A Northern Soul

by

The Verve

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"Urban Hymns" is a fine album, but "A Northern Soul" is the Verve's greatest record. Why? It's the intensity -- seldom have I heard rock music performed with such passion and desperation. The band, and especially Richard Ashcroft, pour their hearts and souls into every track as if their lives depend on it. Much has been written about the squalor surrounding the recording of "A Northern Soul" -- the drugs, the broken glass, the screaming arguments -- and you can hear the effects in the music. The production is far from perfect; it sounds murky, and the mixes sometimes sound odd. Every track is amazing, but special consideration must be given to "So It Goes," the title track, "History" and "No Knock on My Door." Richard sings with a far purer voice on "Urban Hymns" and his new solo record, but the pain he exorcises here -- it's about a break up of devastating circumstances -- and how he does it is stunning. It's absolutely tragic that this magnificent record tanked outside the U.K.; indeed, the band broke up because of it, almost for good. If you've only heard "Urban Hymns", I hereby command you, dear reader, to purchase "A Northern Soul" and bask in its imperfect, yet mesmerizing glory.

You can't listen to "A Northern Soul" without comparing it to The Verve's stunning 1993 offering, A Storm in Heaven, or, for that matter, with Urban Hymns from 1997. While "A Northern Soul" does contain the same windy, psychadelic vibe of its predecessor and succeeding album in spots, the sound is not quite as special. "A New Decade" and "This is Music," two triumphant, blustery songs lead off "A Northern Soul," and things look promising. The following ballad, "On Your Own," is nice enough, and leans toward the elegant style of some of the songs on "Urban Hymn." Still, it lacks something. "A Northern Soul" misses the originality of "A Storm in Heaven," and doesn't reach the tuneful, ambitious heights of the last Verve CD. The songs are a little plainer on "A Northern Soul", not quite as grabbing.

Nonetheless, the guitar work by Nick McCabe on this album is pretty impressive. Like the songs on "A Storm in Heaven," there's a huge, atmospheric swell of guitars all over the place. And when "A Northern Soul" rocks out, it's probably the rawest guitar record The Verve ever made in their unfortunately too-short career. Feelings of severe loneliness pervade the lyrics of these songs, while the music goes back and forth from a big rock sound to a slower, more muddled slew of tracks that don't really stand out toward the end of the CD.

"A Northern Soul" hits a good stride midway through, however. The album's title track is Verve psychadelia at its finest, as is the purposely over-the-top and perfectly named "Brainstorm Interlude," with its indecipherable lyrics, funky beat and wayward sound. Unfortunately, though, the back half of the record falters a bit: Songs like "Drive You Home," "History" and "Life's an Ocean" are pleasant enough, but also a tad boring. I prefer the big guitar sound of the great "No Knock on My Door," but that's just my preference.

It should be noted that these guys owe a debt to the Smashing Pumpkins on their last tune (interlude), which is a guitar-drenched jam highly reminiscent of the Pumpkins' 1992 work on the song "Drown" from the Singles: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. The wailing guitar by McCabe may not be quite as fierce as what Billy Corgan did back then, but the mesmerizing drum and bass featured in each song have very similar sounds. The whole vibe between the two great songs is similar in style, and there's nothing wrong with that. As the Pumpkins probably owe a debt to Jimmy Hendrix for what they did on "Drown," the Verve can thank the Pumpkins for helping pave the way for gloriously guitar-drenched tunes.

Even when The Verve hit a somewhat average-sounding snag in their songwriting process, the band still tops most bands that are out there. The Verve's ability to use the studio as another instrument to further the depth of their unique sound is admirable; most bands don't bother to experiment so much. Overall, this is a sprawling record that takes several spins to appreciate. Think of The Verve as a psychadelic Oasis with a little more soul.