Ride is a 1980s and 90s British shoegazing band, formed by Laurence Colbert (Drums), Mark Gardner (Guitar), Steve Queralt (Bass) and Andy Bell (Guitar) in 1988. The band formed in 1988 in Oxford, England, and officially broke up in 1996. During that time they received much critical acclaim, although this was never translated into the chart and financial success that they aimed for. Since then, the band members have gone on to other projects, most notably Andy Bell becoming Bass Player for Oasis. Since 2001 the band has been semi-active and has released a number of compilation and live recordings, as well as a limited pressing EP with new material.

Contents

1 History 2 Discography 3 Trivia 4 Related Topics 5 External Links

History

1988-1989 Starting out
After supporting The Soup Dragons in 1989, Alan McGee from Creation Records signed a record deal with them.

1989-1993 Early Creation Years
Ride released three EPs between January and September 1990, entitled Ride, Play and Fall, each with distinctive blurred artwork on the covers. From these EPs, the songs Chelsea Girl, Like a Daydream and Dreams Burn Down became favourites. While each EP was not a chart success, enough critical praise was received to make Ride the "darlings" of music journalists. The first two EPs were eventually released together as Smile years later in 1992, while the Fall EP was incorporated into their first LP, Nowhere, released in October 1990.

Nowhere was hailed as a critical success and the media dubbed Ride "The brightest hope" for 1991. Many fans regard this as their favourite album, with songs like Vapour Trail, and Dreams Burn Down becoming classics in Shoegazing. It was from this period that the band usually closed their live set with Seagull, a mass of feedback and rhythm guitar that remains one of the band's classic pieces.

Demand for new material was high, and the band recorded another EP, Today Forever in March 1991. The EP showed a band that was maturing quickly and producing material that was more subtle and complex than their releases barely 12 months previously. Sennen, the second track from this EP, became a crowd favourite. Ride made their first international tour to Japan, Australia and France later on that year.

March 1992 saw the band release probably their best work, the album Going Blank Again. Opening with the anthemic 8.17 single Leave them all behind, the album showcased the band's creative work and skill in working with the Wall of Sound style that typifies Shoegazing bands. The twin rhythm guitars of Bell and Gardener, both distorted, both using Wah-wah pedals and both feeding back on each other was the highlight of the album's critical and chart success. It needs to be pointed out, also, that the band had listened to and had been been influenced by the album Nevermind by Nirvana as they recorded their second LP. This link, between Shoegazing and Grunge_music, has never been fully explored. Ride's early influences include Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine, both of which influenced the style of Ride's music and the songs found on Going Blank Again.

1994-96 Change in Musical Direction
Despite having a solid fanbase and some mainstream success, the lack of a breakthrough contributed to inter-band tension, especially between Gardner and Bell. Their third LP, Carnival of Light, was released in 1994 (1994 in music), after shoegazing had given way to Britpop among mainstream listeners. Carnival of Light was oriented towards this new sound, but sales were sluggish and the shift in musical tastes devastated much of their original audience. Despite this, Carnival of Light remains a favourite for many fans.

1996 The Break up
1995 (1995 in music) saw the dissolution of the band while recording Tarantula, universally agreed to be their worst album.

It appears that the band split due to creative and personal tensions between Gardner and Bell. Both had led the band away from their Shoegazing roots to become more contemporary, hoping to change their style with the times. It has been remarked by Queralt that the band had two future directions open to them, and they chose the wrong option. The track listing of Carnival of Light gives an indication of the tension that was mounting between the two guitarists, with the first half of the album being songs written by Gardner and the last half of the album being songs written by Bell - one or both had refused to let their songs be interspersed with pieces written by the other. Other musical changes, such as the use of a Cathedral boy's choir for one song and Hammond organs for a number of others, were not as innovative or creative as had been hoped.

By the time Tarantula appeared, the band was beginning to self destruct. Bell penned most of the songs while Gardner provided only one - the tension within the band leading to an inability to write meaningful musical pieces. Castle on the Hill, written by Bell, was a lament for the band's situation and contains references to Gardner's self imposed exile from the group. Against all common sense from the record company, the album was released and remained on sale for one week before being withdrawn. Critics and fans alike had panned the album, and it was no surprise to them to learn that the band had split before the record had even been released.

Since the break-up, both Bell and Gardner have been able to be more reflective on the reasons why the group disintegrated, with Bell especially admitting his own part in the process. It appears that they had just been too young and too stubborn and had no real idea of where the band was heading when they changed their style.

1997-2001 Post break-up years
After the split, Andy Bell formed a new band called "Hurricane #1" but this project was permanently dissolved when he was asked to play Bass for Oasis. Mark Gardener and Laurence Colbert formed "The Animalhouse". Gardener has also toured as a solo artist, while Colbert has also been playing for a Bob Dylan tribute band called "The Zimmermen". Queralt appears to have retired from professional music.

2001+ Channel Four and beyond
On 16 October 2001, all four members of Ride agreed to be filmed by Channel 4. The footage was used for a documentary on Sonic Youth, and featured both Bell's and Gardener's unique use of feedback and distortion during a thirty minute jam. The recording of this song, plus two short sound checks, were released in 2002 as Coming up for Air. The interest this limited release CD caused the band to consider future releases. In late 2002, Ride released a 3CD box set which is made up of OX_4 The Best of Ride, Firing Blanks (Unreleased tracks) and Live_Reading Festival 1992. In 2003 they released Waves, a series of recordings the band made for the BBC.

The fact that the band appears to be releasing new material and even being interviewed together seems to indicate that the tension between Gardener and Bell, which was one of the main causes of the band's demise, has been mended.

Any thoughts of permanently re-forming the band, however, have been explicitly denied by Bell.

Discography

Ride (EP)
Play (EP)
Fall (EP)
Nowhere
Today Forever (EP)
Leave the all Behind (EP)
Going Blank Again
Twisterella (EP)
Smile
Birdman (EP)
How does it feel to feel? (EP)
Carnival of Light
I don't know where it comes from (EP)
Black Nite Crash (EP)
Tarantula

OX_4 The Best of Ride
Firing Blanks_Unreleased Ride Recordings 1988-95
Live_Reading Festival 1992
Coming up For Air (EP)
Waves (BBC Radio One sessions)

Trivia

Thom Yorke, lead singer of Radiohead, was a fan of Ride before his own success. It was reported on the internet that he had asked the band to reform for a special concert with Radiohead a number of years ago which was, unfortunately, turned down.

Related Topics

External Links

Fan's Website http://www.ticket2ride.it/index2.htm

Official Website http://www.rideox4.net/

Creation Records website http://www.creation-records.com