RIDE 

Ready Steady Go spoke to the multi-talented guitarist Andy Bell on the eve of their third album release, the polished Carnival Of Light in 1994. A real golden era of pop for Creation Records. Pre-Oasis, it was the likes of Ride, Primal Scream, Boo Radleys and Teenage Fanclub brightening up a dull indie scene with a new found sense of adventure and ambition. Carnival of Light was Ride's most accomplished album and the one most likely to break the big time. Andy Bell star began to shine as the band ditched their Byrds-on-feedback indie drone for a more retro tinged, classic song based style and Any wasn't ashamed to talk about the eclectic influences that help shape this new vision.

Did you have a massive re-think before recording Carnival Of Light?

"Well it always is, it's always the same. When you only go into the studio for a couple of months out of two years, you got to just basically make it the best it can be so yeah we had a big re-think. We have a big re-think before we got into the studio ever. Second single we had a big re-think!"

How much of influence was producer George Drakoulias?

"He was quite a big influence on the arrangements 'cos we tend to get quite a bit indulgent when it comes to working songs out and we just play them for as long as we feel good doing it and George came along and said, yeah these bits, you don't need 'em about certain bits, changed things around, put certain stuff in and all that sort of thing. But as far as recording goes we pretty much had the control over that. That was more John Leckie, he recorded most of it".

Why decide to use loads of instruments on the new LP?

"It's just to get a bit more variety in the sound. I've just started playing a bit more on things like the Hammond organ, piano, that kind of thing and all that's coming out in the new songs we're writing. There is a bit of keyboards in the second album and even on the first album but it was really amateur stuff".

How do you thing Ride fans will react to the new sound?

"Well I just hope we don't alienate anybody. I don't think it's that different from the other stuff. It's done with the same philosophy of just making it, really fucking good stuff, really good songs. I think we've got enough stuff on there that people can relate to straight away like for instance Birdman. Birdman's quite similar to our old stuff".

Why the choir on 'I Don't Know Where It Comes From' is this your attempt at the Stones, Can't Always Get What You Want?

"(Laughs) Yeah! It's a total rip off of that. It's just meant to be a nod to their idea. It was a good idea".

What is your favourite song on the album and why?

"I really like Magical Spring because it turned out much better than I thought it would. That's probably my favourite at the moment but it goes through different songs every day. My other favourite song is How Does It Feel To Feel? 'cos when we put that on the album it really changed it, made it seem like a lot different, the whole album".

How far do you think Creation can go with ambitious sounding bands like Ride, Boo Radleys and Primal Scream?

"It can go as big as it gets. The possibilities are endless. It's because we've got a visionary running the label. You know, Alan McGee will just turn things on you and you realise you can do anything you wanna do. I guess that's why if we hadn't been on this label, Us, the Boo Radleys and Primal Scream would be very different bands, I think than we are now".

Most memorable moments of recent trips to America?

"Erm, I did a gig on stage in the Viper Room. That was just me, I stayed on a little while longer for a holiday with Idha and we were just sort of going round doing all the things that you do in Los Angeles and we went to the Viper room. It was memorable but it was really horrible at the same time, really spooky".

We've read about Ride partying with the stars in America?

"Yeah well every time you go there you meet more people and you fall into that kind of way of doing things".

What are the strangest things to have happened whilst in the band?

"Basically doing a tour of Japan. Japanese fans mobbing you on the street. It's really funny when that happens. 'Cos there's thousands of tiny little people screaming at you. But the other thing is, it was really horrible once. There was all these sort of Japanese little girls on the other side of this road when we came out of this gig and there was police blocking them off and one of them started to walk across the road, trying to beak through under the kind of the barrier thing and they all started running over and the police just started beating them up, like with big sticks. I couldn't stand it, I was like trying to get them to stop and they just wouldn't stop they were going mental those guys".

Does it feel like you've really made it when this euphoria happens?

"Well that happens to every band whether you're the fucking BMX Bandits or U2. They just go wild for English people. I haven't got any big headed ideas it's just because we're Ride. They do it for anyone. If you look taller than them, if you look like you're from England, you'll probably get mobbed whoever you are. In fact, you'll probably get mobbed if you went to Japan!"

Right, that's my holiday booked for next year! Why do you think bands in the Nineties appear to be showing so much more vision, ambition and colour than bands did in the Eighties?

"I think in the eighties everyone was really into this kind of trying to make the studio sound really crap, trying to get a really kind of low-fi sound out of the studio. I didn't really ever go for that. The stuff from the eighties that I like is the music that tries to do music that sounds really great. I guess, the indie bands from the mid Eighties didn't really ever try to do anything that was ever more than just, a shambles really and that was the cool thing to do. I think now it's just got different".

As fan of the Byrds who is your favourite member and period?

"Favourite member, I'd have to say Clarence White, just because no one mentions him usually and I think he brought so much into the band and it really spurred Roger McGuinn on when he going through a really bad, he was heading for a really crap period and Clarence White joined the band and Gene Parsons joined the band and they did 'Untitled' and it really went good from there on. It could have gone really horrible after that country thing started. I guess my favourite Byrds period is I'd say, would be 'Untitled' as well. Although I do have all the Byrds albums and I love 'em all up to about '71, '72, after that it's a little bit, you know!"

Name five classic records?

"The Nazz' first album. They are like an American copy of The Who and Todd Rundgren was in them. There's an amazing track by Todd Rundgren that you should get called 'I Saw The Light'. Bobbie Gentry, 'Touch 'Em With Love'. She's a lot more poppy than Gram (Parsons). Gram's quite a serious guy, he's quite sort of moody. But this Bobbie Gentry, this album, it's kind of soul pop music, really, really good. The Action, the ultimate Action. Same sort of thing as The Creation but they've got a more of a soul influence. They sound like a real Mod band. There's a single I really like by the Ikettes and it's called Camel Walk. It's like a really, really brilliant stomper. And then a final one I'd say, The Hi Record Story Compilation which is all things like Willie Mitchell, Ann Peebles and Al Green and all that kind of thing".

Andy says he's a big fan of Northern Soul music, wonderfully describing it's groovy essence.

"I've got a few compilations, I couldn't name tracks for you but I do have a lot of compilations that I put on when I'm tidying up the house and have a groove on the floor!"

Do you live a superstar existence?

"(Laughs) No not at all! Well, sometimes it feels like it but then who knows what it is, really? Who knows what it's really like to be someone like Prince or Bono. That's the really superstar existence".

Do you aspire to this?

"No not really, it's good for a week or two. You do feel like a pop star when you stay in a certain hotel and you have room service and you can order anything you want. But then after a week of that, you just wanna got back to your own place. You know, watch Fifteen To One!"

Who would you like to produce your next album?

"Um, I wouldn't mind working a bit more with George Dracoulias, he's just really good. Rick Rubin, I'd really like to work with, he's the same kind of thing as George. Any of those guys".

Do you find writing lyrics harder now more people are listening to your songs?

"Yeah it is hard, it's the worst thing about writing songs. If you write something that comes naturally into your head, that's the easy part and then you look at it half an hour later and you think, Gawd, that's really bloody corny, or just that it's crap or nobody's gonna understand what I'm on about. But I think most of the time, the stuff that you first think of is the best stuff. Even if it doesn't mean anything".

When Ride imploded Andy Bell set up Hurricane #1. Don't forget to check out our exclusive interview with Andy is his current guise as guitar slinger, with Hurricane #1. After two albums, Hurricane #1 called it a day and now Andy is plying his trade with Oasis. One hopes that, along with Gem from Heavy Stereo, Andy Bell will be allowed to contribute his songwriting talents to Oasis and give new life to a band desperate for a new lease of life and direction.

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Page updated 9th April 2000