Ride Tarantula CD

This remastered import reissue of the final album by seminal British shoegaze band Ride features three bonus tracks, "Nothing Lasts Forever," "Slave," and the cleverly titled "A Trip Down Ronnie Lane."

Here's where the plot got lost, an abomination of '70s/Lenny Kravitz clichés, full of third- and fourth-rate tunes and, ultimately, bad blood. Where Carnival of Light was a decent appropriation of late-'60s influences, here it's mere mimicry, going through the motions. No focus, no spirit, almost no quality songs -- Smaller Faces. Perhaps falling out of favor with the British press, only to be stomped upon by the likes of the Oasis phenomenon, nailed the coffin shut. The band even subbed for Oasis openers the Verve during one of the band's tours, before the recording of Tarantula, signifying a changing of the guard. Not helping the matter was a lack of ideas -- and a producer -- before entering the studio. Festering tension between Mark Gardener and Andy Bell came to a head, with Gardener walking out during the mixing process; just before the record was released in March of 1996, the band announced its breakup. Though "Black Nite Crash" and "Dead Man" are sub-Stones, sub-Faces and, well, sub-Ride, they're not half bad. Those are the bright spots, albeit relatively speaking. Gardener checks in with one lone song, the mediocre "Deep Inside My Pocket." And as Ride never had great lyricists, the words are just plain awful throughout, not even worth printing. Be warned: There's even a song detailing the myriad woes of life on the road. Most of the songs sound half-realized, sketches of what could only amount to decent material with the necessary retooling and enthusiasm. U.K. label Creation obviously didn't care for it, as it was deleted a week after its release. Unfortunately, it shouldn't have been released at all. Some might say it shouldn't have been recorded, either. (Ignition's 2001 U.K. edition adds the three OK B-sides off Black Nite Crash.) ~ Andy Kellman

Here's where the plot got lost, a complete abomination of '70s/Lenny Kravitz clichés, full of third- and fourth-rate tunes and, ultimately, bad blood. Where Carnival of Light was a fine appropriation of '60s and early-'70s influences, here it's mere mimicry, just going through the motions. No focus, no spirit, almost no quality songs. Perhaps falling out of favor with the British press, only to be stomped upon by the likes of the Oasis phenomenon, put a cap on things. The band even subbed for Oasis openers the Verve during one of the Manchester band's tours, before the recording of Tarantula, which proved to be the end. Not helping the matter was the lack of producer and lack of ideas before entering the studio. The tension between Mark Gardener and Andy Bell came to a head, with Gardener walking out in the middle of the mixing process. Just before the record was released in March of 1996, the band announced their break-up.

Though "Black Nite Crash" and "Dead Man" are sub-Stones, sub-Faces and, well, sub-Ride, they're not half bad. That's about it on the plus side. Gardener checks in with one lone song, the mediocre "Deep Inside My Pocket." And as Ride were never great lyricists, the words are just plain awful throughout, not even worth printing. Be warned: there's even a song detailing the myriad woes of being a musician on the road. Unfortunately, it is that bad. Most of the songs sound half-realized, sketches of what could only amount to decent material with the necessary retooling and enthusiasm. Their U.K. label Creation obviously didn't care for it, as it was deleted a week after its release. Unfortunately, it shouldn't have been released at all. One could say it shouldn't have b

UK remastered reissue of the British indie act's final album (1996) includes three bonus tracks, 'Nothing Lasts Forever', 'Slave' & 'A Trip Down Ronnie Lane' in addition to the classics, 'Black Nite Crash', 'Castle On The Hill' & 'Starlight Motel'. Ignition. 2006.

Recorded in London, EngRolling Stone (4/18/96, p.69) - 3 Stars - Good - "...Like the Beatle's LET IT BE, TARANTULA is a studio document of band unraveling, and its full of clues about the split..."
Entertainment Weekly (3/15/96, p.65) - "...a retrofest resembling an all-star jam with the Rolling Stones, the Byrds, Traffic, and Jimi Hendrix. Soaring harmonies, jangly guitars, and bluesy solos blend with chiming keyboards and the occasional bongo..." - Rating: B
RIP (6/96, p.9) - 4 (out of 5) - "...TARANTULA is perhaps the best album of Ride's career, and it's also their swan song....[the] tracks are especially lush and lively..."