Cop (album)
| Cop | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:Swans - Cop.jpg | ||||
| Studio album by Swans | ||||
| Released | 1984 | |||
| Recorded | 1984 at Vanguard Studios, New York City; Platinum, Zurich, Switzerland | |||
| Genre | Noise rock, no wave, industrial | |||
| Length | 40:48 | |||
| Label | K.422 | |||
| Producer | Michael Gira, Roli Mosimann | |||
| Swans chronology | ||||
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Cop is the second studio album by American post-punk band Swans. It was released in 1984, through record label K.422.
Contents
Background
On Cop, Swans took the style of their previous LP, 1983's Filth, and intensified it, utilising slower tempos, more tape loops and even more abrasive musical textures.[1] The lyrics are again concerned with ambiguous themes like physical, often sexual domination and/or submission. According to Jarboe, who first met the band shortly after this album was recorded, the photograph on the cover is the profile of a morbidly obese woman.[citation needed]
Cop was remastered by Michael Gira in 1992 for release on CD along with the Young God EP as bonus tracks. The 1999 double disc re-issue Cop/Young God / Greed/Holy Money combines Cop and Young God with the compilation Greed / Holy Money (itself compiled from the albums Greed and Holy Money.) The packaging for all issues states that the recording is "designed to be played at maximum volume".
Track listing
All lyrics written by Michael Gira, all music composed by Swans.
| Side A | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "Half Life" | 4:18 |
| 2. | "Job" | 4:46 |
| 3. | "Why Hide" | 5:50 |
| 4. | "Clay Man" | 5:05 |
| Side B | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "Your Property" | 4:48 |
| 2. | "Cop" | 6:47 |
| 3. | "Butcher" | 4:02 |
| 4. | "Thug" | 5:12 |
| CD bonus tracks (Cop / Young God) | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "I Crawled" | 5:40 |
| 2. | "Raping a Slave" | 6:22 |
| 3. | "Young God" | 7:03 |
| 4. | "This Is Mine" | 5:24 |
Critical reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| The Quietus | favourable[2] |
AllMusic wrote of the album: "Ugly, compelling and overpowering, Cop remains the pinnacle of Swans' brutal early days", calling it "quite possibly one of the darkest recordings ever done.".[1] The Quietus compared the sound of the album to an "open wound".
Personnel
- Michael Gira – vocals, tapes, production
- Harry Crosby – bass guitar
- Norman Westberg – guitar
- Roli Mosimann – drums, production
- Technical
- Lee Ranaldo – sleeve back cover photography
- Jonathan Thayer – engineering (at Vanguard Studios)
- Mark Berry – engineering (at Vanguard Studios)
- Harry Lombardy – engineering (at Platinum)
- Voco – engineering (at Platinum)
Charts
| Chart (1984) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Indie Chart[3] | 12 |
References
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