Ride

Shoegazing heroes Ride broke up back in 1996, but that hasn’t stopped the members from releasing a slew of material over the past couple of years. With a three-CD box set already under their belt, Ride has now gone back into the vault and found some rare BBC sessions that needed to see the light of day. With radio shows from John Peel, Mark Goodier and Mark Radcliffe dating back to 1990, these sessions show how magical the band were in their heyday, as well as the split personalities that forged back in 1994. Set chronologically, the track listing is impressive at first, opting for some unexpected classics. Avoiding hits such as "Vapour Trail” and "Leave Them All Behind,” the band chose to include early favourites "Like A Daydream” and "Perfect Time,” as well as "Decay,” "Mouse Trap” and "Time Of Her Time.” However, once the Going Blank Again material ends, the rest of the album putters by. As Andy Bell puts it in the liner notes, the Carnival Of Light sessions mark the beginning of their "self-indulgent rock star” period. The Byrd-crazy and under-driven "Birdman” and "Crown Of Creation” receive muted treatments, while "I Don’t Know Where It Comes From” fails without the lovely children’s choir. Only the b-side "Let’s Get Lost” manages to maintain its lustre. With such a split down the middle of this record, what makes it a worthwhile investment for fans is the two extremely scarce covers of Dead Can Dance’s "Severance” and Pale Saints’ "Sight Of You,” which sound easily like two brand new Ride compositions.