Ride the Tiger | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | January 1986 | |||
Recorded | December 1985 in Boston, United States | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 38:06 | |||
Label | Coyote | |||
Producer | Clint Conley | |||
Yo La Tengo chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Q | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The New Rolling Stone Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Spin Alternative Record Guide | 4/10[8] |
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]
The album was produced by Mission of Burma's Clint Conley.[4] Dave Schramm plays guitar on the album.[12]
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.
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]
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 |
Yo La Tengo
Additional personnel
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