Music News

[milomorris]

Thanks for the video.

[Front-Ranger]

The Verve - Lucky Man (5:08)
[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyTO0jW8T2o&NR=1[/youtube]

Really enjoyed this cut...I thought at first it might be a cover from the movie of the same name starring Malcolm McDowelll which I really loved. It's not, but an excellent song! I want their CD!!

[Aloysius J. Gleek]

Really enjoyed this cut (Lucky Man)...I thought at first it might be a cover from the movie of the same name starring Malcolm McDowelll which I really loved. It's not, but an excellent song! I want their CD!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_Hymns



You're welcome, Lee--I really liked The Verve (and Richard Ashcroft), and I especially liked their 1997 album Urban Hymns, which included Lucky Man. I also tried to post the excellent (and wildly popular) song, Bitter Sweet Symphony from the same album, but Youtube has killed my post twice due to problems with the rights. Too bad.

Here is another song from Urban Hymns:

 The Verve - Sonnet  (4:26)
[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiQgEn5ibYg&feature=related[/youtube]



Lastly, here is the latest in re: The Verve, right off the presses:

http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2008/08/leaked_the_verve_record_worlds.html

From New York Magazine:

Leak of the Week

8/13/08 11:00 AM

Leaked:
The Verve Record
World’s First Decent Reunion Album


Courtesy of EMI

 
The Verve, Forth 
Official Release Date: August 26 2008

The Verdict: Last year, following a decade of increasingly cheesy solo output, Richard Ashcroft finally broke down and put his band back together. The resultant Forth sounds (mercifully) nothing like his albums and not much like the Verve's 1997 breakthrough Urban Hymns either, but instead more like the band's noodle-y, reverb-soaked mid-nineties material. This is a good thing. Nick McCabe's awesome guitar playing could probably cover a multitude of sins, but there aren't really any here (even not-great single "Love Is Noise" sounds pretty good in context). Highlights include "Judas," "Numbness," and "I See Houses," but whenever these guys get together and play one chord for six minutes (as they do on pretty much all tracks), it's hard to complain.

[optom3]

The Verve, Bittersweet symphony is up there in my top 10. !!!! Was reasonably entertained by Cruel Intentions.

[Aloysius J. Gleek]

The Verve, Bittersweet symphony is up there in my top 10. !!!!

Me too.

Ten years ago (!!) I was working on a very hard project--and for whatever reason, I became obsessed with Bitter Sweet Symphony.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitter_Sweet_Symphony

"Rolling Stone ranked "Bitter Sweet Symphony" as the 382nd best song of all time. In May 2007, NME magazine placed "Bitter Sweet Symphony" at number 18 in its list of the "50 Greatest Indie Anthems Ever". In September 2007, Q published a list of "Top 10 Tracks" as selected via a poll of 50 songwriters; "Bitter Sweet Symphony" is included.

"Although the song's lyrics were written by Verve vocalist Richard Ashcroft, it has been credited to Keith Richards and Mick Jagger because the song uses the Andrew Oldham Orchestra recording of The Rolling Stones' 1965 song "The Last Time" as its foundation.

"Originally, The Verve had negotiated a license to use a sample from the Oldham recording, but it was successfully argued that the Verve had used 'too much' of the sample. Despite having original lyrics, the music of "Bitter Sweet Symphony" is largely based on the Oldham track (the song uses the sample as its foundation and then builds upon, though the continuous riff is Ashcroft's creation), which led to a lawsuit with ABKCO Records, Allen Klein's company that owns the rights to the Rolling Stones material of the 1960s. The matter was eventually settled, with copyright of the song reverting to ABKCO and songwriting credits to Jagger and Richards."

So the Rolling Stones (or their lawyers, which means the same thing, grrr!) took all the money, even the lyrics (and till this day!) because arbitration decided that the song took too much of the 'sample' then allowed. Richard Ashcroft went into major depression, and the band folded.  Anyway, the band reformed last year, and they are releasing a new album 11 years later, this month.

But it is why the song is frequently taken down on Youtube.

Well, I'll try again--in July, 2008, at the Live 8 concert in Hyde Park, London, Chris Martin of Coldplay asked Richard Ashcroft to join in with a rendition of Bitter Sweet Symphony. It was for a good cause--I hope Youtube will leave this version of the song up so I can post it here--if not, well, I tried!

(By the way--the crowd looked very happy!)



Coldplay & The Verve - Bitter Sweet Symphony
Chris Martin and Richard Ashcroft at Live 8
Hyde Park, London, 2 July 2005 (6:14)
[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBKuFGUA0_U[/youtube]

[seadragon16]

This thread made me dig out the 'Urban Hymns' album as it made me realise how long it was since I last heard it. It was one of those albums that didn't leave my CD player for weeks on end and eventually I got a bit tired of it.

I saw The Verve live many years ago at the V Festival in Chelmsford in England. It was the last set they played before they spilt up (late 90's I think?) and it was amazing. I'm pleased they've decided to get back together and I'll be interested to hear their new stuff. 

[optom3]

Me too.

Ten years ago (!!) I was working on a very hard project--and for whatever reason, I became obsessed with Bitter Sweet Symphony.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitter_Sweet_Symphony

"Rolling Stone ranked "Bitter Sweet Symphony" as the 382nd best song of all time. In May 2007, NME magazine placed "Bitter Sweet Symphony" at number 18 in its list of the "50 Greatest Indie Anthems Ever". In September 2007, Q published a list of "Top 10 Tracks" as selected via a poll of 50 songwriters; "Bitter Sweet Symphony" is included.

"Although the song's lyrics were written by Verve vocalist Richard Ashcroft, it has been credited to Keith Richards and Mick Jagger because the song uses the Andrew Oldham Orchestra recording of The Rolling Stones' 1965 song "The Last Time" as its foundation.

"Originally, The Verve had negotiated a license to use a sample from the Oldham recording, but it was successfully argued that the Verve had used 'too much' of the sample. Despite having original lyrics, the music of "Bitter Sweet Symphony" is largely based on the Oldham track (the song uses the sample as its foundation and then builds upon, though the continuous riff is Ashcroft's creation), which led to a lawsuit with ABKCO Records, Allen Klein's company that owns the rights to the Rolling Stones material of the 1960s. The matter was eventually settled, with copyright of the song reverting to ABKCO and songwriting credits to Jagger and Richards."

So the Rolling Stones (or their lawyers, which means the same thing, grrr!) took all the money, even the lyrics (and till this day!) because arbitration decided that the song took too much of the 'sample' then allowed. Richard Ashcroft went into major depression, and the band folded.  Anyway, the band reformed last year, and they are releasing a new album 11 years later, this month.

But it is why the song is frequently taken down on Youtube.

Well, I'll try again--in July, 2008, at the Live 8 concert in Hyde Park, London, Chris Martin of Coldplay asked Richard Ashcroft to join in with a rendition of Bitter Sweet Symphony. It was for a good cause--I hope Youtube will leave this version of the song up so I can post it here--if not, well, I tried!

(By the way--the crowd looked very happy!)



Coldplay & The Verve - Bitter Sweet Symphony
Chris Martin and Richard Ashcroft at Live 8
Hyde Park, London, 2 July 2005 (6:14)
[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBKuFGUA0_U[/youtube]

Jumps up and down shouting and waving arms around, much to kids amusement.
I was there, it was AMAZINGLY BRILLIANT!!!!!!  We were in London to see my husbands parents, so they had the kids and we went.Best concert I have ever been to.I was on such a high, it took me for ever to come down.
Like you I became obsessed with the Bittersweet symphony,but as a result of Cruel Intentions, which somehow got under my skin. I am still mad about it now and have it on my Mp3 player 5 times in succession !!!!!
Not that I have OCD or anything. I also adore Coldplay, particularly, clocks and fix you. Both odd choices for someone whose all time favourite band is led zeppelin, no contest.

[Aloysius J. Gleek]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_8

Live 8
2 July 2005

Memorable moments from the concerts
Hyde Park, London

"Chris Martin included a verse of "Rockin' All Over the World" from Status Quo (originally written and recorded by John Fogerty) in the bridge of Coldplay's song "In My Place". Status Quo had famously opened the 1985 Wembley Live Aid concert with this song.

"In addition, Coldplay were joined unexpectedly by Richard Ashcroft (declared by Martin to be 'the best singer in the world') to perform Bitter Sweet Symphony. Early on Ashcroft came in four bars early, resulting in the violin loop being 4 bars behind throughout the entire song."

[Aloysius J. Gleek]

I missed Live 8 in London (2 July 2005). Work. But what a strange, sad July that year in London. Two friends arrived in Heathrow on 7 July--The bombings in the Underground and on buses. What a nightmare. Two weeks later, 21 July, I was staying in Oxford, and--bombing again. My (same) two friends and I, all New Yorkers, were sitting on the banks of the Cherwell, and wondered--what is happening? I'll never forget that month--

[Aloysius J. Gleek]

So. It's here. Some of it, anyway, in no particular order (and if Youtube coöperates).

The Verve
Forth (2008)



 The Verve - Valium skies (4:35)
[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yR67PcuiTV8&feature=related[/youtube]



 The Verve - Rather Be (5:25)
[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6C2zkDpdixk&feature=related[/youtube]



 The Verve - I See Houses (5:12)
[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HObwjBbpABI&feature=related[/youtube]



 The Verve - Appalachian Springs (7:30)
[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRMozASUxtQ&feature=related[/youtube]



 The Verve - Sit And Wonder (6:51)
[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JywEmkEHTjw&feature=related[/youtube]



 The Verve - Numbness (6:33)
[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fa5FBK4bEVM&feature=related[/youtube]



 The Verve - Mover [bonus track] (3:54)
[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDl4UVR-q4M&feature=related[/youtube]