A Storm in Heaven
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| A Storm in Heaven | |||||
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| Studio album by Verve | |||||
| Released | June 15, 1993 (U.S.) June 21, 1993 (UK) |
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| Genre | Psychedelic rock, shoegaze, space rock | ||||
| Length | 47:04 | ||||
| Label | Vernon Yard, Hut, Virgin | ||||
| Producer | John Leckie | ||||
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| Verve chronology | |||||
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A Storm in Heaven is the debut studio album by English rock band Verve, released in June 1993.
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[edit] Overview
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, and was the song from which British band Starsailor took their name. "The Sun, The Sea" and "Butterfly" feature experimental saxophone and 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 cave opening representing the womb, and birth, with the cemetery (obviously) representing death - and therefore the album itself, packaged between birth and death, representing life. 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, so as not to clash with the record label 'Verve'.
[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
- Richard Ashcroft – vocals, bass, guitar, percussion
- Nick McCabe – guitar, piano, accordion, keyboards
- Simon Jones – bass, backing vocals
- Peter Salisbury – drums, percussion
- Simon Clarke – flute, horn arrangements
- The Kick Horns – trumpet, saxophone
- Yvette Lacey – flute
- Roddy Lorimer – horn arrangements
[edit] External links
- Unofficial Verve site named after this album
- "Unappreciated Album of the Month" Review at DOA
- Ranked # 2 on list of Top 25 Britpop Albums at IGN
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