Just for a Day
| Just for a Day | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Slowdive | ||||
| Released | 2 September 1991 | |||
| Recorded | Courtyard Studios, Abingdon, England | |||
| Genre | Dream pop, shoegazing | |||
| Length | 43:44 | |||
| Label | Creation/SBK | |||
| Producer | Chris Hufford | |||
| Slowdive chronology | ||||
| ||||
Just for a Day is the debut studio album by the English band Slowdive, released on 2 September 1991 by record label Creation.
Recording
Just for a Day was recorded at Courtyard Studios in Abingdon in the Thames Valley, formerly known as Georgetown Studios.
Release
The album peaked at No. 3 in the UK Indie Chart. Upon its release, copies of the album were labelled with a sticker that read "like a mind altering substance, without the risk".
Critical reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
| Lime Lizard | favourable[2] |
| Pitchfork | 7.0/10[3] |
| Trouser Press | generally favourable[4] |
Just for a Day has been generally well received by critics. Trouser Press wrote that it was "up and down in material, but the songs that are solid are breathtaking, and those that aren't are at least hypnotic and slowly sensuous."[4] Jon Ridge, reviewing the album for Lime Lizard magazine, thought the album was premature, describing it as "more a continuation, or aqueous celebration rather, than an advancement over their rather spiffing previous three EPs".[2] Pitchfork's review of the album, while generally favourable, wrote: "There's a lot less weight to it, and if anything in Slowdive's catalogue will seem dated, it's the overgroomed production on these songs".[3]
In 1999, critic Ned Raggett ranked the album at No. 17 on his list of "The Top 136 or So Albums of the Nineties".[5]
Track listing
All tracks written by Neil Halstead.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Spanish Air" | 6:02 |
| 2. | "Celia's Dream" | 4:07 |
| 3. | "Catch the Breeze" | 4:19 |
| 4. | "Ballad of Sister Sue" | 4:32 |
| 5. | "Erik's Song" | 4:25 |
| 6. | "Waves" | 5:49 |
| 7. | "Brighter" | 3:48 |
| 8. | "The Sadman" | 4:45 |
| 9. | "Primal" | 5:31 |
- 2005 re-release
The album was re-released by Sanctuary Records in 2005, supplemented by an extra disc with tracks from the band's early EPs, effectively including the Slowdive, Holding Our Breath and Morningrise EPs. All the tracks included on the previous compilation Blue Day were present.
| Track listing | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "Slowdive" | 5:17 |
| 2. | "Avalyn I" | 4:52 |
| 3. | "Avalyn II" | 8:09 |
| 4. | "Morningrise" | 4:20 |
| 5. | "She Calls" | 5:38 |
| 6. | "Losing Today" | 5:01 |
| 7. | "Golden Hair" | 4:04 |
| 8. | "Shine" | 5:23 |
| 9. | "Albatross" | 5:18 |
| 10. | "Catch The Breeze (Peel Session)" | 4:11 |
| 11. | "Shine (Peel Session)" | 5:20 |
| 12. | "Golden Hair (Peel Session)" | 3:46 |
Personnel
- Rachel Goswell - vocals, guitar
- Neil Halstead - vocals, guitar, keyboards
- Christian Savill - guitar
- Nick Chaplin - bass guitar
- Simon Scott - drums
References
- ↑ Abebe, Nitsuh "Just For a Day Review", Allmusic, retrieved 2010-05-21
- 1 2 Ridge, Jon (1991) "Slowdive Just For A Day", Lime Lizard, October 1991, p. 52
- 1 2 Abebe, Nitsuh (2005) "Slowdive Just for a Day / Souvlaki / Pygmalion", Pitchfork Media, 28 November 2005, retrieved 2010-05-21
- 1 2 Rabid, Jack; Neate, Wilson. "TrouserPress.com :: Slowdive". TrouserPress.com. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on February 19, 2011. Retrieved March 6, 2011.