Album #9 Nowhere, Ride

Nowhere LP | RIDE Digital archive

I heard this album back in 1991 in Aeron Bergman’s bedroom on Snowapple. As with a lot of things back then, his enthusiasm was infectious. In the continuing theme of cool people and older brothers Aeron has always been both to me. And I can’t ever hear this album without thinking of him. The opening track of this album Seagull is still one of my all time favorite songs. The swirl of distortion, and furiously kinetic drumming over a super simple bass line has always gone with the image on the cover. Little did I know back then that it was part of the design.  The vocals swim in an urgent harmony that propels the tune towards an unbeatable crescendo. I love the cymbal smashes as the song is peaking at around minute 5:20, letting you know, yes this tune can go up a gear.

We know there’s no limits
Now it’s your turn to see me rise
You burned my wings, now watch me fly above your head
Looking down I see you far below
Looking up you see my spirit glow

Each tune seemed to live in the dreamworld of this unbroken wave. There is no fat on this album every single track kills.

The movement from Seagull, to Kaleidescope, to In a different Place, to Polar Bear and the big cavernous drums on Dreams Burn Down, with the big wall of distortion at the end is genius album sequencing. Like a lot of people, I love Vapour Trail too. Sweet innocent melancholy. I think of Mom when I hear it now.

First you look so strong,
Then you fade away.
The sun will blind my eyes;
I love you anyway.
Thirsty for your smile;
I watch you for a while.
You are a vapour trail
In a deep blue sky.
Tremble with a sigh;
Glitter in your eye.
You seem to come and go;
I never seem to know.
And all my time
Is yours as much as mine.
We never have enough
Time to show our love.

I love when live shows so completely blow your mind and cement a memory of a time, and a band. I saw Ride in 1992, Slowdive opened (more on that later). Aeron and I went and sat with our legs dangling over the edge of the balcony about 10 feet from the band. That show completely blew me away. The band shredded through most of both Nowhere and Going Blank Again to a packed house at St. Andrews Hall in Detroit. 25 years later they came back and played the exact same set. I mostly don’t go in for nostalgia tours, I like seeing bands making new records and doing new stuff, moving on. But the second show at St. Andrews hit me in the heart. It was so great to see it with Adam and April Zimont who are big fans but about 10-15 years too young to have seen it the first time. Andy and I both had a bit of hairloss. This video shows the haircut we both had in 1990. 🙂