Some great versions, some lackluster (BBC sessions)
John L Murphy | Los Angeles | 01/15/2008
(3 out of 5 stars)
"These radio versions of the band feature, as tracks 6 "Decay" and an amazing stretch of #'s 8-11 "Time of Her Time," "Not Fazed," "Mouse Trap," and "Birdman," the best recordings of these tunes extant. The doom of "Decay" comes with thunder and dirgelike beats, while the shimmer, confidence, lilt, and swirl respectively of the pinnacle of the shoegazing moment of the early 90s can be heard on those four tracks in a row. Here Ride reveals a dimension of depth and passion that the studio renderings, although they are off my favorite of the band's records, "Going Blank Again," do not quite match.
That said, the decline of the band into a more stolid, and less psychedelic, phase does take up most of this generously long and generally entertaining CD. The band is never boring, but the relatively straightforward delivery of many tracks does not make this an essential purchase if you are a casual fan who has the original studio records. (I have not listened to the expanded versions, as they are only on import.) The muddiness of later tracks that I like, such as "Let's Get Lost," does dull the sheen that the earlier sessions had labored to polish."
Discovery
Apexing | NoCal | 09/14/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I discovered this compilation while listening to [...]. Being a huge fan of the Nowhere release, it was disappointing that KROQ in Southern California completely abandoned all further Ride projects. So I found myself, 18 years later, listening to Ride albums I had not been exposed to on Pandora. Sight of You is the song that convinced me that I had to have this CD, just giving me reason to spend 2 weeks overplaying the CD and reveling in the layers of guitar. Yes, Crown of Creation and Since Then pale in comparison to the energy and lavish guitar work in Like a Daydream or Perfect Time (it's odd to even type that since Ride jammed so much music into a 2 year span), however I found the good on this compilation of sessions completely irresistible. It is an interesting walk through Ride's progression of sound through 2 years work. Bonus is the bandmember's comments in the jacket, reflections of time and a peek behind the curtain."