Phew, is anyone still reading?
Yves | Hampshire, England | 05/14/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Revolutionary Spirit and God Forbid are perfect, beautiful pop songs. It is impossible to explain, but hear them and you should get an idea. I know almost nothing about The Wild Swans except that in the summer of 1982, as an 18-year-old spotty punk in a village by the sea in southern England, they touched me in a way no other songs have done, before or since."
Shoddy cd case, but several musical gems...
felipe echevarria | Loveland, CO | 01/10/2008
(3 out of 5 stars)
"My brother had originally bought the 12" vinyl single way back in the early 80's, and even today (2008) I still wanted to go back and hear "Revolutionary Spirit" and "God Forbid." I knew the expense would be worth it for only a couple songs. These two are that wonderful.
For me, though, most of this is 80's pop drivel--it's amazing how so many of the 80's "alternative" bands have that pretty-boy-romantic sound--but there are a few more treats to hear--like "Revolutionary Spirit" (live), "No Bleeding", and "Northern England." At least their hearts are in it, and they strived to make the songs somewhat interesting, like early Modern English and Psychedelic Furs did.
One other mention is the cd case itself manufactured by Renascent UK crumbles in my hands, it's one of the worst I've every purchased, even worse than Led Zeppelin's BBC Sessions case manufactured by Atlantic. Quality means a lot to me, so I took off a star for this foolishness."
'Incandescent' enlightens...
Dumas | Shaker, Ohio USA | 04/19/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I have loved the Swans since my Danceteria days in early 80s New York. But its a fitful, frustrating love. You get the sense from 'Incandesent' that the Swans forgot to stop partying. That they never took the time to put together more than a handful of songs. Oh, but what songs they were. This collection is for completists and aging post-punker (like myself) who wished they'd shared a pint with the boys back when simply getting stoned was a subversive act. Its a nice collection of beautiful, quirky oddities here. But a few gems are missing "Holy Holy", "1982", "World of Milk and Blood" come to mind. Maybe on an 'Ashes' reissue. In the meantime, scoop this up. Simpson & Company deserve the attention. If you really care about the band, buy it directly from their label, Renascent. That way the company (and the band) can make a few pennies. Maybe enough to mine the crates for a second hits collection.
"