Nowhere: Remastered

This reissue, with a slightly different cover, now lists the three tracks from September 1990's 'Fall' e.p. in the main tracklisting and adds 1991's 'Today Forever' e.p. which was summarised the early sound of Ride before they experimented more on 1992's 'Going Blank Again' (which had elements of dub, ambient, spacerock, prog, Britpop, power-pop & the like...)

Opening with live favourite 'seagull', 'Nowhere' bursts into life - it sounds like early Dinosaur Jr. playing Buffalo Springfield's 'Burned', while having an infinite end where the drones go into overload.'Kaleidoscope'has a feeling of light/dark, the lyrics being suitably vague it could be about coming together or falling apart - a bittersweet feeling between Morrissey-mopery and lovedupness.The title is in many ways the quintiessential shoegazing title! 'In a Different Place' changes the tone, a huge ballad with those epic power chords - the dub-version found on the 'OX4' box-set is worth a listen despite not having vocals. 'polar Bear' is up next, another huge track that builds around Loz Colbert's spleenshattering drumming - this was the opener for the 'Nowhere' tour that followed and a song Ride ditched too soon.

'dreams Burn Down' is up next, originally released on the 'Fall'e.p. like 'seagull' and 'vapour Trail' it stuck out in their live shows of 1990. The drums are very Zep here, very 'When the Levee Breaks' as the rest of the band fire up a beautiful noise over it - Mark Gardener's lyrics point to something between energy and ennui - though "we fill up the gaps into our empty little lives" is pure existentialism (The Cure's 'Disintegration' might have been an influence on such lyrics!). The wonderful drones that follow the "dreams burn down...everytime" line take the feedback section of 'You Made Me Realise' and place it somewhere near pop.

The LP gets darker with the double whammy of 'decay' & 'paralysed' - the former is desperate and a bit gothic, sounding like the missing link between 'Scream'-Banshees and Interpol. 'paralysed' meanwhile finds Andy Bell offering one of the most ambitious tracks here, predicting the progtastic directions of later tracks such as 'Leave Them All Behind', 'Chrome Waves','Birdman' & 'At the End of the Universe' - of course it gives way to huge feedback by the end...as it had to! The album proper concludes on 'vapour trail', the single that should have been - one of Ride's finest songs it captures a moment (& takes you back to several). The kind of song that needs to be played on a summer's day...happy Proustian stuff! The cello is a great touch too - await the tribute LP by Michael Nyman...

'Nowhere' is now extended with the 'Fall'-tracks - lead-track and top 40 hit 'taste' (as with 'like a daydream' & 'chelsea girl' this is the Byrds post-MBV), 'here and now' (which builds around some harmonica), & 'nowhere' - which is Ride's darkest song offering up a wall of drones'n'feedback that feel like the ocean after a tsunami (...or just before?). It's like 'Metal Machine Music', but with a song! 'today forever' was released in the Spring of the following year (with a quite silly accompanying video-single which had all four tracks represented by some of the most boring promos in history!). Lead track 'unfamiliar' is a lot more melancholy and trying not to be pop - part of it would be re-cycled in 1994's 'From Time to Time' (which is probably a better song); 'beneath' is the other stock Ride track that just sounds like...(you guessed it) Ride. The other two tracks are more interesting - the gorgeous 'sennen' which explores more acoustic climes (& has been taken as a moniker for a second wave of shoegazing band of the same name!) & 'today' which is closer to Kevin Shields' 'don't ask why'...

'Nowhere' still sounds great and surprisingly was voted #37 in a recent poll of Greatest British Albums of All Time in the NME. This is quite surprising when Ride seem a bit forgotten and Mark Gardener's solo album has been generally ignored - clearly the NME have some shoegazers on staff! The fact that this LP came above 'Psychocandy','Park Life', 'Kid A' (& many great albums the NME forgot about) suggests that its finally being valued/revalued. An excellent reissue that sounds much better than my worn 1990-original, a compulsory purchase alongside 'Smile' and 'Going Blank Again' (the others have their moments...). In time this will become as prescient on lists such as over-rated peers like 'The LAs' and 'The Stone Roses'...


'Gazers to remember   March 1, 2005
 5 out of 8 found this review helpful

This album is exceptional from start to finish. The opening track, 'seagull' is a whirlwind of intensity! The cascading sound of 'polar bear' is just tremendous, with the lyrics, "why should it feel like a crime, if I want to be with you all the time". 'Vapour trail' is a huge favourite and probably the song that will instantly capture your attention on first listen.

I can't say enough good things about this album. It's like a wall of beautiful noise! The subtle harmonies throughout just add to it's appeal. It reminds me of great times when the hip and trendy wore flared denim (which is always good) and the music scene thrived on indie bands who WERE indie bands.

Now available with the 'unfamiliar' ep. joined on the end, there's more reason to buy it. 'Unfamiliar' being one of my all time favourite songs.


Unique and beautiful   February 28, 2004
 16 out of 19 found this review helpful

This album has the power to make me cry; it's that good.
When I listen to Vapour Trail, I'm 15 again, with huge curtains for hair and an un-healthy interest in Abi Frost's arse!
I was instantly obsessed by the Today Forever EP, carrying it around with me like it was sacred.
Nowhere is magical, full of the innocence of youth.
As I am typing this I'm listening to Taste. Would you just listen to those awesome, angelic voices and that mad drumming?!
It is right up there with my favourite albums of all time, sharing the same stage as Marvin, Stevie, The Beatles, Led Zep and The Stone Roses.