The Verve - A Northern Soul

bingefeller

I picked up A Northern Soul as I have never heard it before and all I can say is wow - it's probably the best album I have heard so far this year.  Every track is great and the tune (reprise) at the end is wonderful. 

Anyone else a fan of this album?  I'm just sorry that I have only cottoned on to it now!

lustycourtier

The first two Verve records are fantastic. I saw the supporting the Smashing pumpkins at the time and they were unreal. UH is bland busker rock compared. Im lucky enough to live right by the bassist (and frequent his studio). His and Nicks stories of the time are brilliant.

bingefeller

lustycourtier said:

The first two Verve records are fantastic. I saw the supporting the Smashing pumpkins at the time and they were unreal. UH is bland busker rock compared. Im lucky enough to live right by the bassist (and frequent his studio). His and Nicks stories of the time are brilliant.

Yeah, I got Urban Hymns when it first came out, after seeing them perform some of the songs on Jools Holland.  They also performed LIfe's an Ocean IIRC.  Urban Hymns is alright just, nothing compared to the earlier albums. 

I also bought A Storm In Heaven (they were both £4.99 on Amazon), but haven't listened to it because I've been listening to Northern Soul so much.  I think A Storm In Heaven is supposed to be more shoegazey.

lustycourtier

4 is a good album as well. Its such a shame that Richard is how he is, trying to rewrite history (excusing the pun).  

mudslide73

Big fan of SIH and ANS - even UH has it's moments (Catching the Butterfly is a fav of mine). McCabe's enveloping ambient guitar stuff really floats my boat.

I'll have it on super loud on the way home. 

JD50

No Come Down and the Verve EP are both worth a listen. Northern Soul is my favourite of theirs.

bingefeller

mudslide73 said:

Big fan of SIH and ANS - even UH has it's moments (Catching the Butterfly is a fav of mine). McCabe's enveloping ambient guitar stuff really floats my boat.

I'll have it on super loud on the way home. 

I'm gonna have to stick on SIH when I get home....

Lodious

I love Nick McCabe's playing, the drummer and bass player are also great. Richard Ashcroft is such a tool, but fortunately / unfortunately he is a brilliant singer (IMHO). 

shaunm

Love the album, amazing band. Certainly one of my biggest influences. 

I think UH is the best album they did though. Perhaps it holds a lot of sentimental value too. 

MagicPigDetective

NS is great but ASIH has always been one of my favourite albums by anyone. I  feel lucky I got to see them at Reading Festival 94. I’ve got the ASIH box set which has all the early singles and b-sides (All in the mind, Gravity Grave, Man called sun etc) and radio sessions where you can hear how great an unit they were as a band. I remember listening to them play a live session on Mark Radcliffe’s Radio 5 prog Hit the North, in AM of course which I taped and listened to all the time, and its great to have a high quality recording of this on the cd as it’s mindblowingly good and a Nick McCabe masterclass. Gravity Grave at Glasto is also a highlight, all ten minutes of it.

UH did nothing for me, I’ve never even had a copy of the album. Forth had some good moments. 

capo4th

Love the Verve and met Richard Ashcroft in the late 90s McCabe is an amazing guitarist.

Fretwired

To think this was 20 years ago .. great album

stickyfiddle

I always find the UH-hate hilarious. It’s one of the defining records of the 90’s.

From a guitar-skill point of view the early ones are maybe more interesting but in terms of songwriting Urban Hymns is a masterpiece.

gusman2x

UH is unarguably a masterpiece. 

MagicPigDetective

stickyfiddle said:

I always find the UH-hate hilarious. It’s one of the defining records of the 90’s.

From a guitar-skill point of view the early ones are maybe more interesting but in terms of songwriting Urban Hymns is a masterpiece.

Hate is a bit strong if based on my comments. I prefer the psychadelic early style, songs based on McCabe’s riffs and endless jamming sessions. Ashcrofts acoustic ballad type songs then became more prominent. As there is quite a difference between the two styles its not suprising that some might prefer one over the other. Doesn’t mean that I think UH is bad, just not to my tastes. 

stickyfiddle

MagicPigDetective said:

stickyfiddle said:

I always find the UH-hate hilarious. It’s one of the defining records of the 90’s.

From a guitar-skill point of view the early ones are maybe more interesting but in terms of songwriting Urban Hymns is a masterpiece.

Hate is a bit strong if based on my comments. I prefer the psychadelic early style, songs based on McCabe’s riffs and endless jamming sessions. Ashcrofts acoustic ballad type songs then became more prominent. As there is quite a difference between the two styles its not suprising that some might prefer one over the other. Doesn’t mean that I think UH is bad, just not to my tastes. 

No worries - my comments weren't aimed specifically at anyone here. I've just had the same conversation too many times (often on gear forums with FX-junkies). 

MagicPigDetective

stickyfiddle said:

MagicPigDetective said:

stickyfiddle said:

I always find the UH-hate hilarious. It’s one of the defining records of the 90’s.

From a guitar-skill point of view the early ones are maybe more interesting but in terms of songwriting Urban Hymns is a masterpiece.

Hate is a bit strong if based on my comments. I prefer the psychadelic early style, songs based on McCabe’s riffs and endless jamming sessions. Ashcrofts acoustic ballad type songs then became more prominent. As there is quite a difference between the two styles its not suprising that some might prefer one over the other. Doesn’t mean that I think UH is bad, just not to my tastes. 

No worries - my comments weren't aimed specifically at anyone here. I've just had the same conversation too many times (often on gear forums with FX-junkies). 

Yes, well this is well trodden topic of discussion! (I like to think of it as Verve vs The Verve. I still can’t get use to the ‘The’). Perhaps the songwriting issues are also behind some of the tensions which led to them breaking up (three times was it?)

stickyfiddle

MagicPigDetective said:

stickyfiddle said:

MagicPigDetective said:

stickyfiddle said:

I always find the UH-hate hilarious. It’s one of the defining records of the 90’s.

From a guitar-skill point of view the early ones are maybe more interesting but in terms of songwriting Urban Hymns is a masterpiece.

Hate is a bit strong if based on my comments. I prefer the psychadelic early style, songs based on McCabe’s riffs and endless jamming sessions. Ashcrofts acoustic ballad type songs then became more prominent. As there is quite a difference between the two styles its not suprising that some might prefer one over the other. Doesn’t mean that I think UH is bad, just not to my tastes. 

No worries - my comments weren't aimed specifically at anyone here. I've just had the same conversation too many times (often on gear forums with FX-junkies). 

Yes, well this is well trodden topic of discussion! (I like to think of it as Verve vs The Verve. I still can’t get use to the ‘The’). Perhaps the songwriting issues are also behind some of the tensions which led to them breaking up (three times was it?)

Yeah, as I understand it, Ashcroft wrote almost all of UH away from the band, save for the jammy ones (Rolling People, Catching the Butterfly, Neon Wilderness, Come On), but realised it would be a much better record coming from those guys together than any random bunch of session guys. 

Either way, I'm going to go and listen to the first two cos I haven't heard them in years

bingefeller

stickyfiddle said:

MagicPigDetective said:

stickyfiddle said:

MagicPigDetective said:

stickyfiddle said:

I always find the UH-hate hilarious. It’s one of the defining records of the 90’s.

From a guitar-skill point of view the early ones are maybe more interesting but in terms of songwriting Urban Hymns is a masterpiece.

Hate is a bit strong if based on my comments. I prefer the psychadelic early style, songs based on McCabe’s riffs and endless jamming sessions. Ashcrofts acoustic ballad type songs then became more prominent. As there is quite a difference between the two styles its not suprising that some might prefer one over the other. Doesn’t mean that I think UH is bad, just not to my tastes. 

No worries - my comments weren't aimed specifically at anyone here. I've just had the same conversation too many times (often on gear forums with FX-junkies). 

Yes, well this is well trodden topic of discussion! (I like to think of it as Verve vs The Verve. I still can’t get use to the ‘The’). Perhaps the songwriting issues are also behind some of the tensions which led to them breaking up (three times was it?)

Yeah, as I understand it, Ashcroft wrote almost all of UH away from the band, save for the jammy ones (Rolling People, Catching the Butterfly, Neon Wilderness, Come On), but realised it would be a much better record coming from those guys together than any random bunch of session guys. 

Either way, I'm going to go and listen to the first two cos I haven't heard them in years

I read somewhere that some of the tracks on UH were from their earlier days, the more rockier tracks.  

badlydrawnbanjo

Massive Verve fan here. My band's new album has just been described by the distribution company as being "Verve'esq", which is probably the biggest compliment anyone could have paid it. 

bingefeller

badlydrawnbanjo said:

Massive Verve fan here. My band's new album has just been described by the distribution company as being "Verve'esq", which is probably the biggest compliment anyone could have paid it. 

Cool!

I was listening to SIH yesterday and I have to say that I think NS is their masterpiece.  SIH is good, but NS just has a certain vibe and feel to it that I really like.  

Fretwired said:

To think this was 20 years ago .. great album

Seeing The Verve on Later... was my introduction to them.  I was only 17 / 18 back then!!