Customer Reviews

Going Blank Again

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When I was in college in the very early 90s, I was totally obsessed with Ride. I had all their albums, posters, t-shirts, you name it! Should have kept them all, as they may have been worth something now. :-) I even saw them a few times in concert, and I thought it was the high point of my life when one of the guys from the band (Steve) came out and talked to me and my friends for half an hour after one show. After I left school in 1993 I sort of lost touch with the whole "alternative" music scene--it was just this year that I learned Ride had broken up! It seems like they are getting more attention now than when they were together.

Of all the bands I used to love, this one had probably best stood the test of time (well, the last 10 years anyway). This album, along with their early EPs and Nowhere, are masterpieces of british guitar pop. Unlike many of the shoegazing bands, who were relentlessly depressing in their music and lyrics, Ride's albums can actually cheer you up, and don't sound too dated. It's too bad they had to go mess things up with the "Carnival of Light" weirdness. They were on the brink of crossover semi-stardom with Going Blank Again, and if they had made another album of the same quality, they could have been a lot bigger. Oh well, at least those of us in the know can still enjoy their older stuff!

I am always surprised how often Ride's masterpiece is overlooked or ranked below "Nowhere". Clearly "Nowhere" was a seminal CD and showed their promise, but it was on this CD, "Going Blank Again", that Mark Gardener showed VAST improvement on his vocals, and he and Andy Bell (now of Oasis) truly came into their own as songwriters. The quality of the production is superb, though perhaps not brilliant, and the band play their instruments with consummate skill and were clearly well-rehearsed before going into the studio.
With classics such as "Cool Your Boots", "Chrome Waves" and "Leave It All Behind" (among others), this CD would be worth buying for those tracks alone. But there's hardly a weak track on it! "Time Machine"'s intro is a bit over-long, as is the intro for the genuinely emotional and beautifully melodic "OX4", but otherwise this shoegazer classic is virtually without peer. (excepting of course such CDs as MBV's "Loveless", Lush's "Gala", and a few others).
Ride are one of the very best shoegazer bands to ever put their sounds to record, and this is without a doubt their very best effort (kind of went downhill after this one I'm afraid). The wall of sound, haunting vocal lines blended with layers of chorus and verb and feedback and...well...it's all there. Just listen to it. You'll thank yourself.

I got into Ride in about 1996 and I fell in love with their early "Melodic Wall of Sound" (a love which led to buy MBV's "Loveless" BTW).

I found most of this album average, but "Leave them all Behind" is 8 minutes and 30 seconds of exceptionally loud psychadelia, drawing first from a synthesizer beat, then accompanied by bass and drums, and then about 15 very loud and noisy guitars playing the same notes.

As far as I know, Ride is the only band that sounds better when you turn the treble up high and let the shoegazer shrill send shivers through your synapses!

Ride was one of the most underappreciated bands of the '90s. From their beginnings as a "shoegazing" white noise band to their later '60s-retro-pop stylings, Ride always wowed critics and fans alike. Oddly enough, the band is more popular five years after they disbanded than they were while active. Surely this is a result of word-of-mouth praise that has followed such standout albums as Going Blank Again (1992).

Going Blank Again was a perfect synthesis of the "shoegazing" elements of their sound and the melodic guitar pop they favored later on. This album is truly a lost classic. Do yourself a favor and check out this underappreciated gem. Make sure you listen to "Cool Your Boots", "Chrome Waves", "Leave Them All Behind" and "Twisterella". All of these songs stand out as a high water mark for the genre.

It' simple really. If you, like me, are a huge fan of Ride's album "Nowhere," when you heard "Leave it all Behind," (the first song on Ride's third album, "Going Blank Again") you were pleased as punch that the band would continue their "Shoegazer" styled sound. When you heard the second song, "Twisterella," your reaction was "what the **** is this!" Of course, if you like "Twisterella," then you probably thought that the song was a refreshing departure from the band's past.

In my opinion, "Going Blank Again" has two songs which meet the extremely high standard set by its predecessor, namely the aforementioned "Leave it all Behind," and "Chrome Waves," which received some college radio play. "OX4" is very pretty, and kind of reminds me of the Flock of Seagulls' "Space Age Love Song." "Mousetrap," "Time After Time," and "Time Machine," are fine. The rest to me is just filler.

I suppose that the "Shoegazer" genre had a shelf life, and maybe the members of Ride felt like going more mainstream. Unfortunately, this made for some rather dull entries on "Going Blank Again." Still, this album is better than Ride's two subsequent (and last) albums, "Carnival of Light" and "Tarantula."

Sure, it may be a blunt and arrogant statement yet I stand true to it because GBA is simply put: The most AMAZING thing I've heard! I don't know how ride did to top their amazing Nowhere but they did. It opens with a bang (Leave Them All Behind) and closes with what I think is the 2nd best song of all-time (OX4). There are no fillers here, Mark Gardener's dreamy elegiac vocals, Andy Bell's angry guitar, Steve's dubby saturated bass and Loz's ubiquitous fills all coalesce into a record that truly stands the test of time. No fillers here though conservative listeners might want to be more keen on 'Twisterella' (a lovely toe-tappin' single). I know I am and never mind what the press said in '92, this is already one of the more revered albums of the decade. All hail Ride!

This has to be in your collection. The songs always cheer me up, even when i'm already extatic with joy, and i'm always so impressed with Ride's songwriting capabilities. They have such a unique sound, and this is probably my favourite shoegazing record (yes, ontop of Loveless). I can't summarize how good this album is...the reverbed vocals, the dreamy chords, the thumping basslines, the harsh drumbeats...it all mixes so well, and all these 'indie' bands like Bloc Party, Death Cab, etc, should be taking notes from this classic.

Relatively unknown to most people, even in their homeland of the UK, indie and brit-pop lovers will really go for Ride.
They are one of my favorite bands of all time simply because they do what the British bands do best; sound slightly different than the others, melodic and catchy, yet spacial and dark as well If you love the 90's British sound, with lots of layered guitars and vocal harmonies, you will definetly like Ride.
From the first album, "Smile", they have grown and matured alot in their sound. The sublimely fine indie producer John Leckie, who also produced the Stone Roses, produced their second album, "Nowhere" and this album, "Going Blank Again". This is my favorite album, as it has a number of great songs and the band finally comes into their own and settles into a great indie sound.
Branded as one of the shoegazer bands alongside My Bloody Valentine and Lush, Ride deftly combine noisy, delayed phase-guitars with la-la-la melodic vocal layers. Sometimes melancholy and atmospheric, sometimes full of catchy riffs and up-tempo beats (great drumming) they are the ultimate alt-rock/brit/indie band. Highlights of this album are the UK hit, "Leave Them All Behind", "Twisterella" and "OX4"

I'm a recent convert who only bought this (and 'Nowhere') a couple of years ago, and I must admit I've struggled to take them out of my CD player since. Definately not your average brit pop outfit. Stand out tracks for mine are definately 'Time Machine' and 'Mouse Trap'. It's just layer upon layer of guitars, and it sounds awesome. If there's two albulms you have to get in life, buy this one twice!!!

A pivotal album that changed the style of shoe-gazing and brought muddy guitars and heart felt vocals into a deeper arena. Probably one of the best albums which covers a great song to dance to (leave them all behind), a song to swing your hips to (twisterella), a song to be angry with (mouse trap), a song inspired by genius (crome waves), .........and finally a song to contemplate life about (OX4). The brillance of this album comes from the brilliance of Ride on stage and capturing what they do best - play live. Songs are genuine and real, music is complex and inspired. Compare it to Nowhere and get a feel for the progression in what was Ride. Truly brilliant.