Reviews (page 5 of 8)
I thought I'd like this album a lot more than I did. It started off in the 4 star range, but didn't keep me interested at all. 3/5.
Gear: Abyss DIANA MR Artwork: 😐😐😐😡 Production: 🤔😐👍 Music: 🎸😞🔄 Rating: 🌧️(🌧️)/5
Britpop is britpopping
Not really a huge step down from their debut, more so a metamorphosis. Still good, but long beyond that it needs to be. ⭐⭐⭐
2.5/5.0: Mixed
theres a few good songs on here but overall its a pretty boring album.
...
I’ve only ever heard Bittersweet Symphony from them and I’m not the biggest fan of it due to how overplayed it is. But DAMN this album?? It’s so smooth and haunting but almost grunge, such a perfect amalgamation of sound. Huge fan.
The nerve of having The Verve is throwing off my ratings curve. 2/5
My 800th album, and it’s my second Verve album to review. I don’t know any of the songs off of A Northern Soul, but I really loved Urban Hymns, so I’ve really been looking forward to reviewing this. Here’s hoping that I love this one just as much or more! I didn’t love A Northern Soul, but I still thought it was a really good album, and I enjoyed listening to it. I thought The Verve sounded a bit like U2 on some of the songs on Urban Hymns (it didn’t detract from my enjoyment any), but I felt like that similarity was a lot more pronounced on A Northern Soul, especially on the first two tracks. The only song that stuck out to me as unenjoyable was “No Knock on My Door,” where the vocals had a quality to them that I really didn’t enjoy. The rest of the album was really good, but the songs that featured an acoustic guitar or were a bit softer (and consequently less U2-esque) were my favorites on this album. “History” really stood out to me as the best song on the album. I loved the strings (a feature that was more prominent on Urban Hymns, and also a feature that I loved), and I thought it was easily the most beautiful and complete song on the album. The title track was really good too, and I felt like it featured some of the best vocals on the album, and it was my favorite of the songs that were a little bit rougher and more rock-based. The songwriting on this album was good as well, and it felt very cohesive. However, some of the songs were a little too long for my tastes, and the album as a whole dragged a bit at times. Overall though, I enjoyed listening to this album, but I definitely enjoyed Urban Hymns more.
It is good not great, individually every song sounds good, but as a whole album it is a little bloated and not super interesting. Nothing here sounds bad, but nothing sounds great either. Many of the songs feel like a slog because they are just a little too slow and too long. There is probably a low 4 in here if they trimmed this album, but as it it is a 3. High 3.
First album that made me mad that it’s on this list. What was the UK’s obsession with The Verve? Sounds like Radiohead from that era with everything interesting sucked out.
Spacy, pretentious and silly.
Was gonna be a four and then it kept on going. I like this heavy kind of sound, but I wish the songs were just a bit tighter and more varied.
Favorite tracks: On Your Own, Drive You Home, Stormy Clouds I like the moodiness of this, but most of the songs blended together. I love The Verve and will add this to my collection, but more to include in shuffle rotation than to listen to in its entirety.
Oh my God. It finally happened. I listened to Britpop and didn’t love it.
I was only familiar with Urban Hymns which I think is a very solid record. This was...interesting, certainly more sludgy and psychedelic at times, but I felt like it started to drag as it continued. I stopped at the OG tracklist; I shudder to think what the 2h32m 3-disc Deluxe version is like in its entirety. Still, sub-3 seems harsh.
имба. одна из любимых групп сейчас.
Not loving it, but I can see what would be appealing to others. A very full sound, without sounding discordant.
This album is pretty generic 90s brit-rock. It reminds me a bit of the band Spiritualized. This isn't anything special. Best Songs: On Your Own, History Worst Songs: So It Goes, No Knock On My Door
1995. Decent album, a bit of softer rock.
Not usually what I listen to, but there were some pretty good songs that I enjoyed. Specifically "So it Goes" and "History", the more chill songs, stood out to me. I found the background sounds in "A Northern Soul" to be too jarring to my ears. I was not that big a fan of the lead singer's singing. Sometimes his voice came off a little whiny. But I am a fan of the guitarwork in this album.
Very 90's sounding but the non-grunge vibe of the decade. I read the band was heavily using Ecstasy when they recorded this. I feel that. Some of it is melodic and easy to listen to but most tracks (Drive You Home, No Knock on My Door as primary examples) are moody and grating. Mixed bag, but I'm leaning toward a 2/5 due to the feeling of being dragged through mud, naked and with broken eardrums. And not in a good way.
A powerhouse in the Brit Pop era that should be rediscovered outside of the mega hit that most people know.
For some reason, 90s Britpop has always given me bad vibes, and whenever I come across an album from that scene, I'm always hesitant to start it. But once I listen, most of the time they're better than I expect. Well, this is one of those albums. I can't say I really enjoyed it, but it was pretty solid. It was heavier than I was expecting, and I really like the psychedelic element.
Listened to about half and it seemed good. You can certainly tell it’s them
It feels like a very cheap ripoff of Radiohead. Like obviously a total fucking copy. This is nothing.
Always thought these guys were a bit of a one hit wonder joke but this is actually pretty good you know!
More interesting and psychedelic than expected
Esch ganz okay aber e chli langwiilig wels nome e chli Gasang, Gitarre und Schalgzüüg hed. Söscht ke rechtigi Melodie
too psychedelic for me. had a few good songs but all turned into one big psychedelic jam session
4/10
I didn’t mind it, definitely not as good as Urban Hymns but it was still decent background music while working. 5/10
Didn’t expect this to be as good as it was, lots of oasis/ stone roses vibes.
Boring.
Känns som en eftermiddags-folkölsspelning på way out west
als hintergrundmusig no nice, aber wenn me anelost isches sehr unspektakulär, repetitiv, lärmig und nöd spannend. und mit de zit au als hintergrundmusig nervig.
This was incredibly boring.
Pleasant but a tad boring. Enjoyed it overall.
I found this pretty bland. The story of the production of this album is far more interesting that any tracks found within in it.
With the exception of the interlude, it sounded like someone trying to make the most generic 90s-alt album possible. Not bad, not remarkable.
Cool, Coldplay was inspired
It's an alright, mellow rock album. Nothing really stood out but the lyrics seem nice. Probably wouldn't be bummed out if I never came across this one again.
Great album. Thought it would be some mopey rock but actually wasn’t
Decent sounds and a good vibe. Overall not super memorable though. Nothing in particular stood out, but I enjoyed the album overall.
A little bit unmemorable, I have to say. The Verve can write good songs sometimes and this album alone is pretty decent to me, but ir they are just songs. Not even outstanding songs. Probably a 2.5/5.
Its too brit pop generic for me
These are the Bittersweet Symphony guys. The opening track A New Decade is very good. This Is Music is great too. On Your Own too. Self-titled song is cool. History is great with some strings. The album has lots of psychedelics sounds and droning. Pretty good overall.
It started quite good with a lot of noisy guitars but over the complete course it got lame. I will never become a britpop fan.
Inte imponerad. Inte ett dugg faktiskt.
Sure the get a bit poppy with the next record, but this is a psychedelic hit parade with many layers
every song on this is like 24 hours long, was pretty boring
Good rocking album
Not a bad album, but it's long and starts to drag on, IMO.
Rating: 3.5/10 So damn boring with no dynamic and variety whatsoever.
Taking the mdma rock of Madchester out of the Hacienda and into a dingy dive bar, keeping some of the groove, but mostly slowing everything down and adding layers of swirling shoegaze guitars covered in wah wah and reverb, this album is full of big sounds and spacious songs that spiral and sprawl out. It does that trippy pyschadelic thing of using drone notes and warm overdriven repetition of melodic loops to draw you in hypnotically, allowing the rest of the sound to work on the rest of your mind and body - the high-register loping basslines create a loose floaty feel, the gutiar leads introduce little phrases that repeat and interate and transform into fuzzy feedback and fade away. Blissed out music and depressing lyrics, the classic combo!
Right this is either gonna pleasantly surprise me or it's gonna be the most interminable basic britpop dross I've ever endured.
I thought this album had been going on longer than I expected, and I looked just to find that I was listening to the start of the second track. The average length of track on this is about five and a half minutes, just way too long for a bunch of songs that all sound the same, this album does not deserve to take up more than an hour of my time. The Verve are already on this list with Urban Hymns, which included Bittersweet Symphony, the only song I have ever heard from them otherwise. Are they really a band that was so good or influentual that they needed two entries? I know the editors of this list have an impossible task to please everyone, but this is one of the albums where you really wonder what the hell they were thinking.
Manc rock. Bottled swagger. Forgettable
More Oasis rock. I do like The Verve but don't miss that era.
Nothing here really stood out for me, did like the transitions though! Rating Bad (Strong ☆☆) Favorite Tracks: No Standouts.
Not bad. Another too long album.
I had never heard of this album before surprising as their later work is popular in North America. It shows you how insular the music industry can be. Excellent album and I’ve added it to my library.
Er rigtig godt album som jeg ikke kendte noget fra. Der er lidt for meget Oasis over det til tider. (ikke så tydelig Verve.) Jeg fik ikke lyst til at sætte den på igen da den var færdig, derfor 4.
Det er faktisk okay fedt. Lidt shoe-gaze, psych-rock agtigt
I thought it was a solid rock album but I wouldn't say it was very memorable and all kinda sounds the same, certainly not enough to put on this list considering other rock works that didn't make the cut. And honestly, why would anyone choose this over some peak grunge that was happening around the time of this album's release? 6/10.
I didn't know this band and I listened to about half of the album before giving up. I just didn't connect.
Pretty good for Brittpop, but still not quite my jam. Beats the hell out of Oasis and Blur however.
Sure, I guess why not.
It’s somewhere between decent and annoying. Too bad it doesn’t include their best songs.
I’ve always liked the Verve less than the other Britpop bands (still do) but did enjoy this album. I think I’ve tried their other two albums and didn’t get much out of them but the first half of this I liked a decent bit. Still it’s more of a like and never a love with any of these songs. I feel so bad for the guitarist after reading the background of this album. Sounds like a miserable time. Rating: 3.9
I don't understand much of the criticism that this album is getting from many of the reviewers here. While I don't find it groundbreaking in any way, I don't find it any more offensive than Coldplay or U2 but albums from those bands are consistently more highly-rated, for some reason. [Reprise] is an excellent send off to the album.
4/5
I like the Verve but not this album so much
It's not terrible or anything, but it did kind of blur into one.
The Verve before all the spiky edges were sanded down and they made gazillion-selling anthems. Inevitably, it's a bit longer than it might be but it proves that the drugs did work for a while.
I checked and I am delighted to report back that Bittersweet Symphony is NOT on this album. Imagine the revelry of the populace. Drinks fly in celebration. Confetti and streamers drape the teary eyed crowds who celebrate avoiding the lamest song of the 90’s. It’s a victory. Will the victory parade continue? THIS IS MUSIC *clap clap clap clap clap* THIS IS MUSIC. You get the idea. Actually, I’d like to provide a rebuttal. More of an amendment. This is bad music that is also stinky. Nothing sweet about this. My night terrors are back. The clockwork orange coded twink front and centre is usually the subject of these terrors. This song felt like drowning while having a college student attempt to woo you. I assume. With the Britpop, so goes the boredom. I wish I was on the intellectual plane that The Verve has ascended to here. One can only dream. Perhaps I haven’t suffered enough in my young life, but I have never experienced a longer 5 minutes. Another song and I might OD on the spot here. Get the NARCAN. Ok at least this is their second album. This whole thing has sounded like they’re completely out of ideas. Just quit. I don’t hate the idea of the riff here but the execution is overblown and the vocals remain brutal. Not in a “Br00tal kvlt” way either. Grim and Frostbitten in the worst possible fashion. Holy hell this is something else. One of the most excessive, masturbatory wastes of tape reel I’ve had the displeasure of experiencing. Hey. Take the last sentence and reapply. Why was this released? What needed to be expressed here? It’s certainly not coming across. What I hear is a group of guys with nothing to say, trying to be cool and ultimately failing. Well apparently not, as they’re on this list. So. Congrats. Acoustic Soundgarden set and Chris Cornell has a cold and a case of the East London chimney sweeps. This is the least obnoxious vocal we’ve heard, but this is still silence masquerading as a song. Maybe this album is a protest. If Oasis believed they were the most artistically abstract band to ever exist. I also retract my statement about the obnoxiousness of the vocals. Hmmm interesting. HIStory??? Breaking news. Verve cancelled. Villagers rejoice. A lot of rejoicing in this review despite some of the worst music I’ve endured this year. And this list throws down the gauntlet. Another one of the worst songs ever written. Please end. Every. Song. Is. 5. Minutes. Long. And. The. Same. Somehow we fit in a lousy truck commercial riff in here. Try that in a small town. I don’t need a reprise of anything. Perhaps a violent reprisal against this waste of 60 plus minutes. Wait it’s 54. Genuinely slowed down time. This is an iceberg drifting into the warming ocean for a final time. The slow onset of apocalypse. A collection of songs somehow worse than Bittersweet Symphony. They may stylize the words different but I don’t care. This sounded like people who do coke imitating people who do other kinds of drugs. This is music by and for people who believe they’re on an elevated plane, but they’re just boring simpletons sitting in caves lined with Warhol prints, desperately swiping left on anybody who looks too old for 18 on tinder. Every hurl of the vocals induced nausea, every nothing riff went nowhere, and I was thoroughly angered by the very idea that this was conceived and released. Seemingly with malice for art and a need for acceptance into the world of cool. This is as good as releasing feedback for 60 minutes. I would’ve preferred that as a protest or piece of anti-music. The Verve produced a slab of prententious garbage dripping with self-importance and a false sense of artistic merit. Only the biggest of pseudo-intellectuals need apply. If you get one skip throughout this endeavour, it would not be wasted on “A Northern Soul.” I wish I had afforded myself the same mercy. 0 HIGHLIGHTS: Having this behind me. Never to be heard again.
This album really clicked with me! I have always liked Richard Ashcroft's vocals and The Verve in general but never got around to listening to them properly. This album was a very pleasant surprise. A 21st century version of psychedelic rock. No bad songs, beautiful soundscapes. They seem to be mentioned quite often with Oasis but there is no comparison in my book. A 4 or maybe a 5. Go on then, a 5.
Listening to it now, this is something of a mess. There's nothing NOT to like here, specifically, but somehow it doesn't really add up to anything.
I get it... They say this record is so shoe-gaze-adjacent and 90's indie... it weighs heavy on my heart I got so bored within 2 tracks I bailed. Although I tried a repeated retry it was a bittersweet gutterball.
I expected to hate this and I was correct to. Boring music made by boring people to be played by Mondeo men.
The guitars are so fuzzy they just become static at certain points and his voice can peel paint. If I want a mid tier 90s brit band I'd just listen to pulp. No thanks
This is fine, sounds like this groups other albums. Not something I enjoy but I don't think it's bad.
I'm just amazed that one of these guys managed to look like all 4 Beatles at the same time
I liked Urban Hymns better, but it's still pretty boring overall.... reminds me of one of those bands that sounds like a lot of other bands during their era but didn't quite find their own sound. Maybe harsh. Probably won't listen again
Who outside the UK even knew these guys had more than one record. Though I think I like this one slightly better than the other. Second rate Oasis in any case.
Loved the other album but this one... kinda boring
Oasis light
Really interesting how a soundscape I like managed to not produce a single song I like.
Meh
Very 90s post-grunge Brit-rock. You know how every decade has its huge, tentpole, genre-defining bands? And then there are dozens of bands that sort of dance around that band, sounding vaguely the same as the other coalescing bands trying to recreate the magic of the tentpole band? This is one of the secondary bands. Not awful, but sort of cookie-cutter, and very much of its time. Since I very much like the 90s sound, I didn't mind it. I enjoyed some songs and some were kind of annoying, and all were pretty forgettable.
IKKE behov for 2 The Verve albums på den her liste!!!!!! Hvorfor er den over en time lang!!!!!!!!!!!
Lyden kan være virkelig cool, men sangene er meget hit-or-miss og pladen er alt for lang
I liked this better than Urban Hymns, but it's still pretty boring. I felt like the last part was the best, because it turned more noisy, shoegazey, which I liked. But I don't know if it was just me reaching for anything likable on this album.
Far removed from their classic album, this just sounds a bit unfocused for me
Favorite Track: History
eh, won't revisit but wasn't unlistenable
Some decent bits, doesn't reach its full potential it feels
The Verve was a British band that had a short but very successful career. A Northern Soul was their second album, which met with significant critical success, but limited commercial success. Their third album included the single "Bittersweet Symphony," which was incredibly successful, and unfortunately led to the band's demise. Their fame has led to renewed interest in their earlier work, and A Northern Soul got a "second look," both from critical and commercial audiences. The Verve were one of the bands to dominate Brit pop in the 90s. They made a guitar-driven, psychedelic version of alt rock. This is an interest collection of songs that was fortunate enough to get a re-evaluation.
группа одного хуесосного хита
The problem with the CD era is that some bands feel that they need to fill as much of the available space as they can. The Verve have done this by dragging perfectly decent songs to well past their ‘bored-by’ date. There's a lot dreamy guitar on this album. Except it’s so dreamy that the best time/place to listen is on earbuds at bedtime if you suffer from insomnia. And that’s not a bad thing. I think I could really like this album if I managed to listen another 4 or 5 times. But I can’t be arsed.
Some decent parts of this album. Liked the music on a few songs, lyrically was mostly forgettable. Okay album. 3/5 Might listen again
This album kicks ass. Right from the opening bass and drums this was exactly what I needed. Dig the guitars, lots of swagger in the vocals. I enjoyed this album a lot.
This was fine, really just had 2 or 3 big highlights surrounded by passable music. Album's a bit too long though
Well that was an ordeal. No they’re only known for Bitter Sweet Symphony
Nothing on here that’s quite Bittersweet Symphony levels. But pleasant enough. Simpsons: No
Found this quite boring and was glad when it ended.
It was ok. History is probably the only song that would be worth listening to again.
Enjoyed lots of it but it didn’t grab me and dragged a bit. A high 3
Way too much of this mid-90s dirge. I can see Urban Hymns being on the list, but not sure this one deserves to make the cut.
I know one song of theirs, Bittersweet Symphony. I know nothing else. Interested to see what this sounds like. Not really my style of music, maybe 3 stars. Very rocking though. Very British rock too.
started great, ended meandering and so boring.
Forgettable
Woefully generic. Generic in sound, generic in lyrics, even generic in album art. Generic, generic, generic. In the most woeful way. Nothing about this was remarkable except how boring it was. I say it’s woefully generic because there definitely could’ve been something here. The sound isn’t captivating or interesting. Nearly every song, especially near the end, sounded the same. But there’s a foundation here, ideas that could’ve been built upon. Shorten some of the songs (seriously - why the hell were there songs longer than 5 minutes on this album?? They really thought they were THAT good??), work on the lyrics, and add some energy. There could easily be something here. As it is, there isn’t. Honestly, the lyrics might’ve been the most generic thing about this. They’re all so vague and rely on cliches. They don’t say anything profound, despite being sung with the confidence and conviction of someone who truly believes that they do. It really felt like they believed they’d created something truly meaningful and insightful. Which is sad because they truly didn’t. It was just forgettable. Which is almost worse than just being outright bad. I suspect this album’s inclusion is yet another example of the sheer, unabashed, blatant UK bias of the editors of the book. Based on this album, the Verve probably don’t deserve one album on this list but I believe they have at least two. I shudder to think of all the great bands and artists that lost a spot to The fucking Verve. One star. I never need to listen to this again. I don’t want to listen to this again. Standout Track: This is Music
One of the things about britpop is that a lot of these bands over here are known for the one song. Blur is known for "Song 2" (a billion streams). Oasis is known for "Wonderwall" (a billion streams). And The Verve is known for "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (a billion streams). But this album came BEFORE their big hit. Having said that, there is a lot to like here, but some of the songs do overstay their welcome ("A Northern Soul," for example). And really, we didn't need the falsetto on "On Your Own". The instrumentals felt a little jammy, like you had to be there to "get it". But the music as a whole had a very psychedelic to it. I dug it. Top tracks: "A New Decade," "Brainstorm Interlude," "Life's An Ocean"
This album left with me mixed emotions. Initially, I was annoyed to even see a second album by The Verve. Their big breakthrough Urban Hymns wasn't that special in my opinion - good but not great. And it was very well-regarded by critics so it's not as if it was commercially successful but not musically accomplished. Upon listening to this album, I was struck by the first bunch of songs and wondered if I might like it more than their big follow-up. It's sort of trippy and Brit-grungy, with higher tone distortion (not low fuzzy distortion of American grunge). A New Decade, This is Music, So It Goes, the title track, and Brainstorm Interlude (5 of the first 6) all have that sort of slow-building and brooding buzz that is captivating. And except for the last one, they have a crooning from Richard Ashcroft that you can hang on. That was my one knock on the other song of the first 6, On Your Own. Ashcroft's vocals are a bit different and the high pitched stuff toward the end isn't as good. The second half of the album kept it up for the first few songs - I quite enjoyed Drive You Home, History, and No Knock on My Door. The last 3 songs sort of dropped off; too decadent, long, boring, aimless. Still, we're talking at least two-thirds of the album that I thought was pretty good. Does that mean this album is better than Urban Hymns? I had to go back to it to listen again and compare. Yeah, it's better. I'd say half of the songs on Urban Hymns are too decadent, long, boring, aimless and they come about every other song. It has some great singles but the rest is pedestrian. This album is more consistent, and it gets on a real roll before it runs out of steam. It should be their only entry on this list.
You know what the 1001 needs? More Britpop! No, not really. I liked Urban Hymns a lot more than I expected, but this one didn't measure up (and I don't see why we needed two albums by The Verve). My main issue with this album was how lousy the guitars sounded - there's an undertone of feedback/noise in almost every song. I read that they were looking for a "raw" sound on this album but it just ends up sounding crappy. It's a shame, because the bones of the songs are good, even if a lot of the music is pretty generic 90s heavy whiny Britpop (with a lot of ballads apparently). This album just didn't do it for me and was getting more on my nerves the more I listened. Oh, well. Ok-ish tracks: This is Music, History. Liked parts of Life's an Ocean and Stormy Clouds (liked the riff on the chorus), but both tracks dragged on and the end of Stormy Clouds had more of the noises I can't stand. The final "(reprise)" track is a perfect example of what I mean in terms of noise/feedback. So done with this album. One other note - the Wikipedia entry for this album is absurdly long. I've committed to listening to every album on the 1001 at least twice. Glad I didn't commit to reading every Wiki article...
Better than Urban Hymns with a more full embrace of neo-psych, but never quite interesting enough to catch my interest.
The musical equivalent of an hour-long, British, yawn. Never understood the hype. I think this is the second of theirs on this list, but clearly that wasn't memorable either.
Listened: 13/02/2025 Album no: 20 % rating: 23% Fave Song: BRITPOP RLLY NOT MAH FING BRO. GOT 3 TRACKS INTO DIS AND TURNED IT OFF. Maybe I’ll try again down the line but yeah, really not for me even if they are from Wigan.
The downward trajectory of this band from A Storm in Heaven is real and I'll die on that hill.
Really good!
This album was such a neutered mixture of both 90s radiohead and grunge music. Some nice string elements that you could definitely see translate to Bittersweet Symphony. 2.3/5 -> 2/5
Don't really love any of this, it's fine, but not my favorite
OK album. They have a cool sound but I wish there was some variety. I found it pretty monotonous.
This starts out so strong, but loses steam halfway through. By the last few songs I was very ready for it to be over, which I wasn’t expecting. The sameness got to me.
Dit album heeft wel aardige nummers en de band is zeker niet slecht. Het is echter wel een beetje 13 in een dozijn. Lijkt op heel veel Engelse bands uit die tijd. Deze mist echter de leuke melodietjes of pakkende refreintjes. **
Oído pero no escuchado, tiende a ser repetitivo en mi caso como todas bandas británicas de ésa década, Oasis, Blur, no sé, al menos Blur experimenta más entre canciones. Las melodías son buenas por mementos, la voz no destaca ni es memorable.
I did not expect such a boring album by The Verve. I knew only Bittersweet Symphony before, and stylistically this song matches A Northern Soul, but it just lacks a hook making it a boring slugfest. I honestly imagined it to be more britrock than britpop. Not on the same level as other records from the genre.
Good 90’s album
Not a bad experience, but sort of meshes together about quarter of the way through, so it's hard to differentiate where one song ends, and another one begins. Classic brit pop/shoegaze album sonically. Lyrical themes lacked a bit in my opinion. Would give it 2.5 if I could.
Waited too late and was pretty tired, but really liked this one. Nothing stood out specifically better than other tracks, but i thought all were equally solid. 4.5/5
One verve album on this list is understandable and enough. It isn't this album though
I like the Verve. This is bland and uninspired. Absolutely could die without it.
It’s 5am, Wednesday morning at work. It’s cold as hell, our heater stopped working. I’m tired, another 9th place at UW melee last night. But the vibes are all good. So maybe the tired is getting to me, but I feel like this album couldn’t give me a break. Sonically, it was just so constantly full of noise. I want to understand this trend, I want to know what led to this being somewhat commonplace in the genre of british pop / post rock / y2k rock. Did Radiohead just blow the doors down for this sound and then everyone tried to follow suit? I could barely grasp onto any melody or lyrical hook because it felt so buried in the brigade of guitar reverb but also prolonged vocal performances but also loud percussion but also full looping bass lines. “Brainstorm Interlude” is perhaps the worst offender of this noise blitzkrieg. My highlight is probably the more mellow reprieve from all the noise, “On Your Own.” I wanted to like this more than I did, and think I would like the songs if they were composed and performed with less of a deluge of reverb and echo and noise coming at me from all angles
Oh nooooooo. I’m officially sick of the mid 1990s britpop acts. This one is particularly bad. The lyrics suck. Generic and basic and nothing about this album works. None of it will be remembered. It’s too dull to hate which makes it one of the worst albums on here
2 Verve records on this list!?!?!?!?!? What a shit band.
7/10
To me, this is the real "The Verve." "Bittersweet Symphony" is a good song, and that album is also incredible, but "A Northern Soul" is really what they were as younger lads putting their own sound out into the world. The sound is a mix of "shoegaze" and the same Manchester sound that led Oasis in the direction they went. It really is a sound that has to wash over you, and I think Ashcroft has his own unique voice and lyrics that help separate them from what could have ended up as much more niche (as many shoegaze bands are).
The Verve's second album is more psychedelic than their debut and less commercial than their third one. I love the intensity and the hypnotic sound of 'A Northern Soul', it's also quite dark and mellow. 'History' is one of, if not *the* finest moment in the band's career. I love their music, it's my kind of thing an I think they were one of the best in the mid-90s UK alter rock/psychedelic rock scene (I don't consider them britpop, because they were vastly different from Blur/Oasis). It's one of those times I wished we could give half stars as well, because this album is better than most of my 4 star albums, but a bit worse than my 5 star albums. I rounded up Bittersweet Symphony, so I round down this one, but it's a strong 4.5 star album.
Will definitely revisit, could be a 5 in time.
I typically find that drug-fueled albums highlight why I believe artists should abstain during writing and recording... Regardless of the hype and fan-mania that many works borne from narcotics abuse seem to attract, I usually find one listen enough to convince me that I'd need to partake of some illicit substances myself to enjoy them. A Northern Soul, then, surprised me immensely and has earned its place as a new personal favourite. I gave four stars to Urban Hymns, and as that album seems generally considered to be The Verve's magnum opus, I was expecting to deliver a lower rating for A Northern Soul, but how wrong I was. It's definitely one album that I am glad I took time to listen to. I love the energy of it along with the musicianship in general. The only track I didn't really like was "Drive You Home"... It's a bit whiney, goes on too long, and just seems to be at odds with the rest of the album. Still, it doesn't detract enough to lower my appreciation of the album as a whole. I will certainly be adding this one to my Tidal library, and giving it five stars. While The Verve are famous for their proclamation that "The Drugs Don't Work", I think that in the creation of A Northern Soul, the drugs worked very well indeed. In fact, the album probably makes a very good job of promoting the mind-altering benefits of Ecstasy. If I was a few years younger, it might even have inspired me to give it a try.
Oh it's good
You know that bit in Snatch where the pikeys fight back and burn it all down, Brick Top has his world come down around him and Brad Pitt is just standing there all cold and shit. This whole album is that moment, just non stop. Except that bit had Oasis doing the song, which means it was just better.
Repetitive and dull
Probably would have pretended to like it when I was 15
It insists upon itself
Not bad. Started strong. Faded but came back. Not sure it belongs in the book as it was a typical 90s album but a decent listen.
Reprise was definitely the best part of this album. I don’t find this band’s lyrics or singing particularly compelling, but I enjoy the instrumental sections quite a bit.
This was fine - a consistent moderately psychedelic brit pop sound. I know a few Verve songs because I'm a child of the '90s but I'd never listened to one of their albums before. It was fun to read about their shenanigans recording, fighting with Oasis, crashing cars, doing Ecstasy etc etc.
I would have given it a 5, but some of the songs got kind of whiny.
I only know The Verve from their biggest success, Bitter Sweet Symphony. I liked it back then. However, I listened to it too often. Eventually it got on my nerves. I found the band's other stuff uninteresting. And I feel the same way about this album, uninteresting. Like other commentators here, it's not clear to me why The Verve is represented on the list with more than one album. 3/5
I liked it but it’s different
They were a one hit wonder. That hit is not on this record. Even one album on the list is very generous, but it definitely shouldn't be this one. It's like an even more boring version of Oasis. Nothing stands out.
Not too bad. I still hate how similar all these British rock bands of the 90s sounded. I’ll give them a few more points than I’d give your average Blur or Oasis album though — the really atmospheric, woozy space-rock moments on this album were cool. Not a must-listen, though.
4, but bonus point for History, so 5
I liked it but not a lot
The Verve had soooo much promise - this isn't 'the' album for them, but it's still good. However, we both noticed that it became background noise rather quickly..
Not into this. It’s one note and fades into the background. Very similar to The Thrills.
While I appreciate what these guys do - a second album on this list? Again - seriously?
I was hoping to at least like this, but found it messy and unfocused.
I've become quite reasonably wary when a Britpop album shows up on this list, since that has been one of the main avenues the author of the list used to shovel garbage in my direction (though I have benefited immensely from his musical selections in other sub-genres). This album was a very pleasant surprise. I liked it better than the previous Verve album. It sounds great for a mid-90s album, both of it's time and yet very much its own thing. The song-writing and the production come together really well. You could have told me that this album came out 10 years after it did, and I still would have been impressed with it 4/5
Sounds almost like a mix of U2 and Oasis. Not in a bad way.
You start listeing while doing some chore, but find yourself wondering when the next track is going to start, because the current track isn't very good to begin with. Then, suddenly, the album has finished playing. This, in a nutshell, is The Verve's A Northern Soul. 2/5
Wasn’t my cup of tea. It wasn’t bad per say just seemed very dull and boring.
Highlight: Brainstorm Interlude Part Britpop, part psych rock. Occasional great guitar work, mediocre and long-winded as a whole compared to the glut of Britpop albums by other artists. And this is coming from someone who likes Britpop. Overall: 1/10
Didn’t feel exciting, not bad but not good
I don't think I finished the majority of songs on this album, which is a rarity. Painfully boring, that's my main takeaway.
Great memories. Good album.
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. 3⭐️
I like The Verve, but A Northern Soul has nothing on Urban Hymns. I don't think there's a need for this one to be on the 1001 list. Something in its melancholic electric guitar intro drew me into So It Goes, but the rest of the album sounded like pretty straightforward Britpop.
Solid
Average. Very average. This feels like the middle ground between raw emotion and grand, cinematic gestures. Imagine if Oasis traded swagger for introspection or if Massive Attack went guitar-heavy. It’s atmospheric, with tiny moments breaking through the weight of it all.
i checked out my other review for this band on this site and it talked about nostalgia. that’s honestly the best descriptor of this band for whatever reason. it’s not REAL nostalgia because i’ve only heard of them from this site but it’s just baked into their music. it’s very cool every time
aside from History this album is nothing to write home about, quite dull in fact - Urban Hymns better be on this list
This is torturous. Caught between wanting to sound like Radiohead and Oasis, but none of the good parts of Radiohead and only the bad parts of Oasis (of which there are many). I'd say that I can't believe there's more than one album from this bore of a band on this list, but that would have required me to not be paying attention for the last 400+ albums. Case in point: "On Your Own" this is horrible drivel. A very skippable track. I encourage you to do so before the vocals kick in. You might want to skip the following one too. Also, this is a more general observation: they're really just making Deluxe editions of any album these days, aren't they? Who needs an extra two hours of this sonic atrocity?
Está bien pero falta la supercancion del siguiente
It really is a Bittersweet Symphony that that song is not on this album. This is entirely forgettable and boring.
This was ok. Less formulaic than the Verve I’m familiar with (I also forgot that we’d had the other one). Track 1 was the highlight.
Pretty bland cod-psychadelia. Left no impression
3 - Thought I was going to really love this but found it pretty generic
Okay, but mostly just sludgy boring indie rock 3/5
Not bad...but just OK.
Never heard the album before. The Verve isn't horrible, but their albums are unremarkable. The lead singer's voice sounds unintentionally off-key multiple times on the album. I don't think the album deserves to be on the list.
Not horrible, but far to droney to listen to again.
generic 90s alt rock
aggressively mid in a way that makes me feel less bad that i only knew this band from the one song of there's everyone knows
I'M GONNA DIE ALONE IN BED x100. The lyrics seem mostly there to fill the space with sound. Surprisingly decent little album. Every song flows into one another and half orchestra in the background adds a lot of layers.
A little dissonance, a little blah, some annoyance, but nothing interesting or entertaining here - nothing got my attention.
Objectively, this album should probably get 3 stars, however, I found it so unremarkable and forgettable that I felt appalled it should be included on this list, and for that reason lower my score to 2.
it improved but was hard to get into tbh
The vocals are all that very familiar sound of Bittersweet Symphony with a harmonious, lilting, musical side.
Not bad but this is another UK centric entry, just not terribly interesting, not sure why it's on the 1001.
7/10. Almost what I like but a little too “whiny British” for my liking. Mix between oasis and grunge with a tinge of Radiohead (the part I dislike). Vocals are all over the place. First 2 tracks are very strong
In a word, whiny. And not even the album everyone knows. Oh god, is that one coming up too?
The album sounds really good. It has its ups and downs but those guitars kick heavy. Britpop meets shoegaze.
Meh. 2/5
Not a patch on their debut
I know the band but not this album or any of the tracks. I was excited to get into this one and was immediately let down by the first two songs which were just 90's noise. The Verve I came to know showed it's head after that but I still didn't get into it. The songs were ALL too long, the melody was missing & the songs just wandered aimlessly. No real hooks, just repetitive, dark, averagely bland 90's rock. If I had to choose the two best songs: "On Your Own" & "History". I heard nothing that would ever make me want to listen to this album again. 2 stars, tops. Not 1001 worthy.
1/5. I love jam albums because the band can just vibe and show off their talents. This feels like structured jams and that feels bad. Plus it's Britpop and this was a miss overall. It had high hopes from the get go since the first few songs were good but they basically took the same song structure and slowed it down or sped it up. It's a verse, chorus, and then constant repeating of the same line until the song ends. I wanted a good Britpop album but the chances are usually low. There are like 5 good ones total of the 30+ on this list. Oh well, maybe next time. I wanted to give it at least a 2 but I'm not coming back to this one ever. Best Song: This is Music, A New Decade
I do like this more chaotic and psychedelic take on britpop. Is this even britpop? Or is it more in the Spiritualized lane of neo-psych. Either way, some good songs, some forgettable ones. Overall pretty good. Key tracks: A New Decade On Your Own History
another masterpiece by a band who only made em..
Really good. Mid 90s rock is not really my jam, but there is real artistry in this one. Good job, guys!
Northern Soul was always a genre me and Len wanted to really get into. Something we both had a real affinity towards. We told Ashcroft that this was a misleading title if it wasn’t packed with Northern Soul. He simple replied ‘where’s the houmous and chutney then lads?’….alright soft lad. Pipe down. Over the moon that it was only downhill for him from here. Only idiots think Urban Hymns is better than this. 4.1
3.49
A Northern Soul is the second studio album by The Verve, originally released in 1995. I've never listened to The Verve before starting this list. There's a few of their albums on here. I've dug everything I've heard so far. This album wasn't my favorite of theirs, but it was still pretty cool. This record is over an hour long, so some of the songs drag on a tiny bit but for the most part I enjoyed the jams. They're very psychedelic rock influenced but with that 90s alternative edge. Definitely gonna have to dig more into their discography.
Tussen Oasis en U2, veel van hetzelfde.
Okay. Why are there two albums from the Verve on here? At least Urban Hymns had the one song these guys are known for. A Northern Soul is not a justified album inclusion. I'm sorry. The album's fine. It's good. I just see nothing special about this album that justifies it being here. The sound is pretty similar to that of Urban Hymns. Again, I'm sorry that I have to compare the two, but I'm also not sorry at the same time. The writing is alright. The songs are way too long though. Why does the album end with a 6 minute instrumental track? That's something that you do if your band has exceptional talent like Pink Floyd, not if you're an okay alt-rock band that most people have forgotten about. The songs are good though. I would call this album good. I just don't see why it should be here. 3/5.
idk why lead singer man has to be giving me a stinky face on the album cover. So I'll deduct 2 points for that right off the bat. Otherwise, this one is pretty plain and forgettable. I've said this before, but it's really tough for me to get behind a band like The Verve having not one, but multiple albums on this list. Surely we can kick one out in place of another.
A record so devoid of spirit that its title becomes an accidental punch line.
Te weinig variatie qua tempo, dynamiek in de instrumentatie en zang, etc. Als het album 20 minuten korter was had dat me iets minder gestoord, maybe. Losse nummers hier en daar zijn niet verkeerd, maar als een geheel album voelt het te veel in het midden tussen de extremen van shoegaze en (alt) rock waardoor het niet echt iets eigens heeft. Nog minder zelfs als je bedenkt dat er in die periode al verschillende bands waren die een veel sterker eigen geluid hadden aan beide extremen zoals My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, Oasis, Radiohead, etc, waardoor dit gewoon in hun schaduw valt voor me.
Meestal niet van de britpop maar vind dit wel vet, zit wel diepgang in. Favo liedjes: title track, history
This was good as a whole, but not a single song stood out above the rest.
OK
If the Brits had to choose the greatest British band from the 90s, I'm sure they would say Radiohead or maybe Oasis. But if Brits had to choose the second greatest British band of the 90s, they could do worse than to say the Verve (Chumbawamba comes to mind, for instance). Of course, A Northern Soul does little to help the band's case. It is clearly one of the Verve's early trial and error albums, composed almost entirely of a crapulous, never ending grunge guitar riff. And God help them, the lyrics are rife with the worst trends of 90s rock: over indulgent pathos, oh so misunderstood, and generally super cringe. It seems evident that 2/3 the way through the album, someone put their foot down and demanded to include some songs that didn't all sound the same. 'History' is the point in the album where this happens. It is still underdeveloped as a song, but the immediate and persistent pairing of orchestral strings with not-unending-echo-guitar-riffs-for-fucking-once suddenly produces a workable sound, insisting on a sense of reemergence and discovery that plainly motivates the band. The next few songs, which still aren't really worth listening to again, similarly demonstrate more stuttering willingness to experiment. The Best 1001 Albums seems to include the lead-up efforts for several bands' most iconic albums, as if to demonstrate the bands' story arcs from mediocrity to legends, and they do so here with the Verve. The album is still shite, and I will not rate it well, but I love hearing the Verve's dramatic machinations and side quests on their path to British 90s rock glory, which would reach a triumphant apex two years later with the album Urban Hymns. It opens (and now I know why) with 'Bittersweet Symphony' in all of it's orchestral resplendence.
I know nothing of these guys outside bittersweet symphony. Their last album I listened to was right in the middle of the road. This one is also a 2*, nice, but just ok IMO, it all blended together.
Славный альбом. Славный предшественник Urban Hymns. Многие стилистические приколы из будущего альбома можно уже услышать на этом. Лично для меня не хватило не много разнообразия. Да и есть ощущение, что работу оценят лишь фанаты The Verve или Urban Hymns
nice pop rock favorite track: drive you home
Unforgettable album, a britpop masterpiece, not recognized by many.
Surprisingly decent and adventurous UK psych/space rock, if not a little repetitive towards the end.
I didn't expect much, but it's a pretty decent album.
I would have cut from 15 to 20 minutes to this album to prevent it from becoming uninteresting and repetitive, but I was really surprised by their spaced britpop sound. This band has great songs to deliver after all.
01) A New Decade - 7,0 02) This Is Music - 7,5 03) On Your Own - 7,5 04) So It Goes - 6,5 05) A Northern Soul - 7,0 06) Brainstorm Interlude - 7,0 07) Drive You Home - 7,0 08) History - 7,5 09) No Knock on My Door - 7,0 10) Life's an Ocean - 7,0 11) Stormy Clouds - 7,0 12) (Reprise) - 7,0 TOTAL: 7,08 (71/100) Current ranking: 213/346
I'd never heard any of these songs before, but I enjoyed it more than I expected! History in particular is a great song.
Hoy toca volver a The Verve, una de mis "bandas MTv". Disco oscuro, sexy, nos lleva en andas a través de su psicodelia y se termina sintiendo como si fuera una sola gran canción. Hasta mañana.
Nothing on here really stands out as much as Bitter Sweet Symphony. But they’re earnest, I’ll give them that.
Boring and repetitive. I can't believe there are (at least) two "The Verve" albums on this list...
Pretty moody very cohesive, not really my cup of tea though. A bit noisy and with whiny vocals
A lot more raw than Urban Hymns, but stil a cracker nonetheless
Liked this a lot. Very easy listening
History is pretty epic, kind of forgotten how huge The Verve were for a year or so
3.5
4.5 rounded down very nice! a little meandering but its ok cuz they were apparently zonked out of their gourds highlights: a new decade, this is music, a northern soul, drive you home (nov 1 2024)
These guys had one halfway decent album. This isn’t it. Pffft. 0 stars.
Gee, that was awful. Now I need cheering up. IN A NUTSHELL: Just because the English are too inhibited/embarrassed to share their true feelings doesn't mean we deserve to find out. Here some “Northerners” spend a disinhibited week vomiting up self pity and push whiney sounds into bloated undisciplined ‘scatalogue’ of their existential disquiet. Put all the saddest Oasis, Coldplay and The Verve songs in a blender to homogenise and drink it on a rainy Tuesday hungover rainy morning = the sound. Or “Music as emotional contagion - weaponised as a gently nauseating depressant.” A kind of bored exaltation LIKELY AUDIENCE: Then: Young brits unhappy in their jobs dissociating and self-medicating with lager, nicotine and shit Mediterranea holidays (rather than meaningful connection). Now: old white men wondering what went wrong with their life. And Britain. LISTEN to it IF: You don't have time to read "Chavs: The Demonisation of the Working Class" by Owen Jones, or Notes from a Small Island.- by Bill Byrson You want a succinct explanation of British emigration ANTIDOTES: "Tu vuò fà l'americano" - Lou Bega David Lee Roth - “Just a Gigolo / I Ain't Got Nobody” Imelda May “Johnny Got A Boom Boom” CONCLUSION / OUTCOMES More effective than placebo when used as a depressant. Not to be used when operating heavy machinery or when “cleaning a gun”.
I recently reviewed Urban Hymns by The Verve, and (spoiler alert) found it to be a load of boring, over-produced todge. But Urban Hymns at least had two pretty strong songs in Bittersweet Symphony and The Drugs Don't Work. A Northern Soul does not benefit from _any_ songs nearly that strong. Nothing on A Northern Soul is worthy to touch the hem of Bittersweet Symphony or The Drugs Don't Work. I find the songs amorphous, vague, unmemorable with turgid lyrics. A record company rep visited them in the studio, stating that he realized "that here was a band that were in the throes of excess. They were on the brink of collapsing or damaging themselves but at the same time hearing songs like 'A New Decade' or 'History' – you just heard that tension, almost darkness that was there. There were the classic highs and lows of a really drugged-up session and that was reflected in the music." Not a good thing, guys. The resulting album is an unfocussed, meandering, pretentious, rambling miasma. Andy Gill at The Independent lambasted the album, saying it was the audio "equivalent of crushed velvet flares sagging over scuffed plimsoles", adding that hearing the album was "undoubtedly the longest hour of my life so far." He said the band incorporated the "worst aspects of both the progressive guitar rock that is their clearest historical precedent, and the baggy scene that was current at their inception: sluggish and preposterously self-indulgent" There is bloat on this album; songs are too long and the meandering instrumentals remind me of incessant Jimi Hendrix jam sessions, slathered in delay and reverb, but with no discernable point or direction. 1.5 stars
It was fine. Atmospheric, but boring
Another Boring Basic British album from the list that brought you all those other Boring Basic British albums we now know and don't love. They sound like they want to be U2 so bad. A handful of tracks weren't terrible
Not great. Indie/90's alt rock mixed with fucking shoegaze.... Boring and unenthusiastic. Like, look at the dicks on the album cover.... If ya don't wanna make music, just don't ffs.... Don't moan and shuffle about staring at the ground while playing lackluster trash. Looks like the cover to a shitty vampire movie. Favourite songs: This is Music, A Northern Soul Least favourite songs: On Your Own, Brainstorm Interlude, Drive You Home, Stormy Clouds, (Reprise) 2/5
It’s ok, but not blowing me away. I might like this more after a few more listens. Or I might get tired of it really quickly. If I recall, the Verve was considered an alternative band, but they have a pretty solid Britpop vibe and that never really sits too well with me.
Ich dachte es geht nicht schlimmer als Oasis und Blur. Falsch gedacht. Larmoyante Langeweile in Musik gepresst. Schlimm.
Alternative rock. I didn’t like this album. It was almost too busy in most tracks, which made it difficult to actually listen to any particular part. It was also repetitive. My favorite song was the last one, a spacey instrumental, but even this lasted 2 minutes longer than it should have.
I do enjoy my British pop-rock, but over an hour of it was a bit much. I enjoyed it at first, but it kind of blended together after a while. I'm not sure if it was the fatigue or if the songs genuinely got less interesting.
Not heard this in a while. It probably is better than Urban Hymns to be honest, and History is definitely their best song. Fair play, it's stands up. Something of a midway point between decent shoegaze and half decent britpop/baggy, which it basically is. There are much fewer 'standout' tracks than on the poppier accessible Urban Hymns, which you could read as this being 'boring', or just a very chill vibe to drift off into, depending on your perspective. I'm in the latter camp. Definitely grow into this as it goes along. Really takes me back, I don't think I've listened to it in 20 years. Enjoyed.
Shades of U2, the Replacements,
I totally missed this era of music. Nice to revist
Boring
This is music, and it's not very good. Favorite Track: "This Is Music".
Meh
The verve only have one good song and and it’s not even on this album
Итс окэй. Лучшая песня - History.
**An ok album
I have always loved this album and listened to it often. As I get older, I do struggle to listen to it too frequently as the backend is very good but a bit mellow. I like pretty much every song, yet find myself having difficulty adding it to my collection. Still, there isn't a misfire on this album even if some of the songs go too long. This is the kind of music that requires repeat listenings and eventually it creeps into your soul and you find yourself singing "Stormy Clouds" randomly. The instrumentals are probably not necessary but all the songs with words are great. Highly recommend this listen as this is the more interesting and prog-rock version (not really) of brit-pop. "History" foreshadows where the group would go next and is just a great song.
ach, to ci od tej jednej piosenki, ale nie z tej płyty
I do not like shoegaze music. It's long, overly distorted, and meandering. It doesn't have any of the charm or creativity of prog rock, and it sounds like what you would play in a dive bar when you dont want anyone to actually realize there is music playing. I think this was slightly better than my bloody valentine and definitely better than Jesus and the Mary Chain, but by the track Brainstorm Interlude, I remembered I just don't care for it. So It Goes was an ok song.
Being bloated at 12 tracks tells you all you need to know.
Overall aged to meh.
I liked them when they came put ut this album is way too repetitive amd has not held up through the test of time. It sounds like the same song for the first 6 songs. They are good musicoans and band and feel the type of music had not let the band go to fullest of potential.
Only knowing 'The Drugs Don't Work' and of course 'Bittersweet Symphony' I would thought there would be more acoustic stuff here and didn't expect it to sound as psychedelic as it does. Perhaps could have been cut down by 10 minutes. Can definitely hear elements of Oasis and Radiohead. Overall, a long album with lots of spaced psychedelic guitar and I enjoyed it because of that, not despite it. A very high 3. Perhaps Urban Hymns is on the list and is better.
The whine is like nails on a chalkboard.
I didn't really mind this, but I also didn't care for it all that much... I guess. It's nice background music, I'll give them that at least. 2.5 stars
There isn’t much here for me. It’s 90s rock where the singer’s voice can’t keep up with his vision. Their slower songs are better in my opinion, but not by much.
Ce n'est vraiment pas un mauvais album, mais un autre cas classique de "Pourquoi lui plus qu'un autre". 6/10
Typ 3,5 lite entonig britpop
Solid, but not a stand out
Great production. Just ok songs. Strikes me as their Be Here Now. A band flush on the high of superstardom decides there's magic in first drafts and first takes and whatever happens when they hit the red record button is GOLD and deserves to go on the record. It wasn't bad. And maybe I'll listen again later and feel differently. But this was another example of an album that just does not belong on any MUST LISTEN list.
It's fairly middle of the road stuff. Dragged down by longer songs that don't really go anywhere. The title track is a bit better, with a heavier groove, and at least Brainstorm Interlude is trying to do something different with a more psychedelic sound. Overall, too long and not enough here to warrant a repeat listen. Highlights: On Your Own, History
A different type of 90's sound. As advertised, somewhat more soulful.
Dull, poorly mixed wall of noise with some weak singing, definitely not for me
3.4 1x catch up on flight to SFO 10/1
Just another Brit rock album, but kinda fun
A very nearly lost classic of britpop, since they split up shortly after it was released. They went on to be massive, and rightly so, but this album slhas an innocence and naivety that their later work slightly lacked. 'History' is probably my favourite song by the verve, and one of my favourite tracks of the 90s in general
Seems kinda like a cop-out but they just sound like Oasis with a little more of an alt rock vibe to me
I knew of The Verve but didn't know what to expect on this album. I liked the drumming and the fuzzy, distorted guitar work. Cutting out 2-3 songs would have made this a stronger album but I enjoyed it.
don't like this band overrated
Not any good tbh. Can see why people like it, but not for me
A couple good songs but that’s the story of the Verve.
Same as my general opinion of britpop: "it's ok I guess..."
Good album. Some superb tunes but Urban Hymns better.
first few songs were actually pretty unbearable and then i suddenly was sat. fav tracks drive you home (i think its called), history and the closing track
i think i'm supposed to really like it but its quite dull. history is obviously very good mind you
Calling this dirge is generous, as is a 2* rating
Liked very much.
This particular brand of semi-whining, meandering 90's music has not aged well for me and man, this is "The 90's" the album as far as that kind of music goes. 1.5 stars
Instrumentals are excellent but I feel the singing is give or take. Songs are not so memorable for me but sound good in the moment.
It’s solid but started droning on. Kind of grungy, kind of sludgy, very 90s
Looong and whiny. I had enough of The Verve with Urban Hymns.
ummm...I suppose..., but do we really need to?
Really? These guys again? You considered all the music and thought we needed two albums by The Verve? No. I didn't hate it.
“A second Verve album on this list? With a runtime exceeding one hour?” My brain grumbled as it considered starting the 1069th listen in a multi-year journey. “Now, now… open mind,” I reminded myself. Listen one: I listened while trying to get through a pile of email and fell asleep sometime in the first 15 minutes. The repeat play was on, so the album was well into a second go-round when I regained consciousness. I listened to the remainder of the album through a groggy haze. I took a break from listening then decided to restart this album from the beginning to give it a proper listen while cleaning the kitchen. The groggy haze returned. This did not add an element of fun to the job that must be done. I felt like I was wading through a bog of syrup. Lying down on the floor instead of finishing the dishes had increasing appeal as the album droned on. At one point I thought this might better than the other Verve album on this list. Should I go back and doing some comparisons? Would this be better if I was just lolling about in a hammock? Then the album went on for another 50 minutes and by then I couldn’t be bothered with any more questions. I suppose this is fine but probably not worth all the energy I’ve put into writing this.
There were a few moments in the whole 90s Britpop thing that made it across the pond and even fewer of those songs that I actually like, but overall I consider The Verve, Pulp, Oasis, and all those other sentient haircuts to be churning out the same dreck that was emblematic of the Volume Wars of the 1990s. As though anyone really gives a shit what a white guy in 200-quid sunglasses has to complain about. Shut up already.
I liked the slower, less poppy songs much more. Overall it's just fine.
No more britpop, please. It's so boring. This one at least has some psychedelia influences that provide a BIT of interest, but not enough to make me excited about it. It's also far too long and plodding.
Dopo un album dei the Verve uscitomi tempo fa avevo poche aspettative ma questo mi è piaciuto di più, mi ha ricordato i Radiohead
I know it's not meant to be '1,001 BEST albums...' but still, not sure how this makes it onto the list. Nor can I understand how The Verve were so popular at the time, particularly with their indie-lads fanbase. Ponderous music under some very maudlin songs. I mean, it is pretty good but you know... Overdose dirges atop the pop chart? Different times 🙃
The instrumentation is always good and enjoyable enough, but the vocals really just plod on and feel apathetic. Hard to stay engaged and not feel like I'm waiting for it to be over.
Do not like
There's a decent sound here, but it just doesn't go anywhere.
Really enjoyed this album! I will have to return to the 3 hour deluxe version some other time, but this album sounds like more. 4/5
Pretty decent album, if not a bit dated. 3.3 stars