Holy Money
Encyclopedia
Holy Money is the fourth studio album by the New York
No Wave
band Swans
. The album was recorded in the same sessions as A Screw
and Greed. It was later reissued on CD with the 3 tracks from the A Screw and then again with Greed and then once again with Greed, Cop
, and Young God. It is considered by many to be one of their most important and influential albums.
Upon release, critical reception was fairly positive. People Magazine stated:
Michael Gira’s growled, hate filled vocals on this album were a direct and heavy influence on modern "sludge" and "drone" music. Bands such as Godflesh
/Jesu
, Nadja
, Khanate
, Sunn O)))
and Earth
have all cited this album's importance.
As of 2010, the unmixed reel from the original Greed/Holy Money sessions containing 'Coward', 'Another You', 'Fool' and 'Money Is Flesh' (the latter of the two appear reworked on the Greed LP) has been sold through the Swans website. The remaining reels from these sessions were not sold.
Recorded June '85 through to January '86 at Intergalactic Studios NYC.
Engineered by Jorgé Estabon.
Produced by M. Gira, assisted by Estabon.
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
No Wave
No Wave
No Wave was a short-lived but influential underground music, film, performance art, video, and contemporary art scene that had its beginnings during the mid-1970s in New York City. The term No Wave is in part satirical word play rejecting the commercial elements of the then-popular New Wave genre...
band Swans
Swans (band)
Swans are an influential American post-punk band initially active from 1982 to 1997, led by singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Michael Gira. The band was one of the few groups to emerge from the early 1980s New York No Wave scene and stay intact into the next decade. Formed by Gira in...
. The album was recorded in the same sessions as A Screw
A Screw
A Screw is an EP by the New York No Wave band Swans. The EP was later reissued as additional tracks to the CD release of Holy Money. The single's title song shows the band diving their farthest into the realm of industrial dance music, complete with dubby, distorted vocals, and complex programmed...
and Greed. It was later reissued on CD with the 3 tracks from the A Screw and then again with Greed and then once again with Greed, Cop
Cop (album)
Cop is the second album by Swans.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...
, and Young God. It is considered by many to be one of their most important and influential albums.
Upon release, critical reception was fairly positive. People Magazine stated:
On the opening cut of Holy Money, A Hanging, lifeless voices chant in harmony, raising specters of a slave gang in hell as vicious drumbeats and gongs sound like some monstrous taskmaster. Over it all lead singer M. Gira, singing so low and slowly he sounds like he's on the wrong speed, delivers such lyrics as "Dear God in heaven... I'll hang for you"...Few bands rival the SWANS when it comes to black humor...then again, some days you just have to get it out of your system.
Michael Gira’s growled, hate filled vocals on this album were a direct and heavy influence on modern "sludge" and "drone" music. Bands such as Godflesh
Godflesh
Godflesh are an English industrial metal band from Birmingham, England. Originally known as Fall of Because, they formed in 1988 by Justin K. Broadrick and G.C. Green and disbanded in 2002. Godflesh's innovative music is widely regarded as a foundational influence on industrial metal and post-metal...
/Jesu
Jesu (band)
Jesu is a post-metal band formed in 2003 by Justin Broadrick following the breakup of Godflesh. Jesu was the name of the last song on the final Godflesh release, Hymns, and Broadrick decided to adopt it as the name of this project....
, Nadja
Nadja (band)
Nadja is a duo of Aidan Baker and Leah Buckareff . Nadja began in 2003 as a solo project for Baker to explore the heavier/noisier side of his experimental/ambient music performed mainly on the electric guitar...
, Khanate
Khanate (band)
Khanate was a drone metal supergroup that brought together James Plotkin and Alan Dubin, two members of the defunct band OLD, as well as Tim Wyskida and Stephen O'Malley )) fame)....
, Sunn O)))
Sunn O)))
Sunn O))) is an American doom metal band known for its synthesis of diverse genres including drone, ambient, noise, and black metal. Supported by a varying cast of collaborators, the band has two core members: Stephen O'Malley and Greg Anderson .-History:Sunn O))) is named after the Sunn...
and Earth
Earth (band)
Earth is an American musical group based in Seattle, Washington, formed in 1989 and led by guitarist Dylan Carlson.Earth's music is nearly all instrumental, and can be divided into two distinct stages...
have all cited this album's importance.
As of 2010, the unmixed reel from the original Greed/Holy Money sessions containing 'Coward', 'Another You', 'Fool' and 'Money Is Flesh' (the latter of the two appear reworked on the Greed LP) has been sold through the Swans website. The remaining reels from these sessions were not sold.
Track listing
- "A Hanging" - 5:48
- "You Need Me" - 1:23
- "Fool (#2)" - 5:54
- "A Screw (Holy Money)A ScrewA Screw is an EP by the New York No Wave band Swans. The EP was later reissued as additional tracks to the CD release of Holy Money. The single's title song shows the band diving their farthest into the realm of industrial dance music, complete with dubby, distorted vocals, and complex programmed...
" - 5:00 - "Another You" - 7:43
- "Money Is Flesh (#2)" - 5:02
- "Coward" - 5:10
- "A Screw (Holy Money) (Mix)" - 5:41
- "Blackmail" - 4:54
- "A Screw" - 5:00
Personnel
- Michael GiraMichael GiraMichael Rolfe Gira is an American musician, author, and artist. He is the main force behind the recently reformed New York City musical group Swans and fronts the Angels of Light...
- vocals, samples, sounds, piano, bass - Norman WestbergNorman WestbergNorman Westberg is a New York City guitarist best known for his work with Swans. Present through almost the entirety of the band's existence, Westberg was brought on for Swans' debut album Filth and appeared on every album through 1991s White Light From the Mouth of Infinity...
- guitar - Harry Crosby - bass
- Algis KizysAlgis KizysAlgis Kizys is a New York City bass guitarist most well-known for his long-time membership in No Wave indie band Swans. First joining Swans on 1986s Greed LP, he stayed with the group through The Great Annihilator...
- bass - JarboeJarboeJarboe is an American singer, songwriter, and keyboardist.Jarboe is a solo artist who came to prominence in the mid-1980s with the New York City based group Swans. With founder Michael Gira, the duo was the core of Swans until the group broke up in 1998...
- vocals, backing vocals, mirage - Ronaldo Gonzalez - drums
- Ted ParsonsTed ParsonsTed Parsons is an American drummer most notable for his membership in bands such as Swans, Prong, Godflesh, Killing Joke and Jesu.-Biography:...
- drums - Ivan Nahem - drums
Recorded June '85 through to January '86 at Intergalactic Studios NYC.
Engineered by Jorgé Estabon.
Produced by M. Gira, assisted by Estabon.