Love of Life is the eighth studio album by American experimental rock band Swans. It was released in 1992 on Young God Records.
| Love of Life | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| 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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Background edit
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.
Critical reception edit
| 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]
Track listing edit
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 Crys (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 | ||
- 2015 Bonus CD
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 |
Personnel edit
- Michael Gira – vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar, samples, production, sleeve artwork concept and design
- Jarboe – vocals, keyboards, backing vocals, mellotron
- Clinton Steele – guitar, acoustic guitar
- Algis Kizys – bass guitar
- Vincent Signorelli – drums
- Jenny Wade – bass
- Ted Parsons – drums
- Troy Gregory – bass guitar
- Larry Seven – bass guitar, guitar
- Adam Jankowski – narration on "Identity"
- Martin Bisi – engineering, additional programming
- Howie Weinberg – mastering
- Mark Richardson – additional recording
- Deryk Thomas – front cover illustration
- Larry Lame – sleeve photography
- Patricia Mooney – sleeve artwork and layout
References edit
- ^ Lariviere, Aaron (November 9, 2012). "Swans Albums From Worst To Best". Stereogum. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
- ^ Young God Records staff. "WHITE LIGHT. . . + LOVE OF LIFE (LTD ED VINYL BOX SET / 3CD RELEASE)". Young God Records. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
- ^ a b Raggett, Ned. "Love of Life – Swans : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
- ^ "Swans". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
- ^ Newman, Andy (1995). "Swans". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. pp. 390–391. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
- ^ Leland, John; Sheridan, David; Kenny, John; Frampton, Peter. "trouserpress.com :: Swans". trouserpress.com. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
External links edit
- Love of Life at Discogs (list of releases)