Children of God (Swans album)

Children of God is the fifth studio album by American experimental rock band Swans. It was released on October 19, 1987,[1] through record label Caroline.

Children of God
Studio album by
Swans
ReleasedOctober 19, 1987[1]
RecordedFebruary–March 1987
StudioSawmills Studios, Golant, England
Genre
Length71:13
LabelCaroline
ProducerRico Conning, Michael Gira
Swans chronology
Public Castration Is a Good Idea
(1986)		 Children of God
(1987)		 Love Will Tear Us Apart
(1988)
Singles from Children of God
  1. "New Mind"
    Released: Summer 1987
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[7]
OndaRock9/10[8]
Pitchfork7.0/10[9]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[10]
Spin Alternative Record Guide7/10[11]

Release history

Children of God was re-issued along with the World of Skin compilation (minus the covers) on CD in 1997 as Children of God/World of Skin. On this re-release, the original album version of "Our Love Lies" was replaced with the version included on the Love Will Tear Us Apart EP. Also, the re-release added "Damn You to Hell" and "I'll Swallow You" (under one title as "I'll Swallow You") from the New Mind single as a bonus. Also, "Sex, God, Sex", "Beautiful Child" and "Children of God" were shortened by several seconds with earlier fade-outs and "Trust Me" faded directly into the brief interlude at the end.

A remaster of the album, along with the live album Feel Good Now, was released on November 13, 2020.[12]

Track listing
Original release[13]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."New Mind"Algis Kizys, Michael Gira, Norman Westberg, Ted Parsons5:13
2."In My Garden"Kizys, Jarboe, Gira5:34
3."Our Love Lies"Kizys, Gira, Westberg5:50
4."Sex, God, Sex"Gira, Westberg6:49
5."Blood and Honey"Jarboe, Gira4:46
6."Like a Drug (Sha La La La)"Kizys, Gira, Westberg, Parsons5:36
7."You're Not Real, Girl"Gira4:21
8."Beautiful Child"Kizys, Gira, Westberg, Parsons5:16
9."Blackmail"Jarboe, Gira3:34
10."Trust Me"Jarboe, Gira, Westberg5:23
11."Real Love"Kizys, Gira, Westberg6:23
12."Blind Love"Gira, Westberg7:46
13."Children of God"Jarboe, Gira4:34
Total length:71:11

Some pressings of the CD divide "Trust Me" into two tracks: The actual song (4:28), and an unlisted/untitled interlude consisting of a field recording of a rowboat on the water, with birds in the background (0:57).

1997 re-release Children of God/World of Skin[14]
Disc 1: Children of God
No.TitleLength
1."New Mind"5:12
2."In My Garden"5:35
3."Our Love Lies" (Love Will Tear Us Apart EP version)4:30
4."Sex, God, Sex" (edit)6:36
5."Blood and Honey"4:47
6."Like a Drug (Sha La La La)"5:34
7."You're Not Real, Girl"4:17
8."Beautiful Child" (edit)4:52
9."Blackmail"3:32
10."Trust Me" (fades into shortened rowboat recording)4:58
11."Real Love"6:20
12."Blind Love"7:44
13."Children of God" (edit)4:22
14."I'll Swallow You" (composed of "Damn You to Hell" and "I'll Swallow You" from the "New Mind" single)4:14
Total length:72:39
Disc 2: World of Skin
No.TitleLength
1."1,000 Years" (edit, from Blood, Women, Roses)4:02
2."Everything at Once" (from Shame, Humility, Revenge)4:22
3."Breathing Water" (from Shame, Humility, Revenge)4:18
4."Blood on Your Hands" (from Blood, Women, Roses)3:53
5."Nothing Without You" (from Shame, Humility, Revenge)5:43
6."We'll Fall Apart" (from Blood, Women, Roses)4:43
7."My Own Hands" (from Blood, Women, Roses)4:38
8."Turn to Stone" (from Shame, Humility, Revenge as "Turned to Stone")5:21
9."Cold Bed" (from Shame, Humility, Revenge)2:25
10."24 Hours" (from Shame, Humility, Revenge)4:13
11."Red Rose" (from Blood, Women, Roses)4:29
12."One Small Sacrifice" (from Shame, Humility, Revenge)6:43
13."Still a Child" (from Blood, Women, Roses)5:22
14."The Center of Your Heart" (from Shame, Humility, Revenge)4:48

Personnel
  • Michael Gira – vocals, keyboards, acoustic guitar, album cover concept and design, production
  • Jarboe – vocals, backing vocals, piano, keyboards
  • N. Westberg – electric guitar, acoustic guitar
  • Algis Kizys – bass
  • Theodore Parsons – drums, percussion
  • Simon Fraser – flute on "In My Garden"
  • Audrey Riley – cello on "Like a Drug (Sha La La La)"
  • Lindsay Cooper – oboe on "Blackmail" and "Trust Me"
  • Wilton Barnhardt – piano on "Blackmail"
  • Rico Conning – production, engineering
  • John Cornfield – engineering
  • Laura Levine – sleeve photography
  • Paul White/Me Company – sleeve artwork

Charts
Chart (1987) Peak
position
UK Indie Chart[15] 3

References
  1. "Children of God Advertisement". Retrieved April 21, 2017.
  2. Morse, Erik (2009). Spacemen 3 And The Birth Of Spiritualized. Omnibus Press. ISBN 0857121049.
  3. Terich, Jeff (September 26, 2013). "Beginner's Guide: Swans". Treblezine. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
  4. Pattison, Louis. "Swans - My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky". BBC. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
  5. Terich, Jeff (May 27, 2015). "Swans : Filth (Deluxe Edition)". Treble. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  6. Raggett, Ned. "Children of God – Swans". AllMusic. Retrieved March 4, 2013.
  7. Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
  10. Evans, Paul; Brackett, Nathan (1992). "Swans". In DeCurtis, Anthony; Henke, James; George-Warren, Holly (eds.). The Rolling Stone Album Guide (3rd ed.). Random House. ISBN 0679737294.
  11. Weisband, Eric; Marks, Craig, eds. (1995). "Syd Barrett". Spin Alternative Record Guide (1st ed.). New York: Vintage Books. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
  12. "Children of God / Feel Good Now (Remastered 2020)". Young God Records. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  13. "Swans - Children Of God". Discogs (in German). Retrieved 2020-09-09.
  14. "Children of God / World of Skin". Spotify. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  15. Lazell, Barry (1997). Indie Hits 1980-1989. Cherry Red Books. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
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