Reviews (page 2 of 8)
The Verve had more than one album?
ganz ok.
Die ewig gleiche Stimme.
The Verve is one of those bands that I feel could have been as popular as Oasis, but just could never get their act together. I mostly know them for "Bittersweet Symphony" (which came on a later album). I'm not really familiar with this album, although I'm sure I've heard some of these songs before, mostly because I saw them live opening for U2 years ago. They got up on stage and were a total mess. People kept yelling for them to just play "Bittersweet Symphony" and booing them. Richard Ashcroft (lead singer) yelled at the audience, shouting a few expletives and telling us that none of us was good enough to make a hit record like they were. As far as this album goes, I liked a few of the songs. The problem is that most of their songs sound exactly the same and run together. This album could have been half as long and would have been fine. Based on other reviews, it looks like their album that has "Bittersweet Symphony" is also on this list, and I'm just not sure why the Verve is deserving of having two albums - one of which has no hit songs on it - on this list. I didn't mind listening to it because it's my style of music, but probably doesn't belong on the list.
too moody
The guy running this can't turn down a mediocre British band. Bland as English food.
listening in 2026, it sounds like 'what if the guys who wrote Bittersweet Symphony were Radiohead'. the result is alarmingly like U2.
It’s fine. I got nervous I would get another Verve album in these last 20 or so, after this one, because this one didn’t have Bittersweet Symphony. So I went into my history but then saw I actually did already have that one, only a couple months ago. Don’t remember that at all. I guess that’s about all I have to say about The Verve
I really enjoyed Urban Hymn, but I mostly just found this one really boring. It's fine, the whole thing is fine, but it's just there.
This just was boring and not interesting. It wasn’t completely terrible though.
Feel like I'd like it more if I did heroin, but still pretty enjoyable
It's decent. 3.5/5
It was fine. A little too one note for my liking.
My main complaint was that the majority of the songs were 5+ minutes long, making each one get to the point where it clearly overstayed its welcome.
Meh. Kind of boring and monotonous.
Not my cup of tea: super washed out and sort of repetitive '90s alternative psychedelic that served as nice background music, but didn't do much to grab me. I actually enjoyed the softer moments here more than anything else, like 'On Your Own' or "Drive You Home"; they felt like interesting takes on '90s alternative, and less jammy and meandering. Just the long, washed-out, and very monotonous music that I've never really been a fan of. Execution is fine, but the music was ultimately bland and uninteresting to me.
Effectivement, on est en terrain connu très 'Gallagher-esque'. Mais j'aime bien le style de jeu de Ashcroft. Certaines tounes je sais pas si je serais capable de faire la différence avec Definitely Maybe. Peut-être qu'on pourrait dire que ce LP est plus 'planant'/groovy. Je pourrais le réécouter en auto je pense, on va mettre 4.
Rien contre vous les verve, mais je commence à en avoir plein mon casque de la britpop sous toutes ses déclinaisons.
Some songs are really well put together, but others have this sort of inauthentic moodiness. I had trouble taking the band seriously.
Mid
Surprisingly solid despite not containing bittersweet symphony. I also initially felt like they’re U2 losers but I liked it
Good as far as early 00s alternative bands go
boring Britpop. more psychedelic than i expected which is borderline redeeming
Just fine
“ChatGPT, please create an Oasis clone who thinks they are also early Radiohead. But don’t make it any good.”
2.0
Ok
A bit underwhelming from a decent band. Some of this is good, some of it sounds like oasis, and some of it drones on. Pleased to see Urban Hymns is on the list as I imagine it will fare better.
I wasn’t crazy about the album as a whole, the songs were too long and a bit too repetitive. But I liked their music, it’s unique.
nice at times, but didn't care for some songs. sometimes reminded me of radiohead even though this predates a lot of their albums?
neutral-positive. a 3.5
Not bad
So whiny. Very dated. No appeal at all.
meh not feeling this.
This was fine. Some parts had really cool instrumentals.
How the fuck did this album make the list and A Storm in Heaven didn’t?
One dimensional emoting over a lumping dirge....
7.5 / 10
Hmm… does the inclusion of this Verve album which isn’t the “good” one mean that there are two Verve albums on this thing?! Don’t get me wrong, I like the Verve just fine. They’re ok. All these songs sound the same, but I’d rather listen to this than Blur or Oasis but, not Pulp or Supergrass. This is pretty mid. I’ll save the Bittersweet Symphony story for when Urban Hymns comes up. I don’t know… I guess 3? It’s better than a lot of American bands from the 90s. I’d rather be bored than annoyed.
The Verve don't deserve two albums on the list and this is the obvious one to chop given it lacks the hits. But on its own terms this is pretty good.
prima maar weinig interessants
I prefer A Storm in Heaven, but this is still excellent spacey, quasi shoegaze.
Meh
Oh ja, klar. One Hit wonder auch. Die anderen Lieder kenne ich nicht. Sind bestimmt nicht schlecht nehmen mich aber nicht mit...
No thoughts. Head mostly empty. There were plenty of skips, but it wasn’t all bad. There were some good instrumentals, some songs that stuck out, and some that had potential. However, I always felt like there was something missing.
wayyyyy too long songs, some of them would be better off cut in half. drawn out but would've been enjoyable otherwise
++: This Is Music, A Northern Soul, Drive You Home, Stormy Clouds +: A New Decade, So It Goes, Brainstorm Interlude, Life's an Ocean, (Reprise) +-: On Your Own -: History, No Knock on My Door 5,5/10
Surprisingly didn’t like as much as I thought I would. I felt very middle of the road.
A little bit longer than it needed to be, and it's not quite as good as its follow-up in Urban Hymns a couple years later, but The Verve is great. I imagine the 'discount britpop' label would get thrown around a lot disparagingly, but the whole package comes together really coherently here. The confidence to lean more on digital production methods and sampling saves it a lot I think. Besides that they basically feel like if there was a British Pearl Jam but you swapped out Vedder for Gallagher and I like it. Fav tracks: A New Decade, Brainstorm Interlude, A Northern Soul, Life's An Ocean
I barely remember any of these songs. I even listened again to the first three releases and remained unimpressed.
Not bad, definitely better than Blur but that is a pretty low bar.
I simultaneously enjoy the sound of The Verve's songs, whilst finding that they often just fall short of igniting anything in me.
Very 90's. Didn't really have the oomph to make me want to seek it out again. But it wasn't terrible or anything.
Kind of disappointed! I thought I would like it a lot more, but really didn't do much. Just like standard britpop, neo-psychedelic soul. I would guess that I would find it more enjoyable on future listens, but being an album in arguably my favorite genre and not doing much takes away a star. 2.5/5 rounded to 2- cause of disappointment currently
Заебись. Мое. Вернусь ещё к этому
just mid
Honestly, just pretty good. Urban Hymns is an all time great, but this is just pretty average.
Ultimately, The Verve's "A Northern Soul" just failed to capture my attention or imagination in both it's songwriting and production. Each song blends into the next in an incredibly dulling fashion, with nothing truly standing out to create interest in the listening experience, and any "psychedelic" or "experimental" instrumentation sits placidly within the mix failing to provide much with its presence. It's not that I didn't enjoy the album, rather that I just couldn't find any strong feeling toward it either way on any listen through. The song "History" manages to be the sole exception to the rule, breaking away from the pack with a fantastic arrangement of strings that would stand out to anyone vaguely familiar with The Verve's biggest hit "Bittersweet Symphony". It's honestly a pretty great piece in an otherwise quite uninspiring collection of songs. Fav Track: 8 - History
Listens: 3 Standout Tracks: On Your Own, A Northern Soul Due to the random nature of how albums are generated here, I have unfortunately received 3 albums in a row coming out of the Great Britain in the span of 6 years: A Northern Soul by The Verve, Rings Around The World by Super Furry Animals and Life Thru A Lens by Robbie Williams. So, truth be told, I am a bit exhausted by 90s and turn of the century Brit rock and Britpop. I unfortunately cannot do these reviews in a vacuum; not built that way. But I digress. I would call this album above average. I think they are trying to get out from under the rock that is Oasis, which I imagine was difficult to do at the time. Every band wants to have a unique sound and be artistic and creative, but that is juxtaposed with record labels wanting to sell albums and concert tickets and merchandise, and Oasis was one of the de facto standards at the time that bands were may have been expected to match or, ideally, exceed. I think this album stands up. The lyrical content is mature. The sound is both psychedelic and soulful. It's a little grungy sometimes. Of the three aforementioned bands and their respective albums on the List, this scores the highest.
Unbearably boring. The album droned on and on and I've already forgotten every song. Why is every song 6 minutes long? Mind-numbing and I cannot believe this is anywhere near the 1000001 albums to listen to before I die, let alone 1001. 1.5/5.
Good album, very much a verve album but it was decent!
Like oasis of that era but less like the Beatles and more like Radiohead. I was really impressed how this album sounded so deep sonically. The vocals didn’t grab me as much, it all comes across fairly melodically similar and not as catchy as I’d expect but I think this is the kind of album that grows on you and would enjoy repeat listens. Will give this a go again
Dull as anything. Not far off a 1.
It wasn't bad, wasnt particularly good either. I listened, didnt turn it off it got a bit boring towards the end
Was alright. Bit boring sleepy music, but no complaints.
Très basique
Quite a lovely album.
A remarkably forgettable britpop album
Pristine example of Dimery's Idiotic British bias that clogs the list with unnecessary insipid gunk like this that nobody outside of one tiny island has ever heard nor thought about.
[checks Spotify streaming numbers] Ten times more people have streamed "Bittersweet Symphony" than the most popular song on this album. Remember that song? "History"? Me neither. [listens to "History"] Don't worry, it isn't better than "Bittersweet Symphony." Therefore, everyone must listen to "Urban Hymns" (the album with “Bittersweet Symphony”) rather than this album. Subtract one half-star for the "Bohemian Rhapsody" meets "With The Beatles" meets "The Kubrick Stare" cover art.
At least Urban Hymns has some interesting songs. This album is just boring.
Another album from The Verve? They are not that great imho...
The Verve is an amazing band with a great psychedelic and melodic sound. This album is top-notch.
Overall, not a bad album. They have Verve vibe, but also from music at around that time. It was nice leaving it in the background though.
The nasally whine is strong with this album. The song History is the worst. This album is a perfect example of bands riding on the Oasis duplication wave.
This could be a 10 minute album and it would still be too long. Dull, bleh.
Were any of these songs better than Bittersweet Symphony? No. 2.
Personal enjoyment: 3/5 Relevance to this list: 3/5
kinda cool
I didn't hate this. So I'm not giving it a one. Getting through A Northern Soul' 64 minutes was however, an act of endurance. Simply dull, dull, dull music.
Really good better than their popular stuff oasis is really a shit rip off lmao
Loving it so far :D
Nha
The most entertaining thing about this is the cover image - never have four young men taken themselves more seriously. Unfortunately the music contained within is excruciatingly dull.
I think this might be a better album than Utban Hymns. Repeated listens will be the reward and the judge. What this album lacks is a hit single. That’s why it was overlooked.
Music for people not going anywhere in particular
Three great songs, the rest are meh.
Like most people the only song by The Verve I know is Bittersweet Symphony, which I think sucks balls. I was totally unsurprised to find that this album is boring as hell. The sound is kinda cool but it’s too long and doesn’t go anywhere.
i liked this more than the other album on here but not that much
Fuck no
this is really bad and embarrassing.
Strong 3 - great sound, misses the key singles
A Northern Soul is much vibier and jam based than Urban Hymns. It's full of quintessential 90s grooves, the first half sitting on the rougher edges of Britpop, the latter half being much smoother. None of it is the output of aspiring hit makers. I'd struggle to pick out the singles, but it's a pretty robust and compelling whole.
Verve levelled out at a solid 3, enjoyed the slower tracks and the more psychedelic tracks a lot more.
🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑 Emily’s Dad has gone on record as saying there was no good music in the nineties, which I find funny because he has also gone on record as saying a Smashing Pumpkins album is one of his favorites of all time. I’ve always been a nineties defender, seeing as a non-negligible percentage of my music taste came about around then, but after having listened to all of this Stone Roses, R.E.M., Oasis, Verve, Elbow, and Coldplay on this list, I’m beginning to understand what he meant, especially when it comes to the consequences of mainstream nineties on the next decade of music. It’s a sound that I think, based on its constituents, should be a unilaterally good thing—certainly the harsh rasp of Grunge but also lots of jammy, psychedelic-revival soundscapes—yet the end result is really bland and background-blending (wild, considering how neither of these ancestors were ever regarded as particularly palatable). I’ve seen a lot of comparisons—both here and with the later Coldplay and Elbow—to Radiohead, and even though both of the latter were probably influenced by the former, they couldn’t be coming from more disparate places. Radiohead uses both its sharp edges and its psychedelic experimentation to constantly push the boundaries that their last project settled, constantly blossoming into both familiar and uncharted emotion. With British rock descendants Elbow and Coldplay, I get the sense that though they’re doing similar percussion or whatever, the resemblance to me is skin-deep—somehow they’re taking innovation and puttering in circles with it. Okay, sorry, none of this so far has been explicitly about A Northern Soul, but I’ve been describing my experience with it this whole time. I always feel like people are overly mean to one-hit wonders—like, go ahead, YOU write “Bittersweet Symphony,” or anything half as iconic—so I was really ready to find something else interesting from Verve. I was into the opener “A New Decade,” but found myself almost instantly bored after that, which I really hate to say—I’m prone to defending the lambasted albums on this list that everyone is really nasty about in the global reviews, but much as their sentiments could’ve been expressed more nicely, they were kind of dead on this go around. With the exception of a psychedelic spike near the middle that perked my ears up until I noticed it was, indeed, labeled “Brainstorm Interlude” (everyone just loves to get interesting when it’s on a short, skippable instrumental), the album really did just sound the same all the way through, meaning most everything that stood out to me was a nitpick. Like, I have a linguistic question for Emily: is there a word for words people only use because they’re easy rhymes they hear in songs? Like, I feel like the occurrence of “obscene” is far lower in real life than it is in halfassed lyrics. And can we give “Ocean” and “Commotion” a rest, maybe? I want to say that’s about all I noticed, but I’ll admit there were a few interesting sounds here or there—I really enjoyed a lot of the atmosphere in “Stormy Clouds” even if the melody did nothing for me, and there were a couple of moments on “Life’s an Ocean” that made me go “hmm” or “okay”—but this wasn’t really enough to bump my rating any higher. Whereas What’s The Story, Morning Glory? got a two from an average of really irritating bits and just-better-than-okay bits, this gets a two more solidly because it truly is “Okay, No Desire to Revisit” incarnate. Nothing irritating for more than a moment, but also nothing interesting for just as long. 1: Bad | 2: Okay, No Desire to Revisit | 3: Good, Conditionally (OR Inconsistent Mix of Qualities) | 4: Great (OR Technically amazing but missing the sauce emotionally) | 5: Amazing
This was highly unenjoyable and I regret spending an hour on it
I enjoyed Urban Hymns and this has some elements I appreciate. Overall, though, this one feels much more bloated and one-note. High 2.5/Low 3.
C’est ok
No fav song
Crazy underrated and such a drastic improvement from their debut. This is a pretty great album that builds to the sound that would define their next album, and while this album can drag on a bit at points, it is a pretty great album that has some variance in sound. Most of these songs are all really solid, especially songs like the title track, A New Decade, and Brainstorm Interlude. Genuinely an amazing album
6/10 - Manchester type Brit-Pop, not as strong as Oasis but surprisingly short and sweet
Britpop, alt rock.
There's not much to this one. It started off fairly promising but just never went anywhere. It's a fairly forgettable album, unfortunately. It feels kind of out of place on this list. Favorite track: I don't know, "History," I guess? Or maybe "This is Music." It's kind of all the same.
Enjoyed the listen. Maybe didn't need 2 albums by them, but liked the fact that this isn't the one with the big hit.
This list was supposed to be fun ...
Eh. Not as strong as Urban Hymns
I enjoyed the violin, but found the singing to be whiny. Overall a solid meh.
I really enjoyed listening to this album. The guitars provide for this really nice soundscape. It’s auite psychedlic and experimental at times. Really grand.
Chill
Last track sounds like the first. First sounds like the seventh. Seventh sounds like the tenth. Tenth sounds like the third. Third sounds like the fifth. Fifth sounds like the eleventh. Eleventh sounds like the sixth. Sixth sounds like the fourth. Fourth sounds like the second. Second sounds like the eighth. Eighth sounds like the last. 2/5 24/7/26
Oof, this is pretty dull. The vocals on No Knock On My Door are so so bad. There is quite a leap in quality between this and Urban Hymns and I suspect the producers might be the key. Anyhow, not great 2.5
Haven't listened to this before, although I've listened to their album Urban Hymns and remember liking it a lot . . . Kind of surprised this one is on the list; it's fine, but I don't think it was particularly influencial??
I gave this one a couple listens. There are good songs but most overstay their welcome. I don’t agree that this is one album that needs to be heard. It’s good but I don’t feel like I’d missed something by not hearing it until now.
Nothing too exciting for me, but enjoyable enough!
Never listened to this all the way through before. Enjoyed it more than I expected, but there were a few dud tracks that sounded a bit "sixth formers find a wah wah pedal"
If I was doing a 90s Brit pop / indie playlist, then ‘History ’ would just make it on I think…. Quite enjoyed revisiting this although it ‘a probably 2.5
Dreary stuff
Are you joking me? I’d never heard this previously and thought I’d know exactly how it sounded and sadly was proved right. One star. Tom.
Смешанные чувства. С одной стороны я правда ощутила весь альбом как одну песню и порой мне действительно было скучно. Но то ли от нынешней моей тоски, то ли просто по человечески, мне эта мантративность очень подошла и я получила удовольствие. Не самое великое, но хорошее. Надо будет потом переслушать и проверить
I can't believe there's a Verve album on this list that doesn't even have bittersweet symphony. It was ok - kinda like The Bends backing with Oasis vocals? But not as interesting as radiohead or as catchy as oasis. Got a little bit of the fun string arrangements in History so I'm glad they stuck with that.
Parfait j'ai trop kiffé p'tite gem cachée ça yes, bien thé verve en mode oasis mais avec des morceaux hyper shoegaze ça regaleeee
6/10
A pretty derivative bunch. Only really famous for stealing a Stones riff and paying massively for it. At least it was a good song. The rest is pure mid
Really, really good. A surprise hit for me. Didn't realize how much I'd like 90s psych rock. A really full, dense sound, you can really sink into this album.
Boring
No me gustó mucho la verdad
뭐라 쓰지
A solid Brit pop album that drags on a bit. I like the boozy swag they have. 3.3/5.
Love that sound; so atmospheric. Was a bit skeptical that there are two Verve albums but actually this was a proper treat. Make sure you listen to the remastered version & on a higher quality service like Tidal 7.5 / 10 Best track/s: History, (reprise), Stormy Clouds
Oh great, more britpop! -Said no one ever
Okay but not even their best album.
I'm gonna be honest, I listened to this while sick. So maybe I'm not the best to judge. I thought it was alright, but it felt a bit pretentious.
Damn, what a band they were. On a given day you might convince me any of their first three records* was their best. This one perfectly combines the towering psych rock of their debut with the songcraft that made them. *who here remembers there was a fourth?
5/10 The Verve really exploded in the UK with their third record, Urban Hymns, on which Richard Ashcroft, rather than The Verve as a band, became the principal songwriter. This previous album is much more of a band effort and, from what I understand, is more of a stepping stone between the psychedelic shoegaze sound of their debut and the committed britpop indie of that subsequent record. That halfway-house status is something that is pretty apparent across this slightly sprawling, loosely focused track selection, in which we take in moments of almost art-rock soundscape in tracks like Brainstorm Interlude and Stormy Clouds, while also indulging the more Ashcroft coded tracks like On Your Own and History. These Ashcroft tracks are probably where the album falters for me, as they’re ultimately fairly run of the mill singer-songwriter fare that don’t manage to be particularly eventful or hooky, so just kind of float by, especially in a mix of more sonically interesting washes of noise and effects present on the more invigorating cuts. I can’t pretend to be the biggest fan of Ashcroft’s drawling, slurring vocal delivery that’s a bit of a Liam Gallagher wannabe, but when he dials down that drawl a little and becomes more part of the band, things work a lot better to my ear. At it’s most interesting, this album is weighty, noisy, evolving and sonically large, with shimmering noise and guitars, a pulsing beat and a pinned down bass, while the vocal floats along, drifting in and out of focus as part of a musical whole. There are also moments of more stripped back, subtle evolutions of that fuller style that stretch the vibe into newer directions. Across those more psychedelic and experimental tracks, this has an intriguing, if imperfect musical approach that I did warm to. The biggest problem here is consistency, and it doesn’t feel like all of the band is really pulling in the same direction, resulting in a slightly uneven feel in which neither side of that creative coin is completely satisfied. It’s a bit of a shame, because there is some solid stuff in there, but it’s certainly made me consider taking a listen to their earlier album, even if the direction they would take next was more of a mainstream one, with it’s own approach and charm. A New Decade - This is weightier than I was expecting, and has a bit of a psychedelic edge to it too. I’m not in love with Richard Ashcroft’s drawl of a delivery to be honest, but there’s a patience and bubbling tension from the band that offsets it and makes it a more palatable blend. There is a touch of Radiohead to this in a way that I wasn’t expecting, as well as a slightly more noise/art rock edge that worked really well. Not a bad opener. This Is Music - Again, there’s good weight and atmosphere to this. It’s noisy and has a mid-pace drive that grooves along and gives it solid momentum. The sound design of the soaring guitars emerging from the noise is really effective and I’m settling more into Ashcroft’s vocal when it’s part of a more hectic whole. The whole vibe and tone of this is really good and is more sonically interesting than I think The Verve are often credited with. On Your Own - Now this is more like what I was expecting. Fairly plodding, middle of the road britpop indie. Some of the singing on this is utterly atrocious. This screams “Richard Ashcroft” to me, so there’s no surprise that this was one that he had a large hand in. It’s bland and unexciting. Meh. So It Goes - This is better than the last one, thanks to the more sparse production and some lovely guitar work, underpinned by a solid bass part. It’s got a dreamy feel with a touch of grit that works well. The vocal is probably the weakest part of the track for me. I just don’t really rate the slightly unfocused, roaming nature of the melody and the almost slurred singing style doesn’t do it for me for this kind of material. Bit of a mixed bag. A Northern Soul - Aaah, this is better. It’s back to having weight and leans into noisy psychedelia. Ashcroft’s vocal works way better in a mix of stuff like this. It’s sonically rich and interesting and has a cool groove to the rhythm parts. The push and pull pulse they use is solid and there’s a lot of fun bits of guitar work that give it an almost alien quality. It’s really atmospheric too. Nice. Brainstorm Interlude - The psychedelic soundscape work continues now, but with a more driven beat and even more experimental use of effects. This is good stuff, with a shifting, shimmering wall of sound that weaves and rolls over that persistent and engaging drum groove, punctuated with regular changes in ornamentation and some fun drum fills. It’s noisy as all hell, but it’s all the better for it. Drive You Home - They drop back out into a more traditional song structure now, but it maintains a quality of atmosphere and production that leans back towards shoegaze. There’s some lovely guitar work in this and the shimmering soundscape recalls a sparser echo of the last couple of tracks. It’s relaxed and restrained, and the vocal and lead guitar work share centre stage in a balanced and enjoyable way. History - This track is another example given for the band leaning more towards Richard Ashcroft as principal songwriter. It’s ok, but it lacks the interesting, experimental edge of the better work on the album. Frankly, it’s a fairly middle of the road britpop singer-songwriter effort that’s not part interesting and is quite repetitive. Meh. No Knock On My Door - Similarly to the last track, this is a fairly bland song with a very simple, repetitive structure and no real hooks to speak of. There’s a bit more to the production, and the weight and depth of the instrumentation is a bit better, but ultimately it’s quite bland. Life's An Ocean - This has a decent, if subtle, groove to it. The band and production have a bit more to do again, and there’s a little touch of psychedelia to it that’s quite nice. There’s some quality moments of soundscaping guitar work in the mix here, but it could probably have done with a bit more development and variation to really make it shine, because it’s a bit compositionally thin. Stormy Clouds - We’re back to a song in which the vocals and guitar share prominence now. It’s thick, warm, almost ambient soundscaping in places. Things are slow, but considered, and the evolving tonal palette is enjoyable. A nice, almost shoegaze effort, with enough of a song structure base to keep it centred. (Reprise) - This kind of feels like the last gasp of the old Verve, before they fully committed to Richard Ashcroft as their de facto leader and britpop as their genre of choice on the next album. It’s more shoegazy, experimental instrumental stuff. It’s not bad, and the shimmering, evolving guitar work is very nice, but it doesn’t kind of feel a little uncentred and loosely formed, which is perhaps unsurprising on a track they didn’t even bother giving a proper name to. That being said, I’d take this introspective sound wash noise art stuff over a boring singer songwriter effort any day.
Great sounding record, very psychedelic, lots of Wah and droning guitar which I love however not the same quality of songs as their later records.
It's a decent enough album, a step above indie landfill, but not one I'll be revisiting often
A diverse song collection going from mellow songs of Cantonese and love to discordant songs with reverb from guitars. Sounds "vervish".
It's good but not great. Like a lot of Britpop, it doesn't have a lot of staying power as an album for me personally. A few tracks here and there, sure, but nothing shouts out to me as anything I'd stick on again and again. I enjoyed the shoegaze approach here though, blending the styles rather well and creating something that stands out a little more. Favourite track: History Least favourite track: Brainstorm Interlude
wayyyyyy tooooo looooooonnnnnnggggggg
Ultimately I was disappointed with this. You can tell that Urban Hymns was a big step-up in terms of their song-writing chops, while they've yet to really develop here. It's a shame because one of the very early tracks was incredibly atmospheric, with some really nice, deep guitar. After that it all got a bit meandering and droney with no real highlights. It's still not a bad listen, but it's also doing nothing particularly interesting either. 2.5 rounded up.
2.3 out of 5 stars for this one. I wasn't inspired. I wasn't moved. I didn't hear any song that stood out from the others, which seems to be my biggest complaint from a good majority of 90's Britpop bands.
Not really getting much from this one. It feels like a try hard Oasis
A good listen. It’s too bad the Rolling Stones eventually stole their thunder.
I had forgotten how ambitious this album sounded and also forgotten that Richard Ashcroft was a pretty good vocalist. Unfortunately, I hadn’t forgotten how long and indulgent this album felt, far outstaying its welcome in my view.
So they started out as shoegaze and ended up as Britpop, and I guess in between they decided they were that Spacemen 3 album that I didn't like?
Didn't love this, a lot of the songs blended together with no real standout. Good production and very full sounding but doubt I'd listen again.
Sometimes I felt like I was listening to U2, but one of their later albums. So The Verve might have done it first. Dragged out a little at the end, but I still liked the sound.
Dette holdt ikke
On my fourth attempt, I made it through. I don't know why, but this wasn't it for me. Maybe I'll attempt another listen in the future. 2.5
It’s fine if you’re looking for an off brand Radiohead. 2.5⭐️
It's not that it's bad...i just don't see this as a vital album when we already had Urban Hymns.
2.5
Good
This shouldn’t be on here. This reeeeeeeeally shouldn’t be on here. Not the first time I’ve thought that about an album I was given, won’t be the last, but just had to say it. “Urban Hymns” gets a pass because “Bitter Sweet Symphony” is not only awesome but one of the most popular songs ever. But no one cares about this. And also, it doesn’t deserve to be cared about! It’s certainly a crucial moment in the band’s trajectory, but Jesus, who cares about this band? This album would be respectable if it were half its length, but it’s just so long! Also, a bigger, more notable problem present here is the lyrical content. The musicality itself is fine. It’s really nothing special, which is a strike against it frankly, when it’s gonna be this long. But the lyrics are really just so unoriginal, and the only genuinely enjoyable work here is the most sincere stuff, which even then doesn’t reach any type of notable peak. Unremarkable for one whole hour. 4.3/10
Uninteresting British rock
The only song I knew by the band going in to this record was Bittersweet Symphony which I’ve never cared for. It’s always felt insipid and bland with very little musical momentum. So imagine my delight to find out The Verve is a band with an actual edge to them that can put out actual rockers. Unfortunately the slower songs fall back into the the tedious soupiness that I dislike about BS but for the most part this is a far better album than I expected
mid ass album. maybe my gen z brain couldnt comprehend theyre type of music as enjoyable
Liked the balance between loud and soft songs; the psychedelic-influenced songs reminded me of Jimi Hendrix, and the softer songs had a Pink Floyd-ish sound to them, I thought.
Britpop without any special stuff
No private session for Spotify. I am a huge fan of 90's rock, so of course I like this. It does get a bit self indulgent with the meandering jam, but I like stoner rock, so it still works.
Rock but not very good rock. Even the best song on the album is a meh.
Meh, all sounds the same
This was wholly unmemorable. And I recall it being sort of annoying.
I like Richard Ashcroft's voice and have a lot of fondness for Urban Hymns but I really struggled to find much joy in this album. Very unremarkable and borderline dirge.
A Northern Soul A New Decade was the first track on a particular favourite cassette mix tape I made when I first passed my test - I listened to it so much even 29 years later I still think On Your Own by Blur is going to play next. I really loved this album back then but I’ve not listened to it in a while. The songs I loved back then I still very much enjoy - A New Decade, This is Music, On Your Own, A Northern Soul and History - but it’s striking how much shoegaze there is to it, and in my memory it sounds very different to the hazy psychedelic space rock of their first album, but it actually sounds a lot more like A Storm in Heaven than it does Urban Hymns. Outside of those songs I was also a little surprised at how moany and dirgey it sounds to me now, and aside from History it sort of limps and moans its way to the end of a long 64 minutes. The drumming and guitars really shine though, Nick McCabe in particular is superb on here - psychedelic, woozy and spacey yet melodic and evocative. I wasn’t such a fan of So it Goes on the listen, but his guitar on it really is great, and I love the teary country playing on Drive You Home. Despite his excellence and unlike Gold, I’m not sure the nostalgia quite gets it to a 4. There’s some great songs, but listening now, my overall takeaway is that it is a bit of a slog. My 17 year old self would think I’ve lost my mind but I’ll go to a slightly tight high 3. ⬆️⬆️⬆️ Playlist submission: History
Often a nebulous swirl, extended jams, washed out vocals. The likes of 'A New Decade', whilst the band give it their all, takes effort to extract a melody. The songs sound like they should be grand epics, but the melodies simply aren't there. But then you have 'On Your Own' (starkly brilliant); 'So it Goes' (a superb album track); 'Drive You Home' a gentle ballad with guitar drenched in 50s reverb; and 'History' remains an underappreciated 90s classic - a grand tale, but one that retains Ashcroft's stream of conscious flow. If only more of this album were so, instead of becoming dirge-like, and over-engineered. Still, these tracks get it to mid table.
5/10 If only the Verve we half as good as Richard Ashcroft thought they were. Lots of blister, but n not a lot of songs.
Not much here that grabbed my attention, sorry to The Verve!
this was interesting because you could definitely hear how they became the verve of enormous fame, but none of these songs were really very exciting
Yeah didn’t grab me
This works for me surprisingly well, mostly through the turbulent guitar, around which the band builds songs that have me reaching for astronomical and meteorological terms, "History" and perhaps the slamming title song the exceptions.
Not as good as I remember, lacking the bangers of their blistering debut. About half is close to par, esp. "A New Decade" getting the anthem/psych balance just right, and I've always preferred "History" to their later biggie. Was lucky to see them live many times pre-"The" and blagged this well in advance of release, impressing my callow collegemates.
There doesn't need to be two Verve records on this list. And definitely not this one.
Kinda fun 90s album. A bit grungy and a bit shoegaze. I think their other album is preferred tho
Decent. But I cannot agree with anyone that says this is better than Urban Hymns.
Listened Before? N This one was markedly worse than their sophomore album. It sounded like grungy Oasis. I'm good. Not the worst thing ever but also not really worthy of the list. Also- WAY too long. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: This Is Music
Been an Ashcroft disciple for a long time. I’ll admit this isn’t my favourite era. Storm in heaven is a better album for me and urban hymns is transcendent. This one is sort of stuck in the middle. History is of course a highlight but there are some lowlights too. Probably only worth 4 stars but I’ll give it 5.
Not for me
Listened on: Spotify Listening experience: Protracted, multiple attempts in the car Hadn’t heard any songs off this album - only familiar with Urban Hymns. Love Richard Ashcroft’s voice. This would have been one of those albums from the 90s where you bought it unknown and then listened to it until you liked it. A point off for the fucking fade in. Why? How do I know how loud to put the volume? Has it started? Is there something wrong with my stereo? Stop.
better than people made it out to be but I wouldn't call it great
really disappointed, i was looking forward to a the verve album, didnt like it that much, some avergae songs, the rest were really bad.
Tiene re malas reviews, qué onda? Entiendo que es un disco no tan especial y que no es ni el mejor de la banda, pero no me pareció un mal disco. Siento que sigue un estilo y hay varios temas que están bien, tmb porque es mi estilo. Le daria un 3,6
So very uk so very 90’s. I kind of dig it but was never my number 1 jam
First full listen of a Verve album. Sounds like a dreamer, more Radiohead-like version of Oasis and I really liked the vibe. I need to do more thorough listen with headphones to appreciate it more but I still really liked it.
ne slusam jos jedan album od ovih likova
Well, I actually had to think about this record as I listened I tried to think about where this record fits in this particular 90s period. Sure it is far less psychedelic thsn the Verve’s debut, it does evoke at various points Oasis lite, it certainly is not The Stone Roses. It is a rock record that, given the lyrics of Richard Ashcroft who does a particularly excellent job of letting emotion bleed through, is at its core a messy breakup record. Here you have two dynamics at play - Ashcroft’s breakup with his long term girlfriend and the band breaking a part as 3/4 of them are drug addicted. Sonically rich and effective the album is enjoyable and interesting but I’m not sure that it rises above average. When compared to records put out the same year - Smashing Pumpkins released Melon Collie, Radiohead released the Bends and the Stone Roses released Second Coming - The Verve record is definitely 2nd tier. Solid but ultimately average. 3/5
p765. 1995. 1 star. Poor man's Oasis without the tunes. This is not their best work, and I have no idea why it is on this list.
This was an outstanding album. I had heard a couple of times before, but was totally unaware of their deeper work. I will definitely add them to my playlist.
Pretty lowkey, nondescript 90s music. Every song sounded the same.
I only know The Verve as 'The Bittersweet Symphony guys' but have now listened to a largeish portion of their output. This album almost felt like an attempt to get some of that American 'alternative' sound almost like Live or something like that. I don't feel like it did enough of it's own thing to earn a spot on this list. It could have been my mindset at the time of listening but it was grating on me.
A difficult one, as it's not bad, but also not something I can see myself returning to. The sound is quite wearing after a while, and the album is too long
Åh nu blev mina öron glada! När drogerna faktiskt fungerade i Wigan. Verve innan dom blev städade. Härligt knarkigt och stökigt! Bas och trummor är tungt mullrande, gitarrerna är ute på en bra syratripp och det fräser om den nordengelska underdoglyriken. Även om debuten är ännu knarkigare och stökigare men här finns tydligare låtar, en bättre balans. Vill man mer ha soundet väljer man debuten, vill man mer ha låtar väljer man den här, det är dagsformen som avgör. Inledningstrippeln är direkt formidabel med två rediga käftsmällar och finfina "On your own", en av de bästa inledningarna på ett rockalbum under 90talet. Även om skivan inte når upp till sin knäckande inledning behåller den bra styrsel med fint utpotionerade toppar. Titelspåret är strålande motljusrock med rader som >your speakers are telling the thruth<. "History" skvallrar om framtida Verve med stråkar och är bättre än de mesta från Urban hymns. Och Askkoftan är en perfekt sångare för den här fypen av musik, kanske inte klassisk bra men för det här är han som klippt och skuren, en favorit för mig faktiskt. När han deklamerar underdogstatementet >I stand accused, just like you. For being born, without a silverspoon< i inledning av "This is music" tror man fullständigt på honom och knyter näven i hederlig klasskampsvrede. Noel Gallagher ska ha varit gravt inspirerade av A northern soul, både till sound och text på "Some might say". Det blir lite långt, en av instrumentalerna hade med fördel kunnat strykas, kanske även "Drive you home" även om jag tycker den senare bidrar till stämningsskapandet så är det inte mycket till låt. Som helhet imponerar det här väldeliga, det är stringent med bra balans och är utmärkt genomfört och det bär en tydlig identitet av att det bara är ett band från norra England som skulle kunna stå bakom det. Jag tänker faktiskt hala fram femman även om den är ytterst svag men du får leta dig fördärvad om du ska hitta nån bättre motljusrock
En mellanskiva i utvecklingen från det tidiga shoegazelarmet till de fullt utvecklade popmelodierna på Urban hymns. Jag föredrar både det som var innan och det som kom efter, framför den här. Men en liten trea kan den ändå få.
Det börjar bra med This is music, men blir snabbt ganska långtråkigt. I sina bästa stunder låter de som ett Stone roses-light. I de sämre som vilket dussin-indieband som helst.
Uppskattar de groviga låtarna bäst som A northern star och brainstorm interlude. Även drive you home är bra. Men i övrigt lyfter det sig inte från mängden av brittpopband. Det saknas något liknande de starka låtar som finns på uppföljaren, som the drugs don't work eller bittersweet symphony.
So bland and average. The whole thing just sort of blobs together.
I think in hindsight I might prefer this to Urban Hymns, although I would never have said that back in the 90s. Maybe UH was just over played. A Northern Soul has some really beautiful songs on it, some powerful shoegazey guitar and none of the over commercial cheese of songs like Sonnet or Bittersweet Symphony.
i was sleeping through this mostly cuz im traveling. HOWEVER, the songs did finish while awake are pretty good. ill re review it at a later time but for now 3.5/5 i have a soft for nu-metal and nu-metal adjacent sounds
Very enjoyable but didn’t blow my mind
I didn’t get a chance to listen to Arcade Fire on Friday so Joe and I listened to it Saturday morning. And then we listened to this right after. 2+ hours of boring, depressing music was too much. This couldn’t end soon enough.
Although not as bad as Bjork, we find ourselves listening to another album where the lead vocalist and the melody don’t always follow each other. The lyrics just kind of happen and sometimes they pair up but there is a constant buzzing in the background which throws everything off. Not a fan. Individually, the parts are nice but there is no synergy on this album to speak of.
Derivative BritPop. “No change, I can’t change, I can’t change, I can’t change” over music stolen from the Stones. Not exactly revolutionary …
Awful. Nothing more to say, just awful.
Mellow
It's not the best offering from the Verve. Ashcrofts voice is decent on this an dot offers Hazy guitars and flowing rhythm but doesn't quite hot the mark.
Radiohead without the interesting or good parts.
Imagine a parallel universe where Oasis has released this as the follow up to Definitely Maybe instead of What's the Story? Except they couldn't have because Noel, bless him can write a decent tune but can't play guitar like Nick McCabe does gere. History is the best track but the title track gives it a good run for its money.
own
Boo to the Queen knock-off (I mean "allusion") album cover. You boys are not even close to Queen. The vocalist looks like he wants to murder me and the rest of them look like the cast of a Supernatural high school AU. Anyway, I've completely forgotten what I just listened to. It wasn't terrible but it also wasn't all that interesting.
2.5/5
1. muzic - 1 2. ouun - 0 3. goez - 1 4. zoul - 1 5. brain - 0 6. drive - 0 7. hiztory - 0 8. knock - 0 9. cloudz - 1 10. reprize - 1
Not a lot of hits, but still a quite good album. Favourites: So It Goes, History
Heh
It’s good but nothing special. Almost boring. Nothing stands out.
Heard Before? Not at all. Notes: - hard for me to get past one of my least favorite production styles. too much compression, pointless reverb, everything too loud all the time. almost completely lacking in dynamics, and everything is midrange. - arrangements are similarly unrestrained, in the sense that everyone needs to play all the time, while seemingly not listening to each other. - the songs seem not to have been written but to barely coalesce, while still not sounding like a proper jam. could be the near-complete absence of hooks. repeating the same stupid non-melodic line twenty times ("i want to die alone in bed") doesn't count. - the endless caterwauling of the whinging man-child vocals also repels me. - at least all the performances are spot on and committed. they all truly believe in this music, even if i don't. - and yes, it's 1995, so every song and the album as a whole is waaaaaay too long. - but wait? what's this? did i actually enjoy "Life's An Ocean"? I think I did! Hard grooves, use of space, an actual verse melody, fabulous bassline. - "Reprise", while completely unnecessary, makes a virtue out of its meandering. No vocals really helps. Verdict: Marvelously competent lads grooving away in a hall of mirrors. Must be great to be them. For me I was mostly waiting for it to get interesting, and then just waiting for it to end, and then I was suddenly somewhat invested. Listen Again? Lord save us all, but I did queue up "Life's an Ocean" for later. We will see how it fares out of context.
It's like they used seven too many guitar pedals and wanted to see what would happen. The answer is they accidentally turned themselves into LSD and the Search for God if they were 5x more British, about 50% more comprehensible, and 90% less aggravating.
it fell into the background of what i cant rmemeber i was doing
MOR soulless bullshit.
Oh thank god this isn't the one with "Bittersweet Symphony" (a great song, to be fair, but I would be quite okay with never hearing it again in my lifetime). Excited to have an excuse to dive into the Verve's back catalog. The songs blended together somewhat and kind of fell into the background, but overall it's a great sound (brought to you the listener by COPIOUS amounts of ecstasy). Dreamy at times, erratic and intense in others. Sonically, there's a lot going on, and I dig the elements of mysticism and psychedelia scattered throughout.
Adored by music critics. Full of faux anguish, and Britpop Beatle-isms. Richard Ashcroft has a whiny, hectoring vocal style, which I found very tiresome. Derivative and dreary
Never heard this before, but I used to own 'Urban Hymns'. My attitude to the Verve was summed up nicely in a review I read once of Spiritualized's 'Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space' that said 'This is what the Verve think they sound like.' This made me feel the same. A band trying to achieve something soaring and beautiful, but they're only able to make competent and fairly conventional indie rock. The second half, where they're beginning to make the kind of indie anthems they'll perfect on 'Urban Hymns', is better than the shoegazey first half.
Tämä levy oli aika paskaa, laittaisin melkein ”tekotaiteellisen skeidan”-lokeroon, ei jäänyt yksikään biisi mieleen. Liian iisiä poppia. Wikipedia artikkelin luettuani ymmärsin, että levy on tehty ekstaasin voimalla ja sen kuulee. Tämän jälkeen tehty Urban Hymns löytyy omasta hyllystä ja sitä on tullut kuunneltua aikanaan paljonkin.
increíble la vibra d este álbum. voy a considerar escuchar más the verve
This is okay. It's good "Let's hang out in 1995" music. The long song lengths and deliberate tempo don't really add up to excitement, but it grooves. They hung out with Oasis, I guess? I can hear it, but nothing here hits me in any way close to the way Morning Glory did. That's unfair: these guys are their own thing. They evoke William Blake in the first lines of History, to emo-effect, but I admire the attempt. I like the psychedelic stuff like Brainstorm Interlude best.
3.5/5
Wtf is this doing on this list, for real ? It's not just bad. It's bland. It's nothing memorable. Everything is washed away in wall-of-sound reverbed guitars, uninspired chord progression, taking hints from everyone from My Bloody Valentine, Radiohead, some hints of Cocteau Twins, and every C-tier grunge band at the time. The album goes along and is forgotten as soon as it's finished. It's boring, it's supermarket background muzzak for depressed kids, and it's done better by so many other bands. And please don't start me up on Ashcroft nasal, whiny croon, his monotone and blasé delivery gets lost in the overwashed layers of white noise. Each track is dull, each track sounds like another one, the pacing of the album makes you drowsy with boredom, each new song makes you wonder why you're inflicting such a shite to yourself. It's a boiled lettuce, it's hospital food, it's a Big Mac it may fill your belly for a bit, but it doesn't have any taste, and you're left hungry right after. Please remove this album from the list: it's never been, and never will be an essential listen, in any genre. Verve were a low-grade, one-hit wonder, riding on the coattail of much better bands. If 90's britpop is your thing (not judging you), there are so many better options : Pulp, Ride , Lush, Manic Street Preachers, Blur, Supergrass, hell, even fucking Kula Shaker, all these band offer much more, even in their early years; than the Verve. (not Oasis. Oasis were much, much worse, but that's a whole 'nother can of worm)
Overall nothing spectacular. My dad showed me this band many many years ago. I've mentioned it before but he LOVES brit rock/pop bands so that's what I grew up with. The production was nice and his vocals are for sure recognizable. but sadly i found this album just kinda boring.
I think the opening track is strong. It's hard to pick out anything else that stands out because musically it all blends together rather uninterestingly. This 90's grunge/psychedelic rock sound is done better by a lot of other bands
I've only ever known The Verve from that one song. You know the one. So I was shocked when I heard something by them that wasn't saccharin and annoying. In fact, I quite literally enjoyed it. The last song was incredible. Not bad!!
not quite as bad as i was expecting it to be but it drags on and on with every song sounding essentially the same. it's not too hard to listen to but this album is just... forgettable. mid 2
This album definitely had a ‘90s alt feel that their third album Urban Hymns didn’t as much. The Verve is definitely one of those bands that you can see and hear the evolution of from their earliest works to their last. I don’t remember any ‘hits’ off this album but there could have been easily. My key tracks were Life’s An Ocean, and transient This Is Music. I think since the American markets for rock were leaning toward Post-Grunge, Nu-Metal and female singer-songwriter this album slipped through the cracks at the time. It shouldn’t have. The mix of wall-of-sound and downtempo effervescence would have been a nice change of pace…though I probably still wouldn’t have listened to it in my teenage angst. I’m glad I’ve grown in my appreciation with age.
Random thoughts: * I tried listening to this one several times and it was honestly a slog. * There is no reason to have 2 Verve records on 1001. * Basic 90s rock music with nothing exceptional to show up for. Only for the hardcore fans or people stuck in the 90s.
all sorts melds into each other like a strange fever dream
This is quite good. I have a feeling that if it was the soundtrack of my youth I'd like it. Unfortunately it's not really my thing. But I can hear how the quality remains consistent across the whole album and that's a pretty rare thing. I'm going to be generous with my scoring and admit that I wouldn't mind listening to this album again.
90s Britpop two days running! While this wasn’t awful, it was certainly weaker than yesterday’s I Should Coco. Repetitive, vocally underwhelming, and containing absolutely nothing original to help it stand out amid the onslaught of guitar-driven British pop-rock from the era. Overall, it was a rather dull listen, and one that dragged on far too long.
I always used to get the Verve and the Verve Pipe mixed up; I don't think I'll be doing that going forward. This was awesome, way better and different than I expected. Started good and just got better. This isn't perfection but it's closer to a 5 than a 4 so that's what it gets
The Verve is a band that makes me want to sit on a hill. I'm motivated to lie on a field and soak grass for hours as I enjoy this shoegazey britpop. I can't really say anything bad cause I always feel extremely pleasant every time they're on. Is it special? Yes, each track is its own experience and the record as a whole feels like a psychedelic slip and slide that seamlessly connects rock and folk elements into its sound. This album sounds like mushrooms. The psychedelic swirls that the songs jam throughout the record are super sick, and it gives a nice contrast to the soft clean material and also build wonderful dynamic effects to enhance the atmosphere. As much as I appreciate each individual track, the album is such an emotion and mood based substance and it's definitely better as one whole experience, like playing the opening track and entering a tunnel, and then finishing the album out the other side with the tracks altogether giving the full effect. I really fuck with The Verve.
so-so grunge
Found it a bit boring all at once; might enjoy the songs more on their own. Liked On Your Own.
The Verve was always my least favourite of the major Britpop acts of the time. They're a solid band that rarely, if ever, amazed me. A Northern Soul is alright, but this is my second listen of the album and the first was almost a decade ago, which says a lot. For me, they lack just a bit of that griminess that Oasis, Blur, Pulp and Suede all had at least at a certain point in their respective careers. Not to mention how tedious these songs become with their completely unjustified runtimes. It's like Be Here Now before Be Here Now, but without the messiness that would at least make it somewhat interesting.
Did I listen to a different band when I listened to "Urban Hymns"? Because this thing is incredibly boring and tedious. I don't understand, I like their following album, so why I find this so tiring? This album is supposed to be spacey britpop, but neither it is immersive nor has a big atmosphere nor it is catchy nor memorable. The songs go for so long and never deliver anything interesting, making them super dragging. The vocals are incredibly monotone and I felt like I was listening to the same exact melodies on every song, with a lack of emotional expression. The guitars and bass may be bathed in distortion and reverb, as expected from neo-psychedelia, but they don't build any spectacular ambience. It is space rock! It is supposed to be grandiose, not feeling like in a big blank room that is just pure white and boring. Well, maybe there are some moments where they come close to be big, like in the ending track, but in general, it is very flat. And there is not really anything more to talk about because this thing is truly that one-dimensional. I'll add the clarification that I've being feeling extremely tired all day, but even after taking a nap and feeling refreshed, my opinions didn't change when I gave this another try. What a disappointment.
3/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the-verve/a-northern-soul-3/ I get The Verve being in here (I guess), but why this album? It’s not bad, but also just okay britpop? Some Radiohead some Oasis some Blur.
I don't click with this
Einheitsbrei nach ISO-0815
Eigentlich mag ich die Musikrichtung, aber viel abgewinnen konnte ich dem Album nicht. History fand ich gut.
Gähn
I found that there’s Only one good song in each of their albums. So no.
Not really my style
just kinda boring
Very chill with Drive You Home nice easy vibe. Kinda easy to gloss over the whole album though very just average/not memorable.
Nothing crazy, felt kind of repetitive. Had a couple good songs.
I generally like it but it's far too long, and suffers from not having any songs as good as Bittersweet Symphony or The Drugs Don't Work. Probably liked the instrumental "(Reprise)" best.
B-side Oasis.....no Bittersweet Symphony....pretty forgettable.
Omg, no. My first DNF of this project. Crappy singing, dumb lyrics, and boring music.
Очень достойный бритпоп альбом. Вцелом он полностью соответствует этому жанру, и это хорошо, так как звук на нем идеальный.
Brilliant, such a great band
Blind album, hate bitter sweet symphony honestly but this album was decent.
I want to thank everyone for their suggestions, telling me to check out their earlier work! I ended up loving their EP *The Verve* and also *A Storm in Heaven* - I loved them, and I think I have to agree with that whole “why on earth aren’t those on the list instead of this one?” sentiment Anyway, I’m giving it a 2 for now, but eventually I’ll try listening to it again - maybe I’m being unfair.
It was fine, I barely remember it
Totally unremarkable in the boring-est of ways. Vocals are drowning in reverb and buried behind a cacophony of bland instrumentals. This album is just an inferior Urban Hymns.
Really solid album of guitar rock with loads of style. The Verve have a great wall of sound style. This is rock music that envelops you. The jamming feels immersive. The second half starts a little mellower and gradually ramps up. The sequencing feels deliberate to pace out the second half. Overall, I didn’t notice the songwriting on this album as much as the energy and feel of the music. I’d happily put this on again. It would be a good one to play in the background while cooking. 3.5
"This Is Music" is a cool track, it has a little bit of an edge to it, while also sounding like a U2 song with it's big sprawling epic reverb heavy vocals. "On Your Own" is like a happier Alice in Chains song (those acoustic guitars and that acoustic bass sound JUST like AIC unplugged!), while the singer attempts a little bit of Kurt Cobain vocals. It's a nice album from a good band. The compositions aren't my favorite, this is more of a "put the album on and let it play through" and not really an album I would put on and constantly be like "oh I love this chorus". Doesn't exactly light my world on fire but I do appreciate how it does soft and edgy and inbetween.
another sad boy pity me 90s album that does not evoke many of the relevant emotions from me. several songs had their moments wrt instrumental composition but ultimately fell flat in terms of energy and narrative. enough to grab me but not enough to hold me (and certainly not to bring me back). fav: this is music
Man, did I hate Bittersweet Symphony when it was all over the radio. I never got any further into the Verve than that song. And I probably would’ve been fine keeping it that way. It’s actually kind of funny to me that the record that doesn’t have that song on it is featured here…which actually kind of scares me because, now that I’m thinking about it, there’s a very real possibility that that record is featured here too. Anyway, I really don’t hate the music so much. But the lyrics are meh and the singer kind of meanders in ways that don’t really add anything to the music, and probably mostly just takes away from what the rest of the band has working. I actually think the singer makes this more boring than it needs to be. Well, whatever. At least Bittersweet Symphony isn’t on this record. 6.2/10
I've only ever known The Verve from that one song. You know the one. So I was shocked when I heard something by them that wasn't saccharin and annoying. In fact, I quite literally enjoyed it. The last song was incredible. Not bad!!
Temu U2
Did not like. Very heavy.
Verve in my nutsack, baby.
That was a weird listen, i did not like it ..
Decent 90’s alt rock
Ça me chauffe pas trop On se fait un peu iech mais il y a des bonnes mélodies Brainstorm interlude est assez cool Globalement ça ressemble à ce à quoi je m’attendais. Et c’est pas un compliment. On dirait du mauvais Radiohead et c’est pas un défaut.
This is like Oasis but with even less redeeming qualities.
Another good album from these guys. Third one and how could I have never heard of them before?
I remember almost nothing about this album 24 hours later.
Y’know from the reviews I expected worse. Maybe you just had to be the right age in 95 for it to still be nostalgic on the first listen.
They do the and things as Oasis where it's impossible to tell the verse from the chorus because everything is at the same intensity level all the way through. And to that the feeling like the leaf guitarist is soloing every second and it's just kind of an assault for an hour. It's the aural requirement of wearing stripes, plaids and tie dye together. Each piece is fine on it's own but out together it's just a lot. I'm really beginning to feel like Brit pop is extremely overrated as a genre and Blur and Radiohead were the only 2 great bands to come out of the movement. (I know Radiohead isn't Britpop)
Britpop has become one of my favorite genres in the last year. 7/10
To be honest I found this kind of boring. I'm sure they're a good band and they have a lot of fans but I just couldn't really get into it.
I had only ever heard that one song by this band (and it’s not on this album). This wasn’t bad.
*Very Oasis influence *Good prog rock, but not my favorite thing
Didn't know the the verve had more one album. Not sure this one needed to be listened to. Just kind of Average music.
Solid 3 even though History is one of my all time favourite songs . Didn't feel the rest of the album was quite the same level .
Flojito... The Verve tiene mejores discos.
Classic Verve... moments of pure genius plus some right but slightly boring jams. This album starts with a roar, includes history and no knock on my door, and was the gateway to the enormous album that came next. I still prefer their first, and my favourite song in the world Blue. Magnificent group of musicians and some of their songs are the very greatest
Some cool sounds on this, but ultimately pretty boring.
Had to check if this was a live album. It’s not. It sounds a bit like a recording of a practise. The vocals grate. A couple of ok tracks but I’m being generous with the 3. I’d rate it 2.5 if I could.
I don't hate them; I just find them really boring and full of 90s-era downtrodden moaning. I'm not sure how these dudes ended up with more than one album on the list! Their other album was better.
I have an intense dislike of The Verve, and its not their fault or particularly even their music, so this gets a general 'blah' from me
I enjoyed my first listen to this album. It’s much like their other album on this list. But that album carries too much emotional baggage and bad memories for me. This album features orchestral arrangements that crash over excellent jams. I’m interested to listen again. A 4.
I wish I had a picture of the face I made when I opened the generator and saw that this was my 800th album. I could not believe this band had more than one album on this list. I also said “no shot this is over an hour long” when I saw the runtime, but whatever. That’s the way she goes. They are reaching for the loudness and catharsis of Oasis, but the mixing flattens everything into one bleak wall of sound. The songs are underwhelming and arrangements uninspired. Maybe that’s too unkind, but I don’t know how else to communicate how uncompelling this was to me. Apparently most of the band was taking ecstasy and yelling in the studio? I actually wish I could hear that. This is emphatically not ecstasy and yelling music. Happy 800th to me.
6.5/10 Highlights: A New Decade History This is Music Brainstorm Interlude
liked this more than the last but only a little. Not a top choice for me but solid!
Quite talented wall of sound stuff. A bit up its own ass.
"A Northern Soul" is the second studio album by English rock band the Verve. Alternative rock, psychedelic rock and psychedelic soul are the Wiki-listed genres. Bandmember Richard Ashcroft said the lyrics revolved around one person experiencing various emotions as he wrote them after ending a six-year relationship. The album was produced by Owen Morris and the bandmembers included Richard Ashcroft (vocals, percussion, guitar, piano), Nick McCabe (guitars, piano, Organ , synthesizers), Simon Jones (bass, percussion, keyboards, guitar) and Peter Salisbury (drums, percussion). Commercially, the album reached #13 in the UK and had critically positive reviews. The band broke after the album but reformed to release an album two years later. "A New Decade" opens the album. A slow drum beat and guitar start softly but get louder as the band kicks in. A hard rock guitar. Ashcroft with fiery vocals. The song slows down again and ends with guitar feedback. A tambourine, pronounced bass and stoner-like guitar introduce us to "This is Music." Ashcroft is at the edge and needs music to transform him. More guitar feedback bringing it into the psychedelic realm. The layered vocals add to that. They soften it up a bit with an acoustic guitar in "On Your Own." More melancholic as Ashcroft is lonely and needs a connection. Finger snaps and a nice bass sound in more of a ballad. The self-titled "A Northern Soul" has a distorted, scratchy and wah-wah guitar crunch. A hypnotic beat as Ashcroft is exhausted and searching for purpose. The band shows where they would go in a few years on their album in "History." A string section is added by the London Session Orchestra. An acoustic guitar. Ashcroft with clear vocals as he explores love, loss and change. Good song! The music on this album can be hard, psychedelic, stoner-like and dreamy. It is not exactly Britpop nor grunge but there are elements of Pearl Jam, the Stone Roses, Oasis and even jam band. McCabe's guitar is edgy, hard, distorted and stoner-like. The volume of the bass and drums are purposely turned up. Ashcroft's lyrics and vocals are personal, heartfelt and emotional. There is a nice mix of rock and soft songs. The songs are long and some may say unfocused but I think that added to the atmosphere and texture. I would agree in maybe trimming or even eliminating some of the songs towards the end. But, overall, I liked this album quite a bit and recommend it it for any hard rock fan.
5/10
Woah, I was expecting to be extremely cross to have to hear this, but it's really good! Better than Urban Hymns I would say, despite not having the nostalgic wash of knowing all the songs. I think Ashcroft's voice basically never sounds this good again, and there's a lovely space-y wash all over this record. It's quite of a time and place, but I don't think that renders it redundant now.
Nothing notable about this album at all. Makes me appreciate Urban Hymns more because it has actual memorable songs on it. Favorite track: On Your Own
if it ain’t bittersweet symphony it ain’t for me
An interesting snapshot into 90s British rock (albeit a genre overrepresented in this list). With my only background knowledge of the group being “Bittersweet Symphony,” I was surprised at the heaviness of the opening track, and slowly reoriented myself throughout the album. Much of the material elicits easy comparisons to their contemporary, Oasis, but on my favorite track, “Drive You Home” they sounded more like Yo La Tengo. I might give this record another spin sometime, but the list will probably be telling me to listen to some other Britpop before then.
These 90s artists really all sound the same to me. I suppose this project continues to show me that decades truly define the music that is created within it. I don’t think I’d be able to tell the difference between a blind listen of a Verve song and an Oasis song. Same as it ever was….same as it ever was… A specific note to this album is that every track felt like it was over 5 minutes, even the 3 minute songs. The verve does a nice job of creating dreamscapes, but I find myself sleeping in far too much. One can’t live in a dream forever, it is sure to turn into a nightmare. 2.5