| Ride |
|
| Background information |
| Origin |
Oxford, Oxfordshire, England |
| Genre(s) |
Alternative,
Shoegazing |
| Years active |
1988 – 1996 |
| Label(s) |
Creation,
Warner, Sire |
| Website |
RideOX4.net |
| Former members |
Andy
Bell
Laurence Colbert
Mark Gardener
Steve Queralt |
Ride were a British
shoegazing
band. The band formed in 1988 in Oxford, England, and officially broke up in 1996.
During that time they received much critical acclaim, and although this
never translated into the chart and financial success that they aimed
for, for a short while it seemed that the band could prove themselves
as defying the fate that befell lesser 'shoegazer' bands. Since then,
the band members have gone on to other projects, most notably Andy Bell
who became the bass player for Oasis. Since 2001, the band
have been semi-active and have released a number of compilation and
live recordings, as well as a limited pressing EP with new material.
|
Contents
- 1 Biography
- 1.1 1988-1989
Starting out
- 1.2 1989-1993
Early Creation years
- 1.3 1994-96
Change in musical direction
- 1.4 1996
The break up
- 1.5 1997-2001
Post break-up years
- 1.6 2001+
Channel Four and beyond
- 2 Discography
- 2.1 Albums
- 2.2 Singles/EPs
- 2.3 Compilations
- 3 Singles
- 4 Song
samples
- 5 External
links
|
Biography
1988-1989 Starting out
Gardener and Bell had been to Cheney
School in Oxford appearing in the school's musical theatre productions
and in October 1988 moved to Banbury to do Foundation Studies in Art and
Design. There they met Colbert. Queralt, who also went to Cheney
School, was recruited from a local record shop (although Bell and
Queralt had already played together in an obscure reggae/pop band
called "Big Spiderback"). After considering the name 'Donkey' the band
called itself 'Ride' after a piece of graphic design Gardener produced
for a typography workshop. The first gig as Ride was for the College's
Christmas Party in 1988. While still at Banbury the band produced a
tape demo including the tracks 'Chelsea Girl' and 'Drive Blind'. In
February 1989 'Ride' were asked to stand in for a cancelled slot at a
student union gig at Oxford Poly that brought them to the attention of Alan
McGee. After supporting The Soup Dragons in 1989,
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 the music
press. The first two EPs were eventually released together as Smile
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 shoegaze.
It was during 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 that the band 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 another fan favourite, the album Going
Blank Again. Opening with the anthemic 8 minute
17 second 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. To some extent, the
album represented the apogee of shoegazing proper, as opposed to the
oft-cited Loveless by My Bloody Valentine, a
landmark record from outside the milieu. 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. Other tracks on the album showcased
the band's innovative blend of melody and discord, not to mention one
or two borrowed riffs (and a sample from Withnail
and I). It needs to be pointed out, also, that
the band had listened to and had been influenced by the album Nevermind by
Nirvana
as they recorded their second LP. This link, between Shoegazing
and Grunge,
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
Ride were able to see out 1993 riding on the success
(critically, if not commercially) of Going Blank Again
and a third LP was keenly anticipated, demonstrated by regular music
press features which provided some allusion to influences like Neil
Young. However, despite having a solid fanbase and some mainstream
success, the lack of a breakthrough contributed to inter-band tension,
especially between Gardener 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 to some extent, but sales were sluggish
and the shift in musical tastes devastated much of their original
audience. Opening with the riff-heavy "Moonlight Medicine", notable
tracks include "From Time to Time", "Birdman" and a cover of The Creation's "How
Does It Feel to Feel". Despite having what many consider to be a patchy
array of tracks, Carnival of Light remains a
favourite for many fans.
1996 The break up
1995 saw the dissolution of the band
while recording Tarantula.
It appears that the band split due to creative and personal
tensions between Gardener 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
Mark Gardener and the last half of the album being songs written by
Andy 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
Gardener 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 Gardener'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 (although the first single
off the album, "Black Nite Crash", was awarded "single of the week" by
weekly music magazine Melody Maker), and it was no surprise
that the band had split before the record had even been released.
Since the break-up, both Bell and Gardener have been more
reflective about the group's disintegration, with Bell especially
admitting his own part in the process. It appears that they were 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 after having turned
down the opportunity to join Gay Dad. Mark Gardener and
Laurence Colbert joined with Sam Williams to form The Animalhouse. As
BMG signings, they were successful in Japan. The band was, however, was
short lived and split in 2002. Gardener has also toured as a solo
artist, while Colbert once played for a Bob Dylan
tribute band called The Zimmermen. Queralt appears to have retired from
professional music and was last seen working in retail management for
Habitat in Cumnor in Oxford.
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 in 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. A DVD is being worked out, and the band's
manager Dave Newton has discussed the idea of future releases of live
shows, possibly as internet-releases.
Mark Gardener is also now pursuing a solo career. From 2003 to
2005, Mark toured extensively, sometimes with the help of Oxford
friends Goldrush, in order to personally
fund a full length studio album. During the tour, a three-track EP with
Goldrush (Falling Out Into the Night) and a live
album (the acoustic solo Live @ the Knitting Factory, New
York City) were released. He also spent part of 2005 working
with the French duo rinôçérôse. In late 2005, Mark's album These
Beautiful Ghosts was released in North America on United For
Opportunity. Release of the album in other regions is expected in early
2006.
The fact that the band appears to be releasing new material
and even being interviewed together suggested 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, with the reasoning that it would not
live up to expectations. However, the members, Bell included, have
stated that they would not mind working with each other again. Since,
Bell and Colbert made an appearance at one of Gardener's early shows;
Bell later shared two nights of acoustic sets with Gardener in November
2003 when Gardener made a tour stop in Bell's current home of Stockholm.
Loz Colbert has also started playing in a band again - as
guitarist and vocalist. He also plays drums in different projects, most
notably with the reformed Jesus and Mary Chain,
Supergrass
(filling in for Danny Goffey), Damo Suzuki (Can). In
2005, Gardener was stuck in France and unable to play the Truck
Festival; Colbert's band filled the gap in the bill.
Discography
Albums
| Album |
Release Date |
Chart Info |
| Nowhere |
15 October 1990 |
#11 (UK) |
| Going Blank Again |
9
March 1992 |
#5 (UK) |
| Carnival of Light |
20
June 1994 |
#5 (UK) |
| Tarantula |
20
March 1996 |
#21(UK) |
Singles/EPs
- Ride EP (1990, UK
Chart #71)
- Play EP (1990, UK
Chart #32)
- Fall EP (1990), UK
Chart #34)
- Today Forever
EP (1991, UK Chart #14)
- Leave them all Behind (1992, UK Chart #9)
- Twisterella (1992, UK Chart #36)
- Birdman (1994, UK Chart #38)
- How does it feel to feel? (1994, UK
Chart #58)
- I don't know where it comes from (1994,
UK Chart #46)
- Black Nite Crash (1996, UK Chart #67)
- Coming up For Air EP (2002)
Compilations
- Smile (1992)
- OX4 The Best of Ride
(2001)
- Firing Blanks_Unreleased Ride Recordings 1988–95
(2001)
- Live_Reading Festival 1992 (2001)
- Waves (BBC Radio One
sessions) (2003)
Singles
| Year |
Title |
Chart positions |
Album |
| US Modern Rock |
| 1991 |
"Taste" |
#24 |
Nowhere |
Song samples
- From Ride EP (1990)
- Chelsea Girl
(
External links
