The Verve

It's probably about time I updated my music selections on the left of this page. I have a few new CD's that might rate a mention. One in particular is a "greatest hits" compilation from The Verve (I bought it for the five or six tracks that I didn't already have). The thing that struck me on listening to this CD is that it's hard to believe they were only together for around six years. They have a back-catalogue that would shame bands that were together for twice that long. It just seemed that every song they did was quality.

Of course, their sound evolved over the course of the years. The earlier material from their self-titled CD had an almost eerie feel to it at times, almost as if it could transport the listener to another place (or perhaps it was that long walk I took in Springbrook National Park shortly after hearing it for the first time), A Northern Soul was louder, a little rough around the edges, but really seemed to capture a different kind of spirit, I stand accused, just like you, for being born without a silver spoon. It's often how I've felt at times in the past. Urban Hymns was probably their most polished release, and quite possibly the greatest CD of the 1990's.

Like a lot of indie bands, their greatest strength seemed to be the fact that they were real people, writing songs about real things. A lot of bands fall down because they churn out crappy love songs constantly. I think it was Frank Zappa who pointed out that listening to love songs can be bad for your health because they create unrealistic expectations which life can never meet. Perhaps, however, he didn't hear Sonnet: "yes, there's love if you want it, don't sound like no sonnet."

Listening to that CD the other night brought back a flood of memories from a not-quite-so distant past. It's strange how listening to a back-catalogue played in a random order can do that sometimes. Perhaps this is due in part to the factors I mentioned in the previous paragraph. There is one thing for sure, however. As good as Richard Ashcroft's solo offerings have been, The Verve is definitely a band that split up way too soon.