17 May 2012

NME's 100 Best Tracks of the 90s

New Musical Express (NME) is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. As part of their ongoing celebrations, they've put together a panel of NME experts and musicians to select the greatest songs of each decade. Recently, they assembled their list of 100 best tracks of the 90s. The Verve scored two nominations. See NME's commentary below.

#25

"History"
 Released: September 1995

 


Released as a single after Richard Ashcroft and his long-suffering troops first decided to call it quits, ‘History’ would have made a fitting epitaph: a suitably grandiose affair that pillaged its opening lines from visionary poet William Blake’s work ‘London’. Instead, when they reformed, its use of strings proved to be something of a catalyst for future hits such as ‘Bittersweet Symphony’.

#11

"Bitter Sweet Symphony"
Released: June 1997



The Verve’s triumphant return after one of their myriad splits was marked by a new ‘The’ in front of their name and a whole heap of Allen Klein-baiting cowbells. Klein owned the rights to Andrew Oldham’s arrangement of The Rolling Stones’ ‘The Last Time’ from whence they were lifted, and he sued Richard Ashcroft and co to within an inch of their royalties. But it was all worth it, wasn't it?
  • Source: NME
  • Kudos: Melodyshine