band Swans. It was recorded from shows on their 1992 world tour. It is out of print and has never been reissued. The front cover photograph is by Larry Lame with many Deryk Thomas paintings in the booklet.
The Seer is the twelfth studio album by the American experimental rock band Swans. It was released by Young God Records on August 28, 2012. Producer and front man Michael Gira funded the recording of the album with the sales of the live double album We Rose from Your Bed with the Sun in Our Head (2012).
Sacrificial Cake is the second studio album by Jarboe. It was released in 1995 through Alternative Tentacles, and is an accompaniment to Drainland by fellow Swans member Michael Gira.
Oxygen is an EP by American experimental rock band Swans. It was released digitally on November 25, 2014 through frontman Michael Gira's own label, Young God Records.
Drainland is the debut solo studio album by American musician Michael Gira. It was released on June 9, 1995, through Alternative Tentacles. Using spare arrangements recorded in August 1994 at musician Bill Rieflin's Seattle home, the album features contributions from Rieflin and Gira's Swans bandmate Jarboe.
What Is This? is a 2019 limited-edition fundraiser album by American experimental rock band Swans. The album was released in March 2019 on band leader Michael Gira's Young God Records. Limited to 2,500 copies, the album served as a fundraiser for the fifteenth Swans album, Leaving Meaning, which was released in October 2019.
Leaving Meaning is the fifteenth studio album by American experimental band Swans. It was released October 25, 2019 on Young God and Mute. A double album, Leaving Meaning's songs have been mixed separately for vinyl and CD releases, with the CD version of the album containing the original mixes of the songs, as well as an additional track, "Some New Things". As with all Swans' releases of the 2010s, Leaving Meaning was financed by a fundraiser album – in this case, What Is This? in March 2019.
