Given Richard Ashcroft’s high-profile slot as main support on Oasis’ UK reunion tour, it’s the perfect time for The Verve to lay claim to a portion of the hunger for 90s comebacks. Enter the vinyl debut of 2004’s singles compilation. Culled largely from the band’s 90s heyday, the 2LP 14-song collection illustrates that The Verve’s expansive psychedelic rock has aged incredibly well.
Early singles Gravity Grave and Slide Away are fuzz-coated gems with spacious arrangements and buoyant grooves. The melancholy On Your Own and string-swept Lucky Man showcase a knack for the bittersweet, while other singles from 1997’s juggernaut Urban Hymns reveal Ashcroft and guitarist Nick McCabe’s pop chops.