Smile

Ride | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 5, 1990)
• Original Release Date: October 16, 1990
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Reprise / Wea
• ASIN: B000002LN1
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #30,194 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #34 in Music > Alternative Rock > Indie & Lo-Fi > Shoegazing
  • #66 in Music > Alternative Rock > British Alternative > General

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An early glimpse into beautiful shoegaze noise/pop., March 3, 2006

By 

RockerDad (Renton, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Smile (Audio CD)

This is Ride's first two ep's compiled onto one release for the U.S. market. The band wrote, performed, and produced all the music within. Coming before their debut album 'Nowhere', this album has some real gems that foretell what was to come from this great band. It also has a slightly 'murkier' sound than their future releases, with guitar lines often fading into one another, soaked in feedback/reverb, rather than soaring above the rest of the noise. Nonetheless, for shoegaze and new Ride fans, this is still essential.

Almost every track is a standout, with the exception of All I Can See and Close My Eyes. For me, these are somewhat forgettable filler.

Chelsea Girl, though, announces their emergence into the music world with a blast of noisy pop. Drive Blind would have fit perfectly onto 'Nowhere', with it's long feedback-soaked middle section. Like a Daydream is amazing-for many the highlight of the album-absolutely gorgeous, shimmering guitars, and verses that clearly influenced Teenage Fanclub (listen to Star Sign off of 'Bandwagonesque'). Silver is a bit of a downer after Like a Daydream-slow, droning, discordant; but it's still good. My album favorites, though, are Furthest Sense and Perfect Time. Jangly guitars, honey-soaked melodies guide Furthest Sense into shoegazer heaven (upon hearing this, it was clear to me where many early American dreampop bands got the basis for their guitar sound). Then Perfect Time ends the album with a rush-the song leaves you giddy, wanting more. Which, of course, is exactly what Ride wanted to do.

From here on out, Ride was an essentially flawless band...that is until Carnival of Light appeared. Then the story changes.

Also- If you've got this, and all their albums, and want more, seek out the Today Forever e.p. (with the menacing shark cover). It's arguably the best thing they ever released-came out imbetween 'Nowhere' and 'Going Blank Again' (It's now been tacked onto the end of the Nowhere import).

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars On The Upswing, April 7, 2000

By 

Doomsday (Vancouver) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Smile (Audio CD)

This early EP compilation captures Ride on their upswing. Although the songs aren't quite as polished as those on Nowhere or Going Blank Again, it's still a great representation of what was going on in shoe gazer-England in the early 90s. What happened to this style of music? It just floated away...

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars mastered from vinyl, June 19, 2000

By 

Ian Bessler (Cincinnati, OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Smile (Audio CD)

I am convinced this CD was mastered from a vinyl LP, because of the clicks and crackling at regular intervals throughout the entire thing. Did the record company lose the master tapes or something? Annoying.

The music itself has a lot of energy. I like the song Chelsea Girl. The breakneck beat and vocal melody reminds me a lot of 60s psychedelic garage rockers like the Nazz, while the explosions of distortion and driving guitars remind me of Bob Mould's trademark "white noise" guitar from his days with Husker Du. This is, by most accounts, a seminal recording in the "shoegazer" genre of brit pop, but while it's very textural, it's also very raw, driving and intense, which I hadn't expected, and it doesn't achieve the more ambient and surreal sort of dream-like vibe I've come to expect from Spiritualized or My Bloody Valentine. The Ride sound is probably a closer cousin to Spooky-era Lush, with heavily chorused guitars and some low-key block vocal harmony here and there, but without the "icy" feeling I often got from Lush and a more "masculine" sort of drive. The overall rhythmic feel is more punk and fast, rather than the danceable sort of grooves you might expect from the Stone Roses.