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RICHARD ASHCROFT

Richard Ashcroft

These People - 2024 Repress

    Richard Ashcroft’s fourth solo album ‘These People’ became a fan-favourite in 2016, receiving great reviews and becoming a #3 album in the Official UK Albums Chart.

    His reunion with Wil Malone, who had previously worked on the string arrangements for The Verve's seminal albums 'A Northern Soul' and 'Urban Hymns' added depth and emotional resonance to the album's sound. Ashcroft demonstrated his continued relevance and creative prowess as a solo artist, reaffirming his status as one of Britain's most enduring and influential musicians.


    TRACK LISTING

    1. Out Of My Body
    2. This Is How It Feels
    3. They Don’t Own Me
    4. Hold On
    5. These People
    6. Everybody Needs Somebody To Hurt
    7. Picture Of You
    8. Black Lines
    9. Ain’t The Future So Bright
    10. Songs Of Experience

    Richard Ashcroft

    Acoustic Hymns Vol. 1

      The album features twelve newly recorded acoustic versions of classic songs from his back catalogue spanning both his solo career and his time with The Verve.

      After lockdown was lifted, Richard decided to start the project as a way to reunite the community around him, bringing a selection of great musicians and old friends back together again. As the project took shape, they discovered just how varied their new approaches could be. Some of the arrangements proved to be timeless and remained similar to the originals, with years of experience and a new found passion that saw Richard’s vocals express a fresh empathy within their lyrics. Meanwhile, other songs took on a new shape in this stripped-back set-up.

      The rebirth of the iconic ‘Bittersweet Symphony’ was an emotional moment for Richard. It felt particularly poignant re-recording a song that he had written almost twenty-five years ago, especially as it's now officially his composition after Mick Jagger and Keith Richards relinquished their writing credits to him.

      Another big moment comes with the new version of ‘C’Mon People (We’re Making It Now)’, a duet with Richard’s old friend Liam Gallagher. The pair have often talked about recording or performing the song together since it was first released in 2000, and now it’s finally happened - the sheer energy and delight that they shared during the session is palpable as the new recording beams with a joyous feeling of optimism.

      ‘Velvet Morning’ is another track that has been transformed. The vocals on the original version, as featured on The Verve’s classic ‘Urban Hymns’, were sung via a megaphone that Richard had purchased from a car boot sale the day before the recording session. Now Richard’s vocal really shines as it unleashes the song’s full magnitude.

      The biggest surprise on ‘Acoustic Hymns Vol. 1’ is the inclusion of ‘This Thing Called Life’, a song which Ashcroft has rarely played live. It was originally recorded with No I.D. in the USA as a highlight of his soul-tinged RPA & The United Nations Of Sound project. Now taken back to basics, the new arrangement reveals a song that feels perfectly at home alongside Richard’s most highly regarded work.

      Produced by Richard with regular collaborator Chris Potter, the album features his regular live band boosted by some special collaborators. Wil Malone provides the string arrangements, which were recorded at Abbey Road Studios. In addition, Chuck Leavell (The Rolling Stones, The Allman Brothers) performs piano, Roddy Bloomfield leads the brass section, and Steve Wyreman (Leon Bridges, Vic Mensa) contributes acoustic guitar and backing vocals.

      TRACK LISTING

      CD
      Bittersweet Symphony
      A Song For The Lovers
      Sonnet
      C'mon People (We're Making It Now) – Featuring Liam Gallagher
      Weeping Willow
      Lucky Man
      This Thing Called Life
      Space & Time
      Velvet Morning
      Break The Night With Colour
      One Day
      The Drugs Don't Work

      Vinyl Tracklist
      SIDE A
      Bittersweet Symphony
      A Song For The Lovers
      Sonnet
      SIDE B
      C'mon People (We're Making It Now) – Featuring Liam Gallagher
      Weeping Willow
      Lucky Man
      SIDE C
      This Thing Called Life
      Space & Time
      Velvet Morning
      SIDE D
      Break The Night With Colour
      One Day
      The Drugs Don't Work

      As the frontman for the epic British drone-pop band The Verve, Richard Ashcroft proved himself the spiritual descendant of rock & roll icons like Mick Jagger and Jim Morrison - rivetingly charismatic, menacingly serpentine, and possessed of an almost shamanic intensity, he embraced and articulated the anthemic fervor of rock music with a power and eloquence unparalleled by any of his contemporaries.

      Featuring ten new songs, all of which were written by Ashcroft, ‘Natural Rebel’ was produced by the singer-songwriter alongside Jon Kelly (Paul McCartney, Kate Bush) and Emre Ramazanoglu, Bobby Gillespie). The majority of its recording took place at State of the Ark Studios in Richmond, with further sessions at The Bunker, Tileyard Studios and Hoxa HQ.

      TRACK LISTING

      1. All My Dreams
      2. Birds Fly
      3. Surprised By The Joy
      4. That's How Strong
      5. Born To Be Strangers
      6. That's When I Feel It
      7. We All Bleed
      8. A Man In Motion
      9. Streets Of Amsterdam
      10. Money Money

      Richard Ashcroft

      These People

        Richard Ashcroft returns in 2016 with his fourth solo album entitled ‘These People’ released on his Righteous Phonographic Association label via Cooking Vinyl Records on 20th May.

        The previous Brit and Ivor Novello award winner (and Grammy nominated) artist made a handful of solo live appearances at the end of 2015, playing a performance at Zermatt Unplugged in Zurich in October and an incredible solo acoustic set in front of 30,000 people at Mexico's Corona Capital Festival in November (see below), live dates for 2016 will be announced shortly.

        The album was recorded in London and produced by Ashcroft and longtime collaborator Chris Potter. It marks a reunion with Wil Malone, who worked with Ashcroft on the string arrangements on the seminal albums by The Verve ‘A Northern Soul’ and ‘Urban Hymns’. 

        Richard Ashcroft Is Alive: The Verve Man's Thrilling Resurrection At Mexico's Corona Capital Festival – NME.
        ‘Who else here has got the bollocks to stand up on this stage, on their own, with their own tunes and their own guitar and play it from the soul?" NME.


        STAFF COMMENTS

        Andy says: Lead single "This is How it Feels" typifies this lush return to form for Richard. Hooked up again with both the producer and strings conductor of Urban Hymns, this album has the depth and most importantly tunes that he used to knock out for fun all those years ago.


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