The Verve's Bitter Sweet Breakup

04/28/1999 4:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Craig Rosen

(4/28/99, 1 p.m. PDT) - After months of speculation, the Verve has officially called it quits.

Singer Richard Ashcroft is currently in the studio working on his solo debut with Verve drummer Pete Salisbury, while the other members of the band are said to be pursuing their own projects.

"The decision to split the band did not come without a great deal of distress to me personally," Ashcroft said in a statement. "I have always given everything to the band and would have continued to do so if circumstances had not made it impossible.

"I would like to thank the fans for their loyal support and their phenomenal response to Urban Hymns. I feel more positive now a decision has been made--being in limbo isn't good for the soul. I can now move forward and put my energies into new songs for a new album."

Urban Hymns, fueled by the single "Bitter Sweet Symphony," was indeed a triumph for the band. Although the album only reached No. 23 on the Billboard 200, it went on to be certified platinum for sales of 1 million copies.

The band's success was marred by the fact that it had to forfeit its publishing royalties for "Bitter Sweet Symphony" to Rolling Stones catalog administrator Allen Klein, since the song is based on a sample of the Andrew Loog Oldham Orchestra's version of the Stones' hit "The Last Time" (LAUNCH, 9/22/97).

In addition, the pressures of touring took their toll on the band, which had a history of problems prior to its U.S. breakthrough. After the band was forced to cancel an appearance at the Tibetan Freedom Concert and a number of European dates following bassist Simon Jones collapsing onstage in Germany, guitarist and founding member Nick McCabe announced that he would no longer perform live with the band (LAUNCH, 7/7/98).

It wasn't the first time that McCabe had quit the band. He also bowed out of a trek in 1995 in support of A Northern Soul. However, it seemed as if the band had settled its differences when it regrouped to record Urban Hymns.

With McCabe's departure, what turned out to be the Verve's final U.S. tour was a bittersweet event. The band, which was initially booked into arenas, was forced to move to smaller venues on some stops on the tour (LAUNCH, 7/7/98). To make matters worse, tourmates Massive Attack dropped out of the tour before its start.

Nonetheless, the Verve carried on with veteran pedal steel guitarist B.J. Cole--whose credits range from Spiritualized and Scott Walker to Sting, Benny Hill, Elton John, and Olivia Newton-John--helping to fill the void left by McCabe.

Even without its founding guitarist in tow, the band generally received good reviews during the tour.

According to Verve bassist Jones, it's possible that some members of the band will work together in the future. "The remainder of the band--myself, Nick McCabe, [guitarist/ keyboardist] Simon Tong--are continuing to work on our own projects, while Pete Salisbury is currently working on Richard's new album. The rest of the band might even work with each other in the future. If this happens, it won't be as the Verve."

Features on the Verve, Massive Attack, Spiritualized, and Olivia Newton-John are available on LAUNCH.com.

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