The Verve

The arrogance of this sentiment earned Richard Ashcroft ridicule and condemnation when he said it in 1993.

His band, The Verve’s third album was Urban Hymns.

With Urban Hymns, and with 'Bittersweet Symphony' and 'The Drugs Don’t Work' in particular, The Verve found their place in history; they can claim a good place in any arguments over best album of the nineties and would put up a damn good fight for the best album ever crown.

There is however far more to them than their final masterpiece. The earlier work on A Storm In Heaven and A Northern Soul reveals more of The Verve as a convention-challenging, genre-bending group of musical innovators, at the heart of which were the twin genii of Ashcroft and guitarist Nick McCabe.

It was McCabe’s guitar that made The Verve different: his myriad influences (The Durutti Column to Joy Division via Hendrix and Pink Floyd) and refusal to simply repeat lines generated an almost psychedelic ambience and incredible sense of energy. With McCabe, The Verve created a colossal effects laden wall of sound described by Ashcroft as a "whole new universe".

It’s a good analogy, as there is something "universal" about the sound. It is huge, daunting and slightly frightening, it’s also just that little bit prog.

Of course, the presence of two such talents within a group caused repercussions and after initially splitting following A Northern Soul, only to reform for Urban Hymns, the Verve split for good in 1998 after its release.

Couldn’t really go out on a better album could they?

text by Mike Boyes.