Richard Ashcroft Vinyl Records
As the frontman for Britain's the Verve, Richard Ashcroft proved himself the spiritual descendant of rock & roll icons like Mick Jagger and Jim Morrison: he was riveting, charismatic, menacing, serpentine, and possessed of an almost shamanic intensity, and he embraced and articulated the anthemic fervour of rock music with a power and eloquence unparalleled by many of his contemporaries. Urban Hymns -- the Verve's 1997 multi-platinum-selling third album -- was the peak of the Wigan quartet's international success and led to Ashcroft being named Songwriter of the Year at the 1998 Ivor Novello Awards. They disbanded in 1999, allowing Ashcroft to kick-start a solo career with three U.K. Top Three albums in a six-year period: Alone with Everybody, Human Conditions, and Keys to the World.