Nowhere [Extra tracks]

RIDE never reached mega stardom, probably due to the lack of great songs on thier future releases. however nowhere is a truely brilliant album and the album that allows us to revisit the time when rides sound was truely at its best. nowhere has a brilliant mix of sounds mostly based around loud guitars, feedback, reverb. one thing about this album that makes it amazing is the emotion (most noticeable on "in a different place", "dreams burn down") and the brilliant use of vocal harmonising. the album start to finish displays an amazing british sound.

1.seagull - the album starts with some feedback, cymbals , then crashes into a psychedelic forest of wild sounds, the instruments seem to all mix together to become one swirling, rolling sound. the song has an exciting pace and dreamy reverb sound, the vocal harmonizing is brilliant. this is the perfect way to start this album off. the song hassome brilliantwah-wah and feedback sounds in the mid-section and ending. (5/5)

2.kaliedascope - this song has an amazing guitar sound and pop melodys, this song keeps the album rolling on from seagull and keeps the excitement there.kaliedascope is shorter than the 6 minute seaugull making it more of a pop song, great song. (5/5)

3.in a different place - in a different place is a definite gem on this album and a brilliant example of RIDE's range in song styles. the song has a building intro with a nice guitar melody reminiscent of john squires playing. the songs verses are soft and beautifully sung, the chorus comes crashing in with the great lyrics "and were smiling when were sleeping , and where smiling when were waking". the chorus melody is catchy and seems filled with emotion. the song has a nice relaxing outro which is mostly instrumental. (5/5)

4.polar bear - this track stands out most definetely from the rest, the guitar with a tremelo effect is amazing and the drums also have an amazing sound , but nothing beats the simple but amazing vocal melody which soars above the instruments. the song has a "baggy" vibe as well as a psychedelic one. the lyrics are cool and trippy and the song altogether is breathtaking upon the first listen. best played loud. (5/5)

5.dreams burn down - this song truely is special, its super loud but so soft and gentle really, the pace of the song makes it interesting, it has a sad, soft, emotional vibe then breaks oftenly into a loud wall of sound with crashing guitars. the vocal sound is brilliant as the guitars. th guitar part along the beginning is brilliant. (5/5)

6.decay - this song has a pounding beginning , the bass pedal of the drums and a simple guitar part, the vocals come in with a very dark melody which soon gives away to a dreamy pop chorus making the tune what it is, a brilliant dreamy pop song just like ride do best. (5/5)

7.paralysed - this song isnt as amazing as the rest, quite a boring verse melody and chorus, nothing interesting coming from the instruments either really. (2/5)

8.vapour trail - the ultimate ride pop song , how this was never a hit is quite unbeliavable really, the song has an amazing guitar sound with a gentle dream melody, stone roses style drums and an amazing pop chorus "la,la,la,laaa,laaa" simple and beautiful. violins at the end are brillian, this song has a great sense of emotion and true feeling. (5/5)

9.taste - this song is another short pop song, it is brilliant. this song is brilliant for a live show as it is great to sing along too. taste has something that the rest of the songs dont have , itreally stands out. (4/5)

10.here and now- much like paralysed. (2/5)

11.nowhere - the album ends strangely, i think something else could have been put here to make the album truely amazing. (3/5)

the today forever e.p also has some great songs, sennen is in my opinion one of the best songs the band ever did and today is also a true classic

I sometimes wonder why some bands who clearly have no talent sell millions of records and others who show touches of genius don't. Ride did it their own way and maybe thats why they never even made it into the catorgary of also rans, when they had so much talent. Back in 1990 however, following the release of this album I believed ride had it in them to conquer the world. In hindsight they were a little to rough round the edges. Songs such as paralysed and nowhere, good though they are were never meant for a wider audience which is a crying shame because this album has some class moments. Ride's trade mark harmonis and chiming guitars reflected the Stone Roses pre-emince at the time of recording, but gave it a different rockier darker slant. Despite this the album was also lighter and popier than the earlier EP's. Vapour Trail may well have been rides finest moment, but this is an album stuffed full of classic tracks. Ride found themselves around at a time when British music last hit a creative high point and this album was lost to successive generations. Seeing wood for the trees and all that. Eventually Andy Bell joined Oasis, a band that had little talent and alot of hype, and stood for all the things ride had meant for me, at that point the dreams finally burned down.

I remember being a little unimpressed at this album when it came out- having seen Ride several times & been blown away by the experience it seemed they hadn't lived up to the promise of early e.p.'s or their live sound...I was wrong...This record sounds great today- its influences obviously Creation labelmates The House of Love & My Bloody Valentine (and perhaps early Echo & Bunnymen, The Cure, Spacemen 3 & Sonic Youth...)

Ride were great- primal guitar explosions on a par with anything by Husker Du from 'New Day Rising' to 'Warehouse'. Just add a hint of the Smiths and you have a classic band!

'Seagull' is the decimating opener- Buffalo Springfield play 'Psycho Candy'- it is followed by 'Kaleidoscope', another Mark Gardener doomy pop song in the mode of 'Taste'. 'In a different Place' is an Andy Bell song reaching for a space in which to define love- and recalls 'Goodbye & Helo' Tim Buckley (if Loop backed him)...'Polar Bear' often opened concerts & builds up in a style close to the Pixies covering 'Disintergration'. While 'Dreams Burn Down' nods towards Led Zep's 'When the Levee Breaks' (precipitating the retro-influences that made Ride less interesting following 'Going Blank Again')- 'Decay' is a gnarly slab of guitars. A morose downer, very 'Daydream Nation' or 'Metal Postcard'. 'Paralysed' hints at ambition and the urge to explore vaster songs; it gives way to 'Vapour Trail'- the single that never was. Oh, a jingly-jangly classic, with falling strings; it sounds like an English summer sky in 1990. It is the sound of youth & falling in love & illicit substances & the gigantic optimism of 1990 (the wall had come down, people were experimenting, dance & rock were fusing. Sadly Yugoslavia & the Gulf War were about to occur).

The extra tracks are from the 'Fall' e.p.- the hit 'Taste' (a relative of 'She Bangs the Drums' or 'God knows it's true')is a Byrds-inflected number. Very 'Younger than Yesterday'. 'Here & Now' is even better, Andy Bell's postcard of the present is given some melancholic harmonica. The final track, 'Nowhere', often destroyed live- is more sombre here. The sound is between 'Pornography'- Cure & 'Dub Housing'-Pere Ubu. Oh, it all sounds a bit teenage now- but so do Rimbaud & Nick Drake! It ends on the album on uncertainty- "all that's left is you & me/and here we are/nowhere".

A classic debut- and proof that Creation was more than just the label that spawned Oasis.