Wednesday 16 May 2012

Verve In NME's Best Tracks Of The 90's

The decade that brought us Britpop, grunge, superstar DJs - and a whole lot of crappy boy bands. Here are the best tracks according to the NME, The Verve have two entries in at 25 and at number 11:


25 - History - Released September 1995


Released as a single after Richard Ashcroft and his long-suffering troops first decided to call it quits, ‘History’ would have made a fitting epitaph: a suitably grandiose affair that pillaged its opening lines from visionary poet William Blake’s work ‘London’. Instead, when they reformed, its use of strings proved to be something of a catalyst for future hits such as ‘Bittersweet Symphony’.


11 - Bittersweet Symphony - Released June 1997


The Verve’s triumphant return after one of their myriad splits was marked by a new ‘The’ in front of their name and a whole heap of Allen Klein-baiting cowbells. Klein owned the rights to Andrew Oldham’s arrangement of The Rolling Stones’ ‘The Last Time’ from whence they were lifted, and he sued Richard Ashcroft and co to within an inch of their royalties. But it was all worth it, wasn't it?

Tuesday 8 May 2012

Urban Hymns Voted 30th Best Album Of All Time

In a recent Absolute Radio listener's poll to discover the 'Best Albums Of All Time'.  The Verve album 'Urban Hymns' finished in 30th place. You can read more about the poll at Absolute Radio.