Information AboutThe Verve |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT THE VERVE | |
| alternative musical groups | |
| english rock music groups | |
| music from manchester | |
| britpop musical groups | |
| shoegazing musical groups | |
The Verve (originally '''Verve''') are an English Alternative Rock band 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. The band split in April 1999 due to inner conflicts which led to McCabe's departure. They reunited in June 2007. The band has announced an album due at the end of the northern-hemisphere summer and a tour scheduled for November 2007. 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 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 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."1 HISTORY (1989–1992) Formation and ''Verve'' EP Verve formed when the group met at Up Holland High School and later attended 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 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. The group were signed by Hut Records in 1991Strong, Martin C., (2002), "The Great Rock Discography 6th edn, Canongate, ISBN 1-84195-312-1 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. (1993–1994) ''A Storm in Heaven'' 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.Strong, Martin C., (2002), "The Great Rock Discography 6th edn.", Canongate, ISBN 1-84195-312-1 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. 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". Eventually they decided on The Verve, and the album became ''No Come Down''. (1995–1996) ''A Northern Soul'' and first 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 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. (1997–1999) ''Urban Hymns'', the height of fame and second break-up Ashcroft, Jones, Salisbury, and Tong 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-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 ", 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, Rolling Stones members 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 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.Strong, Martin C. (2002), "The Great Rock Discography 6th edn.", Canongate, ISBN 1-84195-312-1 Then, as the band was on a successful 1997-98 tour to promote the album, bassist Simon Jones collapsed on stage. 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 Festival s in 1998, and one at Slane Castle outside Dublin , rumors began circulating that the band had called it quits for good. In April 1999, it was announced that The Verve had split up. (2000–2006) Post-breakup activities 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 began. 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 the Supergroup formed by Damon Albarn called '' The Good, The Bad And The Queen '', 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. 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). 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. (2007–present) Reunion On ''. The initial aftermath of the reunion announcement was followed by an overwhelming outpour of excitement amongst their fans. While band management opted for the strategy of booking a limited number of tour dates, out of fear of a deterioration in fan base, tickets for their six-gig tour slated for 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. This has created circulation rumors that the band will eventually hold a gig in their hometown of Wigan; almost ten years after their well-remembered concert at Haigh Hall that was attended by 40,000 fans. DISCOGRAPHY See Also: The Verve discography |
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