A Storm in Heaven
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| A Storm in Heaven | ||
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| Studio album by Verve | ||
| Released | June 21, 1993 | |
| Recorded | 1993 | |
| Genre | Psychedelic rock, Shoegaze, Space rock | |
| Length | 47:04 | |
| Label | Vernon Yard/ Virgin Records/ Hut Records | |
| Producer(s) | John Leckie | |
| Professional reviews | ||
|---|---|---|
| Verve chronology | ||
| Verve EP (1992) |
A Storm in Heaven (1993) |
No Come Down (1994) |
Contents |
[edit] Overview
A Storm in Heaven is the 1993 debut album by British rock band Verve.
Like the band's prior EPs and singles, most of the songs on this album are bathed in heavy layers of delay (echo) and reverb, used on both the guitars and the vocals, in order to give a disorientingly psychedelic overall effect.
"Star Sail" appeared on the soundtrack album for the 1993 movie Sliver. "The Sun, The Sea" and "Butterfly" feature experimental saxophone & trumpet playing and reversed guitar loops. The lyrics of "Butterfly" [e.g., "You could flap your wings a thousand miles away/ You could take the storm away, forever every day"] pertain directly to the so-called Butterfly effect. (The song "Catching The Butterfly," from the band's 1997 album Urban Hymns, is apparently a continuation of this theme.)
The album's closing song is built on a subdued piano motif played by guitarist Nick McCabe.
Like all of the band's releases, A Storm In Heaven features enigmatic artwork. The album's cover photo was shot inside Thor's Cave in Staffordshire, England. The back cover features an old man standing in a cemetery with roses at his feet, giving a peace sign. The vinyl LP version came in gatefold packaging.
After this album, the band's music moved in a less psychedelic, more structured direction, and their name was officially changed to "The Verve" for legal reasons.
[edit] Track listing
- "Star Sail" – 3:59
- "Slide Away" – 4:03
- "Already There" – 5:38
- "Beautiful Mind" – 5:27
- "The Sun, The Sea" – 5:16
- "Virtual World" – 6:20
- "Make It Till Monday" – 3:05
- "Blue" – 3:24
- "Butterfly" – 6:39
- "See You in the Next One (Have a Good Time)" – 3:07
[edit] Personnel
- Simon Jones - bass (and backing vocals)
- Richard Ashcroft - vocals (and some bass, guitar, percussion)
- Simon Clarke - flute, horn arrangements
- The Kick Horns - trumpet, saxophone
- Yvette Lacey - flute
- Roddy Lorimer - horn arrangements
- Nick McCabe - guitar (and piano, accordion, keyboards)
- Peter Salisbury - drums/percussion
[edit] External links
- Unofficial Verve site named after this album
- Review at Head Heritage (by Julian Cope)
- "On Second Thought" review at Stylus
- Review at Nude As The News
- Review at MustHear
| The Verve |
| Nick McCabe | Richard Ashcroft | Simon Jones | Peter Salisbury | Simon Tong |
| Discography |
|---|
| Studio albums: A Storm in Heaven | A Northern Soul | Urban Hymns |
| EPs: Verve EP | Five by Five |
| Compilations: No Come Down | This is Music: The Singles 92-98 |
| Singles: "All in the Mind" | "She's a Superstar" | "Gravity Grave" | "Blue" | "Slide Away" | "This Is Music" | "On Your Own" | "History" | "Bitter Sweet Symphony" | "The Drugs Don't Work" | "Lucky Man" | "Sonnet" |
| Tours: Gravity Grave Tour | Urban Hymns Tour |
| Related articles |
| Britpop | Hut Records | Chris Potter | The Shining | Cathy Davey | Gorillaz | B.J. Cole | Bernard Butler |
