This handsomely-packaged reissue marries the original UK release of Ride’s debut long-player with its contemporary EPs, Fall and Today Forever, and a blistering, previously unissued live set from their first US tour in April 1991.
For a band so often tarred with the shoegaze brush, it’s easy to forget that Ride were never the most natural bedfellows with the likes of My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive. While sharing some of that scene’s penchant for squall and drone, Ride were as notable for their song-craft and energy – ably displayed here. Opening track Seagull clatters into view, all Keith Moon drums and a typically nimble, Revolver-esque bass line. Kaleidoscope and Vapour Trail are further examples of their effervescent side, seemingly setting a template for any number of indie shufflers to come in the next decade. Elsewhere, Dreams Burn Down is typical of the darker, statelier fare at which they’d excel.
This package is perhaps most notable for its second disc, providing a glimpse of the abandon of the group’s live shows. Here the young band sound anything but the mopey caricature that followed them. It’s a ferocious, grungy onslaught that’s perhaps aged better than its parent album.
