Amazing, Glorious, Even Life- Altering
Daufhin Thorndike | New York , NY | 09/12/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Wow! I loved this record before, but hearing this re-mastered version is like going from beta to dvd in one instant. There is such a remarkable difference in sound I was in awe as I listened to this. Honestly, it brought a tear to my eye several times by the sheer beauty and transcendent feeling I got listening to this turned up on my stereo in a darkened room with a single lit candle by my side. Every track is brilliant, and as a whole album it is nothing short of a classic masterpiece, right up there with any classic album of the last 50 years. Though I love all of Ride's albums- this one is really special. The beautiful re-mastering crisply brings out every note and reveals many that were lost in the previous mix and gives those incredible Ride vocal harmonies a lush, etheral tone that just lifts the music all the more higher and outerworldly. The inclusion of the sensational b-sides from the original release is a wonderful treat that completes this album in a way it was meant to be in the first place. I simply cannot be more happy with the job Ignition Records has done for the entire Ride catalog, but for Carnival Of Light in particular. This album really defies the shoe-gazer genre in alot of ways. It is their most diverse album, mixing up several styles into a glorious merger of shoe-gazing pop, psychedelia, and late 60's/70's folk rock. It never feels rushed, is always musically diverse- running the spectrum from jaw-dropping instrumental passages to moments of "devil horns in the air" hard rock . You can hear their influence here very strikingly with current bands such as the Dandy Warhols, The Warlocks, Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Ocean Blue, Lush, and even early Doves. This album in particular sounds decidedly retro with a very obvious Byrds influence, but alot of Andy Bell's guitar work really contrasts that vibe with a very hard edge that really reminds me of future guitar work featured so prominently in Oasis- which is ironic because he never played guitar in Oasis, but I can hear now in Oasis' music just how heavily influenced alot of their sound was by Bell's former band, Ride. In conclusion, if you have the original cd or have never bought a Ride record, you deserve to hear this. It may very well change your life- it is that powerful."
Stunning Transition from Shoegazing to Jangle-Pop
Sakos | United States | 10/30/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Ride's follow-up to their masterpiece Going Blank Again was 1994's Carnival of Light. A quite different album, as it is more in the vein of mid-1990s jangly Brit-pop than their earlier shoegazing sound. However, it is still a fantastic album, although a signal that the end was near (due to tensions between Bell and Gardner, Bell refused to have his songs interspersed with Gardners...hence the first 5 songs are all my Gardner and co-writers, and from the 6th song all, solely by Bell)....but on to the music..
And what music it is. The album opens up with Moonlight Medicine, quite possibly the heaviest track Ride ever did, and it is awesome. This is followed up by the stunningly beautiful 1000 Miles, which has 12-string electric guitar reminiscent of the Byrds and Smiths. The first stellar track on the album is Natural Grace, which is just gorgeous and one of the high points of Ride's entire career. Bell's songs start out with the strong Birdman and Crown of Creation before moving to his masterpiece on the album, Magical Spring. Another one of Ride's all-time classics, this song has a catchy hook, killer verses, and amazing group performances. This remaster also has three AMAZING EP tracks from the era, Let's Get Lost, Don't Let it Die, and the superlative At the End of the Universe....these are as good or better than some of the album tracks.
All in all, a STUNNING album from Ride, and sadly their last classic disc. This remaster is the way to go...extra tracks AND fantastic sound quality due to the remastering....how can you go wrong?"
Track Listings (15) - Disc #1