Ride Biography

With their first records, Ride created a unique wall of sound that relied on massive, trembling distortion in the vein of My Bloody Valentine but with a simpler, more direct melodic approach. The shatteringly loud, droning neo-psychedelia the band performed was dubbed shoegazing by the press for, quite literally, obvious reasons. Along with My Bloody Valentine, Ride stood apart from the shoegazing pack, primarily because of their keen sense of songcraft and dynamics.

Ride were formed in Oxfordshire, England, in 1988 by guitarist/vocalist Andy Bell, vocalist/guitarist Mark Gardener, bassist Stephan Queralt, and drummer Loz Colbert when the group was still in its late teens. The band soon earned a dedicated following through their blisteringly loud, intense live shows. Creation Records signed the band in 1989 and the group released its self-titled debut EP later in the year.

Not only did the British music critics praise the Ride EP, but it climbed into the lower reaches of the U.K. charts.

'Play', Ride's second EP, appeared in the spring of 1990 and it surpassed the success of its predecessor, entering the Top 40 upon its release. Ride continued to gain new fans and quickly became darlings of the U.K. press. 'Nowhere', the group's first album, was released at the end of the year and became a significant hit, peaking at number 14. The band's third EP, 'Fall', was released in the summer of 1991 and became a Top 20 hit. Ride released their second album, 'Going Blank Again', in the spring of 1992. It was a big success and the single, 'Leave Them All Behind' hit the Top Ten, increasing their audience dramatically.

That lack of a breakthrough success caused tensions within the band, especially between Bell and Gardener. After completing a frustrating American tour, the band decided to take an extended break. It would be two years before Ride re-emerged with their third album, Carnival of Light.

'Carnival of Light' represented a major shift toward conventional psychedelic rock and it turned out to be a commercial misstep. Not only did their die-hard following dislike the record, but Ride failed to pick up a new batch of fans with their stylistic makeover. Wounded from a lack of sales and critical respect, the band moved to the studio in the summer of 1995 to record their fourth album, 'Tarantula'. Tensions between Bell and Gardener escalated throughout the recorded sessions. After 'Tarantula' was completed in August 1995, Gardener left the band; Bell followed immediately afterward. Ride announced their disbandment in January of 1996. The album was released in March of 1996.