Carnival of Light is the third studio album by British rock band Ride, released in June 1994 via Creation Records. The album is named after a lost song by the Beatles. The album showcased the band's shift from shoegazing to a more traditional, folk rock sound. It was well received by some critics, magazine Select calling it "another fantastic British album in the old tradition" and reached the UK Top 5. However, by the end of 1994 even the band members had become disillusioned, referring to it amongst themselves as "Carnival of Shite", although in a 2022 interview Andy Bell stated that he had "made peace with it. It's got a lot of good tracks, like Moonlight Medicine and Birdman".
Personnel
Ride
Loz Colbert – drums, percussion
Steve Queralt – bass, Fender Rhodes on "Only Now"
Mark Gardener – vocals, rhythm guitar, tamboura
Andy Bell – vocals, lead guitar; piano on "Crown of Creation", "Endless Road", and "Magical Spring"; Hammond organ on "Crown of Creation" and "Endless Road", Fender Rhodes on "From Time to Time"
Additional musicians
Jon Lord – Hammond organ on "Moonlight Medicine"
Electra Strings – strings on "Moonlight Medicine", "1000 Miles", "From Time to Time", and "Only Now"
Kick Horns – horns on "Endless Road" and "Let's Get Lost"
Simon Whalley & The Christchurch Cathedral School Choir – choir on "I Don't Know Where It Comes From"
Production
John Leckie – production (all except "How Does It Feel to Feel?"), mixing (all except "How Does It Feel to Feel?" and "Crown of Creation")
George Drakoulias – production and mixing on "How Does It Feel to Feel?"
Andy Bell – mixing on "Crown of Creation"
Stephen Marcussen – mastering
John Cornfield – engineering
Julie Gardener – engineering
Nigel Godrich – engineering
Chris Brown – engineering
Jim Scott – engineering
Tom Nellen – engineering
Artwork
Gered Mankowitz – cover photo
Tom Sheehan – other photos
Ride – design
Mark Brown – design