Brit-pop-rock band THE VERVE scored their first and only UK No.1 single withTHE DRUGS DON’T WORK, 25 years ago today, on 13 September 1997. Taken from their biggest album Urban Hymns.
Not a song about charismatic frontman Richard Ashcroft‘s personal drugs problems,
it’s actually about his very sick father and the fact that the medication he took didn’t had any effect anymore at one point.
Released: 21 May 1997 – their 3rd LP Score: No 1 in the UK, Scotland
and Belgium, #21 in the USA
Pitchfork said: “The record is brimming with genuine emotion,
beautiful and complex imagery and music, and lyrics that are
at once passive and fire-breathing. OK Computer is like tossing
David Bowie, old U2, Spacehog and lots of Pink Floyd into a
blender and pushing the ‘kill’ button.” Score: 5/5.
Released: 29 September 1997 – 3rd LP Score: #1 in the UK, Ireland, New-Zealand
and Ireland, #23 in the USA
NME wrote: “Its sheer magnificence and spirit is such that
the danger of it overwhelming anything that follows it is obvious.
This, after all, is the musical signature of the year.” Score: 4/5.
Released: 7 July 1997 Score: No 2 in the UK and Scotland
AllMusic said: “The group is still capable of creating exotic,
thoroughly entrancing sounds, which is what makes Vanishing
Point a remarkable comeback.” Score: 4.5/5.
Released: 16 June 1997 Album: Urban Hymns Score: No 2 in the UK, No 12 in the USA
“Cause it’s a bittersweet symphony, that’s life
Tryna make ends meet, you’re a slave to money then you die
I’ll take you down the only road I’ve ever been down
You know the one that takes you to the places where all the veins meet, yeah”
Released: 5 May 1997 Album: Vanishing Point Score: #2 in Scotland, #8 in the UK
“This radio station was named Kowalski
In honor of the last American hero to whom
Speed means freedom of the soul
The question is not when he’s gonna stop
But who is gonna stop him”
“Nancy is joining me because the message this evening is not my message, but ours
“Despite our best efforts, shortages of marijuana are now being reported. From the early
days of our administration, Nancy has been abusing marijuana on a daily basis and her
personal observations and efforts have given her such dramatic insights that I wanted
her to share them with you this evening.”
Richard Paul Ashcroft was born on 11 September 1971 in Wigan, UK. Happy 50 to the former madman maestro of THE VERVE with whom he scored a classic masterpiece LP
in 1997 with Urban Hymns. But the band had more fights than albums, so after a couple of splits and reunions, it was over (well, you never know with these guys).
Ashcroft delivered 5 solo albums so far with Natural Rebel (2018) as his most recent one.
Here come 3 big RA moments to celebrate the loudmouth’s birthday…
Band: The Verve (Wigan, UK) Active: 1990–1995 / 1996–1999 / 2007–2009 Album: A Northern Soul – second LP
The title is a reference to the popular soul
movement in Britain during the 1970s. Released: 20 June 1995 – 25 years ago today Score: No 13 in the UK
NME wrote: “A knife-twisting snapshot of a band on the brink… The Verve
exude such a sense of astounding self-belief that they can almost convince you
that even their more nonsensical moments should be cast in gold, carved in
stone and treated with the utmost artistic respect.”
Keywords: Drugs in motion, towering anthems, doped reveries,
Richard ‘Mad’ Ashcroft, handclaps by Liam Gallagher on ‘History Key tracks: A New Decade / History / On Your Own / Life’s An Ocean
TURN UP THE VOLUME 