Cop
Studio album by
Swans
Released1984
RecordedFeb–May 1984
StudioVanguard Studios in New York City and Platinum in Zürich, Switzerland
Genre
Length40:48
LabelK.422
Producer
Swans chronology
Filth
(1983)		 Cop
(1984)		 Young God (EP)
(1984)

Cop is the second studio album by American experimental rock band Swans. It was released in 1984 through record label K.422.

Background and composition

On Cop, Swans took the style of their previous LP, 1983's Filth, and intensified it, utilizing slower tempos, more tape loops, and even more abrasive musical textures.[2] The lyrics are again concerned with ambiguous themes like physical, often sexual domination and occasionally submission. Some publications recognize Cop as Swans' darkest, most brutal release.[3]

Release

In 1984, Cop was released through K.422 as Swans' second album.[4] Initially, the album was only available as an LP. Throughout the band's history, though, Cop has been reissued within a number of different compilations. It was remastered by band leader Michael Gira in 1992 for release on CD along with the Young God EP (1984) appended as bonus tracks. The 1999 double disc reissue Cop/Young God / Greed/Holy Money combines Cop and Young God with the compilation Greed/Holy Money (itself compiled from the albums Greed (1986) and Holy Money (1986)). The packaging for all issues states that the recording is "designed to be played at maximum volume".[4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]

AllMusic critic Ned Raggett 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."[2] Later writing for The Quietus, Raggett continued praising Cop, recognizing it as the source of other bands like Godflesh and The Young Gods.[5] Aaron Lariviere of Stereogum added Neurosis to the list of bands that Cop helped influence.[3] Miranda Yardley of Terrorizer wrote, "Michael Gira and co. make music that generates its own gravity well, never more so than here."[6] Jonathan Gold of the Los Angeles Times listed Cop as one of the ten most essential industrial albums.[1]

Accolades

Year Publication Country Accolade Rank
2011TerrorizerUnited Kingdom "The Heaviest Albums Ever"4[6]
"*" denotes an unordered list.

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Michael Gira; all music is composed by Swans

Side A
No.TitleLength
1."Half Life"4:18
2."Job"4:46
3."Why Hide"5:50
4."Clay Man"5:05
Side B
No.TitleLength
5."Your Property"4:48
6."Cop"6:47
7."Butcher"4:02
8."Thug"5:12
Total length:40:48
CD bonus tracks: Young God (EP)
No.TitleLength
9."I Crawled"5:40
10."Raping a Slave"6:22
11."Young God"7:03
12."This Is Mine"5:24
Total length:65:17

Personnel

Swans

Additional personnel

  • Lee Ranaldo – sleeve back cover photography
  • Jonathan Thayer – engineering
  • JG Thirlwell – engineering
  • Mark Berry – engineering
  • Harry Lombardy – engineering
  • Voco – engineering

Charts

Chart (1984) Peak
position
UK Indie Chart[7] 12

References

  1. 1 2 Gold, Jonathan (19 April 1992). "10 Essential Industrial Albums". Los Angeles Times: 183.
  2. 1 2 3 Raggett, Ned. "Cop – Swans : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
  3. 1 2 Lariviere, Aaron. "Swans Albums from Worst to Best". stereogum.com. Stereogum. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
  4. 1 2 "Cop Discogs entry (includes liner notes)". discogs.com. Discogs. 1984. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
  5. ↑ Raggett, Ned. "An Open Wound: Swans' Cop Revisited". thequietus.com. The Quietus. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
  6. 1 2 Yardley, Miranda (11 November 2011). "The Heaviest Albums Ever: The albums Kerrang! forgot". terrorizer.com. Terrorizer. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
  7. ↑ 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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