Search - Youngbloods :: Ride the Wind

Stripped Down and Stunning

Kurt Harding | Boerne TX | 09/11/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"My first experience with the music of the Youngbloods dates back to the late 1960s when their song Get Together defined the youth spirit of the age. Then, in 1971 when this album was first issued, AM radio adult contemporary station KDEO in San Diego, bless them, actually gave several cuts from this album some fairly heavy airplay! Would that, could that happen with today's radio? Probably not, but anyhow I was hooked and hurried to buy it as soon as I could.
Ride the Wind is nothing like the Youngbloods' studio albums. It is stripped down and stunning in its simplicity. Just three members of the band play here; Jesse Colin Young with his bass guitar and expressive vocals, Joe Bauer on drums, and the wild-looking Banana on guitar and electric piano.
Two songs, the title cut and Sunlight, alone take this CD into 5-star territory. The piano work is jazzily superb and Young's voice is at its best. Sunlight in particular is an excellent mood-setter for when the lights are low and you are with a lover.
Sugar Babe has a vaguely country feel to it and features a kazoo interlude by Jesse. The Dolphin is my least favorite, the instrumentation is OK but the vocals are weak. I prefer It's A Beautiful Day's version.
The album follows with a serviceable treatment of their hit Get Together and closes with a rousing interpretation of Beautiful.
I never did have the good fortune of seeing the Youngbloods live, but Ride The Wind has to be the next best thing. My old album being pretty scratched up, I have waited for years for this to be reissued on CD. Who knows how long it will be available?
If you are a fan on any level, and particularly if you never heard this album, you are in for a treat. Do your ears a favor and order it soon."

Jazzy, Loose, and Beautiful

Todd and In Charge | Miami, FL | 05/13/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is music to put in your car as you ride on a sunny day with the top down: jazzy, loose, improvisional, with the ethereal tenor of Jesse Colin Young's voice high above the sounds. Song selection is excellent, I particularly like the open and heartfelt reading of Fred Neil's "The Dolphin," an anti-war song that has great resonance to my ears today. The sound quality is top-notch, it sounds as if Banana's electric wurlitzer is riding in the car with you.....this one will surprise you, a relaxed, highly enjoyable trio grooving and making feel-good music. Time for a reunion guys!"

Recently rediscovered this album

Pat | CT, Usa | 11/12/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album was a favorite of mine back in the day and my husband and I recently rediscovered it on CD. The long, live versions of these classic youngblood songs are enjoyable today and not dated at all. In fact, friends who have now heard it and who aren't familiar with the youngbloods love it!"