Average Customer Review:
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 No matter what you listen to,Aug 20, 2008
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.
Still going strong, still sounds good, and now, influencing a new generation of bands...Feb 01, 2008
Ride was a UK indie/shoegaze/britpop/dreampop band that broke up in 1996.
The band had two main singer/songwriters playing guitar - Andy Bell, who went on to form the britpop group Hurricane #1 (featured in a Volkswagen commercial with "Step Into My World") and then join Oasis as a songwriter and bassist; and Mark Gardener, who formed the britrock supergroup The Animalhouse, and is now doing solo work.
To me, "Going Blank Again" is a special album for a variety of reasons. First, it was THE album that really knocked me off my feet and drew me into the so-called "shoegaze" sound. It was a bridge for my less ignorant college self to really go back and truly explore the bands of the 60s and 70s; specifically, the "Wall of Sound" sound. I don't think I could enjoy George Harrison's "All Things Must Pass" as much if I hadn't discovered Ride first.
This album is special because it marks the absolute zenith of the band's mastery of the noise/dream pop sound that made them indie darlings in the UK. Previous EPs and their first LP had very high moments indeed - including one of the best tracks of the 1990s, Vapour Trail - but didn't have the consistency of Going Blank Again. GBA also featured the band continuing to grow musically -- individually, and together.
Leave Them All Behind, the first track, a UK single, is sheer bliss. Taking a bit of organ swagger from The Who, it drones on like My Bloody Valentine with an eye toward the Stone Roses. Head bobbing, psychedelic, foot-stomping, dreamy, and a bit cocky all together. A fantastic track, and really, the lasso that brings you in.
Twisterella - another UK single - shows that they can be jangly, pop oriented, and fun. A good radio song.
Chrome Waves - the little brother of Vapour Trail - beautiful, sonic dreamscape. Listen to this track. Again and again.
Other standouts include Not Fazed, which is essentially a jam, Time Machine, and Ox4.
The remaster of this album has GREATLY improved sound and really makes the album as a whole better. It includes extra tracks, like the title track, which are worthy of the record.
After this album, Ride changed direction. I liked their change-up, but many fans didn't. For many fans, this still remains the album that represents a much-missed group at their peak.
Highly recommended. 5 stars of 5.
 A great CD from my original college daysJan 14, 2006
This album made Ride a little more palatable for the casual listener, which should have really given them some sort of success because this is good record. The arrangements are all really simple, but still sound great with all of that distortion and layering washing over them. I saw them at the 930 club for the tour of this album and they were excellent. I had seen them previously for the Nowhere tour and they were with Lush. That show wasn't so good. Hmmmmm... Wish I could go dig the CD out of storage right now.
A great CD from my original college daysJan 14, 2006
This album made Ride a little more palatable for the casual listener, which should have really given them some sort of success because this is good record. The arrangements are all really simple, but still sound great with all of that distortion and layering washing over them. I saw them at the 930 club for the tour of this album and they were excellent. I had seen them previously for the Nowhere tour and they were with Lush. That show wasn't so good. Hmmmmm... Wish I could go dig the CD out of storage right now.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
 (three and a half stars) good overall, but no "Nowhere"Oct 13, 2005
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."
|
based on 27 reviews
