Carnival of Light (album)

Carnival of Light is the third studio album by British rock band Ride, released in June 1994 via Creation Records. The album is named after a lost song by the Beatles. The album showcased the band's shift from shoegazing to a more traditional, folk rock sound.[3] It was well received by some critics, magazine Select calling it "another fantastic British album in the old tradition"[9] and reached the UK Top 5. However, by the end of 1994 even the band members had become disillusioned, referring to it amongst themselves as "Carnival of Shite",[10] although in a 2022 interview Andy Bell stated that he had "made peace with it. It’s got a lot of good tracks, like Moonlight Medicine and Birdman".[11]

Carnival of Light
Studio album by
Released20 June 1994
StudioSawmills, The Manor, RAK, Abbey Road, Sound City, Ocean Way, Sunset Sound
Genre
Length56:33
LabelCreation
ProducerJohn Leckie
Ride chronology
Grasshopper
(1992)
Carnival of Light
(1994)
Tarantula
(1996)
Singles from Carnival of Light
  1. "Birdman"
    Released: 18 April 1994
  2. "How Does It Feel to Feel?"
    Released: 13 June 1994
  3. "I Don't Know Where It Comes From"
    Released: 12 September 1994
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Melody Maker(positive)[7]
NME7/10[5]
Select[6]
Vox8/10[8]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Andy Bell except where noted

Original album
No.TitleLyricsMusicLead vocalsLength
1."Moonlight Medicine"Mark GardenerGardenerGardener6:49
2."1000 Miles"GardenerGardenerGardener with Bell5:00
3."From Time to Time"GardenerGardener, Steve QueraltGardener and Bell5:05
4."Natural Grace"Loz ColbertLoz ColbertGardener and Bell4:40
5."Only Now"Gardener, Jack RieleyGardenerGardener4:25
6."Birdman"  Bell6:39
7."Crown of Creation"  Bell4:41
8."How Does It Feel to Feel?" (The Creation cover)Eddie Phillips, Bob GarnerPhillips, GarnerGardener and Bell3:40
9."Endless Road"  Bell3:30
10."Magical Spring"  Bell with Gardener4:25
11."Rolling Thunder"   2:08
12."I Don't Know Where It Comes From"  Bell5:32
Total length:56:33
Bonus tracks
No.TitleLyricsMusicLead vocalsLength
1."Don't Let It Die"GardenerGardenerGardener3:12
2."Let's Get Lost"BellBellGardener and Bell3:56
3."At the End of the Universe"Bell, Colbert, Gardener, QueraltBell, Colbert, Gardener, QueraltGardener and Bell7:55

Personnel

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Ride

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  • Loz Colbert – drums, percussion
  • Steve Queralt – bass guitar, Fender Rhodes on "Only Now"
  • Mark Gardener – vocals, rhythm guitar, tamboura
  • Andy Bell – vocals, lead guitar; piano on "Crown of Creation", "Endless Road", and "Magical Spring"; Hammond organ on "Crown of Creation" and "Endless Road", Fender Rhodes on "From Time to Time"

Additional musicians

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Charts

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Chart performance for Carnival of Light
Chart (1994) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[12] 32
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[13] 38
Scottish Albums (OCC)[14] 15
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[15] 24
UK Albums (OCC)[16] 5
Chart (2023) Peak
position
Scottish Albums (OCC)[17] 22
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[18] 8

References

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  1. ^ a b Unterberger, Andrew (19 November 2014). "Ride Announce Reunion and 2015 World Tour". Spin. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  2. ^ Heaton, Dave (8 April 2003). "In a Different Place: Interviews with Andy Bell and Mark Gardener of Ride". PopMatters. Archived from the original on 25 May 2011. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  3. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Ride Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  4. ^ Kellman, Andy. "Review: Carnival of Light – Ride". AllMusic. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
  5. ^ Sutherland, Steve (16 June 1994). "Flawed Fiesta". NME.
  6. ^ Perry, Steve (June 1994). "Top of the fops". Select.
  7. ^ "Fete Accompli". Melody Maker. 1994.
  8. ^ Malins, Steve (July 1994). "Oxford blues". Vox.
  9. ^ Perry, Steve (June 1994). Select http://ride.band/site/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/select-june-1994.jpg. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. ^ Cavanagh, David (2001). The Creation Records Story: My Magpie Eyes are Hungry for the Prize. Virgin. p. 613. ISBN 978-0-7535-0645-5.
  11. ^ Simpson, Dave (24 November 2022). "'We beat Radiohead at football 25-4': Ride's Andy Bell". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  12. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Ride – Carnival of Light". Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  13. ^ "Charts.nz – Ride – Carnival of Light". Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  14. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  15. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Ride – Carnival of Light". Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  16. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  17. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  18. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
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"Official Ride website". Retrieved 9 December 2005.