Ride - Tarantula

Tarantula is the fourth and final album put out by the wonderfully talented group Ride, with bassist Andy Bell. The band announced their break-up before the album was even released. Looking at this album is therefore a fairly complex activity.

First, it's fair to say that Ride's lifetime was far too short. Then again, we know of the many one-hit wonders out there and given the vast amount of talented musicians who never even got a shot, at least Ride did get four albums out. That is more of a chance than many stellar musicians get. Part of the challenge for fans is that the albums change fairly drastically in style. So someone who absolutely adored the first Ride album Nowhere, and who craved more of the same, often felt they got cheated out of more music. Instead they got a selection of other styles they didn't adore as much. Conversely, those who adored the style of this last album wish that Ride had hung in there now that they had finally "evolved to perfection".

I have said in many of my reviews that we listeners can't expect any band to remain stagnant. Artists grow and change and that is a good thing. To scold an artist for trying new styles or experimenting would seem to be silly. Why not just have a computer program churn out "variations on Nowhere"?

With that being said, I absolutely adored Nowhere, and I adored Leave Them All Behind from Going Blank Again. In comparison, when I listen to the songs on Tarantula, certainly I enjoy them, but they don't hold that same soul-deep power. I can pop Tarantula on while I'm working and enjoy it as background music. It's pleasant. With Leave Them All Behind, though, or many of the Nowhere songs, I stop working when they come on. I am totally immersed in the guitarwork and the harmonies. They are the songs that come to me when I'm driving along, and loop possessively in my brain. So yes, I can definitely say I understand the plaintive plea of those who say "what we got was too few! This was a special, unique talent this band had, and we were presented with two few of these masterpieces that only they could create!"

But isn't that true with so much of life? We would have loved more beautiful watercolors from Monet. More movies from Olivier. More books from Hemingway. I adore the nature photos from Mark Berkery and treasure each new day of those. Life gives us our brief, shining, effervescent lives and then we are done. We have to appreciate what we have.

Andy Bell went on to Oasis, so we can still appreciate his talents there, in those songs. Life permutates and rearranges and represents itself.

Resist the urge to be upset about Ride changing. Whether it's this album you adore, their first, or one in between, they were a special group. What they gave to us, in their brief time together, was a treasure.

Buy Ride - Tarantula from Amazon.com

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