Pros: History and On Your Own not to mention lyrics, production, emotion...
Cons: Not immediately appealing...
The Bottom Line: The Verve may be best known for their spat with the Rolling Stones over a certain borrowed tune, but the fact is that this is the band's best album.
lambchops's Full Review: A Northern Soul by The Verve
Despite making their debut years earlier, The Verve (hailing from the Northern England town of Wigan) didn’t really make a universal impact until the release of the 1997 album Urban Hymns. Of course, the press that followed was of a benefit to the band accused of ripping off an orchestral version of the Rolling Stones song The Last Time.
The Verve broke up in 1999 after ten years and just three albums. Led by jaunty, confident vocalist Richard Ashcroft (who has since recorded and release two pretty memorable solo efforts), the band will likely be remembered for Bittersweet Symphony (the aforementioned object of the Rolling Stones’ ire). Though further inspection turns up a little secret—The Verve rocked well before they had a MTV hit.
It is on the album A Northern Soul that The Verve is at their purest and most consistent. Whereas Urban Hymns is an adventurous, rich dose of space rock, A Northern Soul is a more organic affair. Fortunately both are rooted in the same post-glam rock/pop and stocked with elements that work wonderfully well with Ashcroft’s voice not to mention the musical skills of members Simon Jones (bass guitar), Nick McCabe (guitar), and Peter Salisbury (drums). Heavier, darker, and more sensual A Northern Soul strikes a different chord. I like it—quite a lot actually.
The dank and druggy feel of the 1995 probably has a great deal to do with heavy drug use by the band during the album’s production. Whether or not this is indeed the case, there’s little question that the despair, disillusionment, and shoegazing angst help to make A Northern Soul memorable. It is, in fact, a superior album to the more widely hyped Urban Hymns. Though in the same breath I have to admit that many listeners are going to get more out of the band’s final album if for no other reason than the hit(s) it contains.
A Northern Soul opens with three extremely strong songs--New Decade, This is Music and On Your Own. This lovely trilogy sets the tone for the nine songs that follow. Of the first three, I’m particularly drawn to the languid psychedelia of New Decade--guitar noise, swagger, and all. The Verve presents much more than just noise and angst (to their credit). They also give wonderful melody, chorus, and the like. It just truly is a wonderful song. Speaking of wonderful songs, don’t forget about the acoustic, heartfelt nature of On Your Own. The fact that the band can do so many different things on a single album and still hold on to some amount of cohesion goes to show that they are indeed worth note. On Your Own is so beautiful and emotional and intimate it physically hurts.
The Verve doesn’t stop there. Much of the album is steeped in psychedelics and that slant, in this case at least, never gets old. A Northern Soul is a heady chill-out album. After the first three songs, it does become a bit less interesting but I still can’t help but to listen to Ashcroft n’ company. When Drive You Home wanders onto the stereo I’m reminded of exactly why I love The Verve and in particular this album. They are emotionally rich without sounding melodramatic. The music is more about the move and flavor than acting like a bunch of annoying prigs.
Smack in the middle comes History which also happens to be one of the grandest, most enjoyable, and most scintillating songs recorded in British pop during the 1990’s. Despite the orchestral backing and gently strummed acoustic guitars, it possesses an urgency and edginess that even without the addition of lyrics would prove worthwhile. This is an epic song—one that shouldn’t be missed. And the words, well, they too are impressive (although depressing as is the theme throughout this album):
I wander lonely streets
Behind where the old Thames does flow
And in every face I meet
Reminds me of what I have run from
In every man’ in every hand
In every kiss’ you understand
That living is for other men
I hope you two will understand
As A Northern Soul wanders toward conclusion, it continues to weave itself into my heart. This isn’t the kind of album that hits you immediately. It takes a while, multiple listens, and much attention. For that reason, it’s not necessarily the best choice for first-time listeners of The Verve (that honor still goes to Urban Hymns) but it is nonetheless the most musically perfect offering from the band ever. Other songs Life’s An Ocean and Stormy Clouds also make an impact but in retrospect it is History and On Your Own that are the standouts.
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Track List:
01. New Decade
02. This Is Music
03. On Your Own
04. So It Goes
05. Northern Soul
06. Brainstorm Interlude
07. Drive You Home
08. History
09. No Knock on My Door
10. Life’s an Ocean
11. Stormy Clouds
12. Reprise
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