Public Castration Is a Good Idea

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	^[1]
Alternative Press	^[2]
Pitchfork Media	(6.0/10)^[3]

Public Castration Is a Good Idea is the first live album by the New York City band Swans, which was originally released as a semi-official bootleg through Some Bizzare Records in 1986. It was recorded from shows in London and Nottingham on the Greed/Holy Money tour in 1986, the first six songs taken from a show at London's I.C.A. Public Castration Is A Good Idea is often regarded as the band's most brutal extant live album. Its song performances are musically quite different from their studio versions: they are typically lower in pitch, harsher and more abrasive. One notable example is "A Screw", which is longer and more minimalist than its studio counterpart.

The compact disc edition, released by Thirsty Ear on July 6, 1999, was mastered from a vinyl source. An accompanying videocassette (betamax and VHS editions) of the same tour (both containing set lists that are identical to the LP) was released called A Long Slow Screw.^[4]

Track listing

No.	Title	Also on	Length
1.	"Money Is Flesh"	Greed	12:06
2.	"Fool"	Greed	8:08
3.	"A Screw"	A Screw	7:27
4.	"Anything for You"	Greed	9:09
5.	"Coward"	Holy Money	8:33
6.	"A Hanging"	Holy Money	12:32
7.	"Stupid Child"	Greed	5:41
8.	"Another You"	Holy Money	10:16

Personnel

Michael Gira
Norman Westberg
Algis Kizys
Jarboe
Ronaldo Gonzalez
Ted Parsons
Jack Balchin - sound technician

References

^ Raggett, Ned. "Public Castration Is a Good Idea". Allmusic. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
^ columnist (November 1999). "Foetus: Blow". Alternative Press: 126. {{cite journal}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |journal= (help)
^ Mirov, Nick (July 20, 1999). "Swans: Public Castration is a Good Idea". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
^ "Swans - A Long Slow Screw". Retrieved October 23, 2016.

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[allmusic-1] Raggett, Ned. "Public Castration Is a Good Idea". Allmusic. Retrieved March 2, 2013.

[altpress-2] umnist (November 1999). "Foetus: Blow". Alternative Press: 126. {{cite journal}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |journal= (help)

[pitchfork-3] Mirov, Nick (July 20, 1999). "Swans: Public Castration is a Good Idea". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved March 2, 2013.

[4] "Swans - A Long Slow Screw". Retrieved October 23, 2016.

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v t e Swans
Michael Gira Jarboe Algis Kizys Ted Parsons Thurston Moore Roli Mosimann Vincent Signorelli Bill Rieflin Jonathan Kane Kristof Hahn Thor Harris Christopher Pravdica Phil Puleo Paul Wallfisch Norman Westberg
Studio albums	Filth Cop Greed Holy Money Children of God The Burning World White Light from the Mouth of Infinity Love of Life The Great Annihilator Soundtracks for the Blind My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky The Seer To Be Kind The Glowing Man Leaving Meaning The Beggar
Fundraiser albums	I Am Not Insane We Rose from Your Bed with the Sun in Our Head Not Here / Not Now The Gate What Is This? Is There Really a Mind?
Live albums	Public Castration Is a Good Idea Feel Good Now Anonymous Bodies in an Empty Room Real Love Omniscience Kill the Child Swans Are Dead We Rose from Your Bed with the Sun in Our Head Not Here / Not Now The Gate Deliquescence
Compilation albums	Body to Body, Job to Job Children of God/World of Skin Various Failures Filth/Body to Body, Job to Job Cop/Young God Greed/Holy Money Forever Burned
EPs	Swans Young God A Screw Love Will Tear Us Apart Die Tür ist zu Oxygen
Singles	"Time Is Money (Bastard)" "New Mind" "Can't Find My Way Home" "Saved" "Paradise Is Mine"
Related articles	Discography Young God Records Angels of Light The Body Lovers / The Body Haters Cop Shoot Cop Of Cabbages and Kings Prong Sulfur Unsane World of Skin Where Does a Body End?