Just for a Day

Just for a Day is the debut studio album by English rock band Slowdive, released on 2 September 1991 by record label Creation.

Just for a Day
Studio album by Slowdive
Released	2 September 1991
Studio	Courtyard Studios, Abingdon, England
Genre	Shoegazing dream pop
Length	43:44
Label	Creation SBK
Producer	Chris Hufford
Slowdive chronology
Morningrise (1991) Just for a Day (1991) Souvlaki (1993)

Recording

Just for a Day was recorded at Courtyard Studios in Abingdon in the Thames Valley, formerly known as Georgetown Studios.

Release

Just for a Day peaked at number 32 on the UK Albums Chart and number 3 on 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".

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.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Chicago Tribune	[2]
Entertainment Weekly	B[3]
NME	8/10[4]
Pitchfork	7.0/10[5]
Rolling Stone	[6]
Select	3/5[7]
Stylus Magazine	A−[8]

Just for a Day has been generally well-received by critics. 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".[9] 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".[5] 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."[10]

In 1999, critic Ned Raggett ranked the album at number 17 on his list of "The Top 136 or So Albums of the Nineties" for Freaky Trigger.[11] In 2016, Pitchfork listed the album at number 7 on its list of ″The 50 Best Shoegaze Albums of All Time″.[12]

Track listing

All tracks are 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 reissue bonus disc

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

Slowdive

• Rachel Goswell – vocals, guitar
• Neil Halstead – vocals, guitar, keyboards
• Christian Savill – guitar
• Nick Chaplin – bass guitar
• Simon Scott – drums

Charts

Chart (1991)	Peak position
UK Albums (OCC)[13]	32

References

1. Abebe, Nitsuh. "Just for a Day – Slowdive". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 May 2010.
2. Caro, Mark (20 February 1992). "Slowdive: Just for a Day (Creation/SBK)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
3. DiMartino, Dave (21 February 1992). "Just for a Day". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
4. Williams, Simon (24 August 1991). "Slowdive: Just for a Day". NME.
5. Abebe, Nitsuh (28 November 2005). "Slowdive: Just for a Day / Souvlaki / Pygmalion". Pitchfork. Retrieved 21 May 2010.
6. Robbins, Ira (5 March 1992). "My Bloody Valentine: Loveless / Slowdive: Just for a Day / Velvet Crush: In the Presence of Greatness". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 31 May 2007. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
7. Maier, Dan (October 1991). "Slowdive: Just for a Day". Select (16): 71.
8. Parrish, Peter (17 January 2005). "Slowdive – Just For A Day – Review". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on 30 March 2014. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
9. Ridge, Jon (October 1991). "Slowdive: Just for a Day". Lime Lizard: 52.
10. Rabid, Jack; Neate, Wilson. "TrouserPress.com :: Slowdive". TrouserPress.com. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
11. Raggett, Ned. "The Top 136 or So Albums of the Nineties". Freaky Trigger. Archived from the original on 19 February 2011. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
12. "The 50 Best Shoegaze Albums of All Time". Pitchfork. 24 October 2016. p. 5. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
13. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 August 2019.