Ride - Tarantula

Ride - Tarantula

By

Jesse E. Mullen

 

Dynamic shifts in any relationship are tough. We meet people and expect them to stay the same. We also set expectations that the roles they have in our lives will stay the same. But band relationships are a different ballgame. 

Ride formed in Oxford, UK in 1988. Lead guitarist and songwriter Andy Bell had met lead singer and rhythm guitarist Mark Gardener at school. They were quickly joined by bassist Steve Queralt and drummer Loz Colbert. Soon, they built up a following in the budding shoegaze scene.

A pair of early EPs cemented their reputation as critical and commercial darlings. Their debut album Nowhere was released in 1990 to rave reviews. The follow-up 1992’s Going Blank Again was even more successful, peaking at number five in the UK album charts. It seemed like everything was going right for Ride. 

However, behind the scenes, everything was not so simple. Relationships were breaking down and tensions were building between Gardner and Bell. Because songwriting credits were split evenly within the group, Bell felt he was not being properly credited for the work he was doing.

(Creation label owner Alan McGee said years later in his memoir that he had assumed it was Gardener who was primary songwriter. This eventually led to Bell approaching McGee after a show and saying “you know I write the songs, right?”) 

This led to a change in Ride’s album credits. From here on out, Bell would be credited individually for the songs he wrote. Problem solved, right? Well, not quite. Gardener was increasing his output at the time and wanted a bigger piece of the songwriting pie as well.

Ride’s next album’s track listing tells the full story. 1994’s Carnival of Light has four songs written by Gardener and six written by Bell. However, either Gardener or Bell refused to have his songs mixed in with the other songwriters. 

As a result, the first side of the album is all Gardener tunes while the second side is Bell’s. Bell and Gardener were also no longer harmonizing vocally, and each songwriter sang lead vocals on his own songs.

Relations got even worse in 1995. After touring Carnival of Light for a year, Bell decided it was time to record a new album. However, Gardener had not prepared enough songs for a full side of an album. Consequently, Andy Bell was again writing most of the songs. Only this time, he was also doing most of the vocals. 

Things get off to a rocking start with “Black Nite Crash.” The song – which was NME single of the week in March 1996 – has a Rolling Stones styled riff. The surreal lyrics evoke images of Polanskian film noir. It’s a thrill to listen to – both live and on record – but things only get better from here.

“Sunshine/Nowhere To Run” starts with drums reminiscent of “Sympathy For The Devil,” but quickly gives way to Bell’s cheery guitar leads. The lyrics describe fatigue of touring and recording albums – ironic given that Bell rushed into the studio after the previous tour. But they also speak of love, and how romance can make every struggle worthwhile. 

In the film industry, Bell could be called the “total auteur,” or writer, director, and lead actor. His songs center around the dissolution of his artistic relationship with Gardener, as well as the love he felt in his marriage.

“Walk on Water” is very similar musically to “Some Might Say” by Oasis, but the lyrics paint a different picture. Rather than painting a picture of universal optimism like Oasis, Bell is more specific, directing his hope towards his wife. But it’s not all a bed of roses. 

Mark Gardener was none too pleased about the situation within the band. As a result, his lone contribution “Deep Inside My Pocket” is a vindictive tale of what he perceived to be Bell’s power grab. The minor key organ melody and jerky rhythm paint enough of a picture, but the lyrics go a step further.

Gardener paints Bell as a soul-stealer ala Invasion of The Bodysnatchers and defends himself against the perceived slight. For his part, Bell contributed an excellent guitar solo to the track which brought it to another level. 

Bell seemingly responds a few tracks later with the excellent “Castle on the Hill.” A bluesy acoustic-based track, it laments the loss of his friendship with Gardener. Lyrically, Bell compares Gardener to a reclusive king who has brought life in the castle to a standstill. Everybody mourns the situation, but nobody knows what to do.

The album closes with another acoustic track, the folksy “Starlight Motel.” An upbeat song about throwing caution to the wind, it was the perfect song to end Ride with, at least for the time being. As the song says, we may only get one chance to start a relationship. So, we might as well go for it.

Ultimately, the tense recording sessions were too much for Ride to endure. Once the album was finished, Gardener announced he was leaving the band during a contract meeting. Rather than carry on without him, Bell, Colbert and Queralt decided to disband. Ride may have peaked in popularity earlier, but Tarantula showed that they could still rock – even as they fizzled out.

Creation/1996