slowdive: classic or dud?

Aha thanks. So it's a US only thing then?

nah, it's on Cherry Red, so it's an import in the US... if you're in the UK it should be pretty easy to find?

yeah, i just added it to my wishlist on the us amazon, it's listed under "audio cd import (2010)"

i love those demos/outtakes, i get more of a feel of the transition btwn souvalki and pygmalion. and there's one or two with eno, right? is the sound cleaned up much? i don't have a problem with the murkiness of the leaked stuff of yore.

ok, just realized that it is easily available on Amazon UK - must have used a wrong search term. Excited!

I Am The Elephant You Are The Mouse is a soundtrack.
I Saw The Sun is a bootleg of a scrapped album before Souvlaki.
There is a bunch more stuff like "Beach Song", "Take Me Down", "Sleep" (dont think these were on the reissues?) and a few more.

If Pygmalion Demos got added to Pygmalion then those other unreleased/rare things could have their own release. I'm sure the band wanted them released.

Getting closer... http://www.slowdiveofficial.com/
So what's it gonna be? Reunion tour or new music?

Is it too much to ask for both..?

I'd much rather have the former and not the latter.

Going back a post or two on unreleased songs- "Beach song" was on a flexi issued by Sunday Records with another song whose name escapes me. They were part of Slowdive's initial demo tape, alongside "Slowdive" and "Avalyn". Alan McGee preferred the slower stuff so they stuck to that direction. "Sleep" and "Take me down" were by Eternal, a five piece band on Sarah Records who split up after one EP when their guitarist Christian left them to join Slowdive.

Just realised I'm wrong - "Take me down" was on the Sunday flexi. A different song of the same name was on the Eternal single.

Thought that rang a bell so had a look through my 7"s and hey presto

http://i.imgur.com/KgyLobKl.jpg?1

No idea where I got it.

That looks familiar - mine is in my attic. Sunday Records were great, got loads of their singles at the time.

when did it come out?

1992

i have that slowdive flexi somewhere, it's good stuff

I'm very conflicted over the idea of new material. For a long time Halstead seemed like he had lost almost all interest in his older style, but maybe after long enough the urge for this sort of stuff could come back?
How could anyone really know if they could tap back into it, as good (or better) than it was?

Does anyone know of any bands who got back together to write some music and said "this really isnt working, we better split up again" before they recorded anything?

Does anyone know the name of that old Slowdive demo that was just cheery whistling and piano?

The Associates did just that, recorded some stuff and bailed wihout releasing it at the time, though it came out on an odds and sods comp a decade later. And it was pretty good!

Well I don't think they'd tease out this big announcement just to say they were considering giving it a go in Neil's garage and see what came out of it. I'm expecting a mini tour and a few festivals. Not much more

Is Neil's record label Shady Lane still going?

Okay, formal word starting to emerge

http://thequietus.com/articles/14357-slowdive-reunion-primavera-new-material

http://www.slowdiveofficial.com/

I'm excited about new material if they follow through on that. Really hope it has the spark.

Also playing London Village Underground on 19 May.

And interviewed.

I really don't remember that bad of a press kicking but I can't say I read everything then...

I remember well the press kicking when SOuvlaki came out...
Anyway, I am fucking thrilled by this - concerts are nice but new music is what I'm excited about. I have an irrational feeling these guys could still deliver.

I'm still excited.

I always thought that if they ever regrouped that they wouldnt bother with Pygmalion because it was thought of as a Neil album. Very happy to see that is not the case.

FACT mix:

http://www.factmag.com/2014/03/10/fact-mix-430-slowdive/

Okay so, they're playing FYF Fest in August in LA

https://twitter.com/FYFFEST/status/467354663285571584/photo/1

Ergo...American tour?

Was just listening to Pygmalion the other night. After a few years of having it in my collection and not really rating it that much it finally clicked in a big way.

oh wow, i have seen Slowdive like eight times and would love to see them again. Mojave 3 like five times. what news, thanks Ned as i will have to see this show.

And they're back indeed, from tonight in London:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlZM2JwVtiE

Try that again

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlZM2JwVtiE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6IQnMWRSew

And a setlist here: https://www.facebook.com/DecayFM/photos/a.384279701582515.100712.369708673039618/808147132529101/?type=1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbHpDRYw56M

Blue Skied An' Clear. So good.

Friends went and have been raving on Facebook

(Was a secret gig ahead of tonight's(?) official comeback gig)

They will also be playing in Germany next month at the Wave Gotik Treffen in Leipzig.

and primavera (sp?) in a week or so.

Entire show...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8668KWHeSeI

i read that Rachel Goswell is partially deaf.

does it mean the sound of the shows will be relatively quiet?

sounding great

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dsn9oQvZGhI

Haha, so Slowdive are now posting their various pedal boards! They've started with Rachel's

https://scontent-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1.0-9/10257041_10152506345687754_4471334917264928557_n.jpg

All pedals coming from Joe's Pedals: joespedals.com

amazingly detailed breakdowns of their boards (including illustrations) from their prime:

http://www.guitargeek.com/neil-halstead-slowdive-1993-guitar-rig-and-gear-setup-diagram/
http://www.guitargeek.com/rachel-goswell-slowdive-1993-guitar-rig-and-gear-setup-diagram/
http://www.guitargeek.com/christian-savill-slowdive-1993-guitar-rig-and-gear-setup-diagram/

Rachel's has gotten more complex, I see.

And a new promo photo

http://pbs.twimg.com/media/BpX9OQIIcAAkSvR.png

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BpX9OQIIcAAkSvR.png

Neil looks like a psychotic killer

"North America was good to Slowdive back in the 1990s," the band said in a press release. "The fact that the last Slowdive concert was performed in Toronto (at Lee's Palace) in 1994 is poignant. It felt like we were playing to people who 'got it' and some of our favourite performances were on those tours. We have a special connection to our audience in North America and we can't wait to return in 2014!"

Slowdive:

07-16 Padova, Italy - Radar Festival
07-18 Suffolk, England - Latitude Festival
07-20 Chicago, IL - Pitchfork Music Festival
07-23 Taipei, Taiwan - The Wall
07-25 Niigata Prefecture, Japan - Fuji Rock Festival
07-26 Shanghai, China - Qianshuiwan Culture and Arts Center
07-28 Hong Kong - Rotunda 3
07-31 Singapore - The Ground Theatre
08-03 Katowice, Poland - Off Festival
08-07-09 Göteborg, Sweden - Way Out West
08-08-10 Helsinki, Finland - Flow Festival
08-09 Oslo, Norway - Oya
08-14 Hasselt, Belgium - Pukkelpop Festival
08-15 St. Malo, France - La Route du Rock Festival
08-23 Los Angeles, CA - FYF Fest
08-29-31 Stradbally, Ireland - Electric Picnic
09-09 Geneva, Switzerland - La Batie
10-22 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
10-23 Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer
10-25 New York, NY - Terminal 5
10-26 Boston, MA - Royale
10-27 Montreal, Quebec - Le National
10-28 Toronto, Ontario - Opera House
10-30 Chicago, IL - The Vic
10-31 Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line
11-03 Vancouver, British Columbia - Commodore
11-04 Seattle, WA - Neptune
11-05 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
11-07 San Francisco, CA - Warfield
11-08 Los Angeles, CA - The Theatre at Ace Hotel

wow what a great tour, hope they do a similarly extensive tour of Europe next year.