Product Description

The first Verve album, A STORM IN HEAVEN, was released in 1993, prior to some legal wrangling necessitating the addition of the definite article to the band's name. Appearing in the wake of the commercial success of the "shoegazer" trend in England, it successfully bridged the gap between the rock affectations of Ride's spectacular GOING BLANK AGAIN and Spiritualised's debut album, both early shoegazing cornerstones.
Building on the spaciousness of their first few singles, A STORM IN HEAVEN marries the Verve's psychedelic leaningsto the sonic whirlwind of Nick McCabe's guitar heroics. Highlights include "The Sun, the Sea", which is peppered with massive, crunching rock sounds, even featuring some hyperactive horns toward the end. "Virtual World", with the addition of flutes to the mix, conjures Jethro Tull caught in an elaborate crystalline guitar sound sculpture. The real winner here, though, is the majestic and enveloping "See You In the Next One (Have a Good Time)", which tones down much of the histrionics that precede it in favour of a dramatic acoustic sound with echoing vocals and McCabe's understated piano.

Track Listing

1. Star Sail
2. Slide Away
3. Already There
4. Beautiful Mind
5. Sun The Sea
6. Virtual World
7. Make It 'til Monday
8. Blue
9. Butterfly
10. See You In The Next One (Have A Good Time)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1984 in Music
• Released on: 1993-06-21
• Number of discs: 1

From Amazon.com
Five years before the group's Urban Hymns broke the band into the mainstream, The Verve's first full-length effort, A Storm in Heaven, gave incredible insight into the band's ability to mesmerize it's audience. Hypnotic vocals courtesy of vocalist Richard Ashcroft and layered musical textures from the band make for an incredible, memorable album. This is not the stuff of background music but instead best suited to provide the soundtrack for a candlelit, incense-filled Saturday night. Perhaps the band's best effort to date. --Denise Sheppard

Customer Reviews

Not my usual cup of tea but...
One of the things you're generally supposed to say about debuts that you don't think are that good is that they hint at a band's potential and their future direction but if I said that about the Verve's debut it would just be a lie. It's unbelievable that this is the band who several years later would record Urban Hymns, and that's not just because of the difference in the quality of the music but the styles, I never thought it was possible for a band to go from Shoegaze to BritPop, especially not so quickly.

Before I even start to get into the songs one thing I have to say about this album is that I really don't like how Ashcroft's voice is presented, it's buried deep in the mix and surrounded by tonnes of echo; now there are many bands who I wouldn't mind doing this but the Verve are not one of them, because not only does Ashcroft have an amazing voice but he also writes amazing lyrics that people should be able to hear clearly.

Another thing that puts this album at a disadvantage to me is that I've never really been into Shoegaze, it would be impossible for me to even name 5 bands that play it. The reason I got this album was because I loved the Verve's later albums and wanted to hear how they started off and I have to admit I'm glad they changed styles.

Not that I'm saying this album doesn't have its highlights it does, they're just not that amazing. The best song is "Slide Away" which is close to brilliant but just not quite there. Songs like "Already There" have the potential and the lyrics to be brilliant but Ashcroft's voice is lost in the mix and the song suffers. "Blue" is probably how close the Verve come to their later poppier selves and "Butterfly" is a great song and one that actually makes good use of its near seven minute length.

The rest of the album isn't really that memorable, sure most of the songs are good but they sound like standard Shoegaze (Or how I'd imagine it'd sound like at least). "The Sun, The Sea" has a great opening while the most memorable part of "See You in the Next One (Have a Good Time)" is its title.

Overall the album is nowhere near as good as the Verve's later stuff which is simply amazing but the album is good, and has several great tracks. To the ears of a Shoegaze fan it probably sounds amazing but to me it doesn't sound that amazing.

If you're thinking of getting into the Verve (unless you love Shoegaze) I really wouldn't recommend you start here.

Unrivalled genius
Before the Verve became known as "The Verve", they were simply known as "Verve" and this was the only LP they released under that name. Very fitting, as after this album they changed direction and went looking for pop stardom. And even though some of their best efforts (such as History, On Your Own, Bittersweet Symphony, etc) came after this album, A Storm in Heaven was a work of pure genius.

Nick McCabe's psychedelic guitars create a dreamy landscape over which Richard Ashcroft floats his haunting vocals and right from the spacey opener "Star Sail", the album unrelentlessly bellows out brilliant songs. Standout tracks include "Slide Away", "Already There", "Make It 'Till Monday", "Blue" and the outstanding closer "See You In The Next One (Have A Good Time)".

However, aside from having fantastic songs, it is also a very complete album, with each track playing their own part to create a truly excellent album for fans of the Verve and alternative music. Truly, a storm in heaven.

The Early Verve Captures the World
By far the best of 'The' Verve albums, it's wild, expansive psychedelic sound removed from the garage, funk and symphonic workouts that followed. John (Stone Roses) Leckie's production has never been better, but this is an atypical example of band democracy at work, before too many drugs combined with Ashcroft's ego and McCabe's mind unpicked everything that the band had built. Highlights include the seamless slide into 'Blue' from 'Make It Till Monday', the relentless percussive thrum of 'Slide Away', and the shimmering silver guitar on 'Already There' and 'Beautiful Mind'. If you like this, check out early singles 'She's a Superstar' and 'Gravity Grave', two more stunners from The Verve's early canon.