A to Z 2017: THE VERVE PIPE

Soooooo... I feel as though I should have went with Vanilla Ice here. I still remember getting both an official copy and a friend's recorded copy of Hooked for my birthday, but really, that was the only album I ever listened to. The Verve Pipe retained my attention just a tad longer, so they won this showdown.

To be honest, though, The Verve Pipe's album, Villains, made the most impression on me. In fact, I never even recall them having a previous release (Pop Smear), since Villains pretty much put them on the map. "Villains", "Cup of Tea", and especially "The Freshmen", were all great tracks. "Photograph", however, was its first single and still one of favorites:

"The Freshman" definitely surpassed "Photograph" on the charts and I'd love to share it too, but apparently The Verve Pipe has continually put out new albums over the years, so I'll be focusing on those. But you should check it out if you haven't heard it before!

It's odd, because I know I should know their self-titled follow-up to Villains, and I even recognize the CD cover, but its first single, "Hero", doesn't ring any bells. Not even the video. The track "F Word" sounds a little more familiar:

I believe that's where I stopped following along with the band's future releases. Maybe they became a little "lighter" and my teen angst couldn't handle that when I was regularly ingesting the likes of Deftones, Gravity Kills, Nine Inch Nails, Rage Against the Machine, Tool, and even Our Lady Peace.

The Verve Pipe's fourth studio album, Underneath, came out in 2001. The lead single "Never Let You Down" is indeed a bit softer, and I was worried it was going to get twangy, but it wasn't too bad:

The band, after multiple member replacements throughout the years and slight shifts in style/tone, are still rocking today. They just released their sixth album, Parachute, this February!

I was able to find a few videos, like "Wallflower":

This is the kind of "live" session I like. Live studio performances and/or acoustic recordings. It sounds like they've kept their softer tone, but over the years I've come to appreciate that a lot more than when in my teens. Perhaps I should go revisit some of their newer material.

Also, I think the lead singer, Brian Vander Ark, looks a lot better sans his moppy (and spiky gelled) hair. Though, do I detect a tail in the back?! Maybe someone is having a hard time giving up the nostalgia of the 80's and 90's...

Have you heard of The Verve Pipe? If so, do you like their music? Do you have a favorite song/album? Have you ever seen them live? If so, how was the performance? If following along with them throughout the years, have you liked their shift in tone/style? Do you like live studio and/or acoustic performances?