Customer Reviews

Pygmalion

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The song "Rutti" is worth the CD alone. It's a 10 minute shoegazer opus that is not like anything I've heard since Grateful Dead's "Dark Star". It's amazing they re-released this CD. It's a masterpiece.

I still can't understand what it is about certain music and it's mysterious abilities.

Pygmalion reaches great depths and stratas and it is very hard to let go of afterwards. When you think back to remember the music, you can't. Instead you remember where you were when you had it on, and the mood you were in and who you were with when it was on.

A very intimate album, and in some tragic way a romantic album as well + it drastically elevates the meaningful-ness level in the room with a lover -- after a terrible argument. It's invaluable in that department. I love it when music feels sometimes like a companion when things go wrong.

It's not 'happy' , nor is it 'sad'. It reaches a liminal middle ground somewhere.

This is one of my favorite albums.

This is my current desert island album. It's a classic. It's better than OK computer, Sgt Peppers, Pet Sounds, Dark Side of the Moon, Revolver etc....and it's sound is very unique. THINK: ambient+krautrock+shoegazer+goth - or - swoopy guitars+cliCKs+BLEEPS+muffled M/F vocals+repitition+silence. It's almost like a good flying saucer attack record - only better. It's an original multi-purpose masterpiece you can use for any occasion -- parties, weddings, funerals, wakes, elections.... It also helps you to sleep if you feel imsomnia-ish. It's a kind-of less is moreish album more or less.
Althogh `Souvlaki' is widely considered to be Slowdive's creative peak, (even Souvlaki's liner notes say so) you should buy Pygmalion too, and then make your OWN mind up.
Slowdive were getting better and better, but after they released Pygmalion they disbanded and re-banded as the M.O.R.-esque and comparitively boring "Mojave Three". I will never understand this BIZARRE turn of events.
Pygmalion = Essential listening.... thank you.

i have been waiting to write something constructive about -pygmalion- for several years now.

originally released in 1995, -pygmalion- was slowdive's last hurrah, and essentially, a neil halstead solo record. the group's american record label did not release it in the states, claiming it would alienate fans as it did several members of the band.

-pygmalion- cannot be found anywhere in the US... i happen to own it because of my deep love for slowdive and a certain eAuction web site. it cost me fifty bucks out of japan, and is one of the best albums i own.

the record's sparse arrangements recall the best moments of -just for a day- and -souvlaki-, leading one to believe it is not the hard listen that the record company originally felt it was. over the past ten years, the myth of -pygmalion- has grown into cult, leading many fellow shoegazers to seek out the grail that is slowdive's third record.

the album's opener "rutti" recalls an influence of factory record's durutti column, and the bleak beeps and silence of "miranda" draw one into a hellishly introspective nightmare. "all of us" and "blue skied an' clear" end slowdive's thoughtful and poignant three-album career, leaving one thirsty for more.

while slowdive's subsequent country-ish incarnation of MOJAVE 3 leaves much to be desired for shoegazer fans, you can rest assured knowing that, for those who missed it, -pygmalion- doesn't disappoint.

i recently got ahold of pygmalion, so im still a bit iffy whether or not to consider it their "masterpiece" though i will say it was put together amazingly and showed the band going in a new direction with it's abstract & experimental feel. sadly, however, this was their last released album, which is a damn shame, because it's a true eye(or ear) opener, for both slowdive fans old & new.

supposedly the story behind this album was that the bigwigs on their label(creation, i believe) demanded (prior to pygmalion's release) that they release a "pop" album or , so to say, something more catchy & radio-friendly. the release of pygmalion led to them being kicked off the label, though i dont know if that had a part to play in the band's breaking up.

tragic, yes, considering they are one of the most original, beautiful & artistic bands from the 90s, much like my bloody valentine, & just like mbv(& many other experimental bands from the time) they were "unheard" of back then due to the explosion of grunge rock (nirvana, pearl jam, alice in chains, etc.)

its such a shame, especially since this is the album that is the hardest to get ahold of, due to it's limited print(thankfully all 3 albums have been re-released) consider yourself lucky if you find a copy & hopefully you'll appreciate it for the blissful beauty is is.

PS: if you enjoy, i recommend checking out auburn lull, landing, & loveliescrushing(llc very hard to find group)

This is indeed brilliant stuff, as is all of Slowdive's catalogue--I can't wait for the re-release of the early EP's on the bonus discs that are to accompany the re-releases of "Just for a Day" and "Souvlaki." Some of the tunes can be found on "Catch the Breeze" but they're so incredible one should have the EP's in their entirety (despite what the idiots at AMG say). Pygmalion CAN, however, be found domestically. I picked up the 2005 Creation import at Virgin at Mockingbird Station in Dallas just last night (seriously) for $20.99. A sticker on the cellophane wrapper proclaimed "Virgin Import" so check out the computer inventory at your local Virgin Megastore. I must admit that I DID almost wet my pants when it came up "in stock." Worth twice the price easily if you're a Slowdive fan.

Disc 1
1 Rutti
2 Crazy For You
3 Miranda
4 Trellisaze
5 Cello
6 J's Heaven
7 Visions Of La
8 Blue Skied An' Clear
9 All Of Us

Disc 2
10 Miranda (Pygmalion Demo)
11 Watch Me (Pygmalion Demo)
12 Yesterday (Pygmalion Demo)
13 To Watch (Pygmalion Demo)
14 Option One (Instrumental #1) (Pygmalion Demo)
15 Carfo (Pygmalion Demo)
16 Sinewaes (Pygmalion Demo)
17 Ambient Guitar (Pygmalion Demo)
18 Crazy For You (Alt Version) (Pygmalion Demo)
19 Krautruck (Pygmalion Demo)
20 Changes (Pygmalion Demo)
21 Red Five (Pygmalion Demo)

I remember seeing Ride at the Metro in Chicago in the early '90's(1991, I think). This band called Slowdive opened for them and blew me away! I soon bought everything "Slowdive" I could get my hands on--3 EP's and the LP Just For A Day. I love everything this band ever put out. The musical styles changed slightly from EP's to Just For A Day to Souvlaki. Then the styles changed dramatically from Souvlaki to the In Mind EP's to Pygmalion. Pygalion in their swan song and a dandy. It's a very influencial album. By this album, the distorted guitars and heavy drums are long gone, replaced with slow tempo music and computerized loops. Anyone who enjoys Dead Can Dance, Cocteau Twins and/or Sigur Ros, will love this album.

--Aaron K.

It was only accidentally that I discovered this album has been rereleased, and I couldn't be happier. I got it when it came out, loved it, loaned it away, and never got it back. Been kicking myself ever since. Sadly, this album came out when the more rockin' indie sound was waxing and the shoegaze stuff was on the wane. Hence, it never quite got the recognition it deserved, except for a few devotees that thought it was utterly fantastic. Pygmalion is far more ambient than their other works, and in some respects is much more a neil halstead project than a collective effort of the whole band. But no matter: it is well worth the money.

This album is the long-lost Slowdive album. Originally issued in 1995 it quickly fell into obscurity due to poor reviews and subsequently poor sales and hasn't been re-issued since. Fortunately, it is now back in print and remastered. But be warned, while it still retains a strong Slowdive feel, it is a far departure from both 'Just for a Day' and 'Souvlaki'. It is actually more atmoshperic and dream-like. Some have accused it of sounding too much like a new-age album, but I don't think that's true simply because the songs are way too depressing to be "new-age". But the same is true of all their albums.