The mega-talented 1990s band The Verve were on the cult list in the UK. But this team is also known for the fact that it broke up three times and reunited again twice.
The Verve Student Collective
At first, the group did not use the article in its name and was simply called Verve. The group's birth year is considered to be 1989, when in the small English town of Wigan, several college students wanted to unite to play their music.
Line-up: Richard Ashcroft (vocals), Nick McCabe (guitar), Simon Jones (bass), Peter Solbersi (drums). They all adored The Beatles, kraut-rock and used drugs.
The Verve gave their concert in one of the pubs where they celebrated a friend's birthday. In 1990, the team did not yet have its own style, but the soloist's voice with a characteristic rattling was already considered him a "trick".
The first contract of the Verves group
Soon the Hit Records label signed a contract with the guys, the first recorded singles All in the Mind, She'sa Superstar and Gravity Grave received positive reviews and topped the charts, but did not achieve significant success.
The band gave a lot of time touring, and the debut album A Storm in Heaven was released in 1993. It was produced by John Leckie. There was a lot of talk about this disc, but the excitement, alas, did not affect sales - they did not impress with their results.
The Verve have worked in alternative rock, dream pop and shoegaze styles. In the 1990s, the guys often shared the stage with the OASIS group, with whom they became so good friends that the musicians began to dedicate songs to each other. And in the fall of 1993, the team went on a joint tour with The Smashing Pumpkins.
Scandalous US tour of The Verve
The American tour that followed in 1994 turned out to be very big problems for The Verve. Peter Solbersi was sent to the Kansas precinct for vandalizing a hotel room, and Richard Ashcroft was hospitalized for severe dehydration as a result of his ecstasy addiction.
But the group's adventures didn't end there. Label Verve Records filed a claim regarding the rights to the name. The musicians were offended, they considered it necessary to rename the group, and call the disc, which was recorded in 1994, Dropping for America.
Still, the incident ended simply by adding the article the to the title, and the record was released under the name No Come Down.
The collapse and reunion of the Verves team
Upon returning from the tour, the band seemed to come to their senses and began to work productively on the recording of a new album, but after three weeks the passions flared up with the same force.
The relationship between Ashcroft and McCabe was affected by drug addiction - they worsened every day. The new album A Northern Soul, created in the style of traditional alternative rock, did not make a significant impression on the public, and sales almost did not increase.
Three months later, frustrated by this state of affairs, Ashcroft disbanded the group. Richard himself defiantly left her for a few weeks, but then nevertheless returned. But McCabe left.
He was replaced by Simon Tong (guitar and keyboards). With this line-up, The Verve went on another tour. After the tour, Nick McCabe returned to them.
The main success of The Verve
With the release of Urban Humns, The Verve finally achieved commercial success. In Europe and in the USA. The album cover was pretty original. The whole group was placed on it, but all the musicians turned their heads away from the camera.
In addition to the lead single Bitter Sweet Symphony, which reached number 2 in the English charts and number 12 in the US, the album contains many iconic songs, including The Drugs Don't Work, which was released to coincide with the tragic death of the princess Diana.
The British were so impressed with this composition that it immediately took a leading position in the charts.
In autumn, The Verve recorded the single Lucky Man. It was followed by a long tour, which was a significant success.
Separation for eight years
Despite the success of the tour in support of the album, the band was again in danger of breaking up. Because of the drugs, Simon Jones could no longer work, and soon McCabe also left the group.
At first they tried to find a replacement for him. However, in the end, by the spring of 1999, the team ceased to exist completely. This time the musicians broke up for eight years.
In 2007, the "fans" of The Verve were delighted with the announcement that their favorite band was going to recover and record a new album. This promise was fulfilled in 2008. The Forth disc was released, with which the musicians traveled all over the world.
But the third collapse was not long in coming. The musicians decided that Ashcroft resurrected the group only for his own promotion. Currently, each of them is engaged in their own projects. Richard is building a solo career, and McCabe and Jones are promoting a joint Black Submarine project.
Fans of The Verve band regret that their favorite band was affected by drug addiction, which killed many talented musicians of our time.
The Verve is a rich history of breakups and reunions, musicians who left a bright mark on history.
