Pitchfork: Slowdive to Receive Reissue Treatment

Once upon a time in England, that magical island which birthed the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Stephen Patrick Morrissey and, yes, Ali G, four lads and a lass got together and decided to make guitars glimmer and soar like none had before. They were Slowdive, and over the course of a six-year career, the quintet (in various incarnations) graced us with three glorious full-lengths and a few EPs, and left a patina which continues to imbue the songcraft of countless contemporary acts.

Though often lumped into the same early-90s shoegaze set that included My Bloody Valentine, Curve, Ride, Chapterhouse, Revolver, and the Boo Radleys, Slowdive was treated as revelation by fans. People cried at their shows, overcome by the compelling pulchritude of Slowdive's music (and, quite possibly, drugs). Folks still clamor for their rarer releases on eBay, while discussion lists and several fansites remain to tout Slowdive long after they dissolved into Mojave 3 and Monster Movie.

Now, hardly a year after the release of Slowdive's 9.5-rated anthology Catch The Breeze, Sanctuary Records plans to treat �gazers young and old with lavish reissues of each of the band's three celebrated full-lengths. Both Just for a Day and Souvlaki will feature bonus discs compiling sought-after EPs. According to Sanctuary, Just for a Day and the bonus discs have been "re-done", but former Slowdive singer/guitarist Neil Halstead saw no need to tinker with Souvlaki or its follow-up, Pygmalion.

Pygmalion, Slowdive's criminally underrated third and final long-player, is the real reissue treat here, as it has been fetching upwards of $50 on a certain e-auction house. The disc's sparse, ambient soundscapes alienated many, including several members of Slowdive, and precipitated the act's demise. Though dismissed in its day, the haunting ultimate opus has since garnered considerable acclaim, with Pitchfork'a Nitsuh Abebe extolling it as a post-rock cornerstone. So, in a small way, this is Big.

Just for a Day is set for a November 14 release, with the other two following shortly. Until that hallowed date arrives, why not turn your gaze to these delectable tracklistings?:

Just For A Day:

Disc 1:
01 Spanish Air
02 Celia's Dream
03 Catch the Breeze
04 Ballad of Sister Sue
05 Erik's Song
06 Waves
07 Brighter
08 The Sadman
09 Primal

Disc 2:
01 Slowdive
02 Avalyn 1
03 Avalyn 2
04 Morningrise
05 She Calls
06 Losing Today
07 Golden Hair
08 Shine
09 Albatross
10 Catch the Breeze (Peel Session)
11 Song 1 (Peel Session)
12 Golden Hair (Peel Session)

Souvlaki:

Disc 1:
01 Alison
02 Machine Gun
03 40 Days
04 Sing
05 Here She Comes
06 Souvlaki Space Station
07 When the Sun Hits
08 Altogether
09 Melon Yellow
10 Dagger

Disc 2:
01 Some Velvet Morning
02 So Tired
03 Moussaka Chaos
04 In Mind
05 Good Day Sunshine
06 Missing You
07 Country Rain
08 In Mind (Bandulu Mix)
09 In Mind (Reload Mix)

Pygmalion:

01 Rutti
02 Crazy gor You
03 Miranda
04 Trellisaze
05 Cello

09 All of Us

According to Sanctuary, the reissues were overseen by the members of Slowdive and will feature liner notes penned by Melody Maker and NME scribe Ian Watson. According to me, the reissues will also be fecking brilliant. Believe it.