2-CD: REWIGCD27
RELEASED: 2008
LABEL: Domino

Disc: 1 (Remastered)
01. Too Hot to Move, Too Hot to Think
02. American Sailors
03. Falling over You
04. Goodbye Little Boy
05. Bottle of Love
06. Spinning Top Song
07. Butterflies into Worms
08. New Year's Greetings
09. Good Fortune Rose
10. One Mechanic Town
11. Black Eyed Susie
12. Clown Prince
13. Fairytale Love
14. How Could I Help But Love You

Disc: 2 (Demos)
01. Too Hot To Move, Too Hot To Think
02. American Sailors
03. Why Don't You Leave For Good This Time
04. Bottle Of Love
05. The Spinning Top Song
06. Butterflies Into Worms
07. New Years Greetings
08. Good Fortune Rose
09. One Mechanic Town
10. Jack's Hole
11. Black-Eyed Susan
12. You Minus Me
13. The Clown Prince
14. Fairytale Love
15. (You've Got) A Funny Way Of Showing You Love Me
16. No More After You
17. In The Dark

This polished, expanded and exhaustive reissue of 'The Black Swan' highlights the ambition of late period Triffids. The Black Swan is the record that has traditionally split Triffids fans and caused countless arguments in the kitchen at parties. Like Dylan's Self Portrait folks either love it or loathe it. The reissue is unlikely to settle any arguments but it at least sees to completion one of David McComb's explicitly stated wishes regarding the band's back catalogue. The Black Swan was meant to be The Triffid's White Album - unfeasibly eclectic, in keeping with the songwriter's mood at the time. The double album Dave had hoped to unleash was pared back to a more commercially sensible single album by less adventurous souls, though it was still wonderfully diverse, especially by the standards of the times. Produced by Stephen Street who is known for his work with The Smiths, Dave and the band's extensive period of demoing his swag of songs with the assistance of collaborators such as James Paterson, Adam Peters, Victor Van Vugt and Stephen Street himself, bore some remarkable fruit. The Triffids' previous album, Calenture, was recorded at great cost to Island Records and was released in 1987. Unfortunately, commercial success evaded them again, even with the radio friendly "Bury Me Deep In Love" as a single. On the live front, the band were just as good as always, if a little mellower, and it always appeared as if more people were discovering this Antipodean treasure. The Triffids had done the hard yards and deserved greater success, but fate is never a kind mistress. The Black Swan is solid enough, but maybe a bit to "strange" musically to reach a bigger audience. Too Hot to Move, Too Hot to Think is full of daze and steam, while the bouncy Goodbye Little Boy is The Triffids' most poppy moment ever. All in all it's a majestic album, majestic in the way of a swan.

Influences / Similar Artists:
Nick Cave, Go-Betweens, Echo & the Bunnymen, The Smiths