In the first three weeks, they had finished 15 tracks; after this point, the situation soured as guitarist Nick McCabe grew exhausted from dealing with the other members frequently partying and taking ecstasy, in addition to vocalist Richard Ashcroft and Morris shouting and destroying objects.

[12] Author Trevor Baker, in his book Richard Ashcroft – The Verve, Burning Money & The Human Condition (2008), wrote that following the popularity of Definitely Maybe, sales predictions for indie acts shifted considerably, and the band were seen by some commentators as lucky for not being removed from the Virgin Records roster.

[nb 1] Brian Cannon of the design company Microdot, who created art for both Oasis and the Verve, attributed the frequent support of Hut Records boss Dave Boyd as a factor.

[22] Ashcroft said they went with him as he was around their age and equally as intense as the rest of the band in "everything we do, lifestyle, music, everything ..."[23] As the members wanted to avoid repeating mistakes that they had made on A Storm in Heaven, they set about writing prior to entering a studio.

[19] Ashcroft learned of a tale from Keith Richards where he talked about the Rolling Stones being mocked by Dean Martin, which he connected to and used as an influence: "That's what happened to us ... we just thought, 'Fuck you all, we're gonna delve into our black hole in Wigan and make the greatest music you've heard in your life.

[28] To aid the recording sessions, the band gave the studio a club atmosphere by playing music the entire time, taking ecstasy, and working on material when they felt inspired to.

"[42] Egan said this character was Ashcroft incognito, writing that a few critics were sceptical about how an individual "'soul' could have gone through such torment as to inspire such desolate songwords ..."[42] Gigwise writer AP Childs considered A Northern Soul an alternative rock album that surpasses the "stargazer dreaminess of the previous offering with its tortured glamour of industrial-sized proportions.

[43] Clarke thought it was ironic that within the band's "apparent spiritual and mystical imagery, much of this album was actually rooted in quite mundane issues ..."[54] Baker remarked that the first 10 seconds of opener "A New Decade" came across as akin to the sound of A Storm in Heaven, with Ashcroft's voice fading in, "woo-woohing gently somewhere far off in the distance.

"[49] With it and the following track, King wrote that Ashcroft discusses having anxiety with regards to an uncertain direction, the future generation, fear of isolation, class systems, and apathy, as the other members strike "out more concisely and determined than ever.

"[60][nb 6] Baker said alongside discussing class, the track talks about Ashcroft being single since the end of his last relationship, adding that his self-doubt was noticeable in the album's lyrics, and "yet by the time they were recorded, a drug-fuelled bravado has entered the mix.

[55] He wrote it with little input from the rest of his bandmates; Baker described his voice as "uncharacteristically shaky," most prominently when he uses a falsetto during the chorus section, where he earns a comparison to soul singers, in particular Al Green.

"[65] The song was influenced by Ashcroft learning about Gallagher disappearing when Oasis were on tour in the US the previous year,[42][63] which Egan said explained the allusions to a Northern soul trying to return home.

"[65] "Drive You Home" is a country ballad in the vein of A Storm in Heaven's closing track, "See You in the Next One (Have a Good Time)",[67] which Jonathan Cohen of Cleveland Scene found to be reminiscent of the work of Chris Isaak.

[70][nb 7] Egan saw the track as the "most profound song the band had recorded to date, it was a story of loss and loneliness on an epic scale; painfully honest lyric set to a sublime melody and backed by swooning strings.

[68] Baker felt that "Stormy Clouds" continues the same theme as "Life's an Ocean", though conveying it in a better way: "drifting in a dreamlike fashion before the rhythm section subtly accelerates, pulling the song forward like a tractor dragging a sports car off a muddy field.

"[69] King wrote that the album nears its end on a moment of fatigued realisation, seeing the "'new horizons' behind the 'Stormy Clouds' and its winding down instrumental reprise, where McCabe unfurls a soul-searching" guitar solo for six minutes, reminiscent of "May This Be Love" (1967) by Hendrix.

[49] For the album's closer, "(Reprise)", Wilding was surprised by McCabe's guitar playing as it took over the rest of the music, altering the "language of its discourse upside down ..."[72] Baker said the track consisted of multiple minutes where they were jamming, which he thought was proof that the tired Verve appear to "have absolutely no idea how to finish the fantastic work they’d started.

[66] They took the image inside of a warehouse, located near the Tower Bridge in London, and projected the photograph of the band, blown up to sixteen metres in height, on a wall.

"[57] Journalist Mark Beaumont, in a review for NME, wrote that the shot of a person walking through a door with the image of the band on top "emphasised the hugeness of the more traditional rock music they were making within.

[37] Best was concerned for the members as he saw that there was a "problem and I could see that they weren't talking about it", while other co-manager Jane Savage said Ashcroft seemed "more insular", being singled out from the rest of the band because of the music press.

[93] The situation between the members came to a head when they performed at T in the Park in August 1995, where Ashcroft reportedly seemed ill, blundering across the stage, hitting Salisbury, and throwing parts of his drum kit around.

[97] A Northern Soul was met with critical acclaim in both the UK and the US;[102] Egan said some reviewers acknowledged the album's musical depth,[66] while Beaumont said others focused on the highly personal nature of the lyrics.

Eccleston described the album as "[r]aging whirlpool rock from Wigan's aspiring starsailors, with a dense, warm sound superseding the shiny surfaces of their John Leckie-produced and FX-swamped début".

"[123] The staff of The Post and Courier suggest that A Northern Soul is what Second Coming (1994) by the Stone Roses was meant to sound like: "high-grade British rock of the post-Manchester Scene variety.

Journalist Rob Sheffield in The New Rolling Stone Album Guide said it "kicked home with the gorgeous breakup ballad 'On Your Own' and the epic 'History,' [...] It was their breakthrough, and the Verve celebrated by splitting up almost immediately.

"[44] Beaumont, in a review for Classic Rock, commented that despite its troubled production, the album was remarkably cohesive and, aside from the infrequent extended psychedelic passage, A Northern Soul was a turbulent progression "from the band least likely to stay together long enough to own the 90s.

"[137] Clarke noted that it was "full of their trademark swirling guitars, huge rock themes and meandering, sprawling songs", and to him, it was substantially superior to the band's older work, being "richer in lyrical thought and musical texture, and easily their most accomplished project to date.

"[139] Wilding added that if you match that with Ashcroft putting the "lyrical spotlight on himself and you had an album that, due to the fact that the band imploded before they could show the world just his lustrous their record might be, would fall through the net.

[147][148] Baker said for the majority of listeners, the album was remembered for a single track, "History", which was the "moment The Verve took a giant step towards popular acclaim but it was also symbolic – in more ways than one – of a band that were falling apart.

[150] Luke Haines of labelmates the Auteurs said the success of A Northern Soul prompted higher-ups at Virgin to push him to release a commercial-sounding album with hit singles on it, resulting in How I Learned to Love the Bootboys (1999).