Slowdive's 'Hide Yer Eyes' - An Unreleased Masterpiece

Unreleased albums are fascinating, aren't they? From The Beatles' self-rejected 'Get Back' record in 1969 to Green Day's 'Cigarettes & Valentines' which was stolen from their studio in 2003, most artists always seem to have material that was never supposed to make it beyond the studio. But in the case of Slowdive, one of the pioneers of the 'shoegaze' genre of the 90's, their catalogue of unreleased material that has eventually leaked onto the internet is easily two albums worth of absolutely stunning ethereal music, songs so good that it's mind boggling to think that they were never supposed to be heard. And now, almost 30 years since it was recorded, Slowdive's 'Hide Yer Eyes' is their unofficial masterpiece that was never meant to leave the vault. This is its story. 

Fanmade Cover Art for 'Hide Yer Eyes'

Slowdive are a band who were never allowed to have their moment on top. After their first 3 (brilliant) EP's blew critics away, the band caught the attention of a certain Alan McGee who himself was still a few years away from discovering Oasis. McGee promptly signed the band to Creation Records in 1991 and their first LP 'Just For A Day' was released only a few months later. When it looked as if nothing could go wrong, not just negative but almost hateful critical reviews for their debut completely derailed the band's momentum and the relationship they had with their fans, critics and even management was damaged. 

The following year was bleak for the band as lead vocalists/songwriters Neil Halstead and Rachel Goswell ended their romantic relationship, and despite the band itself not breaking up it didn't help morale as they were already trudging their way through a tour for an album that nobody, including the band themselves, even liked. Once the gruelling UK tour was over, Halstead locked himself away in order to write material for a new album, in an attempt to get the band's momentum going again. Despite the reception for 'Just For A Day', Alan McGee still had faith in Slowdive, but he made sure to be strict on what they would release in the future. Throughout 1992 Halstead and the band brought over 25 songs to McGee to be approved for their next record, and he proceeded to turn down every single one, deeming them 'just not good enough'.

Slowdive in 1991.

Now, while many would say that Alan McGee was a genius at discovering and recognising quality music in the 90's, myself included, in my personal opinion he was embarrassingly wrong here. In the late 2000's, long after the band's demise in 1995, fans were finally given the opportunity to listen to not all, but some of the Alan McGee rejected tracks when previously unreleased Slowdive songs began to randomly appear on the internet. Songs like 'Joy', 'Sleep' and 'I Saw The Sun' revealed a divinely otherworldly sound that drew on the band's early EP's, only now boasting much wider personality and even more reverb. It's still unknown where these songs came from or who found them, but their distinct lack of quality despite being studio recordings suggest they were taken without permission. Each unreleased track has a sort of fuzziness about it, as if they're on a very dusty record playing through an old set of speakers. But don't let that deter you, if anything their 'old' sound adds to their mysticism, and each and every one is utterly brilliant. 

In 2011, a record label called Ali Philosophy pressed a 10 track bootleg LP under the title of 'Hide Yer Eyes', named after one of the unreleased, now unofficially released, tracks. Complete with new original artwork, their self-curated album brought together 10 of the rejected tracks from 1992 and to date, this bootleg record is the only evidence of any of these songs being pressed to vinyl or having any sort of release to the public, outside of Youtube videos. The album's tracklist is below. 

'Hide Yer Eyes'

1. Summer Day

2. Bleed

3. Sleep

4. Silver Screen

5. Dagger (Electric)

6. Ending

7. Joy

8. Hide Yer Eyes

9. Richard

10. I Saw The Sun

A 2011 Alt Philosophy pressing of 'Hide Yer Eyes' with alternate artwork.

Each of these songs and more unreleased Slowdive material that wasn't put on this 'album' was written for Slowdive's proposed second record as I mentioned earlier. After the 25+ songs were rejected by Alan McGee, Neil and Rachel, still drowning in their respective heartbreak, conjured up 10 more songs which turned into 'Souvlaki', Slowdive's 1993 album which is their undisputed magnum opus and I would possibly say is current favourite album and has been for some time. But as much as I adore it, I can't help but feel as if some of the 'Hide Yer Eyes' stuff is even better than bits of 'Souvlaki'!

The opener, 'Summer Day', is less 'shoegazey' than your average Slowdive song, still featuring the eclectic and dreamy guitar tones but a driving drum beat and deep vocals reveal a slightly heavier sound for the band, and Halstead's cinematic storytelling within his lyrics is as captivating as ever. And with 'Bleed' and 'Sleep', I've always sort of seen them as a pair. With each being respectively sung by Neil and Rachel, it's almost as if they're talking to one another through separate songs. 'Bleed''s strange and hypnotic like riff is quite a contrast to 'Sleep', which to this day remains one of Slowdive's only acoustic-like songs. I love them both, but how 'Sleep' was deemed not good enough is f*cking stupid.

Rachel Goswell (left) and Neil Halstead (right) in 1991.

Track 5, 'Dagger' will seem familiar to Slowdive fans as it's also the emotionally battering final song on 'Souvlaki', however the 'Hide Yer Eyes' version features a beautifully moody electric guitar rather than the officially released acoustic version. Either way, it's such a beautiful song that sees Neil in his most vulnerable state, and I'm grateful we get to see two sides to it. But as we move onto 'Joy', the fact that these songs were rejected becomes even more baffling. As per it's namesake, 'Joy' is Slowdive's attempt at a Joy Division song, starting out with a eerily strange guitar riff that's quickly joined with a intensely powerful drum beat, and Halstead's vigorously winding lyrics are so good they would've made Ian Curtis proud. This may be my all time favourite Slowdive song, and despite being performed live a handful of times in 1991, it's a crime this never made it on an album.

And to end, while the title track of 'Hide Yer Eyes' is a gorgeous blend of acoustic and shoegaze vibes, it's the closing song of 'I Saw The Sun' that should be regarded, with no shadow of a doubt, as shoegaze royalty. If you work your way through all of Slowdive's unreleased material you'll quickly notice that so much of it focuses on the sun, or summer, so whatever motivated Neil Halstead's obsession with the sun certainly manifested it's way into some beautiful music. 'I Saw The Sun' is this almost-operatic shoegaze treasure that makes you feel like you're dreaming. How this seemed out of place next to the (also stunning) material on 'Souvlaki' literally doesn't make sense, but I suppose that could be said for most of the tracks 'Hide Yer Eyes'. A beautiful hidden album that's cherished by those who yearned for more Slowdive for so many years, and I'm so glad it now exists in some form. Thank you for reading.