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From the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

A Northern Soul

The Verve

1995

Buy At Rough Trade
A Northern Soul
Album Summary

A Northern Soul is the second studio album by English alternative rock band The Verve. The album was released in the United Kingdom on 20 June 1995 on the Hut label and in the United States on 3 July 1995 on Vernon Yard Records. The title is a reference to Northern Soul, a popular soul movement in Britain during the 1970s. A Northern Soul was a moderate success upon release, charting at number 13 in the UK, and has since received critical acclaim, as well as being ranked high in readers polls in popular music publications. This is the final album to feature the band's original line-up until 2008's Forth. In 2013, NME ranked it at number 390 in its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Wikipedia

Rating

2.91

Votes

10098
Genres
Rock
Indie
Shoegaze
Britpop

Reviews

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Sat Mar 27 2021
2

A bit dull all the songs kind of blended together into a boring miasma

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Thu Jan 06 2022
1

Watching Paint Dry, the soundtrack. I’d almost respect it, if the Verve had intended to make me feel like my brain folds were being smoothed from boredom. I’m still not entirely convinced they didn’t just put a saltine cracker on a record player and let the needle drop.

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Sat Mar 27 2021
1

Before listening I didn't really know The Verve for anything other than Bitter Sweet Symphony, and after listening I can see why. I'm definitely not a fan, and will not be listening to this album again. Nothing really stands out about this album, it just feels a bit empty.

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Mon Mar 01 2021
1

Not a fan. Can't quite put my finger on it but the singing seems off trying to be melodic(inside a tunnel- some kind of distracting echo) over weird screeching guitars. Like the the band each recorded something on their own and then they mashed together whatever they came up with. No harmony in the music and just seems disconnected to the singing.

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Wed Dec 08 2021
3

The verve are far too average to have more than one album on this list. Frankly, this can be set for most artists with more than one album listed.

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Thu Mar 18 2021
5

Possibly their finest moment.

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Mon Jun 07 2021
4

Awesome neo-psychedelic album, definitely inspired some Radiohead vibes.

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Fri Jan 29 2021
4

Never realized how in-the-same toy box The Verve and Radiohead were at this time

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Wed Mar 31 2021
5

I'm mostly only familiar with The Verve because of bittersweet symphony, a song that I really love. I'm sure I've listened to the album that song was on before but I haven't listened to their other music much. It's right up my ally.

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Fri May 14 2021
5

Ahh here we go ladies. Finally some music with more prowess than my hand. Superb all the way through

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Thu May 20 2021
5

It was really good. TIL I like the Verve.

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Fri Jun 18 2021
4

I don’t understand why the verve were not more popular in the 90s

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Tue Jul 06 2021
4

Not as polished as Urban Hymns, but a solid album nonetheless. Not really in the best place while listening, but it seemed to compliment where I was well.

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Fri Sep 17 2021
4

well, i am definitely a sucker for dreamy guitars, as i believe i've mentioned in other reviews. this album delivers those in heaps, which i super appreciate. closing track is easily my favorite, though i found i liked a surprising number of others on this album. i of course only knew of them through their massive late-90s hit, which i did actually love, but please don't tell anyone that. i ended up feeling like this album gave me permission to love that track, and probably a lot more by them. i think the real takeaway here is that i'm a fan of northern england in general. that seems to be a running theme.

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Fri Oct 01 2021
4

Ok, this was pretty rocking - did not fit my preconception of what The Verve sounded like. It pairs pretty well with Spiritualized's "Ladies & Gentlemen..." which came up on here recently, for being a bit droney wall-of-sound-style rock. Fave track - "A New Decade". I'm definitely up for more listens to pick out other faves though...

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Thu Feb 08 2024
1

For an album that has a lot going on sonically, this was really boring.

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Tue Jun 01 2021
5

Surpreendente. Ouvir mais vezes

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Fri Apr 14 2023
5

Biased again. Such a great, deep, atmosphericly but still pop-relatable sound. Ashcroft helped this ambitious Psych-Rockers to be digestible on a larger scale without selling out and - even more important - being forgotten like most of the 1 in a million Britpop outfits at that time. 4.7

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Sun Apr 30 2023
5

Less a collection of songs than a landscape of sound This blew me away Only knew them from Urban Hymns really (which is both as brilliant as this and more accessible) but this was a fantastically immersive listen

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Fri Jun 09 2023
5

Awesome album. It’s just a little long and could do without a few of the slower songs to help the pace. As a whole this is one of my favorites from this list so far. 5

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Wed Jun 28 2023
5

I was really into this about 15 years ago; I loved its combination of Spacemen 3 psych, shoegazey rock, and baggy tunes. Not a fan of The Verve's later work ("History" feels like a dry run for "Bittersweet Symphony"), but this is great.

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Wed Dec 13 2023
5

Loved it. Reminds me of Iasis and Toad the Wet Sprocket.

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Sun Dec 24 2023
5

Brilliant choice to include this 5 star album and not Urban Hymns. Best of Britpop, forget Blur/Oasis. The First two albums of the Verve are brilliant, as is the sampler No Come Down. Butterfly, and of this album On Your Own and A New Decade and the amazing History, and of No Come Down the live version of Gravity's grave all make me bloody annoyed that I never some them live! What was I thinking?

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Sun Jan 07 2024
5

С первых двух треков слушается необычно круто и атмосферно, надеюсь дальше также будет очень нравится

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Thu Dec 03 2020
4

Kind of visceral in a way. Honestly wasn't expecting this kind of album. But I mean, look at that album art, that dude is MAD FIERCE.

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Fri Jul 02 2021
4

Gotta say, this was a surprise for me. Everyone and their dad knows "Bittersweet Symphony," but this album seemed to be conscious and deeply rooted alt album that obviously hasn't gotten the attention it deserves. Really enjoyed it.

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Thu Feb 04 2021
4

Spotify version is hella long. Good gloomy music, can feel the influence it had. Songs are differentiated well but still very similar across the album. Rainy day perfect.

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Mon Mar 08 2021
4

Nice to listen to, maybe will return to

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Mon Jan 25 2021
4

I liked the music pretty well, though I found some of the extra sounds on the tracks a little strange.

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Wed Feb 17 2021
4

Dachte erst mein Laptop is im Eimer, aber der Song geht erst nach 20sek los. Ab dan 1a geiler BritPop. Habe außer Bitter Sweet Symphony noch nix von den dudes gehört, daher umso glücklicher, dass das Album dabei war. Habs glaub 3 mal gehört jetzt das Album und es wird nicht langweilig. Brainstorm Interlude nervt a weng aber sonst solid. Weil kein Mega Banger drauf war 4*

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Fri Jan 29 2021
4

Really enjoyed the various styles throughout the album.

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Wed May 26 2021
4

Door de nummers die ik al kende (zoals The drugs don’t work), verwachtte ik iets futloos. Gelukkig had ik het mis.

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Wed May 26 2021
4

Positief verrast door deze plaat! Een stuk steviger dan het album wat hierna kwam, met al de bekende hits erop.

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Wed May 26 2021
4

Boven verwachting goed, maar eigenlijk kende ik The Verve ook helemaal niet goed, dus alles was gebaseerd op vooroordelen en kortzichtigheid.

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Fri May 14 2021
4

This bunch of pricks assaulted my nan. Kicked seven shades out of her and left her for dead. Luckily she survived, sought revenge and tracked them all down one by one...and then gave them all hand jobs. Slag.

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Thu Mar 04 2021
4

Great album, would have listened to it before

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Sat Mar 27 2021
4

The Verve are always great. Really like their sound and mix of styles

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Fri May 14 2021
4

liked this album, loved a few songs, others weren't good

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Mon May 10 2021
4

First half good, second half kinda depressing at times

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Thu Jun 10 2021
4

A little disjointed, beat lyrics, neat melodies

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Thu May 20 2021
4

looooove apparently shoegaze?

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Sun Nov 14 2021
4

Lower end of a 4. Lacks the bangers of Urban Hymns and all a bit samey

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Fri Dec 03 2021
4

This was pretty good. The Verve seem underrated, usually relegated to their one or two big hits. Solid piece of work.

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Sun Jan 16 2022
4

A lot better than I anticipated. The space rock touches really did a lot to increase my enjoyment.

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Wed Jan 19 2022
4

these people are so talented I’m not crazy about some of these songs but for the most part it’s really cool - 8/10

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Mon Apr 04 2022
4

It's very good. There's no doubt that Nick McCabe's guitar sounds so good on this.

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Wed Apr 27 2022
4

Only knew Urban Hymns of the Verve but this is perhaps deeper and goes harder on the theme of someone from the underprivileged north taking on the world. 3.9

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Fri May 13 2022
4

Don't really know much of The Verve other than Bittersweet Symphony, but I liked this quite a bit. Very psychedelic/Brit-pop sounding. Reminded me a bit of U2, a bit of Oasis, a bit of the Stones, and a few other things mixed in. 4 stars.

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Fri May 20 2022
4

I’m a huge fan of urban hymns not sure why Iv never listened to this before, it’s also brilliant history the stand out song, but the rest of the album just not quiet the same level of urban hymns.

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Mon Jun 06 2022
4

4/5. A bit overblown, and stuck in the 90s, but definitely one of the most impressive and gratifying Brit-pop albums

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Wed Aug 24 2022
4

I like this album. It definitely feels like it was inspired by and inspired other 90s groups and albums, like U2 and Toad the Wet Sprocket.

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Fri Sep 09 2022
4

I was very pleasantly surprised. This is an album I will listen to again and come back to.

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Sun Sep 25 2022
4

A good listen, I like how they commit to a sound, the ballady contemplative aggression, sprawly guitar soundscapes. At times their vocals get pitchy in a distracting way, particularly some of the falsetto moments. But the albums seems to foreshadow the indie guitar stuff that would become so popular in the early 2000's. In fact, I just listened to an album today, from 2022 (Waiting to Spill by The Backseat Lovers), that I wondered whether it would exist without bands like The Verve helping define and popularize that sound.

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Wed Oct 05 2022
4

Sometimes there is more to a one hit wonder then you think. This was good and reminded me a lot of Oasis in that it took 1960s sounds and modernized them for the 1990s (though less pop and more Pavement than Oasis). I enjoyed it.

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Thu Oct 06 2022
4

The Verve is so cool. So is the Verve Pipe - though maybe not quite as much. They are, in fact different bands for anyone still wondering. This is like mean, gritty Oasis and I love it.

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Sun Oct 16 2022
4

This is indeed one of the indie albums of all time. 4 stars.

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Thu Jan 05 2023
4

Some cool spacey vibes going on in between the brief interludes of 90s cringe

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Sat Jan 07 2023
4

trying to figure out what sets this album apart from other bands with similiar sounds in the 90's. Brainstorm Interlude is elevated rock. Similarly, History and Life's an Ocean.

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Wed Mar 08 2023
4

Nice one, but not even comparable to Different Class, Dog Man Star, The Great Escape and Morning Glory

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Thu Mar 09 2023
4

Has a distinct mid-90's Alt-Rock feel. Atmospheric vocals layered on flowing guitar and beats.

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Fri Mar 17 2023
4

Precies wat steviger dan ik van The Verve verwachtte. Maar echt memorabel is het niet

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Fri May 05 2023
4

Liked much more than I expected...much less obnoxious than Urban Hymmns, which I liked at the time, but find harder to enjoy as an adult

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Thu Jun 08 2023
4

Great album. You can tell the band had ambition and an idea of how they wanted to grow their sound and it worked. The ballads are solid (which The Verve is known for after Urban Hymns), but the rockers are the stars on this record.

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Wed Jun 21 2023
4

classic Verve, half interesting half boring.

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Wed Jul 26 2023
4

Big U2 influence. Reprise at the end got really spacey.

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Thu Aug 24 2023
4

The textures of these guitars make you feel like you’re in a float tank of tone. Reminds me of the tone of “Let It Be” era Beatles (obviously not a coincidence). Good to throw on for its vibes, but not music I feel emotionally connected to.

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Thu Aug 31 2023
4

A logical next step after the psychedelic haze of A Storm in Heaven, A Northern Soul finds The Verve placing their hearts on their sleeves both musically and lyrically, hanging their hats on their brand of intensity and overt epicness. One wouldn't think by listening to this that they were on the verge of falling apart around this time, but they were and sounded majestic whilst doing so. Bittersweet, really. Favorites: A New Decade, This is Music, On Your Own, So It Goes, A Northern Soul, Brainstorm Interlude, Drive You Home, History.

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Fri Sep 01 2023
4

This moody vibe hit me at the right time

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Fri Sep 01 2023
4

Nice album! Really enjoyed the overall sound of it.

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Fri Sep 01 2023
4

I love this genre a lot! But this album didn't really have anything special.

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Wed Oct 11 2023
4

Northern Soul was, as expected, an edifice, anchored with even hands at sweet nostalgic Britpop, psychadelia, and a melodramatic synthesis of shoegaze. That pinnacle, and the plainer, sadder influence of rock, suits me plenty. We're just before or maybe at the moment of collapse, in the last memory of strings' ability to inflate songs like these. Admirable, containing their own mockery.

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Fri Oct 27 2023
4

Having only really embraced Urban Hymns, I found this to be a very enjoyable listen! Will revisit it later, but on first listen there were no pieces that immediately jumped out as memorable, but as an album it definitely had an excellent flow and feel.

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Thu Nov 09 2023
4

That was a pleasant surprise. So much better than Urban Hymns.

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Mon Nov 13 2023
4

Another great Verve record, a guitar-driven alt rock record still relying a lot on shoegaze but also on Britpop contemporaries, with pop songs like "History" showing their direction in Urban Hymns. Sometimes sounds like trip hop ("Life's an Ocean") or Mazzy Star-style dream folk ("Drive You Home"). Has a lot of repetition, and a few weak songs, particularly "No Knock On My Door." They're really carried by the production, since I found the bonus tracks to be really boring generic 90s alt rock (albeit softer and lusher). But a good record overall with a strong opener and closer, and plenty of highlights. Favorites: This is Music, On Your Own, A Northern Soul, Stormy Clouds

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Thu Nov 16 2023
4

I've been waiting to hear a British alternative/rock album like this. A good mix of standard alternative with just the right amount of rawness and experimentation. I felt like only a couple songs didn't stack up to the rest, which was surprising since this album is over an hour.

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Wed Nov 22 2023
4

It’s a really good album. I also see why none of these tracks hit big, none of them really stand out.

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Tue Dec 19 2023
4

Once I got over the fact that there was a Verve album on here that didn't include Bitter Sweet Symphony, a song I hate but is like the only thing I know the Verve for, I thought it was just a discount Oasis album and nothing more. While it kind of still is that, I actually really enjoyed this album. I loved the bombastic production, especially on This Is Music, and the vocals basically sound like a Gallagher but whatever; more Oasis isn't bad. This is definitely one of the most surprising albums I've gotten recently.

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Thu Dec 21 2023
4

It's OK. Some angsty cover images though

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Mon Jan 01 2024
4

Really enjoyed it. Good melodies, nice hooks. 4/5!

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