This Is Music: The Singles 92-98

[twentysixdollars]

The Verve having reformed, perhaps the time has come for us to finally attempt to make sense of this odd little profit-taking stopgap. In 2004, it seemed as if anyone who might have been qualified enough to illuminate the many questions - even basic discographical ones - surrounding this release was too disgusted by it to care. Now, three years have passed, and what we don't know about the compilation far outweighs what we do.

This, by the way, is what we do know:
-There are at least three distinct versions of the album in circulation in the United States alone. (I don't recall there being a vinyl release.) There is a standard CD (which has the Virgin logo and "Music by EMI" on the spine), a DVD in an Amaray keep-case, and a gold-colored CD that may be some kind of hybrid. This version doesn't have the Virgin logo on the spine, and has a subtly different back cover (ownership data is underneath the tracklist as opposed to on the right-hand side) than the standard CD. This is the version I have, although I don't own an SACD player and haven't yet bothered to stick it in my DVD player.
-Most (but not all!) of the early recordings were remixed to some extent - usually subtly but audibly bringing Richard forward - by Chris Potter. (When? At whose authorization?) "Blue" is closer to the "USA version" released on No Come Down. I've forgotten whether there was ever an actual UK single for "Blue".
-The first twelve cuts - the singles in question - are in no discernable order, and the liner notes conspicuously omit dates.
-The bonus tracks allegedly date from the earliest part of the Urban Hymns sessions (i.e., produced by Youth, minus McCabe); but "Monte Carlo" includes a credit for McCabe and was produced by John Leckie???!!

Everything else - including: why that order? why 2004? in addition to the above questions - remains a mystery. Anyone who knows anything, speak up. Opinions welcome also.

[natty]

I have UK 12" of Blue.

[runcible]

But there was a US version of Blue - not sure what formats it appeared on apart from a CD - which was released on that 'No Come Down' CD compilation. It's similar but a little more U2-ish in sound.

[angelsighs]

Definitely a UK single for Blue- i've got it.

This Is Music- a rather pointless 'will this do' type of compilation. The DVD was also bare bones to say the least- the promos for each song, and audio of the 'bonus' tracks. I remember seeing the advert on telly, and the only snippets they played to entice would be purchasers were the singles from Urban Hymns. Nice one. If they wanted those they would just buy Urban Hymns no?

The early songs were definitely shinily remixed to bring out Ashcrofts vocals. I also have heard that the vocal for Monte Carlo was actually recorded around the time of the compilation (the previous bootlegs of the song were indeed instrumental, and the tenor of the vocal performance definitely sounds more like solo Richard.) This leads me to the conclusion that only he had anything to do with putting it together, something backed up by a contemporary comment from Si Jones I think, but now this really is all from my fading memory.

A chronological running order would have been rather logical and shown nicely the bands progression, but unfortunately would have resulted in most people simply putting the last four songs on repeat.

And who knows the real truth about the hideous monster that is This Could Be My Moment- never leaked or even mentioned before, and the guitar sounds more like Tong.

All in all, the band deserve(d) so much more.

[SpaceLine]

i'd guess that the reason monte carlo has a mccabe credit is because they had some jams recorded with nick prior to when ashcroft was working with leckie on the UH demos and they used that jam as a starting point. most of the leckie demos don't have the mccabe sound at all but a couple do and i'm guessing that's why.

fwiw i have a bunch of copies of blue as a single, 10", 12" even a couple promos that were for the US.

this could be my moment pissed me off to no end. i'm glad the band is back together and i hope for the best but nick and simon definitely owe RA a kick in the nuts for that BS.

[twentysixdollars]

My hypothesis for this collection was always that the label thought they could squeeze a bit more money out of "Bitter Sweet Symphony" by releasing this disc at a slightly lower price point than Urban Hymns and hopefully enticing album purchases. The albums themselves are advertised on the inner sleeve, but songs and their sources aren't connected. So at least half of my hypothesis doesn't work.

If I remember correctly, "This Could Be My Moment" is one of the tunes credited solely to Ashcroft. In which case anything's possible. That is, the vocal could be newly recorded, and Nick almost certainly had nothing to do with it. It is, in any event, dreadful.

Another thing that's worth remarking is that single edits and album versions have been used indiscriminately. The most glaring example of this is that She's A Superstar is the 7" version but Gravity Grave is the 12". But "Blue" is an unreleased version - much longer intro, though the rest is as I said very close to the "USA Version".

We've made some progress, but I'm still wondering about the gold-colored CD. Are they all?

It is good to have All In the Mind on CD, though, as the only version I had was a badly worn 7".

[They Transmit]

I was pretty disgusted at the blatant profiteering of this one and steered well clear. I've since had a listen though and was pretty astonished by all the vocal tracks more prominent placings and This Could be... is just dreadful.
I got my tickets for the Roundhouse yesterday, I'm so desperate for the gig to be a "band" experience and not just a platform for Ashcroft. I only really decided to go to see Nick play live again, so I guess everything else will be a bonus if they are on form and back to that lovely earlier sound.
I saw them so many times during the SIH years and ANS tours and I can safely say that they are some of the best gigs I've ever experienced.

I'm quietly hoping...

[SpaceLine]

you lucky bastard. enjoy it, i think it'll be great. simon j posted a bunch of the tunes they were rehearsing on his myspace page and the list was great.

"Anyway, the remainder of the week was spent rehearsing"up north" (what a freakin luxury to make music away from that big London place!) with Nick and Pete. Richard will be joining us later when we've gotten the music together. Gotta say - twas the greatest few days playin' old tunes! Started with Life's an Ocean and gotta say it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up! So far we got a short list of about 20 odd tunes to pool from for these first gigs, in no particular order we played-Make it till Monday, Virtual world,She's a Superstar, Gravity Grave,This is Music, A New Decade, On your Own, History, Stormy Clouds,Life's an Ocean, A Northern Soul, All in the Mind!(Sounded Amazing), B.S.S.,Drugs don't Work, Sonnet, Lucky Man, Come on, Weeping Willow, Rolling people, Velvet morning, Space and time,Man Called sun, Starsail and new ones,should I give titles away yet?fck it-Sit and Wonder,Judas,Appalachian Springs. Other new ones we are planning to do - maybe-Mona Lisa and Rather Be. I don't want to give the game away(already have) but I would like some feedback on all this-Now's the time to speak up! What have we missed that u wanna hear? Is it too early to play new stuff? do we skip the obvious? do we do the obscure? Let me know! Later.....Si Jones."

[They Transmit]

Wow! Thanks for posting that, I am now so excited about this gig, apart from the Urban Hymns stuff bar rolling people that is a pretty amazing list of classics.
Man this could well be fantastic, roll on November!

[bunnyben]

monte carlo was a left over from ANS album sessions

[twentysixdollars]

If "Monte Carlo" was a leftover from A Northern Soul, why is the version we have produced by John Leckie? This, by the way, doesn't mean they didn't attempt a version of "Monte Carlo" during the ANS sessions. It just means that the version we have isn't that attempt, if there was one.

Track-by-track summary of TIM, highlighting differences with the generally-known versions (work-in-progress)

1. This Is Music - Compressed compared to the ANS version, slightly remixed but not dramatically.
2. Slide Away - Guitars are much louder. Vocals much more forward in the mix - at one point (second verse) it's clear that this is a different vocal take than the album version.
3. Lucky Man - same as album version I think.
4. History - Compressed quite severely.
5. She's a Superstar - 7"/Verve EP edit - ditto - also, vocal audibly moved forward.
6. On Your Own - not sure
7. Blue - Much longer intro; no other version has this. Seems to be based on the USA mix, but again the vocal may be a different take.
8. Sonnet - same as album version.
9. All In the Mind - not sure. Vocals have been brought forward, guitars toned down a bit. Drums (esp. cymbalwork) seem to have been brought up; hard to tell as I'm working from memory.
10. Drugs Don't Work - album version?
11. Gravity Grave - Long version. Echo on the vocal much more prominent. Vocal brought forward. Flute brought up, guitars toned down mostly, second half quite compressed.
12. Bitter Sweet Symphony - hard to tell.

[sendy]

$26, i assume you know about the John Leckie sessions that Ashcroft embarked on after Northern Soul? There is a fantastic bootleg of the session (though sadly incomplete) that has 17 of the tracks-

Space and Time
Sonnet
Song for the Lovers
One Before Dinner
Misty Morning June
Lord, I've Been Trying
Jerusalem
Drugs Don't Work
Come On People
Crab
Little Bit of Love
Lord, I Guess I'll Never Know
Monte Carlo
Oh Sister
New York (Siren Mix)
One More for the Lovers
It Takes Two


Interestingly, much of Ashcrofts solo career (as well as U Hymns) came from these sessions with Leckie. The performances from Ashcroft (drummer Pete was also present here) are much more fluid and dream like compared to the rigid, session like approach to Keys To The World.
New York is simply stunning. But you know all this right? Apologies if i am repeating the party line here...

[twentysixdollars]

I was foggily familiar with the Leckie-Ashcroft solo sessions but I have not heard them. The reason for my asking questions is that "Monte Carlo" credits McCabe. That means one of two things:

1. It's a leftover from ANS. But if so, why/how was it produced by Leckie and not Morris? Even the ANS demos were produced/recorded by Morris. Union rules would have forbidden Leckie from taking full credit on a recording that was produced partly by Morris - the credit we have would have to have read: produced by Owen Morris, additional production by John Leckie, additional production and mix by Chris Potter.
2. It was recorded during the Leckie sessions and doesn't feature McCabe. If so, why does it credit McCabe? The guitars could honestly be anyone, but if McCabe doesn't play on it I doubt they would have given him credit.

One thing to add to my above catalogue of differences. "On Your Own" is quite different from the album version. The piano throughout (left channel) is much more prominent, the guitars less so. The vocals are brought forward, primarily at the end.

[bunnyben]

I was foggily familiar with the Leckie-Ashcroft solo sessions but I have not heard them. The reason for my asking questions is that "Monte Carlo" credits McCabe. That means one of two things:

1. It's a leftover from ANS. But if so, why/how was it produced by Leckie and not Morris? Even the ANS demos were produced/recorded by Morris. Union rules would have forbidden Leckie from taking full credit on a recording that was produced partly by Morris - the credit we have would have to have read: produced by Owen Morris, additional production by John Leckie, additional production and mix by Chris Potter.
2. It was recorded during the Leckie sessions and doesn't feature McCabe. If so, why does it credit McCabe? The guitars could honestly be anyone, but if McCabe doesn't play on it I doubt they would have given him credit.

One thing to add to my above catalogue of differences. "On Your Own" is quite different from the album version. The piano throughout (left channel) is much more prominent, the guitars less so. The vocals are brought forward, primarily at the end.

just cos of the recording doesnt mean it wasn't written with mccacbe and only recorded later?

[Beetlebum]

it sounds like they just over compressed everything on the best of i don't know if you were can really considered that remastering or not. plus, i doubt the verve had anything to do with it.

[twentysixdollars]

FAO Burningwheel, here's a revised list of differences.

1. This Is Music - Compressed compared to the ANS version, slightly remixed but not dramatically.
2. Slide Away - Guitars are much louder. Vocals much more forward in the mix - at one point (second verse) it's clear that this is a different vocal take than the album version. Considerable compression.
3. Lucky Man - same as album version I think.
4. History - Compressed quite severely.
5. She's a Superstar - 7"/Verve EP edit - ditto - also, vocal moved forward a bit.
6. On Your Own - quite different from the album version. The piano throughout (left channel) is much more prominent, the guitars less so. The vocals are brought forward a bit, particularly at the end.
7. Blue - Much longer intro; no other version has this. Seems to be based on the USA mix, but again the vocal may be a different take.
8. Sonnet - same as album version.
9. All In the Mind - not sure. Vocals have been brought forward, guitars toned down a bit. Drums (esp. cymbalwork) seem to have been brought up; hard to tell as I'm working from memory.
10. Drugs Don't Work - album version.
11. Gravity Grave - A desecration. This is the long version, but quite different from the one released on the original CD single. The vocal has been brought forward and is conceivably a different take; the newly-prominent echo on the right channel seems to pertain to the originally-released vocal and not the one here. Flute and harmonica have been brought up, guitars toned down considerably and panned hard in either direction, second half quite compressed.
12. Bitter Sweet Symphony - hard to tell.

[angelsighs]

Jeez I never knew there was that many changes. It's all rather fishy.

And unfortunately, 'remastering' really is a codeword for 'compression' these days. You would have thought any album that was on CD on original release would not need remastering. But it seems every record now has to compete in loudness and prescence for the battered ears of todays ipod mp3 youth.

Apparently the new Joy Division remasters have lost all that lovely Martin Hannett breathing space in being super compressed.

[ash]

Now's the time to speak up! What have we missed that u wanna hear? Is it too early to play new stuff? do we skip the obvious? do we do the obscure? Let me know! Later.....Si Jones."

I wonder how many people are clamouring to hear South Pacific....?

[scratch]

Where the geese go!

[angelsighs]

Now's the time to speak up! What have we missed that u wanna hear? Is it too early to play new stuff? do we skip the obvious? do we do the obscure? Let me know! Later.....Si Jones."

I wonder how many people are clamouring to hear South Pacific....?

South Pacific is astonishing, one of their best early songs. I can't believe it was never recorded in the studio. It would be rather cool of them to give it an airing at the gigs.

[Horrorflick]

I only bought it (the DVD and the CD) because all of my hipster, music-snob friends never stopped spooging about the Verve. I know better now. Spiritualized is far superior in just about every way...

[twentysixdollars]

Read this thread more carefully, Horrorflick. The point is that This Is Music is not representative of the Verve's recorded output, and is, in fact, in many senses a deliberate misrepresentation - in essence, an attempt to turn Verve into U2 as Runcible obliquely suggested has been the label's aim since day one.