Let It Ride is the view from the summit of Shed Seven's first years of fame – released nearly two years after A Maximum High, the album was trailed first by "Chasing Rainbows" in November 1996, a Top 20 UK hit and arguably their most celebrated anthem. It was the first of the album's four singles – the Britpop/Baggy joy of "She Left Me On Friday" (No 11 in March 1998) followed; the arms-in-the-air power balladry of "The Heroes" (No 18), concluding with that August's reflective "Devil In Your Shoes".
Produced by Stephen Street, Chris Sheldon and Dave Leaper, Let It Ride was partially recorded in the legendary Olympic Studios in Barnes. It finds the group stretching out, using drum machines and string sections, with songs like the country-influenced "A Hole" and the almost-metal of opener "Return". "There's songs on this album that have the ability to become classic songs, like The Beatles, like The Stones," guitarist Paul Banks said at the time – a bold claim, but then, listen to "Chasing Rainbows", and the melancholy closer "Goodbye" to understand where he was coming from.
