The Verve - This Is Music: The Singles

Richard Ashcroft was right all along: History does have a place for The Verve and given that he will performing a clutch of their songs to stadium audiences this summer, it seems an appropriate time to re-evaluate their fearsome back catalogue. 

While they were never a singles band as such, with their sonic wizardly and density better found in the corners of their four albums, this compilation (originally released in 2004) represents them well. The Wigan four-piece were dubbed as shoegazers when debut single ‘All In The Mind’ was released in 1992, yet the ominous, bone-rattling power of the song generates more of an acid-flecked vibe, complete with Cure-esque bassline. 

Later the same year, they released eight-minute opus ‘Gravity Grave’. Listening today, it’s a piece that feels ripe for a remix by some brave soul, all seductive bass and meandering guitar. Thankfully, this new edition includes second single ‘She’s A Superstar’ (cruelly truncated in 2004) in all its majesty. The twinkling verse gives way to a turbine engine of a chorus before an extended coda where guitarist Nick McCabe winds in every possible direction. Sublime.

https://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/the-verve-this-is-music-the-singles/