Released on vinyl for the very first time, This Is Music: The Singles, is a double LPcompilation album by The Verve: Richard Ashcroft (vocals), Pete Salisbury (drums), Simon Jones (bass), Nick McCabe (guitar).
It was originally released on CD only in November 2004 and, for its 20th anniversary, it has been updated to a more definitive track listing; the two tracks pulled from the sessions for their third album, Urban Hymns, ‘This Could Be My Moment’ and ‘Monte Carlo’ have been replaced by the powerful singles from the band’s 2008 reunion album, Forth – ‘Love is Noise’ and ‘Rather Be’. In addition, their second single ‘She’s A Superstar’ (1992) is included in its original, full- length, eight-and-a-half-minute glory (rather than the five-minute edit that featured on the first edition of this compilation). As such, the album now represents the complete story of The Verve’s singles. And what a compelling saga it is, comprehensively documenting the potency of The Verve’s epoch-making journey through the musical cosmos. On their emergence in the early 90s (when they were known simply as Verve), their output was expansive, cinematic and genuinely psychedelic. Their early 45s – ‘All In The Mind’, ‘She’s A Superstar’, ‘Gravity Grave’, ‘Blue’ and ‘Slide Away’ – all topped the UK independent chart and served notice that there something more than a little special going on up in Wigan, Lancashire.
1995’s A Northern Soul album saw the band develop their sound even further and spawned three truly memorable singles: ‘This Is Music’, ‘On Your Own’ and the much- loved, ‘History’, the group’s first collaboration with string arranger Wil Malone, which was issued as the band splintered for the first time. They reconvened (with the addition of guitarist and keyboard player Simon Tong) to reach their commercial peak in 1997 with the hugely successful Urban Hymns, which was centred around a brilliantly accomplished suite of anthemic songs written by Ashcroft, including the worldwide smash ‘Bitter Sweet Symphony’, the UK number one ‘The Drugs Don’t Work’, the majestic ‘Lucky Man’ and fourth single ‘Sonnet’, recently introduced to a new generation by its use in the popular TV series One Day earlier this year.
After the success of Urban Hymns, the band split again before they came back together (with their original four-piece line-up) for 2008’s Forth LP, another international success and a campaign that culminated in a triumphant headline slot at Glastonbury in 2008.
Listening back to these singles, what’s immediately apparent is just how mighty a musical force The Verve were. Many of these songs are more than just great singles, they are anthems that resonate with millions of people, the soundtrack to a generation. This Is Music, folks. The black and light blue/red vinyl editions will be released on 24th January 2025 and can be purchased alongside a new range of band merchandise from the recently launched official The Verve online store HERE
This Is Music: The Singles 2LP
LP1
Side A Side B
1. This Is Music 5. She’s A Superstar
2. Slide Away 6. On Your Own
3. Lucky Man 7. Blue
4. History 8. Sonnet
LP2
Side C Side D
1. All In The Mind 2. Bitter Sweet Symphony
3. The Drugs Don’t Work 4. Love Is Noise
5. Gravity Grave 6. Rather Be
