This Is Music—The Singles 92–98
The Verve
2004: EMI 0724386368928
A wish to indulgently answer some curiosity I had about “Lucky Man” and “Bitter Sweet Symphony” finally tipped the balance to allow me to check out The Verve via this CD in March 2007. I confess I’m somewhat fascinated by the use of string arrangements here…it’s like a throwback to 1960s overkill/grandeur rock recordings, or maybe early 1970s stuff, only perfected (although whether the song or lyrics or performance are similarly perfections is less certain). Spectacularly perfected, or maybe the right word is “dazzlingly”—the effect is impressively visual for an audio-only vehicle.
The songs themselves? And the rest of the album beyond the two which attracted me? Um…I’ll need more time to study those, because nothing else has much grabbed me here (at least not in a positive way). I’d rather say something positive than dismissive or offhand, so I’ll bide my time and try multiple passes just in case some of the rest suddenly speaks to me. After all, the lyrics for “Lucky Man” sounded pretty trite and pseudomature on first hearings but do seem to have a subtle profundity, for me, upon more generous consideration.
Oooh, I have to add “Gravity Grave” to the “Lucky Man” appreciation level right now, as that is QUITE tasty in its patterning and mood layers.
Comments © 2007 Mark Ellis Walker, except as noted, and no claim is made to the images and quoted lyrics.