3. The Verve Bitter Sweet Symphony
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lyu1KKwC74 When they first emerged The Verve were way too weird to have crossover success, live theyd play 25 minute freeform bliss-outs, on record they rarely flirted with choruses, and whilst they certainly looked the part there was the sense that in the early 90s they were very much a band out of time who would have made more sense in the psychedelia of the late 60s. After two albums, two things happened that proved to be the making of them, firstly they parted - albeit briefly - with their mercurial guitarist Nick McCabe, allowing them to focus more on the songs, and secondly Oasis came along and gave them their patronage. Thats not to say that every Oasis-endorsed band would cut through, answers on a postcard if anyone remembers the name of the band Digsy (of Digsys Dinner fame) Noel Gallagher gave his blessing to. The video for the song made them instantly recognisable, borrowing Massive Attacks approach to Unfinished Sympathy, with the protagonist wandering the streets and singing to the camera, but this video told a markedly different story. This was the tale of a man who would not let anyone get in his way, quite literally walking his own path which of course was the perfect metaphor for his band. The song was all about the attitude and the strut, literally walking the walk. Ironically for this their breakthrough song they made next to no money from it, borrowing a sample from The Rolling Stones orchestral version of The last time saw Mick and Keefs lawyers jump all over the profits and they took every pretty much every penny. But no matter, The Verve werent in it for the money, and this created the space for bands to be a bit more out there and not have to lie at the margins of success. The Verve may have worn the same uniform as their friends Oasis, but their music was much more ambitious - equal parts evangelical space rock and stadium filler which was never executed better in the 90s than it was here.
Ed Nash
Contributor
What makes music fantastic? Star quality, amazing music, breathtaking lyrics and the ability to bring something new to the table, even if that means a new take on the classics. That's what I love to listen to and write about.
As well as writing for What Culture, I occasionally write a blog http://tedney.blogspot.co.uk and sometimes use Twitter, but sparingly @TedneyNash
See more from
Ed