A Storm in Heaven
Encyclopedia
A Storm in Heaven is the debut studio album
by English rock
band The Verve
(at the time just called Verve), released in June 1993 on the Hut Recordings label. It charted at #27 in the UK.
, used on both the guitars and the vocals, in order to give a disorientingly psychedelic overall effect.
Nick McCabe
admitted he found work with John Leckie
difficult and was ultimately dissatisfied with the album's sound:
I just found it really difficult. I had something in my mind, he had something in his, and I generally ended up doing it somewhere in the middle. It got to the point to where he would come out and start fiddling with my amp. I'd wait for him to turn his back and then I'd put it back.
- 1999 interview
"Star Sail" appeared on the soundtrack album for the 1993 movie Sliver
.
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.) McCabe has stated that it was recorded at 3 AM while playing along with a Steely Dan
sample (http://www.excellentonline.com/story/nick-mccabe-interview-733).
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 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 Records
.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by English rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band The Verve
The Verve
The Verve were an English rock band formed in 1989 in Wigan by lead vocalist Richard Ashcroft, guitarist Nick McCabe, bassist Simon Jones, and drummer Peter Salisbury. Guitarist and keyboardist Simon Tong later became a member. Beginning with a psychedelic sound indebted to shoegazing and space...
(at the time just called Verve), released in June 1993 on the Hut Recordings label. It charted at #27 in the UK.
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 reverbReverberation
Reverberation is the persistence of sound in a particular space after the original sound is removed. A reverberation, or reverb, is created when a sound is produced in an enclosed space causing a large number of echoes to build up and then slowly decay as the sound is absorbed by the walls and air...
, used on both the guitars and the vocals, in order to give a disorientingly psychedelic overall effect.
Nick McCabe
Nick McCabe
Nick McCabe is a musician best known as the lead guitarist of The Verve.-Early life:Nick McCabe was the son of a bus driver and has two older brothers, Alan and Paul...
admitted he found work with John Leckie
John Leckie
John Leckie is a British music producer, notable for producing many high-profile albums such as The Stone Roses's debut and Radiohead's The Bends...
difficult and was ultimately dissatisfied with the album's sound:
I just found it really difficult. I had something in my mind, he had something in his, and I generally ended up doing it somewhere in the middle. It got to the point to where he would come out and start fiddling with my amp. I'd wait for him to turn his back and then I'd put it back.
- 1999 interview
"Star Sail" appeared on the soundtrack album for the 1993 movie Sliver
Sliver (film)
Sliver is a 1993 film based on the Ira Levin novel of the same name about the mysterious occurrences in a privately owned New York highrise apartment building. Phillip Noyce directed the film, from a screenplay by Joe Eszterhas...
.
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
Butterfly effect
In chaos theory, the butterfly effect is the sensitive dependence on initial conditions; where a small change at one place in a nonlinear system can result in large differences to a later state...
. (The song "Catching The Butterfly," from the band's 1997 album Urban Hymns
Urban Hymns
Urban Hymns is the third album by English rock band The Verve, released on 29 September 1997 on Hut Recordings. It earned nearly unanimous critical praise upon its release, and went on to become the band's best-selling release and one of the biggest selling albums of the year...
, is apparently a continuation of this theme.) McCabe has stated that it was recorded at 3 AM while playing along with a Steely Dan
Steely Dan
Steely Dan is an American rock band; its core members are Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. The band's popularity peaked in the late 1970s, with the release of seven albums blending elements of jazz, rock, funk, R&B, and pop...
sample (http://www.excellentonline.com/story/nick-mccabe-interview-733).
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
Thor's Cave
Thor's Cave is a natural cavern located at in the Manifold Valley of the White Peak in Staffordshire, England. It is classified as a Karst cave...
in Staffordshire, England. The vinyl LP version came in gatefold
Gatefold
A gatefold is a type of fold used for advertising around a magazine or section, and for packaging of media such as vinyl records.- LP covers :...
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 Records
Verve Records
Verve Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded by Norman Granz in 1956, absorbing the catalogues of his earlier labels, Clef Records and Norgran Records , and material which had been licensed to Mercury previously.-Jazz and folk origins:The Verve...
.
Track listing
- "Star Sail" – 3:59
- "Slide AwaySlide Away"Slide Away" is a song by the British rock band The Verve. It scraped the top 100 in the UK singles chart, peaking at #98. The song was taken from the band's first album, A Storm in Heaven...
" – 4:03 - "Already There" – 5:38
- "Beautiful Mind" – 5:27
- "The Sun, the Sea" – 5:16
- "Virtual World" – 6:20
- "Make It 'Til Monday" – 3:05
- "BlueBlue (The Verve song)"Blue" was the first single by British band The Verve to be released from their first album, A Storm in Heaven, which was released through Hut Records...
" – 3:24 - "Butterfly" – 6:39
- "See You in the Next One (Have a Good Time)" (Ashcroft) – 3:07
Personnel
- Richard Ashcroft – vocals, bass, guitar ("See You in the Next One (Have a Good Time)"), percussion ("Already There", "Beautiful Mind", "The Sun, The Sea", "Virtual World", "Blue")
- Nick McCabe – guitar, piano ("Beautiful Mind", "See You in the Next One (Have a Good Time)"), accordion ("See You in the Next One (Have a Good Time)"), keyboards ("Make It 'til Monday")
- Simon Jones – bass, backing vocals
- Peter Salisbury – drums, percussion
- Simon Clarke – flute ("Virtual World"), horn arrangements
- The Kick Horns (Simon Clarke, Tim Sanders, Roddy Lorimer) – trumpet, saxophone ("Already There", "The Sun, The Sea", "Butterfly")
- Yvette Lacey – flute ("Virtual World")
- Roddy Lorimer – horn arrangements
- John LeckieJohn LeckieJohn Leckie is a British music producer, notable for producing many high-profile albums such as The Stone Roses's debut and Radiohead's The Bends...
– production, mixing - John Cornfield – engineering, programming
- Sleeve concept, design and art direction by Brian Cannon for microdot
- Photography by Michael Spencer Jones