Ride

I've probably used the term Shoegaze a bit too loosely in the past and need to clear up any confusion I created for people who are just begining to enjoy independent label music and want to know its origins. There are quite a few people here that will be able to correct me or at least add to my geeky thoughts.













The term shoegaze(ers/ing) was jokingly introduced in the UK by a journalist from the NME around 1989 or 1990. It was meant to poke fun at the apathetic and/or shy attitude towards live performance where the musicians made more eye contact with the floor (shoes) than the audience. The droning guitar sound borrowed heavily from US rock bands of the previous few years such as Dinosaur Jr. and Hüsker Dü. There was a dreamy pop spin adopted by some of the more mainstream UK bands to calm it all down and Ride would be a textbook example of the lighter side of the spectrum. I have to be honest and group them in with Teenage Fanclub or The Jesus and Mary Chain instead of attempting to compare them to MBV. I loved the 1990 release Nowhere and think I still have the original casette tape of it in my basement somewhere. I'll probably go search for it later this evening.













Ride were from Oxford, England and formed in 1988. Creation Records was their label and probably should have been the focal point of this writeup but it's too late now (I stopped home briefly from a festival to write this). The song featured is from the band's March 1991 EP Today Forever. There are plenty of sites dedicated to Ride but I recommend starting at the MySpace fan page to hear a few more songs. The Vapour Trail track is there and was really the only song to receive frequent air play here in the states. Frontman Mark Gardener has his own music on his MySpace page you should check and if you like what you are listening to, also visit rideOX4 and ticket2ride. Plenty of good info on both sites. Ride is a great part of the shoegaze phenomenon's beginings.













MP3: Today