The Verve – albums ranked
In 1989 a group of college students in Wigan, England came together and formed one of the greatest rock bands of the 1990’s. Verve was their name then but later they were forced to change it to The Verve due to a trademark infringement lawsuit by the jazz label, Verve records. I first heard the band at the height of their popularity in 1997, but it wasn’t until several years after their demise that I really heard them…
- A Northern Soul – Epic and intense is the best way to describe this album that was released in 1995. This is The Verve’s second album and was recorded during four months of heavy drug use and in-fighting between singer Richard Ashcroft and guitarist Nick McCabe. From beginning to end, this album burns with intensity and raw power. Ashcroft’s lyrics are strong, and McCabe’s guitar sounds near perfect. This album is heavy and any fan of Britpop or rock must own this album. This is a top 5 album for me, it’s that incredible!
- A Storm in Heaven – This, the band’s debut full-length album was released in 1993. A Storm in Heaven is a shoegazing masterpiece full of thick psychedelic guitars, heavy basslines and eerie vocals. This album firmly placed The Verve as one of the most buzz-worthy and impressive British rock bands of the time. Songs “Slide Away”, “The Sun, The Sea”, and “Blue” are standouts on this album.
- Verve ep – Although not necessarily an “album”, this ep deserves to be on the list. The Verve released this debut ep in December of 1992 and it included the previously released single, “Man Called Sun”. That beautiful tune is accompanied by the awesome song “Gravity Grave” and three others pushing a total length of over 31 minutes. This ep is raw with Nick McCabe’s signature sound.
- Urban Hymns – Urban Hymns was released in 1997 and instantly became a commercial hit in the UK and soon in the USA with help from the singles “Bittersweet Symphony” and “Lucky Man”. Urban Hymns was really closer to a Richard Ashcroft solo album than an actual Verve album because Nick McCabe had quit, and the band signed on Simon Tong to fill in during recording while Ashcroft wrote all the tunes. McCabe returned to finish recording the album, but soon after the biggest tour in the band’s history, McCabe was once again out and the band was once again finished.
- Forth – Eleven years after Urban Hymns, the original members of The Verve regrouped for their fourth album ironically titled, Forth. When I heard in 2007 that Richard Ashcroft, Nick McCabe, Simon Jones and Peter Salisbury were back in the studio working on this album, I was salivating with excitement. But once the album hit my stereo on August 26, 2008, I was immensely disappointed. The album has some moments like the opening track “Sit and Wonder” which sounds like a new version of A Northern Soul tune. “Rather Be” and “Appalachian Springs” are also nice, but overall this album lacks cohesiveness and sounds more like a studio experiment than an album 10 years in the making. Simon Jones deserves props for outstanding bass-work on this album though.
