Ride the Tiger (album)
1986 studio album by Yo La Tengo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ride the Tiger is the debut studio album by American indie rock band Yo La Tengo.[1][9] It was released in 1986 by record label Coyote.[10][11]
_cover.jpg)
| Ride the Tiger | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 1986 | |||
| Recorded | December 1985 in Boston, United States | |||
| Genres | ||||
| Length | 38:06 | |||
| Label | Coyote | |||
| Producer | Clint Conley | |||
| Yo La Tengo chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [4] |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide |  [5] |
| Q | [6] |
| The New Rolling Stone Album Guide | [7] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 4/10[8] |
Production
The album was produced by Mission of Burma's Clint Conley.[4] Dave Schramm plays guitar on the album.[12]
Content
The song "Big Sky" is a cover of The Kinks' song from their album The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society. The song "A House Is Not a Motel" is a cover of Love's song from their album Forever Changes.
Critical reception
The Washington Post called the album "unpretentious and emotionally convincing," writing that the band's "chief asset is not [Ira] Kaplan's flat, intimate vocals, but their guitars, which are finely textured and finely tuned to the moody, personal resonances of their songs."[13] Trouser Press wrote that "it’s originals like 'The Cone of Silence' and 'The Forest Green' that make Ride the Tiger such a pleasure."[14]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Ira Kaplan, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Cone of Silence" | 2:49 | |
| 2. | "Big Sky" | Ray Davies | 2:46 |
| 3. | "The Evil That Men Do" | 4:11 | |
| 4. | "The Forest Green" | Kaplan, Georgia Hubley | 3:23 |
| 5. | "The Pain of Pain" | 5:35 | |
| 6. | "The Way Some People Die" | Dave Schramm | 3:37 |
| 7. | "The Empty Pool" | Dave Weckerman | 2:21 |
| 8. | "Alrock's Bells" | 4:08 | |
| 9. | "Five Years" | Tony Rubin, Schramm | 3:45 |
| 10. | "Screaming Dead Balloons" | 3:17 | |
| 11. | "Living in the Country" | Pete Seeger | 2:14 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12. | "The River of Water" | 2:30 | |
| 13. | "A House Is Not a Motel" | Arthur Lee | 3:43 |
| 14. | "Crispy Duck" | 3:04 | |
| 15. | "Closing Time" | Sammy Walker | 3:45 |
Personnel
Yo La Tengo
- Ira Kaplan – vocals, guitar
- Dave Schramm – guitar, vocals on "The Way Some People Die" and "Five Years"
- Mike Lewis – bass guitar
- Georgia Hubley – drums
Additional personnel
- David Bither – saxophone on "Screaming Dead Balloons"
- Mike Tchang – saxophone on "The River of Water"
- Chris Nelson – trombone on "The River of Water"
- Clint Conley – bass guitar on "The Forest Green," "The Empty Pool," and "Alrock's Bells"
- Dave Rick – bass guitar on "The River of Water" and "A House Is Not a Motel"
Technical
- Ken French – engineering