This section of the site is meant to be a free space for everyone who wants to have his say about how Ride, in some way or another, have affected his/her life.
Tell everyone about how you discovered Ride, why you like them so much, which albums/songs you love more, what happened when you went to see them play live... and basically whatever else you want to say about Ride or you always wished you said to Ride themselves...
So if you have any Ride related stories or memories you wish to share with
other fellow fans... why not write them down and send
them to me by e-mail?
So far you can read stories by:
During my freshman year in high school, fall of 1992, i was a very depressed,
dull person.
There was not much that interested me, and, more than anything, I was sick of
the US Top 40, which is all I heard around me.
My sister was starting her first year at college, and she told me about all
the great bands that her new friends were listening to.
So, a few weeks after she started college, she came home with a mix tape.
This was the end of September in 1992.
On that mix tape were lots of great bands, like Lush and the Charlatans...and
Ride.
"Time of Her Time" was the only Ride song on that tape, and I was
amazed by it. Her friends quickly dubbed Nowhere and Going Blank Again, and
I thought that the two were masterpieces. As I slowly made out the lyrics I
realized that, those too, had some meaning to me, unlike the trash on the radio.
Anyway, my sister and I started to build up a Ride collection, and I eagerly
awaited the release of another Ride album. Carnival of Light was not what I
was expecting, but I loved it just the same as the other albums. It has lots
of melody, it's catchy, and it's a very beautiful-sounding album. So, i thought,
i can't wait until these guys tour the States. But their tour got cancelled,
so I never got to see Ride perform live. I had no idea Ride were even working
on a new album, when I went to my local record shop and saw a cool cover with
a gun on it... TARANTULA... cool! ...I thought... then I noticed a horrible
sticker on it...
"The RIDE ends here: the final album from Britain's seminal guitar pop band."
I really did shed a tear as I was listening to it, because Ride broke up, and they had done so at a point when there was a big Britpop movement that was giving so many bands all these Top 10 hits. And, unlike most Brit bands, Ride wasn't in the "too-British for American ears" category. Tarantula is an album full of songs that, if they had been worked on, would have been great. "Black Nite Crash" and "Sunshine" would have been great contenders for hit singles, but something wasn't done right. I guess that's a theme in Ride's story. They had the potential, and certainly were deserving, of becoming "the band of the 90's"...but something went wrong along the way.
I still love Ride a lot, and I seem to make about one new fan every couple of months. I think we're all going to make sure they never get forgotten. But, just an interesting note to add to this RIDE story, I thought that I would finally get to see at least one member of Ride perform when Hurricane#1 toured, and, of course, they had to play at a 21+ place...oh well.In the meantime, I look forward to the projects of the former band.
A special note to Ride members: please, don't ever speak lowly of your Ride days. Ride touched many of us, and it's something that you should always be very proud of, as your styles were and still are being used as strong influences around the world. You guys made some really AWESOME songs!
(Spiro Gouras)
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I never really heard of Ride until I received
a copy of Vox magazine with a live version of "I dunno where it comes from"
on it.
I was into Oasis at the time, but this Ride song was more Rock'N'Roll than Oasis
ever could be, it had long guitar solos and seemed to go on for ages.
Shock horror I picked up a copy of Select magazine a few month later, Ride had split up so I decided to go and look for any albums of theres I could find.
First of all I purchased "Going Blank Again" including the mammoth single "Leave them all behind" . That song was unreal, no other conventional band would even thing of writing something like that, it sounds like your heads being smashed around in a metal box. I loved this album it was completely different to what I was used, everything sounded unique and different.
I bought "Tarantula" but this sounded like a band who had given up their creative edge and turned retro, although some of the songs were fantastic e.g. "Black Nite crash".
I'm continuing my search to find all the other albums, and due to my admiration of Andy's guitar playing I've purchased material by Hurricane #1, but it can't match the vocal by Andy on Ride songs; his voice sounds so drugged up and unique, just as any classic pop star should. You never know, they might re-unite...
I wish!
(Robin Wright)
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One night while lying on my bed, pondering a geometry proof, I realized that I hadn't listened to a CD a friend had lent me.
After hearing him ramble and sing praises of "Nowhere", I had decided to humour his poor taste in music -for everyone knew that U2 could not be topped- and have a few listens to the album. So I threw it in the CD player, expecting to hear some boring, emotionless drone. I simply hoped to let it be background music for my homework, and yet I could claim that I had listened to "all of it." My first thoughts were "why don't they turn the singer's mic up a bit," and indeed, the vocals were hardly audible. Thus, I found some boring music, that was neither good nor bad, just simply there.
I stayed in this vein of thought until I got to the eight track, a song called "Vapour Trail." It was easily the most accessible song on the album, and it caught me immediately. It featured some melancholy lyrics sung in a wafery-lite voice, some striking guitar hooks, and, most of all, some incredible drumming. But what really caught me was the slow, haunting electric violin solo at the end. I found myself shivering, with goosebumps standing proud, as I reflected on the lyrics and pondered the meaning of the song.
On the strength of that one song, I went back and listened closely to the album. I found an intense, emotional collection of songs that has never ceased to give me goosebumps. Some inspiring, some melancholy, some disheartened, yet never once has the tidal wave of soaring music and brilliant lyrics failed to wash over me and imprint upon me the genius of "Nowhere".
Since then "Nowhere" has created quite a shift in my music interests.
Not only has U2 been replaced by Ride, but "Nowhere" and "Vapour
Trail" have each become my favorite album and song, respectively. Ironically,
however, I tend to listen to each of them infrequently, for fear that they will
lose their stunning, breathtaking effect on my soul.
Neither can be listened to as mere background music, they must be let loose
under full concentration of the mind, or else they may simply degenerate into
"boring, emotionless drone."
(Evan)
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What can I say?
Ride is SUCH a phenomenal band. You can always find one of their CDs on deck
(or at least near it ;).
Memory by association, brought upon by such powerful songs like Leave Them All
Behind, Time Machine, Nowhere, Dreams Burn Down, and Paralysed (the list really
can go on): the pyschedelic guitars, the fuzz, the distortion, its brilliant,
almost dreamlike sound penetrating through the walls of my room. Such intensity
of one song could not NOT leave a mark on one's life. These songs evoke certain
emotions for that very reason - memories by association.
So, when I hear a certain song, I can't help but remember what I was doing that
day I was first listening to it. I guess that means I listen to too much Ride,
seeing how I can associate everything with them?
One can't just listen to Ride From Time to Time!
I just have so many fond memories of how I was swept into the world of Ride
and my many attempts at converting everyone around me into a Ride fan! I remember
just sitting in at my friend's radio show and he'd show me all these cool promo
CDs the station would get. From there, he introduced me to Smile and Nowhere!
If we had our way, we would have had a Ride hour every week or something, but
darn those station managers!
Anyways, that is pretty much how I was introduced to Ride, at a sprightly age
of oh, I dunno, around 15-ish?
Wow.
That was a long ways back. Those were the days...
But yeah, I was/am a Ride addict. Loved Nowhere, loved Smile, and then about
a year later, lo and behold! - the release of GBA! Then whaddaya know? US TOUR!!!
My long awaited time had come!
I had the pleasure of seeing them play at The Edge, a decent sized venue in
Palo Alto, California back in 1992.
And to think, I ALMOST didn't go! What a tragedy that would have been, seeing
how the Carnival of Light tour was canceled.
$10 from a desperate scalper. What would we do without 'em, huh? :)
With that, I'll end this by saying, RIDE RULES! I want that shirt, by the way :)
(Erin)
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I first heard of Ride when Leave Them All Behind came out but after that I didn't pay much attention and even when Carnival Of Light came out, I was quite disappointed because that year there were far more better albums (Prodigy's Jilted Generation etc...).
When I heard they were splitting I had already lost interest and didn't really care when Tarantula came out as I was still wallowing in disbelief at the demise of the Stone Roses. So a year went by and eventually Hurricane#1 took shape and when “Step into my world” was released it became clear that it was one of the singles of the year.
Andy hadn't lost any of his genius.
“Just another illusion” was just as good but the debut LP as a whole was quite disappointing, so that's when I started to remember the Ride days.
Nostalgia can often be a bad thing (in the case of the Roses) but I then went out and got myself Tarantula; I concluded that sounded more like Hurricane than Ride, so eager as I was, I proceeded to fish out Going Blank Again and purchased Smile, Nowhere and borrowed Carnival of Light off a pal.
For about two months I constantly played them and soon became obssesed with
the genius that they were. If any band were Creation Records' most important,
it was Ride, not Oasis. So here I remain, waiting for Gardener to turn up and
Ride to do it all again, just because I missed out. But then again, you never
can forget true talent and Ride had it;
never mind if Oasis were more successful, the class will live on.
(Bob)
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Crashing, churning walls of such beautiful noise, visions
of driving, a wide empty ocean,
late nights turning into cold empty mornings, running through streets while
everyone sleeps...
this is the perfect sound.
There are four pieces of music that can make me cry.
With their beauty, clarity of vision, and sheer rightness of being.
With the images and memories which they envoke in me.
All four are Ride songs.. Polar Bear, Dreams Burn Down, Chrome Waves, Leave
Them All Behind.
I won't go into details, suffice to say that these songs encapsulate, for me, the pure and visceral sounds of love, loss, dreaming and just running into the wind...
(Skye)
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Greetings from NYC and a warm hello to all fellow 'shoegazing' RIDE fans across planet 'Gaia'.
I just happen to have a pretty interesting story to share with you all involving
the four lads that arose out of Oxford.
I am a lover to mostly all sides of music but, since age eight have had a soft
spot for 'new wave/indie pop/alternative' bands.
I mean everything from Moose to Slowdive to Echo and the Bunnymen, etc.
However, RIDE is easily the 'diamond in the pineapple' as far as I am concerned
or maybe I am just a die hard RIDE fan who is stubborn. Although I love everything
they have ever created before the split, I do wonder why they chose to leave
behind the 'Nowhere/Smile' sound for 50/50 pop ridden songs (except for a few
you should be able to name) as was the case with 'Going blank Again'?
I guess it was just one of those transformations bands go through, such as Al
Jurgenson's early Ministry to modern Ministry. Quite a noticeable change, eh?
Let alone, the Pale Saints, Swervedriver, etc.
Not to stray from the point, what the hell ever happened to Chapterhouse? They
were promising with 'Whirlpool' for what feels like ages ago.
Anyway, back to my RIDE story of 1990-1991-1992-?
Heaven forgive me it's been so long ago since I saw them jam at Maxwell's in
Hoboken and the next night at the Marquee in NYC promoting 'Nowhere'.
Well, my older brother Kevin went to college at Rutgers Univ. in the city of
New Brunswick and a fella by the name of Matt Pinfield back then (by the way,
he is now a pretty important VJ for MTV here in the States') owned two music
clubs called The Roxy and The Melody Bar as well as spinning tunes for WHTV-103.6.
My brother had an 'alternative' band while schooling and they would play at
Pinfield's clubs and soon the two befriended each other. Now, consequently,
Matt Pinfield had some 'strange job' of taking bands out for drinks and a good
time when they flew in from the U.K. or wherever and had a show either in N.J.
or NYC the following night. Anyway, Matt Pinfield would always invite my brother
with him and these groups, hence, my brother (the lucky bastard) got to meet
and drink pints with the likes of House of Love, The Wonderstuff, Ian McCulloch,
and RIDE, etc.
I was still only about fifteen or so, so I was never able to hang out with them.
Anyway, finally my point to all this rubbish...well while attending a RIDE
show at Maxwell's in Hoboken N.J. my brother gave me the chance to say hello
to these guys. I was mortified (same way a year ago when I got to get the remaining
three Bunnymen's autographs at a secret performance at Virgin records store
in NYC) to say the least.
Andy Bell in the flesh? Not too often do you get to meet your idol, eh?
So in short, 'they' blew the sound system three times while trying to finish one song, which was Dreams Burn Down by the way, and after the show, I got to go downstairs and meet them all in some back room they were hanging out in.
Finally the moment.
As shy as can be, I popped my head in after my brother told them that the greatest
fan in the world wanted to say hi was here, and I timidly said hello and was
gone. RIDE weren't in good moods sitting there after blowing the sound system
a few times. They took this show very seriously. I guess most bands do when
they come to NYC for the first time. I remember catching JesusJones at a tiny
bar and the next year later, they were packing huge venues.
RIDE were excellent despite the mishaps.
The next night at the Marquee, they gave the nicest gift to true listeners,
they did Decay as an encore. It was wild.
Pity though, I caught them again with the Charlatans and Catherine Wheel for 'Going Blank Again' and they really looked like they didn't want to be up on stage at all and that only Mark G. was having a good time, well Lars too.
Enough about me. Christ, I could tell you the one where I met Blur's Damon and he got me and my ticketless friends into to see them a year later. He was completely rocked. Later.
Oh yeah, Andy Bell is gifted though I haven't heard much from Hurricane #1.
(Eric Butler)
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Upon first seeing the video for Like A Daydream on 120
minutes back in '90, I was amazed at the energy of this band.
Soon after, they were playing at the Cat's Cradle in Chapel Hill, NC, USA right
down the road (2 hours) from my college, East Carolina University...
I arrived in Chapel Hill early (2pm) and drove by the venue with 2 friends.
The side door was open so we walked right in.
HOLY CRAP!
There was RIDE doing a soundcheck! Mark was playing pool by himself while the
others jammed for 10 straight minutes.
I got to meet all the members & had them sign my ticket.
They rocked with LUSH in front of only 100 people & I'll never forget it as
long as I live...
(Chris Lowe)
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How late is it? Hmmmm, it's only half past eleven. I have to go to bed, cause I got school tomorrow. Yes but... I know I usually only fall asleep at 1:00 a.m... Aaaah, what the hell! Let's watch some t.v.! Nothing on this channel, nothing on that one... and nothing on that one. I always say television is full of shit.
Euuohh! Hein?
...Leave them all behind... Just to see...We've got so far to go... Until we
get there... Just let it flow...
...Just let it flow... Just let it flow... Just let it flow
...Just let it flow... Just let it aaaaahaaaaaaaah...
...aaaaaahaaaaaah... ah... aaaaahaaaaaah (and so forth)
...I don't care about the truth...
This song, this song is really good... What's the name of this band!?
"Ride"... "Leave Them All Behind"... "Going Blank Again"
I have to remember this!"
This is how I first met the band. I stood there in front of my t.v. watching the clip as I was enchanted not to mention completely overwhelmed by this bizarre, attractive, and unfamiliar sound. For once I wasn't disappointed by MTV. A few days later I went to the Virgin Megastore in Antwerp to check out what this strange new band had to show me.
One problem.
When I went to check one of their albums, I noticed I had forgotten the name
of the track and the title of the album as well. I didn't have enough time to
listen to all of their albums. So I picked up "Tarantula" and "Going Blank Again".
"Tarantula" kinda more impressesd me. So I bought it. But something was strange.
I didn't recognize "Leave Them All Behind" as I was listening to the tracks.
And I don't understand how it's possible. I went to check the c.d. especially
for having heard that astonishing song. I really don't understand. I liked "Tarantula"
but not too much. In my opinion something was missing in this album, some kind
of emotion I had with "Leave Them All Behind".
So I went to buy "Going Blank Again". The sky was dark-blue and I pushed the
start button. As the music started to become more clear in my head I fell in
love with the song. And I recognized it directly.
I adored OX4 as well. "Tarantula" was nothing compared to this, nothing! I had
this feeling of dreaming... I felt there were no limits to my freedom... I felt
like a god!
And this emotion came back to me when I first listened to "Seagull" which is according to me the best song in the world. "Nowhere is definitely my favourite album.
But then again I was a bit disappointed with "Carnival of Light" of which
I only saw the clip of "How does it feel to feel". But...at that time I still
didn't know the band had split up. I saw Ride on t.v. for the first time (I
reckon) in spring '98. I recall I once came back from school. When I got home
I heard a music coming from my brother's room. I entered the room and listened
to "It's just another illusion" from Hurricane #1. I liked it a lot (a lot)
and still do. Some months later I finally decided to check out the names of
the Hurricane #1's members.
I read Andy Bell!
I didn't realize at first, but after a few seconds I understood what was wrong.
The band (Ride) had split up. I was full of sorrow, but didn't shed a tear.
I guess it was because I had only known Ride for 4 months back then. But when
I think about it now, I get depressive.
I always attempted to find a website dedicated to Ride, but found nothing. Until that day I saw that Andy Bell belonged to Hurricane#1's crew. I checked it and got to this re-mark-able website.
Thank you Piero.
This winter I bought "Smile". I adored it, cause its sound resembled to that one in "Nowhere". Smile was very good! I envy people like Eric Butler who had the chance to meet the crew in person. Eric you are one lucky... (meaning it with sympathy).
I have now some few last words for MY BAND.
Guys... I can't say you are my life, but you and your music accompanies me everywhere I go, for it is one with me. I thank you so much, so much. You will always be in my heart and I'll make sure the best band in the world will not be forgotten... never.
Thank You Ride.
My eyes are sore,my body weak, my throat is dry, I cannot speak, my words are dead...
"RIDE, HERE AND NOWHERE, BUT FOREVER!"
(Alain Rozenfeld)
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I got into Ride from the begining 1989/90 with the 'RIDE E.P' when I was 15, I have all the 12", and cd singles alongside their albums on vinyl and many rare promo's such as Taste 7" and Leave them all behind.
They became like my best friends as I lived in an isolated small town in Lincolnshire England, with loads of macho idiots. They influenced me greatly and I loved there genuine sincerity and raw emotion that filled their music. After Going Blank Again I had so much expectation about the next album, I thought the rush of Leave them all behind would fill me again, only by the newer songs.
Sadly, when I saw them at Glastonbury 1994 and listened to Carnival of light, I realised that the magic that RIDE once had was all lost, but even when I received the letter from the fan club telling me of the split, I felt quite sad, as if my friends had truly gone. Still even four years on I still listen to RIDE and play guitar to many of their songs, Leave Them All Behind and Grasshopper in particular.
I also saw Hurricane#1 live in Bath where I now live, at one of their first gigs in Moles night club. I spoke with Andy and wished him all the best with his new band, he seems like a really gentle, talented guy, who deserves more recognition than he got whilst in RIDE. Still can't honestly say I like the attitude of that Alex guy who fronts the band, nor does the music really move me in any significant way, but that's life, time moves on things change as did RIDE, I'm just glad I felt part of something so special.
(David Lammin)
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...I first heard Ride in 1990 - a friend and I were too
obsessed with the NME/Melody Maker set, and being in California with all those
bands far away in England seemed so exotic, I guess.
So we took turns buying expensive imports from bands we'd only seen pictures
of and dubbing them for each other.
One day she called me, and I could barely hear her over the noisy stereo in the background. "Oh, you've got to come over", she said. "I just bought the Ride album and it's incredible!".
So I raced over, and with one listen to Smile we were both hooked.
As soon as the band made it over to tour, we were at every show withing 100
miles.
San Francisco, Palo Alto, Santa Cruz.
We grew our hair like Mark's, and shyly kicked soccer balls around with the
band behind The Edge in Palo Alto.
When a friend who was a DJ at college told me she was to interview Mark and
Andy, I begged her to come along - but no such luck. I was, however, allowed
to contribute questions, and still have the tape.
The shows with Lush and Slowdive were probably the loudest shows I've ever been
to, and I loved every minute of them; I just don't think you can play those
records loud enough to get the sense of what it was like to hear Drive Blind
live. I was sad when they became the Rolling Who, and I'm sad that they're gone,
too, but I'm glad they were around and gave so much.
(Ian Connelly)
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One of my biggest regrets in life is that I didn't come
to know RIDE until after they ceased to exist.
A good friend of mine has a local Brisbane band called Pale, and it was only
a few years ago that he revealed one of his major influences was Ride.
I had heard this enchanting music he played occasionally (it turned out to be
"Vapor Trail") and just had to have it.
Looking over the list of tour dates, I feel frustrated seeing the occasions when the band toured here in Australia and I knew nothing of them. In my mind, I have listened to their albums and constructed ideal set-lists in my head. Seeing the actual set-lists on your website sends a shiver up my spine as I mentally live those lost moments I could have been a part of.
I was born in 1970, and have lived all my life without being able to claim
a single band as consistently my favourite.
Once I was introduced to RIDE, all that changed.
"Nowhere" and "Going Blank Again", the only pieces of RIDE material I own, sometimes spend weeks in my CD player. I have even used "In a Different Place" as a meditation piece at our local church!
Alas, I can simply put on my headphones and live moments that never were, imagining what the live experience might have been.
(Andrew Solomon)
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The first time I heard "Like A Daydream.
Meeting Mark Gardner.
Two of the greatest moments in my life.
I was 17 in early 1991.
The perfect time (no pun intended) to find and be influenced by "good music."
I was already turned onto the "modern rock" station in the area, compiling mix
tape after mix tape of my favorites; Depeche Mode, U2, Echo And The Bunnymen,
House Of Love, Smiths, etc.
Then it was time for MTV's (they used to rule) 120 Minutes, with suave host
Dave Kendall.
One day on the program (yes, day! you really think I'd stay up till 2AM? I taped
it like everyone else!) Kendall was introducing the next video by a band called
They Eat Their Own. The song was "Like A Drug." (Not a very good song, by the
way). So he introduced the video, but wait! What is this?! It's NOT "Like A
Drug".
It's "Like A Daydream" by Ride!
They screwed up. What is THIS?
Four really cute young guys who are so godamn cool.
And the song.
The song was just wonderful!! Those vocals, that guitar, that haircut.
Shoegazers? Dreampop? So intriguing.
Call it fate. Call it what you will.
I was hooked on RIDE from that point on. So you probably know how the rest goes.
But hold on, I still hold a couple more surprises.
A month or so later, I'm at a record store (independent, mostly used). I check out some low priced cassette singles and such. What do I find? SMILE for $1.99.(!!!!!!) Smile. Too cool. Nowhere? Dear to my heart. So I miss the amazing show with Ride and Lush. No one to go with of course. No one I know likes Ride. That sucks.
Summer 1992. Going Blank Again. I found some cool people in the next town to
go to the concert with. Oh shit I was so excited. And with the Levellers and
Pale Saints!
They were so amazing. I don't remember much. Lots of crowd surfing. When crowd
surfing was hip and new.
Quite a rush.
So I'm sure you know how it went after Going Blank Again.
I will say nothing on Ride's demise and break-up.
But in 1995, just after the next LP, Carnival Of Light came out, I experienced another twist of fate.
Stone Roses, summer of 1995, live in Manhattan. Second Coming blows. Stone
Roses show not important here.
After the show, I'm trying to get out.
Holy fucking shit!!!
In the crowd I see Mark Gardner!!! Yes, I know it's him!!! I MUST meet him.
I walk to him and say hello. I was nervous. Had no idea what to say. I can't even tell you exactly what I said. The only lines I remember exactly were that I asked him,
"So are you guys gonna tour soon?"
"Hopefully" Mark replied.
I will never forget him saying that word. But alas, there was never a tour in the United States after that.
But the image of "Like A Daydream" and Ride remains as I close my eyes.
(Kenyon M. Hopkin)
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I've never heard of Ride before 1999.
I didn't even know there was a band called like that, let alone know what they sounded like.
I live in Italy and in the early Nineties the only British bands you could
be aware of were Take That and the likes, so I missed the whole thing.
It would have been great, in my high school years, being into such great music
but it didn't happen and only when I discovered Blur things started to change.
Why the hell are you talking about Blur, you will say.
Well, I was reading this amazing Blur biography when I bumped into these words:
shoegaze, the scene the celebrate itself, Lush, Chapterhouse... RIDE.
There was a brief description of what kind of music these bands were into and
it sounded amazing. I've always had a penchant for early Blur's tracks, some
of them dubbed as shoegazer and I was dying to listen to more of it.
I don't know why, but, among all the bands that were included in The Scene,
I chose RIDE (maybe I already knew...). No way to find anything from them in
my local stores... no one seemed to have heard about them, they even teased
me by saying 'the name sounds like an insecticide brand'.
Then I tried on the internet... and I found this site.
I entered here crossing my fingers, I didn't know if there was an audio section... and , yeah, there was!
The first two songs I've heard were CHELSEA GIRL and VAPOUR TRAIL.
Top class! I listened to all of them, eventually, and ended up loving Ride to
bits already...
What makes them unique is the perfect blend of sweet melodies and swirling riffs,
the sound so different from all the dance-hip-hop-whatever crap that rules the
charts. They sounded exactly what I ever wanted a great band to sound and there
was something about them...
I finally bought NOWHERE (in London, 'cause there's just one place here to find decent music and I didn't know it at the time) and it was even better than what I expected. Listening to those songs was just like a daydream (no pun intended), with all those fragile vocal harmonies and their bittersweet psychedelia, the devastating sadness of Paralysed, the lyrics whispered through that dense wall of sound.
...and the came GBA, with his swirling riffs, in all his glory a a couple of poppier tracks like Twisterella and MJS that didn't take anything off his beauty, in some way they made it more complete.
...and CARNIVAL OF LIGHT was great as well, even if I admit it misses of something, it's not as good as the first two, but it's still one of the greatest albums I ever had.
I'm not really fond of Tarantula, though...well played rock music, that's all. If they were going to play that ever since, well, I have to say it's good they called it a day.
RIDE are definitely one of the greatest bands of the Nineties and what they have done is enough to lead them to the Hall Of Fame.
Ride...You gave me things I'd never heard. You made my life a waking dream.
If someone wants to write me (especially Italian fans, I wonder how many we are...) this is my addy: damonalbarn68@yahoo.co.uk
(Cherry Whirlpool)
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Well, the first time I heard Ride was in 1991. I lived in Los Angeles at the time and the local modern rock station was heavily into the indie brit bands at the time and the song they played was Vapour Trail.
What a song!
I was immediately hooked! Soon as the song ended I went directly to my indie record store and found the Vapour Trail U.S. Single. I also found the Smile ep and the Ride ep and bought those as well.
I was in heaven. I played those three cds over and over again.
Then the Nowhere CD was out and immediately bought it. It was amazing!!!! The modern rock station (KROQ) had a Saturday evening show called "Rodney on the ROQ" and he was a big time Ride fan and he played a lot of their stuff.
I saw RIde live in 91 when they played with Lush at The Roxy. That show was
loud and amazing!!!! I remember saying to myself "if they play again here
in L.A. I am definitely going".
In 92 Leave them All Behind came out and I was again instantly hooked. Ride
had become my favorite band (along side with LUSH), I bought the Going Blank
Again cd and loved it!!! Mouse Trap and Twisterella being favorites.
Then I got my chance to see RIDE again live. I made sure I got there early
so I got off work early and made my way to Hollywood (the other reason was that
the Palace were giving away a free split 7" with Leave them all behind and "She
Calls" by Slowdive. I was there 5 hours before doors were opened. I met a lot
of people who were equally into Ride. Well I did get my 7" and I made my way
inside. Standing room only with about 100 - 150 people.
Slowdive came out and played an amazing set. I bought their debut cd a month
before so I was familiar with their music.
Then Ride came out and started with Leave Them All Behind. Everyone was into it and started to crowd surf, something that was new at the time and very hip. I was in the back I wanted to enjoy the music. I was totally entranced with their sound. They finished their third encore with Seagull and that was LOUD!!! Very fine indeed.
Well my sister (who is also a major Ride fan after converting her) and I decided
to eat at the restaurant that was next to the Palace in the same building. We
ordered a pizza and proceeded to sit down when all of sudden we spot Loz and
Steve sitting in the corner with their girlfriends. Holy &%$#"& they were right
there!!! Luckily I had a pen in my pocket and we made our way over and asked
them to sign our 7".
They were too cool.
We talked for a bit about their set they did and they said they loved playing
at the Palace and they loved the audience. Well we left them and went back to
our table when low and behold we see Mark at the bar with a couple of people
so we ran and got his autograph. I remember shaking his hand and telling him
what a great band they are and he smiled. I turned to see Andy being mobbed
by the crowd I manage to stick my pen into his hand and have him sign the 7".
That 7" is my most prized Ride collectible I have.
I left L.A. June 1992 and moved to South America (Ecuador to be exact) on a
job contract. To say the least the music here was bad. No one here knew who
Ride was but I converted a lot of people. I made ways to find out what was going
on with Ride and when I heard Carnival of Light was coming out I was in heaven.
A friend was heading to the States the same week that the Cd was coming out
so I had her get it for me.
At the first listen I wasn't impressed the sound that I was hoping for was gone.
But after a couple of listens I was converted.
Then in 96 I bought Tarantula here at a cd shop that did mail orders. I listened to it and was impressed (especially Black Nite Crash). Then I picked up a copy of the Rolling Stone magazine and I saw an ad for the Ride cd and the words THE RIDE ENDS HERE.... Oh My God!!!! Ride have broken up.
It was a sad day and I played Ride music all day that day. They were and still are one of the best bands that came out in the early 90's.
Three years ago I landed a job as a part time radio disc jockey and I have my own show: EL Vagon Alternativo on Saturday nights from 8pm till midnight here in Ecuador. I play Ride every Saturday and people have really gotten into them (my station Manger is very opened minded - I have total control of my show and I play what I want), Ride are requested constantly on my show and I have done two extended specials on Ride that lasted over two hours each. They have been a success.
Ride will live on in my heart. They were and still are the best band around!!!!
(Edwin Poveda)
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My first contact with Ride was a sample my brother had
made of the first 4 bars of the rhythm line to Time Machine looped over and
over again.
I was mystified by the sound - one I'd never heard before (I'd grown up listening
to Michael Jackson/Madonna and all that other pop rubbish!), a sound that left
me feeling strangely haunted.
Other than that, I didn't think much about it for a while until I was 13/14 ('92/'93), when my brother suddenly started singing 'The Drowners' by Suede everywhere he went. It got really annoying because he was the only one who knew the song and he NEVER stopped singing. I thought he was mad but one day I saw his Suede tape in our room so I decided I might as well give it a listen. I was very impressed so I listened all the way through and thought I might as well play whatever's on the other side as well.
The other side is marked 'Ride: Going Blank Again'. Put it in - press play. Suddenly the first side of the tape didn't seem that impressive anymore. I knew I'd found a gem and listened eagerly to this noise that I could only describe as a 'Wall of Sound' that somehow touched my soul. Right near the end, a guitar kicks in with a chord progression that I recognised immediately as the sample my brother had made. That was the first time I listened to my favourite song of all time on my favourite album of all time. It was an album that could (and still does) lift me out of any depression I may be feeling and makes life so much more enjoyable by it's presence.
Eventually, I got my brother's friend who had the CD's to GBA and Nowhere to make a tape for me. I'd heard Kaleidoscope and the beginning of Dreams Burn Down on another of my brother's tapes and hearing the whole album reinforced my adoration of Ride's amazing genius. In time, I learnt of a new album called Carnival of Light which a friend bought me for my birthday (cheers mate!!) and fell in love with it straight away. It sounded very different, but you could tell it was Ride. The same with Tarantula, although you could tell something was missing from that album.
Ride remain my #1 band even after 9 years and now my friends are starting
to understand their greatness. My only regret was that I was never abreast of
the times (the internet revolution came 5 years too late for me) so I never
knew when they were touring and as no-one else was that bothered I never got
to see them live. Oh for just one chance to see them play..........
(Andrew Hart)
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I guess my story is made all the more bizarre by my taste in music before I came across Ride. I was a hip hop kid, pure and simple. This was back in 1990. My friend had just bought a car and he was driving to this cathedral town in the UK near to where I lived, to check out a band called Ride that he was just getting into. He had a spare ticket which he offered me. The town where I lived was pretty dull and I'd grab any chance to get out. He told me the band were loud and pretty goth. I hated all that shit I thought, but was up for a night out so agreed to tag along.
The drive over was cool - there were 5 of us crammed into Jamie's car and we drank cider and listened to noisy guitar shit on his tinny stereo. On the way there, my friend Nick got Jamie to stop the car as he'd spotted some daffodils that he thought we should take along. This was just when the Play EP had been released in the UK, hence the daffs thing. I thought this was hilarious - taking flowers to a goth gig! Made me laugh but I picked some anyway cos I was drunk (my excuse!).
The Arts Centre was a converted church so when we arrived there were loads of people in black hanging around the graveyard - this confirmed all my suspicions about what it was I was letting myself in for, so I took an extra big swig on the cider and stumbled out of the car. I should add that I was dressed in addidas trainers, jeans and a tracksuit top so looked pretty out of place apart from the floppy hair which I had just cos it was all my hair could do at that time.
I'd stuck the daffs in my back pocket and this girl came up to me and asked me if I was into Morrissey to which I shrugged I said no and then she pointed out the flowers! I grinned and offered her some cider and we got talking. Nick and Jamie and the other guys I was with came over and some of her friends did too and soon we were all sharing drinks and cigarettes and chatting away. I thought this was cool, as this kind of thing never happened at hip hop gigs. There was a definite buzz of anticipation and everyone seemed to be carrying daffodils!
We eventually went inside and Jamie and Andy went straight to the front so I followed them. Andy warned me that it would go mad when they came on and to be careful. I wasn't sure what he meant, but seeing as I was taller than both of them, I wasn't too worried.
When the band walked onstage there were a few whistles and screams but they looked like a bunch of ordinary guys, apart from the guy who came to the front and I thought he looked like a pretty girl but I didn't know if that was just the cider or not... Then, they launched into the first song (Chelsea Girl) and the place went nuts - the crowd surged forward and I got knocked to the ground. Someone picked me up but I went down again. Then I got punched clean in the eye (accidentally) and thought 'Fuck this' and fought my way through and to the back of the crowd. From there I got my breath back and began to check the music - which for some reason just got me and pulled me apart and made me think 'What have I been missing?'. They were awesome - so loud and fast and they looked sooo cool, especially the guy who looked like a girl (Mark of course!). They played about 9 songs, probably the first two EPs and 'Seagull' as well, but I didn't have a clue about track names then - I just loved what I heard and the way it made me feel. At one point, everyone chucked the daffodils, and I threw mine and I know it was mine - it sailed through the air and landed underneath Mark's strumming hand and he smiled and knocked it away and carried on - effortlessly cool.
After the gig we drove to the coast and sat in the car listening to the tape of noisy guitars which was Ride but sounded so different then to how it had before. We didn't really talk, just smoked and watched the sea (weird cos of the 'Nowhere' cover) and I knew that I was converted to a different music and a whole new life. It sounds dramatic, but it really changed me. 'Nowhere' became my soundtrack to the next year - I analysed the lyrics and saw parallels with what they sang about that mirrored stuff that was happening to me. Seems crazy now, but I was 18 and it all made perfect sense to me then. I had a fucked up relationship with a girl and used to listen to Ride in a teenage angst-ridden way.
'Going Blank Again' was the last great album they made as far as I'm concerned. My brother lived in Oxford and we saw them at the Apollo and they were so awesome. I thought back to the Arts Centre gig and saw how much they'd moved on - the version of 'Nowhere' they played was spine tingling - I was speeding my head off and cramped into a tiny seat when I just wanted to stand up and shout! And then the 10 minute version of 'Chelsea Girl' that seemed to never end! Amazing gig, amazing times.
Weirdest thing was meeting Mark in the Bullingdon Arms in Oxford later on that summer - I acted like he was just a bloke I knew and then freaked out when he'd gone as he was probably a hero to me. I'd brought a duffel coat 'cos of an NME photo shoot he'd done!
I think things had changed a lot for me by 'Carnival Of Light' - I thought it was OK, but I missed the distortion. I know bands change and move on, but so had I. When they split, I was sad, but more for the memories of the early years rather than losing anything major at the time. 'Black Night Crash' was a great single, but 'Tarantula' was average - besides, by then I was working for Creation's distributor so had become a bit jaded and some of the magic was gone.
(Jason Space)
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I first come across Ride as a 21 year-old indiekid, when
I read the NME's article about the first ep "Hmm, "the House of love with chainsaws",
sounds good", I think, and then pop down to Spillers in Cardiff to grab a copy.
The late 80s were a pretty bleak time in that tricky period between the demise
of the Smiths and the rise of the Roses, and I was the sort of person who was
always looking for something new, be it stuff I'd heard on John Peel, or reviews
I'd read in the inkies. It had lead to some bloody awful records joining the
collection, but thankfully, this isn't one of 'em...
So, blown away, especially by Drive Blind, I buy the papers, watch Snub
TV, and wear the t-shirt. In no particular order, Ride are suddenly:
The best thing to happen for ages.
The first band I want to be in, rather than just listen to.
Effortlessly cool.
The darlings of the music press back when it mattered.
The first band since the Smiths where I'd be down at the shop to get the records
on the day of release.
A fantastic racket!
I am renowned for my "awful" taste in music by the more mainstream people that
I knew at college, but even they notice. When the promo for Taste takes
them onto TOTP for the first time, one girl, who was more into Bryan Adams and
Simply Red, is waxing lyrical the next day about how cute "that boy with the
page-boy haircut" was. One of my flatmates, with even worse taste (Hughie Lewis
and Belinda Carlisle anyone?) even perks up when a brief clip of them doing
Seagull is shown on the Brit Awards. "They sort of sound like the Cult",
he says, which shows how much any of them know...
Despite the depths of my obsession, I only see them once; March 1991 at Cardiff
University, the day before the exams started. I go with a lovely girl I'd met
who is also a great fan of the band (chat-up lines of our time - She: "Is that
a Ride t-shirt?" Me: "Yes." - funny how you can never think of anything remotely
witty when It really matters). We'd also both stood outside the HMV store on
Queen Street waiting for them to open on the day Nowhere was unleashed,
much like the bloke who wrote the booklet for the box set. Went home, played
the thing from beginning to end and kissed passionately. This was a band that
mattered, you see...
Anyhow, I don't know if the Cardiff show is a good one by their standards, but
as far as we're concerned it's the gig of the year. Here's a proper band, just
like in the old days, where every member is crucial to the dynamic; Mark, with
his looks attracting screams from devoted girlies in the crowd, Andy, bathed
in the psychedelic light show, both coaxing feedback from their Rickenbackers.
Steve, the Harrisonesque "quiet one", holding it all down to the right, and
Loz, hammering away, twirling sticks and generally being the closest thing my
generation was ever going to see to Keith Moon in his prime. They are so cool
almost without trying, and so confident (Mark's wry comment of "This is an old
song" before Chelsea Girl speaks volumes) that I wish even more that
I could be in a band just like this. After the show, my companion is as in awe
as I was. "It was like seeing the Beatles or something!", she says breathily.
The next day I spend 90 minutes grappling with rubbish like M aslow's Heirarchy
of Needs, whilst my ears go "Eeeeeeeeee!" God knows how I pass...
Time goes by, and come the following February I'm on the dole, and sitting in
the Adelphi Club in Hull trying to make one pint last all night. "This is the
new single from Ride" (or "Raaad" in Hull-speak) announced the DJ, followed
by the now unmistakable synth-pulse of Leave Them All Behind. Nine minutes
later I'm still sitting there, but the whole place has gone quiet. Everyone
there knew quality when they heard it! Even so, I'm distinctly underwhelmed
by the album when it comes out. Great songs and all that, but I miss the feedback.
Needless to say its now my favourite out of the four.
And then, I sort of drift away. Sure, I pick up Carnival Of Light
a few weeks after it comes out, and it fits in agreeably with my new-found interest
in 60s Psych, but my years of Ride flag-waving are over. Maybe I'm too old to
wear t-shirts any more? I can still see the injustice that Carnival,
and Ride to a certain extent, are lost in the coming Britpop deluge, and mutter
darkly as the likes of Menwear are lauded whilst my one-time Favourite Band
Of All Time seem to be ignored. I just can't seem to get worked up about it
too much any more...
And so to '96, where I'm having a terrible time trying to eke a living as a
college lecturer, in the face of victimisation from the Head of Department.
On the very week where I have to undergo a farcical disciplinary hearing (for
such dreadful crimes as "not wearing a tie to work", and "being seen in public
drinking with students"), the news comes through to me. Ride are finished. Andy
and Mark can't stand the sight of each other. Final album to be deleted after
one week. The shots in the press of the pair, Mark grimacing and Andy ice-cool,
don't improve my already dark mood. I still find Tarantula hard to listen
to, even today, because it's just as much a part of a time I'd rather forget
as Nowhere is of a time where I was young, happy and soaked music up
like a sponge. In the face of what I'm going through at the time, Ride's demise
seems horribly appropriate. You can't carry on being a student forever.
And so to date. Having escaped from teaching, I'm happier now than I have been
for years. I've bought the box set, replaced my knackered old vinyl with shiny
new cds of the albums, and find it mildly amusing that Ride are now usually
mentioned in the context of "the band Andy Bell of Oasis used to be in". I'm
excited about the new ep coming out, and somewhere, deep down, I'm still hoping
that once Andy's got a break from his gig with the Gibbon brothers, we could
see the mother of all comebacks. Unlikely? Possibly. Optimistic? Certainly.
But as I move further into the difficult 30s, I need something to cling to...
Phew, gone on a bit haven't I! Ta for reading it!
(John Sewell)
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The first track I heard by RIDE was Seagull on the Nowhere album. What a track! The intro of backwards guitar, slowly sorting itself out over a fantastic bassline, the sound just washed over me. Then the vocals came in. The harmonies of these boys was something I'd never heard since my Mum's old 60's records! Just something that didn't belong in 1990. 6 minutes later, the tempo of the track gets faster and faster, awashed with feedback and more backwards guitars until the great crescendo at the end. Totally awesome. RIDE just took me in from then on.
I finally got to see them in September 1994, on the Carnival of Light Tour, at Wolverhampton Civic. Brilliant is an understatement. The highlight of the night was the stage lights glowing blue, the band sillouhetted in dry ice, and the track Nowhere takes me away to a destination far far away. Andy sings the 3 verses of the song and then that hook line, "All that's left is you and me, and here we are NOWHERE" before the stage explodes into brilliant white light, and all you hear is White Noise from the guitars along with "Random" snare beats from Loz. What a performance!
I miss RIDE, there's never been any band quite like them, and I'm glad that there's a website like this where I can share my experiences with other fans. Enjoy them like I still do. RIDE live on in our hearts always.
(Stuey Rowding)
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I still remember my elder sister, ramming me down in front of the tele to veiw a new video clip she had taped the previous night on Rage, "Watch!" she said. We didn't really get along too well, until we discovered we had something in common, music. The video clip in question was Chelsea Girl. Ride were a new, relatively unheard of band in 1990, especially in Australia, and even more especially in Perth.
Me being being the contrary kid I was said," I hate it!" and my sister just turned around and said "Bulllshit!" or something to that effect. I think she actually made me watch it again! And then it started, the whole realisation of music beyond the top 40 and countdown. I was only 12, and it seriously blew my mind. I had no idea music could sound like this. My sister began dilligently making me mixed tapes, I think she finally saw I was her younger sister to mould her musical tastes to her liking! Not that I minded!
The Ride EP was the first vinyl I ever bought, and Mel (my sis) bought me Play when it came out. I was fascinated by the lyrics, the sound, everything, and when I listened, it was so easy to just become enveloped in the songs......Ride actually made me start making rules for the kind of music I wanted to hear, and so thanks to them I started seeking similar bands, and have been ever since.
I know there are many various musicians and bands that hold special places in many hearts for a multitude of people. Ride happen to be my band. The one band I will always enjoy, will always feel connected to the music, the ones I will never forget. Every time I listen to my favourite songs, I always feel the same. This hasn't changed in 15 years, nor do I ever think it will. Ride changed my life musically, and helped to open a whole world for me. I will always appreciate them for this, and of course my sister!!!
Emma J.
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