The Verve

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Verve's lineup circa 1997, left to right: Peter Salisbury, Simon Jones, Richard Ashcroft, Nick McCabe, Simon Tong
Background information
Origin	Wigan, England
Genre(s)	Alternative rock Britpop
Years active	1989 – 1999
Label(s)	Hut Records/ Virgin Records/ Vernon Yard
Associated acts	The Shining
Former members
Richard Ashcroft (vocals) Nick McCabe (guitar)(1989-1995, 1996-1998) Simon Jones (bass) Peter Salisbury (drums) Simon Tong (guitar)(1995-1998)

The Verve (originally Verve) were an English alternative rock band of the 1990s, originally formed in 1989 at Winstanley Sixth Form College, Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester, England, by vocalist Richard Ashcroft, guitarist Nick McCabe, bassist Simon Jones and drummer Peter Salisbury. Simon Tong later became a member.

Beginning with a psychedelic sound indebted to space rock and shoegazer music, by the mid-1990s the band had released several EPs and two acclaimed records. They also endured name and lineup changes, breakups, health problems, drug abuse and various lawsuits. The band's commercial breakthrough was Urban Hymns and its single "Bitter Sweet Symphony", which became a massive worldwide hit. Soon after this commercial peak, the band quit amid creative struggles within, yet singer Richard Ashcroft denied claims it was between him and guitarist Nick McCabe. By then they had become one of the most influential British alternative rock acts of the decade.

[edit] History

[edit] (1989–1992) Formation and Verve EP

Verve formed when the group met at Winstanley Sixth Form College, Wigan Metropolitan Borough, in 1989. Led by singer Richard Ashcroft, the band caused a buzz in early 1991 for their ability to captivate audiences with their musical textures and avant-garde sensibilities. The bandmembers shared a collective liking for the Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Raspberries, Funkadelic, and Krautrock, as well as a near-legendary appetite for psychedelic drugs. They were signed to Hut Records and their debut studio release, Verve EP became a critical hit, making an impression with freeform guitar work by McCabe and unpredictable vocals by Ashcroft. The album, featuring the artwork of designer Brian Cannon, came out in December 1992 and produced the singles "All in the Mind", "She's a Superstar" and "Gravity Grave", as well as spawning a few tours including the "Gravity Grave Tour."

[edit] (1993–1994) First album

1993's A Storm in Heaven, the band's full-length debut, produced by Britpop record producer John Leckie, was a critical smash, but undergroud plaudits failed to translate into commercial momentum.

The early years from left: Nick McCabe, Richard Ashcroft, Peter Salisbury, Simon Jones

The second single, "Slide Away", topped the UK indie rock charts. The band played on the travelling U.S. alternative rock festival, Lollapalooza, in summer of 1994. The tour proved disastrous for the group, as Ashcroft was hospitalized for dehydration caused by overdosing with Ecstasy, and Salisbury was arrested for destroying a hotel room in Kansas. After the tour, the jazz label Verve Records sued the band for trademark infringement, forcing the group to officially change their name to The Verve.

Before adding "The" to "Verve", they had briefly considered changing the band name to simply "Verv" and naming their 1994 b-sides album "Dropping E for America".^{[citation needed]} Eventually they decided on The Verve, and the album became No Come Down.

[edit] (1995–1996) Turbulent recordings and a breakup

The turmoil continued well into the recording sessions of the follow-up album, 1995's A Northern Soul. The sessions started off well; McCabe even called the first three weeks of recording the happiest in his life (due to his massive intake of Ecstasy). However, the rampant drug abuse and the strained relationship between Ashcroft and McCabe during the sessions, took their toll on the band. Richard Ashcroft later described the recording experience:

"Four intense, mad months. Really insane. In great ways and terrible ways. In ways that only good music and bad drugs and mixed emotions can make."

The band departed from the neo-psychedelic sounds of A Storm in Heaven and focused more on conventional alternative rock. The singles "This Is Music", "On Your Own", and "History" all reached the UK Top 40. The latter two singles were particularly new for the Verve, as they dabbled with soulful ballads. Around this period, Oasis guitarist and friend of Ashcroft, Noel Gallagher, wrote the song "Cast No Shadow" for the troubled front-man, on the album (What's the Story) Morning Glory?. Ashcroft returned the gesture by writing the title song "Northern Soul" for Noel.

Album sales were once again disappointing and Richard Ashcroft broke up the band three months after its release in July. Ashcroft reunited the group just a few weeks after the breakup, but McCabe refused to rejoin the lineup. As a replacement, the band chose Simon Tong, a school friend of Ashcroft and Jones, to fill in the lead guitar duties for the remainder of the 1996 tour. Tong is credited with originally teaching the two to play guitar.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] (1997–1999) The height of fame and final break-up

Ashcroft, Jones, Salisbury, and Tong went ahead and started writing songs for the upcoming album, with most of autumn 1996 and early 1997 used for recording sessions. In 1997, Nick McCabe returned to the fold alongside Tong. With the lineup back together, the group went through a "spiritual" (and drug-fueled) recording process to finish the album Urban Hymns. For the first time in their careers, the Verve experienced widespread commercial success. Not only was the album a hit in the UK, but the band also found fame into the U.S. and much of the rest of the world.

Leadoff single "Bitter Sweet Symphony" entered the UK charts at #2. The single reached #12 on the U.S. charts, their highest position ever in the States. The song borrowed a reversed looped sample of a symphonic recording of the Rolling Stones' "The Last Time". ABKCO Records, which controls the Rolling Stones' back catalogue, and which had warned The Verve against using the Rolling Stones sample in "Bitter Sweet Symphony," successfully sued the Verve for 100% of the royalties for the song. Further, as a result of the lawsuit, Keith Richards and Mick Jagger were given songwriting credits and full publishing rights to the song, which later appeared in a Nike commercial against The Verve's will. After the song was used in the movie Cruel Intentions, The Verve filed a moral rights (copyright) suit to make sure the song was not distributed commercially any more. The Verve is said to have not made a penny from the song.

Then, as the band was on a successful 1997-98 tour to promote the album, bassist Simon Jones collapsed on stage. Nick McCabe suddenly pulled out of the tour and decided he couldn't tolerate the constant life on the road any longer. Ashcroft, sans bandmates, appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine in early 1998.

The band continued with established session guitarist B. J. Cole replacing McCabe, but the spark of their return seemed to be deserting them. After two headline performances at the V Festivals in 1998, and one at Slane Castle outside Dublin, everything went quiet. Rumours began circulating that the band had called it quits for good. Finally, in April 1999, it was announced that The Verve had split up.

[edit] (2000–present) Post-breakup activities

After the band's final collapse, Simon Tong and Simon Jones formed a new group called The Shining, as well as working with former Stone Roses guitarist John Squire on a group that never properly formed. Tong has also appeared as a live replacement for ex-guitarist Graham Coxon in Blur and as additional guitarist for Gorillaz. Simon Tong is also a member of an unnamed supergroup formed by Damon Albarn, who released their first album The Good, the Bad and the Queen in January 2007.

Nick McCabe has mostly remained quiet after the breakup, although he has recently worked with a few artists, notably John Martyn and Leeds-based band, The Music. The last project in which he was involved was as producer of a Bristol band called The Nova Saints who he also joined on stage at Ashton Court Festival in July 2006.

Besides working with Ashcroft, Pete Salisbury also filled in as the drummer for a UK tour in 2004 for Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, when their original drummer briefly left due to alcohol and drug abuse. Salisbury also owns a drum shop in Stockport, England.

By the time the band finally split, Richard Ashcroft, who quit taking drugs in the early 2000s, had already been working on solo material accompanied by, among others, Salisbury and Cole. In April 2000, his first solo single, "A Song For The Lovers", was released and hit Number 3. He debuted with Alone With Everybody (June 2000) and followed it with Human Conditions (October 2002). Recently, backed by Coldplay, Ashcroft performed "Bitter Sweet Symphony" at the Live 8 concerts on July 2, 2005 at Hyde Park, London. Many felt this would help to revive his solo career and, though receiving mixed reviews, his third solo album, Keys to the World (January 2006), peaked at #2 in the UK charts. (It was kept off the top spot only by Arctic Monkeys' record-breaking debut). The first single, "Break the Night with Colour", reached #3.

Regarding the possibility of a Verve reunion, Ashcroft ruled it out when asked the question by Jam Showbiz, Ashcroft responded by saying: "You're more likely to get all four Beatles on stage." Bandmembers reportedly harbour bitter feelings to each other. Simon Jones declared in the Wigan Evening Post recently that he isn't happy about the Greatest Hits album - "there were five of us in that group, and only one (Ashcroft) was consulted about it", followed by the biting remark that that he hasn't "seen him (Ashcroft) for five years, which suits me fine."

[edit] Discography

Main article: The Verve discography

1. A Storm in Heaven (21 June 1993) chart position(s): #27 (UK)

2. A Northern Soul (3 July 1995) chart position(s): #13 (UK)

3. Urban Hymns (29 September 1997) chart position(s): #1 (UK) #23 (US)

[edit] Lineup

• Richard Ashcroft - vocals, guitar (1990-1999)
• Nick McCabe - guitar (1990-1995)(1997-1998)
• Simon Jones - bass guitar (1990-1999)
• Peter Salisbury - drums (1990-1999)
• Simon Tong - additional guitar, keyboards (1995-1999)

• • Bernard Butler - replacement guitarist (1997)
  • B.J. Cole - replacement guitarist (1998-1999)

[edit] Trivia

• The beach where the band took the picture of "Gravity Grave" single, was Formby, near Southport, and the naked man was actually a friend of the band identified as "B". He is currently drumming for new band indigo Moss, whose forthcoming album was produced by The Verve's Simon Tong.
• When the band released their first single "All in the Mind" in 1992, they flew to America, where they set up on the back of a truck and drove around Manhattan while playing extended versions of "Man Called Sun".
• The band performed at the 1993 Glastonbury Festival with borrowed instruments; their own gear had been stolen from their van.
• The band won 3 BRIT Awards in 1998 for Best British Group, Best Album (Urban Hymns) and Best Producer (The Verve, Chris Potter, & Youth). However, they weren't there to receive the award in person, as they were playing a rescheduled gig at Brixton Academy in aid of the National Children's Homes, Action for Children, and the House Our Youth 2000 campaign. Part of the gig was beamed via satellite into the award ceremony hall.
• The band won 3 NME Awards in 1998 for Best video, Best single (both for "Bittersweet Symphony"), and Best Band. They refused to pick up the awards on stage.
• The song "Life's Not A Rehearsal" that can be found in one of the two "History" singles, is an instrumental remix of the song "Life's An Ocean" that appears on A Northern Soul. The remix was made by Verve guitarist Nick McCabe.
• The front cover of the album A Storm in Heaven and the place where the "She's a Superstar" video was recorded is Thor's Cave in Staffordshire. The back cover of the same album was taken in Birkdale cemetery.
• By the time Oasis were supporting some Verve shows during the A Storm in Heaven era, Ashcroft, Noel Gallagher, and McCabe performed an impromptu a capella version of "She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain" with Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs on spoons, after a power-cut during the Verve's rendtition of Blue at the Newcastle Riverside.
• The song "Lucky Man" appears in the film The Girl Next Door. "Star Sail" is on the soundtrack of the film Sliver.
• The song Bittersweet Symphony was once used for television advertisements in New Zealand by the Bank of New Zealand.
• During her 2004's Reinvention Tour, Madonna used a sample of "Bitter Sweet Simphony" when performing "Don't tell me".
• Tong has been a member of pop band 'The Good, The Bad and The Queen', fronted by Damon Albarn and also featuring Paul Simonon of the Clash and drummer Tony Allen, as of 2006. The album (self titled) is out now.

[edit] External links

• Official website for The Verve (archived; has not been updated since The Verve broke up)
• The Verve live!
• Richad Ashcroft Online (website for Richard Ashcroft/The Verve
• NORTHERN SOULS. verve/ashcroft forum.
• A Storm in Heaven fansite
• The Verve-dot-info fansite
• This is Music: The Singles Official site
• Purevolume The Verve