Swans – Filth

Just spun this record for the first time after listening for countless times on streaming services. The mix sounds decidedly rawer and more abrasive than what appears online. I assume that the digitized versions (and probably new pressings) have been remastered in some form. I prefer the raw sound of this pressing. Play LOUD for full effect.

It seems like there is an additional cd version not listed in discogs currently. If ebay is any indication, it is the most common cd version, a version released in 1990 by YG alongside their vinyl reissues - https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=swans+cd+filth&_sacat=0&_odkw=swans+cd&_osacat=0

Does anyone have this and is able to say whether it has the alternate mix of Stay Here or not? The original German release has a different mix compared to the remaster.

A red pressing, pressed of 500, of Filth is available at Newbury Comics at the moment.
https://www.newburycomics.com/products/swans-filth_exclusive_lp?variant=40981526741172

Sloppy, grinding, dragging, heavy, desperate, existential, free, chaotic, satirical; this album does more than most. Listen to it a few times. It is good. It is The Swans.

Swans are my favourite band in the entire universe (outside of grindcore). They have a long and meandering career spanning 4 decades, numerous genres, 13 studio albums and an obscene amount of other releases. The most savage of the bunch has to be Filth, the band's debut album from 1983; a clanking, grinding beast dominated by the unusual presence of not only two bassists but two drummers. The guitar is an afterthought. Some people argue that the Cop album is heavier, and whilst that is true in the fact that Cop is more akin to 'metal' than anything that appears on Filth, I firmly believe that the scraping, mechanical abortion of Filth far sures any form of heaviness that any metal music could possibly hope to convey. Being 32 years old this year, Filth was incredibly ahead of its time, and far more influential than we could possibly ever hope to measure.

Opening with the lurching "Stay Here", what Filth is all about becomes apparent very quickly. It is like some horrible machine has come to life. "Power For Power" is one of my favourite songs in the entire universe; the drums are absolutely devastating. This song says a lot to me, not only on an inter-personal level with the games people play with each other, but about Western culture and capitalist/consumerist culture in general. "Thank You" is almost dance-able, before "Weakling" laid the template for every Godflesh song recorded before 1990. It sounds like the world slowly dying....

I own an original pressing of this record, although it has just been lovingly remastered (I'd love to hear the mule kick on that fucker). I could fanboy about this shit for hours so don't take my word for it, just listen. If you've heard it before there's no reason not to do it again. Crank it ALL the way up for this one.

i'd imagine having Michael Gira over for dinner would involve excruciating awkward tension culminating with him slamming his cutlery and deriding me for serving shitty food, having awful grammar, and speaking with too many run on sentences.
I would then ask when he could come again, and if he could bring Norman with him next time.

The 2014 reissue sounds so good! I've never heard an original version but I assume that this has either better sound or equal quality sound because it sounds amazing! Love this album so much!

No mention here of the additional reissue circa 1990/91 from Young God with hand drawn artwork by Michael Gira. 1000 copies (I think), all slightly different.