Holy Money
| Holy Money | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:Swansholymoney.jpg | ||||
| Studio album by Swans | ||||
| Released | 1986 | |||
| Recorded | June 1985 – January 1986 at Intergalactic Studios, New York City, United States | |||
| Genre | Noise rock, no wave, industrial | |||
| Length | 36:00 | |||
| Label | K.422 | |||
| Producer | Michael Gira, Jorgé Estabon | |||
| Swans chronology | ||||
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Holy Money is the fourth studio album by American post-punk band Swans. It was released in 1986, through record label K.422. The album was recorded in the same sessions as A Screw and Greed.
Contents
Background
The album had a direct influence on modern sludge and drone music. Bands such as Godflesh, Khanate, Sunn O))) and Tool have all cited this album's importance.[1]
The first CD issue contained the A Screw EP as bonus tracks. A later compilation released in 1992, Greed / Holy Money, combined Holy Money (barring "A Screw (Holy Money)", though "A Screw (Holy Money) (Mix)" was listed as this) and Greed (barring "Fool" and "Money Is Flesh", however "Fool (#2)" and "Money Is Flesh (#2)" were listed as these, respectively), as well as the entirety of the A Screw EP and an abridged version of "Time Is Money (Bastard) (Mix)" (listed as "Time Is Money (Bastard)") from the Time Is Money (Bastard) EP. This compilation, with its entirely re-organized tracklist, saw re-issue in 1999 in the double-disc set Cop/Young God / Greed/Holy Money, which included the Cop album and Young God EP.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "A Hanging" | 5:48 |
| 2. | "You Need Me" | 1:23 |
| 3. | "Fool (#2)" | 5:54 |
| 4. | "A Screw (Holy Money)" | 5:00 |
| 5. | "Another You" | 7:43 |
| 6. | "Money Is Flesh (#2)" | 5:02 |
| 7. | "Coward" | 5:10 |
| Bonus tracks (A Screw) | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 8. | "A Screw" | 5:41 |
| 9. | "Blackmail" | 4:54 |
| 10. | "A Screw (Holy Money) (Mix)" | 5:00 |
Critical reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
AllMusic commented that Holy Money "well documents the continuing transformation of Swans into a more complex, intriguing beast."[2] Trouser Press called it "more or less a twin to Greed; virtually identical in cover art and musical approach".[3]
Re-issue
It was later reissued on CD with the tracks from the A Screw single at the end, and then once again with Greed, Cop and Young God.
Personnel
- Michael Gira – vocals, piano, sampler, production
- Norman Westberg – guitar
- Harry Crosby – bass guitar on tracks A3, B1 and B3
- Algis Kizys – bass guitar on tracks A1 and A4
- Jarboe – vocals on tracks A1 and A2
- Ronaldo Gonzalez – drums on tracks A1 and B1–B3
- Ted Parsons – drums on tracks A1 and A4
- Ivan Nahem – drums on track A3
- Technical
- Jorgé Estabon – engineering, production assistance
Charts
| Chart (1986) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Indie Chart[4] | 6 |
References
External links
- Holy Money at Discogs (list of releases)
