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The '90s were filled with pop supernovas -- bands that burned brightly for one or two albums then sputtered to an anticlimactic conclusion. Of these bands, the Verve were one of the largest, perhaps because they imploded not once but twice. The first time, they collapsed following the release of their second album, Northern Soul, in 1995. They regrouped in the following year to record Urban Hymns, their commercial breakthrough, but lingering tensions between vocalist/songwriter Richard Ashcroft and guitarist Nick McCabe tore the group apart for a second and final time. They never became the global superstars that their early partisans predicted -- it would have been hard to compete with Oasis during their heyday -- but as the 2004 collection This Is Music: The Singles 92-98 proves, the group was too arty, too low-key, too psychedelic, too English eccentric to be superstars. Some might have said the same thing about Radiohead, but that Oxford quintet had a heavy dose of U2-styled anthemic arena rock and Thom Yorke's melodies were bigger than Ashcroft's subtle, swirling tunes. Also, Radiohead started out relatively straightforward and grew strange, while the Verve took the opposite path, beginning as post-shoegazer neo-psychedelics and ending as tasteful traditionalists. This Is Music -- which is the natural and perfect title for this compilation -- doesn't chart this journey, since it winds through the group's 12 singles, including the first LP appearance of their debut single, "All in the Mind," with little regard for chronology before ending with two OK outtakes from Urban Hymns ("This Could Be My Moment," "Monte Carlo"). This sequencing doesn't emphasize similarities throughout the body of work -- Urban Hymns is a decidedly less adventurous album than its two predecessors, which doesn't make it a lesser album -- but it doesn't hurt the collection, either, since it flows like a good concert. This collection also confirms the suspicion that the Verve were an album-oriented band that best conveyed its mission and sense of purpose on its singles, which expertly captured the feeling, spirit, and mood of each full-length record. And that's why This Is Music winds up being definitive: distilled to their singles, the Verve still sound vibrant and slightly mysterious, wiping away memories of the band's dissolution and Ashcroft's pedestrian solo career, preserving the moment when the group sounded as if the world were at their feet.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
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Owen Morris, Producer - Mark Lee, Production Coordinator, StudioPersonnel - Tony Cousins, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Richard Ashcroft, Composer, Percussion, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Simon Jones, Composer, AssociatedPerformer, Bass (Vocal) - Peter Salisbury, Composer, Drums, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Nick McCabe, Composer, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - The Verve, Producer, MainArtist
(C) 2004 Virgin Records Ltd This label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved. (C) 2004 EMI Records Ltd ℗ 2004 Virgin Records Limited
Tony Cousins, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - JOHN LECKIE, Producer - Richard Ashcroft, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Chris Potter, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Simon Jones, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist, Bass (Vocal) - John Cornfield, Engineer, Programmer, StudioPersonnel - Peter Salisbury, Drums, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Nick McCabe, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - The Verve, MainArtist
(C) 2004 Virgin Records Ltd This label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved. (C) 2004 EMI Records Ltd ℗ 2004 Virgin Records Limited
Tony Cousins, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Paul Taylor, Programmer - Richard Ashcroft, Composer, Guitar, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Chris Potter, Mixer, Recording Engineer, Music Production, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Simon Jones, AssociatedPerformer, Bass (Vocal) - Mel Wesson, Programmer - Wil Malone, String Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - The Youth, Producer - Simon Tong, Guitar, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Jan Kybert, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Lorraine Francis, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Peter Salisbury, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Nick McCabe, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - The Verve, Producer, MainArtist - Gareth Ashton, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
(C) 2004 Virgin Records Ltd This label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved. (C) 2004 EMI Records Ltd ℗ 2004 Virgin Records Limited
Gavyn Wright, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - London Session Orchestra, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - Owen Morris, Producer, String Arranger, Synthesizer Programming, AssociatedPerformer - Mark Lee, Production Coordinator, StudioPersonnel - Tony Cousins, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Richard Ashcroft, Composer, Acoustic Guitar, Percussion, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Simon Jones, Composer, Acoustic Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, Bass (Vocal) - Wil Malone, String Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Peter Salisbury, Composer, Drums, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Nick McCabe, Composer, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - The Verve, Producer, MainArtist
(C) 2004 Virgin Records Ltd This label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved. (C) 2004 EMI Records Ltd ℗ 2004 Virgin Records Limited
Tony Cousins, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Barry Clempson, Producer, Mixer, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Tony Harris, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Richard Ashcroft, Composer - Simon Jones, Composer - Peter Salisbury, Composer - Nick McCabe, Composer - The Verve, Performer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer
(C) 2004 Virgin Records Ltd This label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved. (C) 2004 EMI Records Ltd ℗ 2004 Virgin Records Limited
Owen Morris, Producer - Tony Cousins, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Richard Ashcroft, ComposerLyricist - Simon Jones, ComposerLyricist - Peter Salisbury, ComposerLyricist - Nick McCabe, ComposerLyricist - The Verve, Producer, MainArtist
(C) 2004 Virgin Records Ltd This label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved. (C) 2004 EMI Records Ltd ℗ 2004 Virgin Records Limited
Tony Cousins, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - JOHN LECKIE, Producer - Richard Ashcroft, Composer, Percussion, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Chris Potter, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Simon Jones, Composer, AssociatedPerformer, Bass (Vocal) - John Cornfield, Engineer, Programmer, StudioPersonnel - Peter Salisbury, Composer, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Nick McCabe, Composer, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - The Verve, MainArtist
(C) 2004 Virgin Records Ltd This label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved. (C) 2004 EMI Records Ltd ℗ 2004 Virgin Records Limited
Tony Cousins, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Paul Taylor, Programmer - Richard Ashcroft, Guitar, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Chris Potter, Mixer, Recording Engineer, Music Production, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Simon Jones, AssociatedPerformer, Bass (Vocal) - Mel Wesson, Programmer - The Youth, Producer - Simon Tong, Guitar, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Jan Kybert, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Lorraine Francis, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Peter Salisbury, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Nick McCabe, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - The Verve, Producer, MainArtist - Gareth Ashton, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
(C) 2004 Virgin Records Ltd This label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved. (C) 2004 EMI Records Ltd ℗ 2004 Virgin Records Limited
Tony Cousins, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Richard Ashcroft, Composer - Chris Potter, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Simon Jones, Composer - Peter Salisbury, Composer - Nick McCabe, Composer - The Verve, MainArtist - Paul Schroeder, Producer - Steve Elswood, Engineer, StudioPersonnel
(C) 2004 Virgin Records Ltd This label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved. (C) 2004 EMI Records Ltd ℗ 2004 Virgin Records Limited
Tony Cousins, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Paul Taylor, Programmer - Richard Ashcroft, Composer, Author, Guitar, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Chris Potter, Mixer, Recording Engineer, Music Production, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Simon Jones, AssociatedPerformer, Bass (Vocal) - Mel Wesson, Programmer - The Youth, Producer - Simon Tong, Guitar, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Jan Kybert, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Lorraine Francis, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Peter Salisbury, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Nick McCabe, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - The Verve, Producer, MainArtist - Gareth Ashton, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Jeremy Abbiss, Engineer, StudioPersonnel
(C) 2004 Virgin Records Ltd This label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved. (C) 2004 EMI Records Ltd ℗ 2004 Virgin Records Limited
Tony Cousins, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Barry Clempson, Producer, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Richard Ashcroft, Composer - Chris Potter, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Simon Jones, Composer - Peter Salisbury, Composer - Nick McCabe, Composer - The Verve, MainArtist
(C) 2004 Virgin Records Ltd This label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved. (C) 2004 EMI Records Ltd ℗ 2004 Virgin Records Limited
Tony Cousins, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - KEITH RICHARDS, Composer - MICK JAGGER, Composer - Paul Taylor, Programmer - Richard Ashcroft, Author, Guitar, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Chris Potter, Mixer, Recording Engineer, Music Production, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Simon Jones, AssociatedPerformer, Bass (Vocal) - Mel Wesson, Programmer - The Youth, Producer - Simon Tong, Guitar, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Jan Kybert, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Lorraine Francis, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Peter Salisbury, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Nick McCabe, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - The Verve, Producer, MainArtist - Gareth Ashton, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
(C) 2004 Virgin Records Ltd This label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved. (C) 2004 EMI Records Ltd ℗ 2004 Virgin Records Limited
Tony Cousins, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Richard Ashcroft, Guitar, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Chris Potter, Producer, Mixer, Mastering Engineer, Additional Producer, StudioPersonnel - Simon Jones, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Youth, Producer - Simon Tong, Guitar, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Peter Salisbury, Drums, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Nick McCabe, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - The Verve, Producer, MainArtist
(C) 2004 Virgin Records Ltd This label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved. (C) 2004 EMI Records Ltd ℗ 2004 Virgin Records Limited
Tony Cousins, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - JOHN LECKIE, Producer - Richard Ashcroft, Guitar, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Chris Potter, Producer, Mixer, Mastering Engineer, Additional Producer, StudioPersonnel - Simon Jones, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Simon Tong, Guitar, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Peter Salisbury, Drums, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Nick McCabe, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - The Verve, Producer, MainArtist
(C) 2004 Virgin Records Ltd This label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved. (C) 2004 EMI Records Ltd ℗ 2004 Virgin Records Limited
Album review
The '90s were filled with pop supernovas -- bands that burned brightly for one or two albums then sputtered to an anticlimactic conclusion. Of these bands, the Verve were one of the largest, perhaps because they imploded not once but twice. The first time, they collapsed following the release of their second album, Northern Soul, in 1995. They regrouped in the following year to record Urban Hymns, their commercial breakthrough, but lingering tensions between vocalist/songwriter Richard Ashcroft and guitarist Nick McCabe tore the group apart for a second and final time. They never became the global superstars that their early partisans predicted -- it would have been hard to compete with Oasis during their heyday -- but as the 2004 collection This Is Music: The Singles 92-98 proves, the group was too arty, too low-key, too psychedelic, too English eccentric to be superstars. Some might have said the same thing about Radiohead, but that Oxford quintet had a heavy dose of U2-styled anthemic arena rock and Thom Yorke's melodies were bigger than Ashcroft's subtle, swirling tunes. Also, Radiohead started out relatively straightforward and grew strange, while the Verve took the opposite path, beginning as post-shoegazer neo-psychedelics and ending as tasteful traditionalists. This Is Music -- which is the natural and perfect title for this compilation -- doesn't chart this journey, since it winds through the group's 12 singles, including the first LP appearance of their debut single, "All in the Mind," with little regard for chronology before ending with two OK outtakes from Urban Hymns ("This Could Be My Moment," "Monte Carlo"). This sequencing doesn't emphasize similarities throughout the body of work -- Urban Hymns is a decidedly less adventurous album than its two predecessors, which doesn't make it a lesser album -- but it doesn't hurt the collection, either, since it flows like a good concert. This collection also confirms the suspicion that the Verve were an album-oriented band that best conveyed its mission and sense of purpose on its singles, which expertly captured the feeling, spirit, and mood of each full-length record. And that's why This Is Music winds up being definitive: distilled to their singles, the Verve still sound vibrant and slightly mysterious, wiping away memories of the band's dissolution and Ashcroft's pedestrian solo career, preserving the moment when the group sounded as if the world were at their feet.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 14 track(s)
- Total length: 01:07:23
- Main artists: The Verve
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Virgin Records
- Genre: Pop/Rock Rock
© 2004 Virgin Records Limited This Compilation ℗ 2004 Virgin Records Limited
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