The Story of Slowdive's "Sleep"
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- Опубліковано 27 чер 2023
- "Sleep" is a beautiful song by Slowdive, in fact in my opinion their best by a mile. But it was never actually officially released. What's the story here?
This is a quick little video, but one I've wanted to try to do for some time now. I hope you like this change of pace!
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Footage used from:
Lots of Slowdive concerts.
Music:
"Catch the Breeze", "Alison", "Sleep" and "Machine Gun" by Slowdive
"Sleep" by Eternal
Copyright Disclaimer: Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. - Розваги
Souvlaki was not a smash hit when it came out. Slowdive got screwed by the press once grunge became popular and seemingly no critics cared about they type of music they played anymore. Souvlaki is a massively important album but it took years of fans discovering their music after they had already broken up for slowdive to really get the public attention they always deserved.
You are absolutely right, "smash hit" was a bad choice of words there. My intent there was to say that's by a large way their most popular album and one of the most popular shoegaze albums in general. But I definitely phrased that wrong.
For your service, I pin you so everyone can see this correction
Grunge was certainly a factor, but the emergence of Britpop was even more significant to Slowdive [and Shoegaze in general] being treated like a fad and swept aside by the British music press - especially since Oasis was also signed to Creation Records and became hugely successful. Also, it's pronounced "REDing", not "READing" like it's spelling.
@@michaelinlofi "smash hit" was also a bad choice of words for another reason: "hit" usually refers to a song, rather than an entire album.
Sleep is the song that introduced me to this genre
What an introduction that must have been (my shoegaze intro was Sometimes by MBV, personally)
for me it was when the sun hits when I heard it in a store and shazammed it, but sleep made me love slowdive
Same ❤
Same for me.
Same!! Most people were introduced by When The Sun Hits but finding Slowdive through Sleep is just a new feeling for me
i remember standing in train and listening to "sleep" while cute girl stood up next to me, scrolled her spotify and chosed souvlaki. then i did the same thing, i will never forget her eyes. i have never seen her since that moment. guess she's out there somewhere.
It’s one of my favorite songs of all time
I was a major fan since 91 when I bought the majority of the vinyl releases, which I still have thankfully. First heard Sleep in 2010/11 from the demo collection and fell in love with it.. the best we have for now are the fan made remasters I guess. Good video!
Thanks, mate!
I'll be honest I think part of its success on UA-cam is down to the lo-fi aspect of the tape rip. It's something I wish I'd touched on a bit more in this video, but it might be worth revisiting in a video on its own...
They played this when I saw them last October in Los Angeles! What a special moment. The whole concert was sublime, but Sleep was a highlight
I managed to snag a ticket to their show in Sydney last year and they played it there too. Damn near lifted off the floor
Sleep, I believe, silver screen, i saw the sun, all goated lost trakcs
i am forever grateful por this song, not only because its slowdive´s masterpiece by itselft being a DEMO, butbecause its the song that introduced me to this whole genre, thx for the yt algorithm
Cheeky as it was for whoever hacked their Spotify to release it like that, I am grateful it happened. That song came at a point in my life when I really needed it
I have listened to Slowdive since the mid 90s but only came across “Sleep” maybe 5 years ago on UA-cam . Possibly on the channel you mentioned. I remember thinking “I’ve never heard this song before!” I could not find it anywhere for sale so i downloaded the audio and it now sits on my computer. It really is an amazing song.
Thank you for covering this bud ! I discovered it few years back and always wondered why can't I find any official release. You earned a new life time subscriber today !!
Thanks for the Video, Fan of that track since many years, cheers
That one youtube upload gained Slowdive so many younger fans like myself
I came across the demo at least a dozen years ago, probably closer to 20 by my recollection when a Slowdive fan sold me a CD of Souvlaki/Blue Day on ebay and thoughtfully included all kinds of CD-Rs of live gigs and assorted demos, and thought most of the demos were rightfully discarded, "Sleep" was an absolute gem and when the band reunited, one of the top requests including by yours truly. I'm certain the band knew full well what joy it would bring the fans to pull this one out for the faithful and I'm glad they did. Not sure I'd care to hear a new version of it but a cleaned up version of the demo with possibly the odd overdub might be in order.
Great vid man!
Thank you!
I don't usually comment on videos, but I really enjoyed this one. Thanks!
Thanks for this video. "Sleep" was my introduction to Slowdive and has become one of my favorite songs of all time. It was frustrating that I couldn't find the album it was on, nor could I find it on streaming services. This explains everything. Here's to an official release for this beautiful song.
Thanks for watching!
wow, i've been wondering for so long why this song wasn't realeased. i hope that it get's a proper release soon, with the original recording, it's probably my favorite song of theirs too
If they released all those demo tapes they would sell a million in no time flat I'm sure of it
The song and the video are masterpieces
Recently I found it STILL available on spotify from a playlist! I'm not sure why or how it hasn't been completely removed, but it's quite interesting. Let me know if you want the playlist link!
I think I know the upload you mean! I have it saved too
1:51 I never knew that Slowdive played CB’s, wow!!! I wasn’t into them back then but def would have had my chance to see them in that small venue.
Thanks for this video well done.
I'll be honest I didn't realise that was the CBGB until you pointed it out. I just looked up "Slowdive live 90s" on Google Images lmao.
However now I know that, delighted that Slowdive and Talking Heads share something in common!
Great vid!
Thanks!
my favorite song from them
Also, slight correction, sorry; "Reading" the place is pronounced "RED-ing", not "Reading".
Ah, bugger. I had a feeling I'd fluffed on that. Thank you for the clarification!
@@michaelinlofi No problem; UK towns/cities can have funny phonetics.
I started to watch this video, but I'm only two minutes in and first heard the guy refer to Souvlaki as a "smash hit album," and then I heard the mispronunciation of Reading. I just can't listen further. I'm out.
read-ding
i'll never forgive the youtube recommendation gods for making this my first slowdive song all those years back. this changed my brain chemistry forever. god but i love this song so much.
I remember that I knew slowdive for sleep, it was afternoon and I was into my alt indi pop music, like surf curse, the drums etc, and I saw a cover by a video song and it was that typical cover video by sleep, you know the typical pic by Rachel singing, so I got a sad vibe watching only the cover and when I listened I never thought it was like indi music or a grunge music, it was new planet that I met, time after I started to listen Alison and after listen all the band and now I know the history of slowdive…
i love this so much maan, i say this honestly but slowdive literally changed my life
i wish i had enough money to buy a guitar .. but i'm saving up !!
You and me both, mate. The moment I get enough cash for even a cheap Squier Strat I'm recording a lo-fi shoegaze album
I adore this track, it was my introduction to the band
Sleep is basically Slowdive's Stone In Focus
Follow Aphex Twin listener spotted
@@michaelinlofi I actually discovered slowdive through seeing Souvlaki in memes on Instagram alongside various Radiohead and Aphex Twin albums
Great video. Subbed.
Thank you!
Greatest song ever.
Great video. FYI Slowdive played Sleep on the 2023 tour through the US
They played it down here too! I saw a show in Sydney thanks to a kind fan selling me a ticket, and they played Sleep that night too. Transcendent experience, hope they come back with some Everything is Alive tracks too
I saw these live around the time of their first album. Blur were playing just down the road...a tough decision but it was a great gig...of course in the morning Blur got all the rave reviews...
Well, Britpop would have been the thing the papers were going mad about at the time. A damn shame that came at the cost of ignoring acts like Slowdive...
@@michaelinlofi It is good to see them finally getting the recognition they deserve
@@michaelinlofiPygmalion and shoe-gaze were definitely slated during the britpop era.
But in 1991, Blur were a bigger band, due mainly to "There's no other way", which did well in the charts.
Britpop wasn't really a thing until 95 onwards, although there were strong hints of what was to come throughout 92-94. It really was a great time to buy records and go to gigs/clubs. But that history has been carefully manipulated over the years.
Shoe-gaze was dead (in the eyes/ears of the music press) well before "britpop".
The NME and melody maker considered shoe-gaze old hat, tedious and self indulgent. Some of their articles were down right vicious.
However, the records were still being released and bought. Thank you Creation records! (David Cavanagh's book is an excellent history of that label).
I treasure those releases and listen to them far more than the britpop records.
Pygmalion and 5 EP were/are beautiful records and it's great that Slowdive are getting the critical acclaim, as well as a younger fanbase. Just shows how great their music is.
Good video 👍
great video! if you like sleep check out, i thought i saw and hide yer eyes. hope you get to see them live in concert too
Thanks! Glad to hear this video worked out, and will check out those songs for sure!
Unfortunately their Sydney show sold out as fast as anything, so I'll have to catch them next time!
(Edit: someone sold me their ticket, I ended up seeing them in July!)
Greaaat
I got it off of Napster long ago.
in apple music, there are some unreleased song in 'elricfd - Slowdive Into'
idk who is he but he just uploaded those songs by his name...
It's the same on Spotify. It's a bit cheeky if you ask me, but I also don't hate the convenience of being able to add Sleep to my playlists
they started performing it again in 2023 with a more everything is alive arrangement hopes for a 30th anniversary souvlaki with the original on
Yep! I saw them play it in Sydney in July. Damn near lifted off the floor
Really interesting, thanks. It is a great Slowdive track (but there's so many to choose from!)... BTW (and I'm probably not the first to point this out) the English town of Reading is pronounced "redding" not "reeding"... ;-)
Oh yeah, the pronunciation of Reading was one of the first things I got done for when this video started picking up steam.
Thanks for watching!
Is it just me or do they sound like cranberries
Not surprised they didn’t get any recognition
1:29 those haircuts 💀
It sure was the 90s
So called 'press' gave them so much shit back in the day, it's madness 😓
I bought the eternal single on Sarah records when it came it. Sarah Records is the best label ever. I collected almost all their singles.
Reading is pronounced 'Redding'
Oh believe me, I'm aware. I've had a few people do me for that one already 😅
In my defence though, I've never been to Reading, or anywhere in England outside of London
lmao and of course she has "The CURRENT THING" in her bio
Lol what?
If your key takeaway from a video about how Slowdive didn't get to release one of their best song is "Ukraine in bio bad" (something that was on screen for all of three seconds) then your priorities are catastrophically out of whack.
@@michaelinlofi cool vid tho!
Oh noes. Rachel isn't a RuZZki lover.
It’s pronounced RED-ING
Yeah I've been put on blast for that little slip XD in my defence I don't live in England
No joke you kinda look like a male version of young Rachel.
Genuinely not sure what to do with this information
@@michaelinlofi Haha, I can understand that.