The Verve

The Verve

The Verve (originally Verve) are an English rock band formed in Wigan, Greater Manchester in 1989 at Winstanley Sixth Form College, by vocalist Richard Ashcroft, guitarist Nick McCabe, bassist Simon Jones, and drummer Peter Salisbury. Simon Tong later became a member. The band split in April 1999 due to inner conflicts which led to McCabe's departure. The band's original line-up reunited in June 2007. The band embarked on a tour in late 2007 and have announced an album due in 2008.

Beginning with a psychedelic sound indebted to space rock and shoegazing, 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 the album Urban Hymns and its single "Bitter Sweet Symphony", which became a massive worldwide hit. Soon after this commercial peak, the band broke up, citing creative struggles between band members. By then, The Verve had become one of the most influential British alternative rock acts of the decade.

Mike Gee of iZINE said, "...The Verve, as he [Richard Ashcroft] promised, had become the greatest band in the world. Most of the critics agreed with him. Most paid due homage. The Verve were no longer the question mark or the cliché. They were the statement and the definition."

History

Formation and Verve EP (1989–1992)

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 its ability to captivate audiences with its musical textures and avant-garde sensibilities.

The group were signed by Hut Records in 1991 and their first studio releases in 1992, "All In The Mind", "She's a Superstar", and the Gravity Grave EP (along with the December 1992 US-issued Verve EP) saw the band become a critical success, making an impression with freeform guitar work by McCabe and unpredictable vocals by Ashcroft.

A Storm in Heaven (1993–1994)

1993's A Storm in Heaven, the band's full-length debut, produced by Britpop record producer John Leckie, was a critical smash, but was only a moderate commercial success, reaching #27 in the UK album chart.

The second single from the album, "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 in a drug-fuelled delirium. 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.

Eventually they decided on the name The Verve, and the album became No Come Down.

A Northern Soul and first break-up (1995–1996)

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 use and 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 frontman, on the album (What's the Story) Morning Glory?. Ashcroft returned the gesture by writing the title song "Northern Soul" for Noel.

Although the album reached the UK Top 20, 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. The band hired former Suede guitarist Bernard Butler, but he spent only a couple of days with the band. Thus, 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.

Commercial success and second breakup (1997–1999)

Ashcroft, Jones, Salisbury, and Tong started writing songs for the upcoming album, with most of autumn 1996 and early 1995 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-fuelled) recording process to finish the album Urban Hymns. For the first time in its career, The Verve experienced widespread commercial success. Not only was the album a hit in the UK, but the band also found fame in the USA 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, the band's highest position ever in the USA. The song borrowed a looped sample of a symphonic recording of the Rolling Stones song "The Last Time". The band had obtained composition rights to the sample from ABKCO Records owner Allen Klein, which controls the Rolling Stones' back catalogue and permission to use the recording of the sample from Decca, the publisher of the original album.

Just before the CD Urban Hymns came out, Klein obtained a copy of the song and decided that the band had used "too much" of the sample and threated a lawsuit. At that late time there was no way the sample could be removed, so the band and Klein came to a verbal agreement, “We were told it was going to be a 50/50 split" says band member Simon Jones. Later, when it was apparent that the song was a huge, worldwide hit Klein demanded 100% of the royalties or they would be forced to removed the CD from the record shops. The band settled out of court with Klein resulting in ABKCO Records obtaining 100 percent of the songwriting royalties. Further, as a result of the lawsuit, Rolling Stones members Keith Richards and Mick Jagger were given songwriting credits. With full publishing rights to the song, ABKCO Records could legally sell licenses to advertisers and did several times. The song appeared in a Nike commercial against The Verve's will and then in advertisements for Vauxhall automobiles. After the song was used in the movie Cruel Intentions, The Verve filed a moral rights (copyright) suit to ensure the song was not distributed commercially any more. The Verve is said to have not made a penny from the song.

The follow-up single, "The Drugs Don't Work" gave the band their first UK number one single, with the album reaching the same position in the album chart, and hitting the US Top 30, going platinum in the process.

Then, as the band was on a successful 1997-98 tour to promote the album, bassist Simon Jones collapsed on stage. Also in 1998, Nick McCabe, Simon Tong, Simon Jones and drummer Leon Parr formerly with Mr. So & So and Mosque were commissioned for a soundtrack for a Jonny Lee Miller film which was recorded in Kilburn. These never made it to the final film due to delays on their part.

The band played a successful homecoming show at Haigh Hall & Country Park in Aspull, Wigan, which would turn out to be the last time Nick McCabe played live with the band. 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. McCabe's guitar work was heavily sampled and triggered on stage. After two headline performances at the V Festivals in 1998, and one at Slane Castle in Ireland, rumours began circulating that the band had called it quits for good. In April 1999, it was announced that The Verve had split up.

Post-breakup activities (2000–2006)

After the band's second collapse, Simon Tong and Simon Jones formed a new group called The Shining, which initially included former Stone Roses guitarist John Squire; however Squire left the band before recording and touring had begun. The band released one album, True Skies, before disbanding in 2003. Jones went on to join the band of Irish artist Cathy Davey. Tong appeared as a live replacement for ex-guitarist Graham Coxon in Blur and as additional guitarist for Gorillaz. Tong is also a member of an unnamed supergroup formed by Damon Albarn which released its first album The Good, the Bad and the Queen in January 2007.

After the breakup Nick McCabe worked with artists including John Martyn and Leeds-based band The Music and London-based Neotropic.

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, UK.

By the time the band had split for the second time, 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). 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.

Reunion (2007–present)

On June 26, 2007 the band's reunion was announced by Jo Whiley on BBC Radio 1. The band, reuniting in their original line-up, announced they would tour in November 2007, and are also set to release an album in early 2008. The band stated it was "Getting back together for the joy of the music". Missing from the band line-up is Simon Tong, who continues to work with The Good, the Bad and the Queen.

Tickets for their six-gig tour in early November 2007 sold out in less than 20 minutes. The band's newly created MySpace page had been visited 30,000 times in its first two weeks. The tour began in Glasgow on November 2, and included performances at the Carling Academy Glasgow, The Empress Ballroom and the London Roundhouse. On October 2, 2007 the band announced that they will play a second tour in December 2007. The venues announced are The O2, the SECC in Glasgow, the Odyssey in Belfast, the Nottingham Arena and Manchester Central.

On October 15, bass player Simon Jones revealed a number of new song titles the band had recorded since reforming. They include "Sit and Wonder", "Judas", "Appalachian Springs", "Mona Lisa" and "Rather Be". The first results of the reunion were released on October 22, as a free download called The Thaw Session. The 14 minute jam was the first music the band made after deciding to reunite and was made available for a week free via the NME website.

The Verve will continue to tour throughout 2008. Performances at the Coachella music festival in April 2008, the coveted Sunday night slot on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury in 2008, T In the Park, the Pinkpop festival, Rock am Ring and Rock im Park, Oxegen Festival and the V Festival.

Discography

Main article: The Verve discography

1. A Storm in Heaven – (21 June 1993) #27 (UK)
2. A Northern Soul – (3 July 1995) #13 (UK)
3. Urban Hymns – (29 September 1997) #1 (UK) #23 (U.S.)

Legacy

After the Verve split in 1999, their songs have been covered or reinterpreted in recent years. Limp Bizkit created a mashup of "Bittersweet Symphony" and "Home Sweet Home" by Mötley Crüe on their Greatest Hitz album. Singer/songwriter Ben Harper covered the song The Drugs Don't Work in a live show which is found on the live album Live From Mars. Also Australian band Grinspoon did a cover on a radio station. The string section of Bittersweet Symphony has been sampled from a few artists such as Madonna and Kanye West in live concerts. Moby has created a remix of the song. In the movie Cruel Intentions it is played at the final scene of the movie. The music video for "Bittersweet Symphony" was parodied by Fat Les of the 1998 World Cup song "Vindaloo". The Verve's music also has inspired many new bands such as Nova Saints, Weeping Willows, Starsailor, Voyager One, Exit Calm, Innerlights and Keane.

External links

• Official website
• Template:MySpace-music
• The Verve Online
• The Verve at PureVolume
• The Verve Unofficial