White Light from the Mouth of Infinity/Love of Life

This is a review specifically of the 3CD reissue. The original versions of White Light and Love of Life are CDs 1 and 2, and the third CD pulls together some material reconfigured for Various Failures (see reviews there), some live material, and some material issued on other hard-to-find earlier releases.Long unavailable unless you wanted to pay a stupefying amount of cash, the original albums are magnificent. Having them together shows beautifully the evolution of Swans music and, for me, is now the benchmark (with Great Annihilator and Soundtracks For the Blind) of their work. This trilogy is where I would send new listeners- lucky people.What raises this work to these heights, for the most part, is the combination of excellent drumming/percussion underpinning the most powerful music; Jarboe’s fine orchestral choir arrangements, and the presence of so many excellent Gira songs spread across the albums. Love Will Save You, Song for the Sun, Golden Boy, God Loves America.. the list goes on and on. There is little padding (save for the noodling samples on Love of Life which are less irritating than they should be). The lack of a track listing in the booklet is a minor irritation, but only minor. Even at their most nihilistic, the songs have power and are not depressing- rather, cathartic. I don’t think Gira has ever managed such a continuous run of high-grade songwriting as during the period these albums were conceived and produced. The production is also so much better than on earlier works.At the current cost (£13) this is a well-packaged set of very high quality and real value. This is glorious. I devoured all three CDs in a single sitting and then went right back to White Light, which is probably the better of the two original CDs and a work of the highest merit. What a truly great band Swans have been at their zenith.

New to me as a group. But very pleased with the production. Great flow, never boring. RDR

Superb package....bleak stark and beautiful..

Many people probably thought that music couldn't get much more sombre or intense than Joy Division. They's be wrong. Or perhaps you thought that Nico's other-worldly collection of songs 'The End' was as intense as music could get? Think again.This band, led by Michael Gira, are the very apex of of gloom-laden impending doom. Much of the music here makes Joy Division sound almost cheery. Think 'Decades' by Joy Division or 'You Forgot To Answer' by Nico and you're getting close.Musically, however, this is nothing like either of those artists. The album opens with the adorable sound of a baby cooing pleasantly. This will be the last remnant of cheer you will hear on this album. Song titles like 'Will We Survive' or 'Why are we alive' will give you an excellent indication of what to expect. Gira's voice is not unlike Ian Curtis' but veers closer to the Sisters Of Mercy, except much, much better. A second female vocalist lends further fragile beauty to the proceedings but also more intensity.The music is like something out of a vivid, satanic nightmare. The threatening growl and repetitive heartbeat of 'Better Than You' is perfectly intense and memorable, whilst 'You Know Nothing' is like Fields Of The Nephilim at their absolute best. 'Song for Dead Time' showcases aforementioned female vocalist with subtle, delicate splendour, sounding atmospheric, moody and thus, timeless. None of this sounds remotely dated.'Will We Survive', in which Gira sounds not a million miles away from Nick Cave, is this album's 'Decades', sounding every bit as funereal and eerie. One can almost imagine dirt being thrown down onto a coffin as this plays in the background. 'Love will Save You' is pure, effortless poetry, which begs the question 'Why are this band so scarcely known?' whilst seven minute 'Miracle Of Love' is overwhelmingly intense. It will take a severely introspective person to appreciate this album, but by God they WILL appreciate it. The rest of the album plays out in a similar vein, ending on the suitably haunting 'The Most Unfortunate Lie', which closes a thoroughly uncompromising album.The vision here is fearless; plunge into the darkest and most serious areas of life, and the human psyche. It does so with style, grace, panache, boldness, together with a ridiculously high level of lyrical and musical accomplishment. Beautiful vocals + incredibly intense music + life questioning lyrics = an album of wonderful, sinfully-ignored artistic talent.Set aside a couple of hours, pour yourself a glass of red wine, and give this album the attention it deserves.

Great record.Impossibly expansive sound.Holds up after 25+ years

genau diesen zweck hatte der kauf und erfüllt ihn absolut. von hier aus kann man sich dann auch den älteren, schwerer verdaulichen werken nähern (so man dafür ein ohr hat), oder man bleibt einfach dabei und hat mit 3 CDs ja auch einiges zu hören.

La parte mas amable Swans, pero no menos amenazante. Los discos del conejo (Love of life, tambien), fueron una redifinición casi gotica (bien entendido el termino) de la música de Swans. Este disco, es de lo mejor de su larga carrera

Tanto bravi e seminali, quanto misconosciuti, peccato.La musica non è semplicissima ma questi due album sono fantastici, bella il contrasto voce maschile e femminile, il 3 cd sono inediti e qualche live

La musica esta muy bien,reedicion necesaria y con disco extra muy interesante.Eso si el astwork a pesar de llamarse deluxe es mas bien justito,tripe digipack con carton de lo mas fino posible(ya he devuelto el primero porque el lomo no aguanta el transporte),el libreto trae las letras,pero ya,ni siquiera los titulos de las canciones con el numero de pista,tambien en papel mate justito.Han perdido la oportunidad de presentar una boxset chula(como las reediciones de the sound por ejemplo)en fin.. luego diran que no se venden discos