Ride – Howard Hughes


One of Ride’s most beautiful compositions was tucked away as a b-side on one of their majestic EP’s from the early 1990’s. The subject matter will forever provoke morbid fascination mixed with a sneaking regard for the brilliant rogue that had the women swooning and who was to succumb to an unpleasant but highly preventable death. ‘Howard Hughes’ wasn’t your typical Ride song, stripped of the effervescent guitar rampages it instead relied on Mark Gardener’s voice, a haunting organ riff and Andy Bell’s echo filled chords. It proved once and for all what a gift the Oxford quartet were, as well as the inspired shoegaze din that they are best remembered for they were also capable of creating a beautiful tune. If you don’t believe me just listen to the final 2 minutes instrumentation on ‘Howard Hughes’, it still breaks my heart into little sparkly pieces 15 years after it did it for the first time. KD

Ride – Howard Hughes

Watch The Video To Vapour Trail (and then weep)

More Info: Official
Buy Songs: Ride
Year: 1992

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2 Comments

  1. October 31, 2007
    Reply

    if they only would have gone more in this direction on carnival of light….

  2. BarneyS
    November 2, 2007
    Reply

    Best british band of the 90’s no less !

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