Wiki
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Release Date
17 May 1993
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Length
10 tracks
Souvlaki is the second studio album by English shoegaze band Slowdive, released on June 1, 1993, via Creation Records. The album's title was taken from a skit by comedy duo The Jerky Boys, where one of the duo prank calls a hotel manager asking him to perform sexual acts on his wife. Upon learning the manager is Greek, the caller says: "My wife loves that Greek shit… She'll suck your cock like souvlaki".
While touring Europe in early 1992, Slowdive began working on their next record, Souvlaki, writing and recording in mutiple sessions, a reported total of 40 songs were created, the tracks had influences of Joy Division and David Bowie According to the band's chief songwriter Neil Halstead. Eventually the time came to show all 40 tracks to the head of Slowdive's label Creation Records, Alan McGee was unimpressed by the band's material and rejected it, stating that "They're all Shit!", despite Alan's disappointment, he would still gave the band full control of the album.
Frustrating the band as they would have to go back to the studio and record more songs, after some personal difficulties like Rachel and Neil breaking up, and Neil leaving to a rented collage in Wales, staying for two weeks, Neil finally came back with new written tracks, including Dagger. with Neil finally back, and a few more studio sessions and recordings, they finally made a collection of approved songs that would become Souvlaki.
On its initial release, Souvlaki peaked at number 51, only staying one week on the UK Albums Chart, and was greeted with tepid reviews from critics, receiving many negatives reviews at the time. the band would go on to record one more album before breaking up and each going on their own path, in the later years, It has since received retrospective critical acclaim, and love from a new generation of fans, being titled as the second best shoegaze album of all time by Pitchfork.
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