Product Description
Released in the UK on 21 June 1993, A Storm In Heaven was a modest UK hit (no.27 in the album chart) but over the past two decades has come to be regarded as something of a psychedelic classic. Drenched in echo and reverb it is highly atmospheric, extremely nuanced and, for many long-term fans; remains the band’s ‘lost’ masterpiece. For a debut it was as adventurous and audacious as they come – with Richard Ashcroft’s semi-hallucinatory lyrics of hope, love, isolation and insanity reflecting the burgeoning mood of a generation. Life under post-thatcher tory rule might have been grim, but as Ashcroft sang in slide away: ‘These are our times and your highs.’
“It was pretty much improvised. It was quite bold on our part to actually blag that, and not tell the record company that we didn’t have enough material to make a record. We had the ability but we didn’t have the material. That really put the pressure on making that record, but we didn’t want to put the singles on the album. When it was done, the feeling was all really positive. As a band we were happy we’d made something we could be proud of, especially considering how young we were. We’d had arguments with the record company over the second and third EPs, but when we delivered the album they seemed pretty happy with it because they thought there were singles on it. We’d taken on board what they’d wanted, and without compromising too much, had delivered something a bit more concise and focused. The Americans, especially, were delighted. We picked up a big following on college radio and did a tour across the whole country. We had a big underground following and slide away was being played on MTV all the time. In the climate that existed then, it worked.” – Simon Jones (bass guitar)
Tracklist:
1. Star Sail
2. Slide Away
3. Already There
4. Beautiful Mind
5. The Sun, The Sea
6. Virtual World
7. Make It ‘Till Monday
8. Blue
9. Butterfly
10. See You In The Next One (Have A Good Time)
UMC Records