The Verve

The Verve finally broke through to a mass international audience in 1997 with the instant classic "Bittersweet Symphony." By no stretch a study in overnight success, the group's rise was instead the culmination of a long, arduous journey that began at the dawn of the decade and went on to encompass a major breakup, multiple lawsuits, and an extensive diet of narcotics. Perfecting an oceanic sound fusing the exploratory vision of '60s-era psychedelia with the shimmering atmospherics of the shoegazer aesthetic, the Verve languished in relative obscurity while waiting for the rest of the music world to play catch-up, creating one of the most complex and rewarding bodies of work in modern rock & roll long before most listeners even learned of their existence -- only to again fall apart at the peak of their success.

While Verve's long, liquid jams found favor on the British indie charts, pop radio looked the other way -- their majestic debut LP, 1993's A Storm in Heaven, was a critical smash, but the good reviews failed to translate into strong record sales. The following summer, Verve appeared on the second stage at Lollapalooza, a tour tempered by a string of disasters -- not only was Salisbury arrested for destroying a Kansas hotel room, but Ashcroft was also hospitalized after suffering from severe dehydration. Around that same time, the American jazz label also dubbed Verve slapped the band with a lawsuit, forcing the quartet to officially change its name to "the Verve.



"Bittersweet Symphony" Music Video



"Blue" Music Video



"Bittersweet Symphony" -- the album version and the radio edit version. In between, the Verve-written "Lord I Guess I'll Never Know" and "Country Song" show the two-year hiatus did little to warp the band's ability to play together. Both groove along on a smooth bassline and hang on the backbeat until the two-guitar attack of Nick McCabe and Simon Tong turn them into psychedelic swirls reminiscent of "Endless Life."

Bittersweet Symphony [Original Version]
Lord I Guess I'll Never Know
Country Song
Bittersweet Symphony