Review: It's been a missing artefact for years. It's a travesty that this compilation hasn't been on vinyl until now, but The Verve have set things straight in time for its 20th anniversary. Even though The Verve were only together for a relatively brief time (1990 - 1999 and 2007-2009) they left behind a catalogue of untouchable songs. 'Sonnet', Lucky Man' and 'The Drugs Don't Work' are all bangers, but that's just scratching the surface of what they were capable of. They're a band of incredible breadth. In their early years, they were more psychedelic and leant into sonic wig outs, led by the inimitable genius of guitar player Nick McCabe. Meanwhile, as Richard Ashcroft neared his departure from the band and set out on a solo career, their material got a lot more song-based and they would be reframed as a Britpop group. The addition of the eight-and-a-half-minute version of their second single 'She's A Superstar' (1992) on this version of the album for the first time, helps to emphasise their shoegaze-y legacy. Meanwhile, we're reminded how great the songs of their reformation period are with 'Love Is Noise' and 'Rather Be', which is the other additional feature for this anniversary release.
Review: The Verve are up there with the Smiths in terms of bands you wish would still be together but personal relationships within the band make it appear next to impossible that they'll be resurrected. Fortunately, they're still putting out releases to commemorate their legacy. This is an updated version of their 2004 best-of release. Celebrating 20 years since it came out on CD, and now on vinyl for the first time, new features include material from the band's 2008 reunion album, Forth - the banging 'Love Is Noise' and majestic 'Rather Be' - as well as the eight-and-a-half-minute version of their second single 'She's A Superstar' (1992). The band were into more psychedelic dream pop and shoegaze-y sounds at that time. It was later that they would venture into leaner songwriting and pen hits such as 'Lucky Man' and 'Sonnet', which still to this day are among the finest songs released by any band ever.
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