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Swans’ Filth is being reissued

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Thirty one years since its debut, and 14 since its last release (not counting 2012’s unofficial bootleg reissue on Neutral Records), Swans’ followup to their self-titled, Filth, is getting a new reissue via frontman Gira’s own label Young God Records. There is currently a two CD pack edition of Filth / Body To Body, Job to Job from 2000 available in very limited quantities (and digitally), so collectors should take note. Gira gives the remastered release the following sendoff:

This is all slabs of sound, rhythm and  screaming/testifying. What more do you need? In a way, it was a reaction against Punk (and just about any other music you can think of), and the conservative notion that 3 chords were somehow necessary. I used to deny it  vehemently at the time, but No Wave (I “hated” that scene too, for some  reason I can’t remember now) played a big role as the germ from which this  music grew, along with The Stooges and Throbbing Gristle, of course. I  wanted Swans to be “heavier” though – I wanted the music to obliterate –  why, I don’t remember! I think it just felt good.  Live, we used two  basses (playing utterly unmusical chords that were stabbed and left to  sustain or sometimes hit in staccato or opposing rhythms), drums, a  “percussionist” that slammed down on a metal table with a metal strap, crude  cassette loops of various sounds/noises (usually some kind of undefined  ROAR), and Norman Westberg’s glorious sustained and screaming guitar chords.  It was pretty elating to play live – for us. If 100 people showed up (which  would have been a huge audience at the time – 20 was more the average), 80  were guaranteed to leave by the second song. Somehow that tension – contempt  or indifference from the audience – was nourishing, so we kept going.

The reissue will be available october 28.