The Verve: Search and Destroy?

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I am a big Verve fan, my favourite is A Storm In Heaven (especially the first side) and Gravity Grave. Everyone seems to love Northern Soul. I do too, but it doesn't quite reach the heights of A Storm In Heaven for me. Urban Hymes, well, lots i can take or leave, but much is great too. How about Rich solo stuff?

-- Rory Wilson (rorywilson2002@hotmail.com), August 09, 2001

Answers

Stay away from the Ashcroft solo stuff. Sounds and looks like Neil Diamond. FAir play to Richard he told everyone that if you enjoy Northern Soul that you would not enjoy the solo album.

Could I suggest Ladies and Gentlemen we are floating in space?

-- p f. sloane (sloane@air.co.uk), August 10, 2001.


Verve...

The verve are favourites of mine. The only reason to get the solo album is that it is the sister album to Ladies and Gentlemen we are floating in space. ie. both are about Kate Radley. Richard's solo album is about being in love with Kate and Jason's is about falling out of love with Kate. Fascinating stuff. Sort of like Fleetwood Mac. I have some bootlegs if you want me to copy some of them for you.

-- p f. sloane (sloane@air.co.uk), August 10, 2001.


But does they have SOUL? Does Alan McGee like them?

-- DG (rgreenfield@btinternet.com), August 12, 2001.

The Aschcroft solo album is hideous. As is Urbane Hymns. A Northern Soul is amazing, and A Storm In Heaven is very good.

This is scientific fact. There's no real evidence for it, but it's true.

-- Nick Southall (nick@beatbay.co.uk), August 13, 2001.


The urban hymns album is not hideous man! It's beautiful. The drugs don't work song is the finest song that Gram Parsons never wrote. I love the acoustic version. I think it is hideous in that it was a pre-cursor to the solo album.

-- doomie (doompatrol23@hotmail.com), August 14, 2001.


Oh no man, it's dull and assinine, and overly polished, bereft of passion, antiseptic, insipid, boring, tedious...

They used to be so much more. Ashcroft literally pushed McCabe out of the band over the course of the three albums, listen to how the mix changes bias from guitars to vocals across the three albums. Urbane Hymns is basically an Ashcroft solo album, with one of the greatest musical units of the last decade reduced to the status of session musicians.

Urbane Hymns is comedown music for people who don't like music.

-- Nick Southall (nick@beatbay.co.uk), August 14, 2001.


You are the same camp as my mate Tony. We have had many arguments about Urban Hymns. But I have to say this: Live?

When I saw them on the Northern Soul tour I thought that he was going to levitate from the stage with the power of the music.

Maybe he wanted to have a hit? I still have to say that their are fantastic songs on UH.

-- doomie (doom@hotmail.com), August 14, 2001.


I SAWN thee verve. They were ok-ish, but th33y3r s!ng3r sux0red (true) I sawn dark star also. their album = sux0r, but the would hav blown yr verve 1/2 way akross oute manchuria, so there.

x0x0

-- ph33r (k-rad@faycycle.demon.co.uk), August 14, 2001.


Dark Star is the remnants of Levitation are they not? Levitation great prog rock band.

Richard sucked as singer? But what a showman! I cannot think of many vocalists in rock and roll who are v. good anyways.

-- doomie (doompatrol@hotmail.com), August 14, 2001.


Personally, UH was great for a while , then it got a little old, Ashcroft's solo was horrible, almost unlistenable.

Steel guitar?? what were you thinking mate?

-- Scott (findPh0net1x@hotmail.com), August 14, 2001.



The Verve made "A Northern Soul" the greatest rock album of the 90's no contest. For that they will be forever treasured. Urban Hymns was certainly less turbulent and exciting, less impassioned, but the songs and the band touched a popular nerve - it was a great record, but not as special as ANS. Ashcroft's solo effort might have been overthough and over-produced but again, some magnificent songs " You On My Mind In My Sleep", "Everybody", "A Song For The Lovers", "Brave New World", great stuff - he'll be back....don't you worry about that.

New kids The Music seem to have a lot of the spirit of early Verve. I saw them last week, real raw psychedelic power, passion and spirit. High hopes for them.

-- gretnagreen (gbguy75@hotmail.com), August 14, 2001.


Gravity Grave is good retro-psychedelia. So's "A Man Called Sun". I'd have loved to see them live around then.

"History" is a brilliant, overblown single.

But a lot of Urban Hymns just hasnt aged to well - so many people were sentimental in '97 I think, here's this band who split up and they should have been big, let's make them big. So they made them big but the record wasn't much cop. I blame them for Starsailor.

I went to a Laser Quest once for a work day out and they were playing all of Urban Hymns. All the little kids in their baseball caps were ready to smash the place up, they wanted some dance music, and i have to say i was on their side.

-- Number None (whoisnumbernone@hotmail.com), August 16, 2001.


UH for me occupies a personal/fun state of mind. Brings back good memories. And yes, I suppose it was a matter of seeing a cult band that I was supporting for years finally making it to the top....is one reason why I do enjoy the album.

However, that beign said, I don't play the album much cept for the hits. Richard was doing 'Drugs don't work' in acoustic form even back in Northern Soul period. I hope he gets it together for the new one....and is not like the 1997 lot re: blur/oasis/radiohead whose albums of late are bloody terrible.

-- doomie (doompatrol23@hotmail.com), August 16, 2001.


I always came to The Verve expecting some psychedelic space-rock head- fuckery and I was always dissapointed. Bought "A storm in heaven" and "Urban hymns" and sent them straight back into the bargain bin of the shop I got 'em from. "Star sail", "Gravitys grave" and "Bittersweet symphony" are the only examples where they walk it like they talk it. The rest of their stuff bores the hell out of me. Don't get me started on that M.O.R. Richard Ashcroft album either.

-- Concerned person (joesoap@hotmail.com), August 16, 2001.

Starsail is massive......

Funny, I don't really listen to the Verve that much as I would think I would. Love - forever changes moreso....

But the last solo album was terrible but then again he (Richard is always giving the big up to easy listening).....and the carpenters.

-- doomie (doompatrol@hotmail.com), August 17, 2001.



I think Richard Ashcroft harbours a Neil Diamond obsession. "Lucky man" sounds a LOT like "Cracklin' Rosie".

-- concerned (joesoap@hotmail.com), August 17, 2001.

Ahh...but Neil Diamond is amazing..

and on Velvet something something from UH...he does a mean Lee Hazelwood impersonation before the Lee Hazelwood brigade brought him back into vogue.

-- doomie (doompatrol@hotmail.com), August 17, 2001.


ive just a brilliant band in manchester called ELSYIUM they were an amazing a four piece band. very early verve slide away shes a superstar stile. ten times better then the MUSIC check them out there playing at the late room on the 11th of feb in manchester

-- jay haddow (jayhaddow@yahoo.com), January 16, 2003.

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