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The Verve Pipe were one of the handful of post-grunge bands that had a hit in the mid- to late '90s that was ubiquitous, and then had the bottom suddenly fall out from underneath them. That hit, of course, was "The Freshmen," a pained, earnest mid-tempo dissection of a relationship gone wrong that the band's lead singer/songwriter, Brian Vander Ark, wrote years before the Verve Pipe had formed. Starting as an acoustic ballad, by the time it turned into a radio hit it was given a brooding sensibility, heavy on heavy guitars and echo, that didn't just fit into the post-Nirvana landscape of '90s modern rock, it epitomized how alternative rock was no longer underground -- it was a commercial juggernaut. If the Verve Pipe never had another hit to match "The Freshmen," it was not for lack of trying, nor was it for lack of material -- as their first hits compilation, Platinum & Gold Collection, proves, they had similarly hooky material that fit well into mainstream alt-rock radio. And they did have other hits, like "Photograph," "Villains," and "Hero," but while sturdy, none of them became a touchstone like "The Freshmen" since they had neither the immediate hook nor the universal subject matter of that single. The Verve Pipe might have been able to retain a small cult if their second major-label album, an eponymous 1999 effort helmed by superstar producer Michael Beinhorn, didn't tank, bringing their career down with it; by the time they released their very good, Adam Schlesinger-produced 2001 album Underneath, they were already considered a footnote to the alt-rock era. While they were by no means trendsetters, they were a solid, reliable band, and this compilation proves that out. This naturally relies very heavily on their one big LP, 1996's Villains, with three tracks apiece from Verve Pipe and Underneath and a live version of the Pop Smear favorite "Spoonful of Sugar" added as a closing cut. It's an excellent summary of their three-album stint with RCA, and while this music is emblematic of its time, it does prove that of the one-hit post-grunge wonders of the second half of the '90s, the Verve Pipe had one of the most consistent bodies of work.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
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The Verve Pipe, Arranger, Associated Performer, Main Artist, Arranger, Associated Performer - Brian Vander Ark, Composer - Jerry Harrison, Arranger, Producer - TOM LORD-ALGE, Mixing Engineer - KARL DERFLER, Engineer - Larry "Hot" Brewer, Engineer - Doug McKean, Editor - Alvaro Alencar, Assistant Engineer - MAURICIO IRAGORRI, Assistant Engineer
(P) 1997 BMG Music
The Verve Pipe, Associated Performer, Main Artist, Associated Performer - Brian Vander Ark, Composer - JACK JOSEPH PUIG, Mixing Engineer, Producer - Jim Champagne, Engineer
(P) 1996 RCA Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
The Verve Pipe, Associated Performer, Main Artist, Associated Performer - Brian Vander Ark, Composer, Guitar, Lyricist - Michael Beinhorn, Producer - JACK JOSEPH PUIG, Mixing Engineer - Jim Champagne, Assistant Engineer - Barry Goldberg, Engineer - Brian Garten, Assistant Engineer - Chris Ribundo, Assistant Engineer - A. J. Dunning, Guitar - Brad Vander Ark, Bass Guitar - Donny Brown, Drums - Craig Wedren - Doug Corella, Keyboards, Percussion
(P) 1999 BMG Music
The Verve Pipe, Associated Performer, Main Artist, Associated Performer - Adam Schlesinger, Bass Guitar, Guitar, Keyboards, Percussion, Producer - Donny Brown, Composer, Drums, Lyricist, Percussion - John Holbrook, Engineer - Chris Shaw, Mixing Engineer - Laurent Cecile (Engine), Assistant Engineer - Richard Furch (Sound on Sound), Assistant Engineer - Bojan Dugich (Sound on Sound), Assistant Engineer - Jon Frazer, Engineer - Brian Vander Ark, Bass Guitar, Guitar - A. J. Dunning, Guitar - Doug Corella, Keyboards, Percussion
(P) 2001 BMG Music
The Verve Pipe, Arranger, Associated Performer, Main Artist, Arranger, Associated Performer - Brian Vander Ark, Composer - Jerry Harrison, Arranger, Producer - TOM LORD-ALGE, Mixing Engineer - KARL DERFLER, Engineer - Larry "Hot" Brewer, Engineer - Doug McKean, Editor - Alvaro Alencar, Assistant Engineer - MAURICIO IRAGORRI, Assistant Engineer
(P) 1997 BMG Music
The Verve Pipe, Arranger, Associated Performer, Main Artist, Arranger, Associated Performer - Brian Vander Ark, Composer - Jerry Harrison, Arranger, Producer - TOM LORD-ALGE, Mixing Engineer - KARL DERFLER, Engineer - Larry "Hot" Brewer, Engineer - Doug McKean, Editor - Alvaro Alencar, Assistant Engineer - MAURICIO IRAGORRI, Assistant Engineer
(P) 1997 BMG Music
The Verve Pipe, Arranger, Associated Performer, Main Artist, Arranger, Associated Performer - A. J. Dunning, Composer - Brian Vander Ark, Composer - Jerry Harrison, Arranger, Producer - TOM LORD-ALGE, Mixing Engineer - KARL DERFLER, Engineer - Larry "Hot" Brewer, Engineer - Doug McKean, Editor - Alvaro Alencar, Assistant Engineer - MAURICIO IRAGORRI, Assistant Engineer
(P) 1997 BMG Music
The Verve Pipe, Associated Performer, Main Artist, Associated Performer - Brian Vander Ark, Composer, Guitar, Lyricist - Michael Beinhorn, Producer - JACK JOSEPH PUIG, Mixing Engineer - A. J. Dunning, Guitar - Jim Champagne, Assistant Engineer - Barry Goldberg, Engineer - Brad Vander Ark, Bass Guitar - Brian Garten, Assistant Engineer - Donny Brown, Drums - Chris Ribundo, Assistant Engineer - Doug Corella, Keyboards, Percussion
(P) 1999 BMG Music
The Verve Pipe, Associated Performer, Main Artist, Associated Performer - Michael Beinhorn, Producer - Brian Vander Ark, Guitar, Lyricist - JACK JOSEPH PUIG, Mixing Engineer - A. J. Dunning, Guitar - Jim Champagne, Assistant Engineer - Barry Goldberg, Engineer - Brad Vander Ark, Bass Guitar - Brian Garten, Assistant Engineer - Donny Brown, Composer, Drums, Lyricist - Chris Ribundo, Assistant Engineer - Doug Corella, Keyboards, Percussion
(P) 1999 BMG Music
The Verve Pipe, Associated Performer, Main Artist, Associated Performer - Donny Brown, Composer, Drums, Lyricist, Percussion - Adam Schlesinger, Bass Guitar, Guitar, Keyboards, Percussion, Producer - John Holbrook, Engineer - Chris Shaw, Mixing Engineer - Laurent Cecile (Engine), Assistant Engineer - Richard Furch (Sound on Sound), Assistant Engineer - Bojan Dugich (Sound on Sound), Assistant Engineer - Brian Vander Ark, Bass Guitar, Guitar - A. J. Dunning, Guitar - Doug Corella, Keyboards, Percussion - Craig Griffith, Harmonica - Jon Frazer, Engineer
(P) 2001 BMG Music
The Verve Pipe, Associated Performer, Main Artist, Associated Performer - Brian Vander Ark, Bass Guitar, Composer, Guitar, Lyricist - A. J. Dunning, Guitar - Donny Brown, Drums, Percussion - Doug Corella, Keyboards, Percussion - Adam Schlesinger, Bass Guitar, Guitar, Keyboards, Percussion, Producer - Andrew Bird, Violin - John Holbrook, Engineer - Chris Shaw, Mixing Engineer - Laurent Cecile (Engine), Assistant Engineer - Richard Furch (Sound on Sound), Assistant Engineer - Bojan Dugich (Sound on Sound), Assistant Engineer
(P) 2001 BMG Music
The Verve Pipe, Main Artist - Brian Vander Ark, Composer, Lyricist - Timothy Powell, Recording Engineer - Brian Malouf, Mixing Engineer
(P) 1997 BMG Music
Album review
The Verve Pipe were one of the handful of post-grunge bands that had a hit in the mid- to late '90s that was ubiquitous, and then had the bottom suddenly fall out from underneath them. That hit, of course, was "The Freshmen," a pained, earnest mid-tempo dissection of a relationship gone wrong that the band's lead singer/songwriter, Brian Vander Ark, wrote years before the Verve Pipe had formed. Starting as an acoustic ballad, by the time it turned into a radio hit it was given a brooding sensibility, heavy on heavy guitars and echo, that didn't just fit into the post-Nirvana landscape of '90s modern rock, it epitomized how alternative rock was no longer underground -- it was a commercial juggernaut. If the Verve Pipe never had another hit to match "The Freshmen," it was not for lack of trying, nor was it for lack of material -- as their first hits compilation, Platinum & Gold Collection, proves, they had similarly hooky material that fit well into mainstream alt-rock radio. And they did have other hits, like "Photograph," "Villains," and "Hero," but while sturdy, none of them became a touchstone like "The Freshmen" since they had neither the immediate hook nor the universal subject matter of that single. The Verve Pipe might have been able to retain a small cult if their second major-label album, an eponymous 1999 effort helmed by superstar producer Michael Beinhorn, didn't tank, bringing their career down with it; by the time they released their very good, Adam Schlesinger-produced 2001 album Underneath, they were already considered a footnote to the alt-rock era. While they were by no means trendsetters, they were a solid, reliable band, and this compilation proves that out. This naturally relies very heavily on their one big LP, 1996's Villains, with three tracks apiece from Verve Pipe and Underneath and a live version of the Pop Smear favorite "Spoonful of Sugar" added as a closing cut. It's an excellent summary of their three-album stint with RCA, and while this music is emblematic of its time, it does prove that of the one-hit post-grunge wonders of the second half of the '90s, the Verve Pipe had one of the most consistent bodies of work.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 12 track(s)
- Total length: 00:50:57
- Main artists: The Verve Pipe
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: RCA - BMG Heritage
- Genre: Pop/Rock Rock
This compilation (P) 2004 BMG Music
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