Going Blank Again

Quality 0.50 · 1 view · Updated 2 months ago

title: "Going Blank Again" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1992-albums", "albums-produced-by-alan-moulder", "creation-records-albums", "ride-(band)-albums", "sire-records-albums"] topic_path: "arts/music" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Going_Blank_Again" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox album"]

FieldValue
nameGoing Blank Again
typeAlbum
artistRide
coverBlankagainridecover.jpg
released9 March 1992
studioChipping Norton Recording Studios, Chipping Norton
Blackbarn Studios, Ripley
genre*Shoegaze
*psychedelic rock{{cite weblast
length50:24
labelCreation/Sire
producerAlan Moulder, Ride
prev_titleToday Forever
prev_year1991
next_titleGrasshopper
next_year1992
misc{{Singles
nameGoing Blank Again
typestudio
single1Leave Them All Behind
single1date3 February 1992
single2Twisterella
single2date13 April 1992
::

| name = Going Blank Again | type = Album | artist = Ride | cover = Blankagainridecover.jpg | alt = | released = 9 March 1992 | recorded = | venue = | studio = Chipping Norton Recording Studios, Chipping Norton Blackbarn Studios, Ripley | genre = *Shoegaze

Background and production

Following Ride's 1990 debut album Nowhere, Ride released Going Blank Again as their second full-length record, accompanied by the singles "Leave Them All Behind" (10 February 1992) and "Twisterella" (13 April 1992), the latter named in reference to a song in the 1963 kitchen sink drama Billy Liar. The album consists of ten tracks, selected from twenty-five that the band had recorded.

It has been said that Going Blank Again resembles the band's debut album but also drawing comparisons to the power-pop style of Teenage Fanclub who were Creation Records labelmates of Ride, although it is pointed out that Ride's vocals are more layered, and that the guitars are not as sharp and cutting as those of similar bands of the same era, whilst retaining the reverberating sound that was typical of the shoegaze sound. The album's lyrics have been criticised, but overall this was not seen as an important factor for the album given the nature of shoegaze.

The band credit Christopher Gunson with creating the cover art for the album.

Music

Ben Cardew of Pitchfork explains that Going Blank Again "represents the commercial peak of shoegaze, a glorious explosion of populist noise that proves how utterly satisfying distorted guitars can be when allied with Byrds-ian harmonies, a drummer at the top of his Keith Moon-goes-indie game, and bass lines you can hum in the shower. Going Blank Again sounds like someone has taken the wistful charm of Ride’s debut album Nowhere, fed it three solid meals, and packed it off to finishing school to be sharpened within an inch of its life."

The track “Leave Them All Behind” has been called "a monstrously intrepid, eight-minute slice of thrilling guitars."

Release

The album was re-released on 24 September 2001 featuring four bonus tracks on the Ignition label in the United Kingdom. The four tracks were compiled from the two CD singles released from the album, "Leave Them All Behind" and "Twisterella". This omitted the original mix of "Chrome Waves", as found on the "Leave Them All Behind" CD single in February 1992 and the "Grasshopper" compilation EP in Japan in November of that year. On 30 March 2012, a 20th Anniversary reissue of the album was announced, featuring the same track listing as the 2001 reissue, plus a bonus DVD of the band's 27/3/92 Brixton Academy concert, previously only released on VHS and LaserDisc, which had been out of print. According to a recent newsletter to fans, tracking down the original master of the video was no easy task:

::quote After quite a lengthy stint of detective work, we managed to track down the original digital master tape of the Brixton live show. And it looks great! So we asked Catherine Marks and John Catlin at Alan Moulder's studio to mix the audio afresh from the 2″ master tapes of the gig. Catherine had worked under Alan's watchful eye on the Roxy LA mixes and so we were really happy that she could find time to mix and edit the Brixton audio. Needless to say, it sounds truly wonderful and we’re really pleased to now finally have a Ride release on DVD. ::

Going Blank Again was re-issued in November 2022 by Wichita recordings. All the original audio reworked and refined, the reissue made available on vinyl and CD.

Reception and legacy

| rev1 = AllMusic | rev1score = | rev2 = Chicago Tribune | rev2score = | rev3 = Entertainment Weekly | rev3score = B+ | rev4 = Los Angeles Times | rev4score = | rev5 = NME | rev5score = 9/10 | rev6 = Pitchfork | rev6score = 8.7/10 | rev7 = Q | rev7score = | rev8 = Select | rev8score = 5/5 | rev9 = Uncut | rev9Score = 7/10 | rev10 = The Village Voice | rev10score = A−

Reviewing the album at the time, British music weekly NME noted that they did not have high hopes for Going Blank Again but that Ride "did the business" and restored the magazine's faith in the band, noting particularly that they had taken on board a diverse set of influences and developed their sound:

::quote This LP has some top punk rock bass guitar on it! Some new effects pedals! New ideas! It is not Going Nowhere Again which is the album we feared they'd make. Instead, GBA fills in the lines between Ride's beauty with cement and then builds like a demon. There is no stone left unturned, as they open up to new reference points... would you believe King Crimson? New Order? The Who? The Beach Boys? Ride have reinvented themselves whilst retaining all the cuteness of Haircut One Hundred. ::

An academic study on My Bloody Valentine's seminal shoegazing album Loveless mentions that the tracks of Going Blank Again are "predictive" of later genres of indie rock, and notes that the seventh track "Cool Your Boots" is a "shoegazing classic". "Leave Them All Behind" ranked number 273 in ''NME'''s list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, whilst the album itself ranked at number 407 in the corresponding greatest albums list published a year earlier.

Pitchfork listed the song at number 5 on its list of the best shoegaze albums of all time. Staff writer Ben Cardew said: "It’s tight, audacious, and supremely confident."

Track listing

All songs composed by Andy Bell, Loz Colbert, Mark Gardener, Steve Queralt.

| total_length = 50:24 | headline = Original album | extra_column = Lead vocals | title1 = Leave Them All Behind | length1 = 8:17 | lyrics1 = Gardener | extra1 = Gardener and Bell | title2 = Twisterella | length2 = 3:42 | lyrics2 = Gardener | extra2 = Gardener | title3 = Not Fazed | length3 = 4:24 | lyrics3 = Bell | extra3 = Gardener and Bell | title4 = Chrome Waves | length4 = 3:53 | lyrics4 = Bell | extra4 = Bell | title5 = Mouse Trap | length5 = 5:14 | lyrics5 = Gardener | extra5 = Gardener and Bell | title6 = Time of Her Time | length6 = 3:16 | lyrics6 = Bell | extra6 = Bell | title7 = Cool Your Boots | length7 = 6:01 | lyrics7 = Bell | extra7 = Bell | title8 = Making Judy Smile | length8 = 2:39 | lyrics8 = Bell | extra8 = Bell | title9 = Time Machine | length9 = 5:54 | lyrics9 = Gardener | extra9 = Gardener and Bell | title10 = OX4 | length10 = 7:03 | lyrics10 = Gardener | extra10 = Gardener and Bell

;Additional tracks | total_length = 73:04 | headline = Bonus tracks | extra_column = Lead vocals | title11 = Going Blank Again | length11 = 3:21 | lyrics11 = Bell | music11 = Bell | extra11 = Gardener and Bell | note11 = from the Twisterella EP, 1992 | title12 = Howard Hughes | length12 = 4:03 | lyrics12 = Bell | music12 = Bell | extra12 = Gardener and Bell | note12 = from the Twisterella EP, 1992 | title13 = Stampede | length13 = 4:16 | lyrics13 = Gardener | music13 = Gardener | extra13 = Gardener | note13 = from the Twisterella EP, 1992 | title14 = Grasshopper | length14 = 10:56 | lyrics14 = | music14 = Bell, Colbert, Gardener, Queralt | note14 = from the Leave Them All Behind EP, 1992 | total_length = 1:22:09 | headline = DVD: Live at Brixton Academy | title1 = Leave Them All Behind | length1 = | lyrics1 = Gardener | music1 = Bell, Colbert, Gardener, Queralt | title2 = Taste | length2 = | lyrics2 = Gardener | music2 = Bell, Colbert, Gardener, Queralt | title3 = Not Fazed | length3 = | lyrics3 = Bell | music3 = Bell | title4 = Unfamiliar | length4 = | lyrics4 = Gardener | music4 = Bell, Colbert, Gardener, Queralt | title5 = Like a Daydream | length5 = | lyrics5 = Bell | music5 = Bell | title6 = OX4 | length6 = | lyrics6 = Gardener | music6 = Bell, Colbert, Gardener, Queralt | title7 = Perfect Time | length7 = | lyrics7 = Gardener | music7 = Bell, Colbert, Gardener, Queralt | title8 = Twisterella | length8 = | lyrics8 = Gardener | music8 = Bell, Colbert, Gardener, Queralt | title9 = Drive Blind | length9 = | lyrics9 = Bell | music9 = Bell | title10 = Making Judy Smile | length10 = | lyrics10 = Bell | music10 = Bell | title11 = Nowhere | length11 = | lyrics11 = Colbert | music11 = Bell, Colbert, Gardener, Queralt | title12 = Vapour Trail | length12 = | lyrics12 = Bell | music12 = Bell | title13 = Chrome Waves | length13 = | lyrics13 = Bell | music13 = Bell | title14 = Mouse Trap | length14 = | lyrics14 = Gardener | music14 = Bell, Colbert, Gardener, Queralt | title15 = Dreams Burn Down | length15 = | lyrics15 = Bell | music15 = Bell | title16 = Time of Her Time | length16 = | lyrics16 = Bell | music16 = Bell | title17 = Chelsea Girl | length17 = | lyrics17 = Gardener | music17 = Bell, Colbert, Gardener, Queralt

Personnel

Personnel taken from Going Blank Again liner notes.

Ride

Additional personnel

  • Ride – production
  • Alan Moulder – production, recording, mixing
  • Matt Oliver – recording
  • Christopher Gunson – cover art Dialogue on "Cool Your Boots" taken from Withnail and I

Charts

::data[format=table] | Chart (1992) | Peak position | Australian Albums (ARIA) | |---|---|---| | 56 | | | ::

::data[format=table] | Chart (2022) | Peak position | |---|---| ::

Certifications

Release history

::data[format=table]

CountryDateLabelFormatCatalogue #Notes
United Kingdom9 March 1992Creation RecordsLPCRELP07410 tracks (double vinyl)
CDCRECD07410 tracks
United StatesMarch 1992Sire RecordsCD9 26836-210 tracks
United Kingdom24 September 2001Ignition RecordsCDIGN CD1014 tracks
United States2011Obscure AlternativesLPOAR 110810 tracks (150-gram double vinyl)
United Kingdom14 February 2012Obscure AlternativesLPOAR 1108110 tracks (150-gram double vinyl)
13 August 2012Oxford MusicCD/DVD14 tracks + 17 track live DVD
::

References

References

  1. says, Skweekah. "Going Blank Again LP – RIDE".
  2. (24 October 2016). "The 50 Best Shoegaze Albums of All Time".
  3. Pearis, Bill. (9 March 2022). "Ride's 'Going Blank Again' turns 30, went beyond 'Nowhere' and shoegaze, brilliantly".
  4. (29 July 2012). "The Official Charts Company - Ride - Going Blank Again".
  5. "Leave Them All Behind EP – RIDE".
  6. "Twisterella EP – RIDE".
  7. Raggett, Ned. "Ride - Leave Them All Behind Album Reviews, Songs & More". [[AllMusic]].
  8. Raggett, Ned. "Ride - Twisterella Album Reviews, Songs & More". [[AllMusic]].
  9. "Q&A, Ride0X4.net".
  10. Pitchfork. (2016-10-24). "The 50 Best Shoegaze Albums of All Time".
  11. [http://www.rideox4.net/gba.html Ride, ''Going Blank Again'', Ride0x4.net] {{webarchive. link. (14 January 2003 .)
  12. "Grasshopper EP – RIDE".
  13. "Ride's 20th anniversary reissue of 'Going Blank Again' to feature 1992 concert on DVD".
  14. Kellman, Andy. "Going Blank Again – Ride". [[AllMusic]].
  15. Kot, Greg. (2 April 1992). "Ride: Going Blank Again (Sire)". [[Chicago Tribune]].
  16. Browne, David. (24 April 1992). "Going Blank Again". [[Entertainment Weekly]].
  17. Hochman, Steve. (29 March 1992). "Spring Album Roundup". [[Los Angeles Times]].
  18. Lamacq, Steve. (7 March 1992). "The Thames Lords". [[NME]].
  19. Cohen, Ian. (17 August 2012). "Ride: Going Blank Again".
  20. (April 1992). "Ride: Going Blank Again". [[Q (magazine).
  21. Cavanagh, David. (April 1992). "The Big Trip". [[Select (magazine).
  22. Richards, Sam. (2 August 2012). "Ride reissues". [[Uncut (magazine).
  23. Christgau, Robert. (20 October 1992). "Consumer Guide". [[The Village Voice]].
  24. My Bloody Valentine's ''Loveless'', by David R. Fisher, 2006.] {{webarchive. link. (23 January 2015)
  25. Barker, Emily. (31 January 2014). "The 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time - 300-201".
  26. Barker, Emily. (21 October 2013). "The 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time: 500-401".
  27. (1992). "Going Blank Again".
  28. {{cite Ryan

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

1992-albumsalbums-produced-by-alan-mouldercreation-records-albumsride-(band)-albumssire-records-albums