Reviews (page 7 of 8)
why is it so long????
That was junk
Awful
Pretty standard Britpop fare. Not bad, but nothing compelling.
Competent Manc indulgence. Eat some baked beans with Worcestershire sauce for the culinary equivalent.
cool
I love this genre a lot! But this album didn't really have anything special.
Le problème avec The Verve, c'est qu'on a l'impression qu'ils sont toujours à deux doigts de lâcher Bitter Sweet Symphony et cela nous empêche d'être totalement détendus.
Aucun intérêt, va chier Robert
Most of the album is somewhat languishing music to which I'm not in the mood. History is an amazing song though!
Nice album! Really enjoyed the overall sound of it.
I only knew The Verve from the hits off of Urban Hymns, I like this more alternative sound.
Best thing about this is that it allows me to drift into a nap
This moody vibe hit me at the right time
Listened to this two times now but it fails to leave any impression. I have no clue what the album sounds like
Urban Hymns was really good. This was not, it's just a bit boring and almost deliberately provocative to try to show how they're not defined by one record.
Everything's a bit slow, without the tunefulness and (ironically given the title) soulfulness of Urban Hymns. All the tracks are probably a minute too long (although tbh Urban Hymns was the same), and there's nothing on this album that's as arresting as the top 3 or 4 tracks from their earlier work. 2/5, washed over me pretty much completely.
A logical next step after the psychedelic haze of A Storm in Heaven, A Northern Soul finds The Verve placing their hearts on their sleeves both musically and lyrically, hanging their hats on their brand of intensity and overt epicness. One wouldn't think by listening to this that they were on the verge of falling apart around this time, but they were and sounded majestic whilst doing so. Bittersweet, really. Favorites: A New Decade, This is Music, On Your Own, So It Goes, A Northern Soul, Brainstorm Interlude, Drive You Home, History.
Inaudible et insupportable
The textures of these guitars make you feel like you’re in a float tank of tone. Reminds me of the tone of “Let It Be” era Beatles (obviously not a coincidence). Good to throw on for its vibes, but not music I feel emotionally connected to.
A solid 80s alternative album. The instrumentation is quite nice, though I found the lyricism and tone kind of lacking. Overall fine, and certainly not too boring.
Not really a sound I enjoy.
So very dull... tiresome beyond measure. Just drones on and on, no lively moments to lighten the mood, we're here to take Richard Ashcroft's breakup oh so seriously. Behaving like a proper artist when he's just a bore.
Ging mir nicht runter. 2-3 tolle Lieder "retten" das Album, das wars dann aber auch.
The information about this album here on the site is wrong. It should indicate that this is just an Oasis album with another name and not as successful as the others.
So much noise on this one. Really try to find a good tracks here but songs that I liked in the first listen didn't catch on second try. Therfore whole album is kinda rubbish to me, nothing stands as a solid point here. On Your Own best, Brainstorm Interlude worst track on the album.
As others have said, hard to tell one song from the next. Lyrics feel overly edgy and the best bits are when he stops singing.
Has a bit of a country music vibe to it. Especially On Your Own. Not really my thing, but good to explore The Verve a bit more outside of their most popular hits. It's easy listening I guess, but I don't see myself coming back to these songs. The song "A Northern Soul" is grating. I wanted to skip it but it became more tolerable after the intro. I was going to give this a 3 but I literally did not notice when the album ended, so it gets a 2.
Surprised by the reviews here as I thought this one was much better than whatever Bittersweet Symphony was off of. Yes, still overly gratuitous when it comes to the draggy ballads and overall track lengths, but there were some good guitar tones and bigger moments that actually worked pretty well.
Sombre et pesant, parfait pour mon état d’esprit. Les premières pistes ont capté mon attention, mais par la suite mon intérêt s’est dilué
Two decent tracks, the rest was music for Emmerdale characters to take heroin to
Meh
Big U2 influence. Reprise at the end got really spacey.
On day 748, I finally get to this album. It's not bad.. I would listen to it again, though to me there's no track that largely stands out. Abit different from the usual britpop, it has a more dreamy element to it, definitely less pop. 3.5
ya know pretty cool sometimes, not bad. a bit long. did not need to be an hour. but i liked a lot of it kinda. stormy clouds was pretty cool. ocean coulda been cut. i can sort of tell just by listening to this that they must think they are a very important group. they’re British so of course they’re going to think that. they’re neat, but they’re not that important.
A great Brit pop record but these guys have better records, still enjoyed though
3 tunnin ripuli jos haluaa koko deluxe vittuilun kuunnella heh, EN KUUNNELUT...RockIndieShoegazeBritpop PERFECT COMBINATION....LOVE IT... LOVE IT TO BITS.... heh globaali maybe global ratigns are ok... youre alright kid...semmosta history
lol at times these vocals remind me of The Bonsai Predicament. Other times just straight snooooozefest
Blah 1.2/5
Pretty ignorable
This was a bit boring. And I don’t know why they put a The Verve album on the list that isn’t Urban Hymns. They don’t really seem relevant enough for that.
I've heard their name before and I'm pretty sure I've heard some of their music. I like this album, and some of the tracks really stand out for me, like 'So It Goes' (the intro, by the way, reminds me of Phish's 'Prince Caspian', another song I like very much, with a little Velvet Underground mixed in...by the way, I make these comparisons as sincere compliments -- all music we hear is influenced, based off, or connected to so much other music; art in general works like that, and it's wonderful). 'Reprise' is an interesting exploration. Very nicely done.
Very similar to other 90s Brit pop/alt
I found this a bit dreary
Some brilliance (History), some excellent indie rock (This is music), some cool funky indie (Life's an ocean), some charming acoustic/strings on a par with Drugs don't work (On my own), some vaguely interesting indie shoegaze noodling (A northern star). The rest is weak.
Very different to Urban Hymns - it was like if Robbie Williams fronted a shoegaze band. Some really great stuff but lost its way meandering towards the end
Middling psychedelic brit-pop-rock. If I was wondering if any of The Verve's backlog was close in quality to the stellar Bittersweet Symphony, that question has now been resolved. There were some parts I enjoyed quite much, especially some more shoegaze-oriented parts. On the whole, this was pretty forgettable though.
Not a fan. Real 90s vibes
Maybe when I was 25. Maybe.
Nah… they’re a one-hit wonder band and you can’t convince me otherwise.
I was really into this about 15 years ago; I loved its combination of Spacemen 3 psych, shoegazey rock, and baggy tunes. Not a fan of The Verve's later work ("History" feels like a dry run for "Bittersweet Symphony"), but this is great.
classic Verve, half interesting half boring.
I was pretty bored with this. It isn’t a wonder these guys are considered one hit wonders here in the United States. I was just mostly uninterested with it all here.
Nothing bad here, just very unremarkable. Don’t know what else to say. It’s really a 2.5, but I’m being nice cuz the album didn’t do anything offensive.
Boring and just a bit whatever
A new decade - 3 This is music - 4 On your own - 4.5 So it goes - 3.5 Northern soul-2 Brainstorm- 2 Drive you home-3 History- 5 No knock-2.5 Life’s an ocean-2.5 Stormy clouds-3 Reprise-3 Started off strong and ended with a lull. Was thinking a 4 in the beginning but it ended up with too many forgettable tracks. Has some great songs though. History and on your own are great. Not as forgettable as others may suggest but I agree I could used a bit more excitement. Mid to high 3 Best: history, on your own, this is music
A classic Alt rock hangout that vibes for days and worthy of another listen at least.
A Northern Soul is inoffensive and for the most part sounds nice, but it doesn't really offer anything of substance for me. A lot of the lyrics had me going "What does any of this even mean?" The vocals are pleasing to listen to for the most part, but I felt they lacked emotion. When matched to the melancholic nature of the lyrics, everything just sort of feels meaningless. There's sadness there, I can see it in the lyrics, but I can't feel it in the music. I did really enjoy the track "History," which was one of the only songs that actually stood out to me. The breathing at the end of A New Decade reminded me of the George Washington rap by Brad Neely: https://youtu.be/qv6OOuPI5c0 Most of the tracks, in my opinion, drag on and on with a lot of repetition. If you like it, that is probably a good thing! For me, however, it just felt like every song was overstaying its welcome. Overall, A Northern Soul is just okay. Maybe I just don't "get it," but I don't get it and I don't plan to re-visit. It's a two from me, dawg.
Pretty sure I confused the Verve and The Verve Pipe throughout the years. The singers voice reminds a little bit of Bono from U2. Solid album with nice mixture of sounds and songs. Thought the 1st half of the album was much better than the 2nd, but nothing really really outright offensive. A few songs went on a little too long and probably could have cut off a few songs to get under an hour, but this is definitely an improvement over the last several albums we have reviewed. A few songs that stood out for me include A New Decade, So It Goes, A Northern Soul and my personal favorite, On Your Own. My biggest complaint is it went form a solid rock vibe to pretty mellow, but overall I thought these guys were pretty good. I'm may spend a little time and check out some of their other material. I'll give these guys a 3.5. With no half stars, the scorecard will show a 3. Just couldn't get to that 4 mark
Awesome album. It’s just a little long and could do without a few of the slower songs to help the pace. As a whole this is one of my favorites from this list so far. 5
2.5 I only knew Bittersweet Symphony by these guys going into this, a song that has such a unique sound to it (unless you ask The Rolling Stones), that I wasn’t sure what to expect from their other work. Fortunately, this album starts off STRONG with an absolutely explosive blast of alternative rock in A New Decade, and while I got strong Oasis vibes (not a bad thing), it felt heavier than anything else that I’ve heard from that era of Britpop. So, I really thought I had a fun, enjoyable listen ahead of me, but man, that runtime quickly hits you in the face like some asshole violating the rules of a mosh pit. There are only three songs under five minutes… and they’re the first three. Not that anything after that is bad by any means, but I also didn’t find any tracks particularly interesting enough to warrant them going over that 5-minute mark, and subsequently, I found myself checking in semi-regularly towards the end to see if I was almost finished. Really feel like this had the potential to be something great with a better sense of pacing. The more I listen to, the more I’m convinced Oasis is to Britpop what Nirvana is to grunge or My Bloody Valentine is to shoegaze… the band every other band of the genre is compared to, and for me, as good as the genre gets. Speaking of, supposedly Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft dedicated the title track A Northern Soul to Noel Gallagher, which is a pretty cool nod to a great musician and contemporary, but I couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at the line: “So come on, come in inside of me/Let's spread it all around” I’m assuming that’s some kind of metaphor, but either way - Happy Pride everyone! Ok, one more note - I stared at this album cover for longer than I’d like to admit. This has to be an homage to Queen right? Not that the arrangement of four heads in a diamond shape is necessarily a definitive Queen thing, but I can’t think of another band that’s done so off the top of my head. Also, is it just me, or do the guys on both the left and the right look lowkey like the illegitimate offspring of Jack White?
Great album. You can tell the band had ambition and an idea of how they wanted to grow their sound and it worked. The ballads are solid (which The Verve is known for after Urban Hymns), but the rockers are the stars on this record.
Really pretty songs. Huge production on the remastered version.
surprising and enjoyable how noisy and psychedelic this was for Britpop, but way too long and way too meandering as a full album of similar tracks
Unfortunately, not the kind of music I want to listen to for an hour, or for songs to be 5+ minutes
Drugged and brilliant.
Sounds a U2 cover band. Not great
I was expecting more of the Bitter Sweet Symphany but after resetting my expectations, this wasn't horrible. This was like the Brits version of grunge. They probably cared too much, which is why it didn't work as well as American grunge.
It was good, I just never got into them. Clearly they are a good band. just not my jam.
Rock alternativo.
Britpop, rock psicodélico. Ni fu ni fa.
I expected way more from the band who made bittersweet symphony.This album was such a dirge man.It’s an hour long and it just keeps going on with boring songs with too much reverb.It sounds like what I think people who don’t like Radiohead think Radiohead sound like.
Album 34 of 1001 The Verve - A Northern Soul Favorite Track : Drive You Home Rating : 3 / 5 Not bad. Sound like a lot of other bands. Songs were fine but all seemed quite similar.
Liked much more than I expected...much less obnoxious than Urban Hymmns, which I liked at the time, but find harder to enjoy as an adult
I couldn’t possibly be more bored listening to this uninspired drivel.
Really didn't care much for this one. I'm still open to hearing it again, but for now, it's just a 2.5 / 5
Less a collection of songs than a landscape of sound This blew me away Only knew them from Urban Hymns really (which is both as brilliant as this and more accessible) but this was a fantastically immersive listen
The album was good, I think I've discovered that The Verve is my cup of tea. The mellowness and chord progressions sits very well with me, been quite fond of shoegaze in general which I would consider this album to be to some degree. Unfortunately there was no song that really stood out to me, and the whole album sort of blended together a bit to me, probably something I would put on in the background to create a certain mood rather than actually "listen" to. I actually don't really see why it's on the list at all to be honest, the 'Urban Hymns' album was straight out better in all regards and this album doesn't feel like it brings anything special or something that you don't get from that other album.
Another The Verve album. I preferred Urban Hymns to this which i felt had more catchy tunes and hits (not just "Bitter Sweet Symthony"!). Nothing really stood out on this album but I generally enjoy the sound when I'm in the mood for ambient rock. I mean it is what says on the can, if you like The Verve and shoegaze, you will like this.
I really liked the style and instrumentation here, but almost every song went on for at least a minute too long. I wish they’d tightened it up.
I'm at least glad that Britpop is its own genre so I can easily tell when an album is going to suck. Not only are most of these songs boring but they are all too long.
I think Richard Ashcroft is a cool guy and this is a cool album. Low key britpop with a bit of swagger and musicality. The Verve, despite being the lesser exposed of the 90s lad bands somehow remains terminally uncool. Oasis and Blur have their accolytes, Pulp have their cult following (despite having at most three songs) and yet the verve. Who listens to *them*? Well, I did, twice, and possibly possibly never again.
I really didnt like this album. I had to skip through 1/2 way through some songs. Just whiny and drawn out.
I find when an album crosses an hour it’s usually too long. Clocking in at just over an hour this was no exception. I can’t point to what to cut but just not tight enough for me.
Not doing a whole lot for me. Can see the influence on Alf rock though.
Highlights: Drive You Home, (Reprise)
Ciężko było do końca dotrwać, bo wszystko jakieś takie nijakie i się zlało w jedną masę.
How is the fucking backing vocals in On Your Own hahaha wtf, first time I've ever laughed out loud at something terrible sounding in over 700 albums. What were they thinking. The whole thing is a big boring, way too long, overindulgent, swing and a miss attempt at some kind of rock ballad rip off that one hundred and fifty percent missed the mark. And the fucking delux version is 3 HOURS LONG. Absolute dog shit. PS. The closing track sounds exactly like the Boosh episode where they try and find the New Sound in the desert (not in a good way).
Biased again. Such a great, deep, atmosphericly but still pop-relatable sound. Ashcroft helped this ambitious Psych-Rockers to be digestible on a larger scale without selling out and - even more important - being forgotten like most of the 1 in a million Britpop outfits at that time. 4.7
There's a good reason the only Verve song that matters is Bittersweet Symphony
Grungier oasis.
Better then expected but nothing really great. But it had some good tunes!
Not a bad listen, underwhelming at times, but for the most part a decent effort. For me, so many Brit-pop bands remind me of Radiohead with Bono from U2 on vocals, which is okay, but a bit too generic sounding for my tastes.
Started strong and faded.
A bit slow and melancholy, not really a patch on Urban Hymns.
Ooh look, an hour long album that's all slow rocky ballads! And what's more, most of the songs are over 5 minutes long!
Nautinnollista musiikkia.. Jää jälkeen aikansa suurille nimille...
I’m sorry this album was never good
Drags on a lot, most songs are a couple of minutes too long
Good stuff
Precies wat steviger dan ik van The Verve verwachtte. Maar echt memorabel is het niet
Generally a good album with great vocals. Nothing stood out too much, but not in a bad way I guess. The album cover reminds me of Queen. Fave track(s): Life's An Ocean, Stormy Clouds
Hasn't aged well for me, muddy 90s still.
All songs sounded pretty similar
It was alright, I guess
Nice music, poppy
Tää ei oo ihan paha. Ei osu muhun suoranaisesti mutta ymmärrän minkälaista levyä tässä tavoitellaan. Jos tähän sais vähän ruutia lisää ja jonkun kivan muiston niin sit oltais jo lähellä. Annan tälle 2 mutta tää olis lähellä kolmosta.
Huoh onpa jännä valinta bändiltä. Debyytistä tykkään ja kolmas levy varmaan listalla myös.
Tuskasta vaikuttaa kumpuavan, mut nyt en ihan saanut kiinni. Tavallaan ihan kiinnostavaa, progehkoa menoa, mutta vähän tylsäksi jäi. 2/5
I didn’t pay much attention. I will come back to it at sont point.
The Verve are at an interesting crossroads on this album. Do they lean into the more experimental alternative side, or stay on the more melodic Britpop side. They tried to go both ways. The result is a very uneven album and one that is just too noisy at times. When they slow down and let the songs develop and the music meander, then they sound much more coherent. There is a way to blend melodic sensibilities with more experimental music (see Radiohead’s the Bends released the same year), but they do not succeed at doing that. Additionally, the runtime is too long. Having said all that, I do find that this album has some very beautiful moments.
I like the vibe of the music but there were just too many times the vocals were weak and discordant/shrill
A fitting title would be "An hour of sound". At least that'd give you the expectation that it is just sounds and not really music..
If I wanted to listen to whining and weird noises I’d listen to my toddler complain.
So apparently I'm a Verve fan now. Surprisingly good for the most part. Better than anything Oasis tried to feed us.
Has a distinct mid-90's Alt-Rock feel. Atmospheric vocals layered on flowing guitar and beats.
Not fully my style. Lots of noise and lots of mumbling without much redemption in catchy riffs or hooks.
Nice one, but not even comparable to Different Class, Dog Man Star, The Great Escape and Morning Glory
Look, I like Oasis so I like this... wait, this isn't Oasis? Oh, I guess it's not. I really was digging this until about half-way through when it bogged down and the vocals became less "Northern Soul" and more... off-key wail. It just loses all of its energy and vigor and goes flat. "A Northern Soul" was almost great but, on balance, it's just alright. Oasis did it better and with more guts.
I know more about The Verve and the crazy love triangle between Richard Ashcroft, Jason Pierce and Kate Radley than I do about any of their music. This album does not have the hits on it that I am familiar with. In general this is fine, it's big and loud which was very distinctive of Britpop in the 90s. But it's not for me at all.
The Verve before they were particularly bothered about songs. To fully appreciate this sonic onslaught I feel like I need to play it loud through speakers, sit in a comfy armchair, and fall into a trance while the psychedelic sounds wash over me. But I don’t think I could sustain a trance for 64 minutes; I’d get all restless and fidgety.
90’er indierock, britisk, meget fint, måske liiidt for flydende
This album was longer than it should have been- his voice was a little sleazy and just something i’d have to listen to. Nothing was really WRONG with the album but it was boring!
Seeing "The Verve" made me immediately realize how much I hated their later track Bitter Sweet Symphony which (in the US at least) was played incessantly and was/is boring mopey dreck. This is a bit different - I wouldn't call this anything remotely unique or remotely revolutionary, or.... even memorable? It's not *necessarily* a slight - it's essentially fairly decent British 90s rock but man does it get boring over the long haul. As for the occasional spin, it's not a bad thing. Perhaps damning with faint praise but eh you can do worse, although the more this goes on the more I want to downgrade to a 2... I suppose gimme any random 4 songs at a time from this and that's enough. 5/10 3 stars.
Another mediocre Brit alt rock album. At least this one was really long.
I do love a bit of The Verve and Richard Ashcroft. This isn’t my favourite Verve album, I prefer Urban Hymns but this was very welcome. Not sure if I could spin it twice on the trot because it tends to stay on a morose note and the songs all merge after a while. But not only does it have Northern Soul, it definitely has the soul of the North. it’s full of brooding and loss and loneliness. When you’re lying alone in bed, listening to Richard Ashcroft wailing ‘I’m gonna die alone in bed’ the prospect of ending up as food for your cats becomes almost palpable. Frankly, if this was a perfume, the base note would be self-flagellation and the top note would be incessant rain.
There was nothing on this album that stood out. It isn’t bad, it’s just not memorable. I’m going to listen to Bittersweet Symphony now. That gets 5 stars!
I bought "Urban Hymns" on the strength of "Bittersweet Symphony," but, try as I might, I could never get into the album. I repeatedly listened to it, thinking that something might click. I didn't dislike it, there just wasn't ever anything to grab hold of, even after repeated listens. For that reason, I was glad to get served a different album by the band — maybe this would be the album that spoke to me. I feel exactly the same about this album as I did the other. There are compelling moments and passages, there's an overall sound that has promise. But the material simply fails to stick. It's like the band is composing and playing for its own enjoyment without a care for the listener. That's fine. Have at it. There's lots of other stuff to listen to.
I really enjoyed much of the music. Some great, effects-drenched Neo-psychedelia. But that singer. Completely lacking in any sense of melody or even hooks. He sounded like a two-bit Bono with a dash of Jim Morrison, but without any of the talent or charisma of either singer. And he just wouldn't shut up. For that reason, I really dug that instrumental last song, "Reprise." Reminded me a bit of "Drown" by Smashing Pumpkins. 4 for the music. 1 for the singer. 2 for the songwriting.
I like this band but I would almost never think of putting on one of their albums. I love that semi-psychedelic sound in A Northern Soul (the song). Upon this listen I feel like I heard influence on bands that came after Brainstorm Interlude - Radiohead? Drive you Home - Jeff Tweedy?
Never been a huge Verve fan, and this album didn't do much to change that. If anything, seeing Cody Smit McPhee's dopplegangar at the bottom of this album cover makes things even more scary. I'm not sure what they were going for in this album, felt very similar to a lot of other middle of the road rock albums we've heard on this list.
Ever so slightly better than the Boo Radleys album we got the day before, but still not moving the needle. Three albums in a row that I would axe from this list. We already had the other Verve album with Bittersweet Symphony (which I think I liked more, but looking back, it was also a 2.5 for me), why do these guys deserve a second placement over great artists who aren't even on here once? To pick a random but dramatically more monumental album, swap Kaytranada's 99.9% in for this one. Yawn. Favorite tracks: No Knock on My Door, (Reprise). Album art: They're doing the Queen thing. I don't even know if Queen originated that but that's all I see. 2.5/5
Boring. All songs blend.
Where are the hits?
Maybe it was just a bad day but I found this really grated on me - I didn't like the music or the vocals.
Honestly thought these guys were kind of a one hit wonder... Not bad though 3/5
This album was... Bittersweet. Maybe I am missing something but urban hymns is their big record right? 2.7
This was fine it kinda made me feel like I went too harsh on the Pet Shop Boys album cause I think that one was more fun for me. 2.8
Only know of the band because of Bitter Sweet Symphony. This album was pretty dull and the songs blended together in an uninteresting huddle.
Vaguely entertaining, but a bit bland.
I'm more of an Urban Hymns guy.
Dreamy, relaxing rock. There's nothing wrong with it, but nothing that pulls me in either. If I had to listen to this again, I don't think I'd complain, but I wouldn't be clamoring for the headphones either. It does go on a little long. The album would have benefited from a little more liberal cutting.
trying to figure out what sets this album apart from other bands with similiar sounds in the 90's. Brainstorm Interlude is elevated rock. Similarly, History and Life's an Ocean.
Some cool spacey vibes going on in between the brief interludes of 90s cringe
As long as this album was, nothing stuck. A second album from a one hit wonder. Why?
This Is Music - 3 stars On Your Own - 5 stars So It Goes - 4 stars A Northern Soul - 2.5 stars Brainstorm Interlude - 2.5 stars Drive You Home - 3 stars History - 5 stars No Knock On My Door - 3 stars Stormy Clouds - 2.5 stars (Reprise) - 2.5 stars
The same as Urban Hymns but without any good tracks.
I mean, they were not lying, it *is* music
This was about what I expected based on my limited exposure to the Verve, boring, so very boring. Further proof the curators of this list overdid it with their precious British acts. Oh well, on to the next. Hope it’s something interesting! 2 stars
It was fine, I guess. Nothing stood out or was memorable.
Omg, it was the same thing over and over and never ended
Probably not the iconic album but it displays their versatility
This was just bad
Got some vibes but like most 90s albums, too long.
Like, it sounded good but nothing stuck in my brain.
13th December 2022 Listened in the evening while playing Hades. Traitors in the evening. More sonic than other 90s Brit pop bands, heads in the clouds but with one leg in the garage still.
I always think of this as my favourite Verve album, and maybe it is, but it's a bit of a dirge, saved by a few great moments, especially On Your Own which I love
I get why people may like them but The Verve were never a band for me. This is Music has one of the most cringe worthy lines ever recorded. I don't hate the rest of the album and even would go as far as saying I love the song, On Your Own (which I swear I used to think was Mercury Rev)
J’aime le mood, c’est aérien comme rock.
Bof, c'est pas un rock qui me parle. Intéressant d'entendre ce que le groupe a fait avant Bitter Sweet Symphony, mais c'est à peu près le seul intérêt pour moi. C'est pas un disque que je vais réécouter.
In my head, I always mix up The Verve and Pulp. Both are of that very North West England sound of the 90s to early 00s that I was surrounded by as a child, being from the exact area of the world. I’m not sure I recognise any song titles from this album though, so let’s listen. Songs I already knew: none Favourites: History, A New Decade I was hoping for much better from this album, knowing that Bittersweet Symphony and The Drugs Don’t Work are such good songs (neither of them are Pulp, right?), but unfortunately I just didn’t find this here. The vocals were sometimes good, sometimes awful. The guitar licks were sometimes catchy, sometimes grating. No songs were fantastic, yet none were awful. Overall, a very average and forgettable album that will likely just mesh into everything else in my mind. Doubt I’ll be seeking this album out again.
2nd half was better, but maybe that should because there were fewer distractions (listened to in transit, a couple songs at a time) HL: “History” “On your Own” “So it Goes” “No Knock…”, “Life’s an Ocean” 3.5 Nov 29 2022
Pretty good but too long. I got bored after awhile.
Very boring, very annoying, very undeserving of this list. Why is this here?!
I can definitely hear the similarities to Radiohead on this album but despite listening to it twice, I just could not get into this. It wasn't horrible but it just never really caught my interest. 2.5 rounded up bc I didn't actively dislike it, it just didn't do anything for me.
why would you put the verve on this list. Jesus Christ they put every cough and sneeze from every throwaway britpop band from the 90s on this list. It was fine but ffs the britpop thing was kind of like the swing revival that lasted about 6 months in 98. Get over it already.
Pretty solid britpop album but not super consistent.
Heard a few Verve songs before but not from this album. Deeply introspective. Not exactly a pick-me-up listen with slower brooding songs. You’d have to be in a certain mood for this one, a mood I’m not often in. Well done record but not one I’d buy.
I have to say it, its a drag. Ashcroft has his moments but never a full album woth remembering.
Nice music and overall good album
Meh…
Mostly bland shoe gaze with good guitar work. History is a lovely ballad and you can see where they were heading.
Long but consistent
More Brit Pop!!! Not as good as Urban Hymns but still a good sound
Underwhelming
Starting off I didn't like it, but it grew on me by the end.
This is indeed one of the indie albums of all time. 4 stars.
The Verve is so cool. So is the Verve Pipe - though maybe not quite as much. They are, in fact different bands for anyone still wondering. This is like mean, gritty Oasis and I love it.
Pretty chill
This is a bit of a come down after their debut, A Storm in Heaven, though there are plenty of highlights such as History, Drive You Home and the final track (reprise). As such it's probably unsatisfying to both fans of both their first and third albums - not psychedelic enough for the former, not Britpop enough for the latter.
Not garbo but not great either. First Listen?: Y Fav. Tracks: --- Rating: 2/5
I ended up warming up to this more than I thought. At first it sounded like a more annoying version of oasis but then it opened up into some pretty fun rock
Although overshadowed by the next release (and the omnipresent Bitter Sweet Symphony), this showcases the elements that made The Verve a very good band. Pop hooks and layered guitars with somewhat overblown lyrics (which can be said for a lot of brit pop). This is attempt at grand rock songs (in some cases sprawling) that sometimes reach its lofty goals.
In general I like the Verve but I think this album is just ok. Nothing here approaches Bittersweet Symphony.
Sometimes there is more to a one hit wonder then you think. This was good and reminded me a lot of Oasis in that it took 1960s sounds and modernized them for the 1990s (though less pop and more Pavement than Oasis). I enjoyed it.
I've come to hate britpop but this had a bit more punch than I expected. Probably better than Urban Hymns but both could do with cutting 1/3rd of the tracks and making a listenable album experience.
A couple of days ago I got another Verve album and I could not, for the life of me, distinguish them. Same complaints I have: long and boring britpop from the 90s. Seriously after listening to these two albums this band has like 1 song they've rewritten over and over again. I dunno why both of these albums needed to be here when clearly they are the same fucking album. 1.5/5
A good listen, I like how they commit to a sound, the ballady contemplative aggression, sprawly guitar soundscapes. At times their vocals get pitchy in a distracting way, particularly some of the falsetto moments. But the albums seems to foreshadow the indie guitar stuff that would become so popular in the early 2000's. In fact, I just listened to an album today, from 2022 (Waiting to Spill by The Backseat Lovers), that I wondered whether it would exist without bands like The Verve helping define and popularize that sound.
Much more loose and jammy than your average Britpop. Because of that it's also much less hooky. Listening to this was like asking your friend to toss you a candy bar and instead they toss you a bag of homemade energy bites they concocted in their kitchen. Alright I guess.
Pretty of-the-times Britpop, which to me is almost saying something but not enough. It all sounds fine but nothing jumps out to me that is very interesting, it's all competent though.
Great album.
I only knew these guys from Bittersweet Symphony, and turns out this one doesn’t sound much like that at all. Mellow, drifting sometimes into droning.
Just okay. Whenever I go to the artist, the album that this website picks is never their top album or even their second top album. Interesting choices.
do not see myself listening again
I don't really find this band that engaging. Pretty standard mopey alternative.
All music from the entire history of mankind to choose from, and here I am listening to yet more excessively British shit. 2/5.
No thoughts
I was very pleasantly surprised. This is an album I will listen to again and come back to.
Not my cup of tea. I really like Urban Hymns, but this one.. I am not convinced
strong disagree with 1001 author PS's final line. bittersweet is verve at their best. is it an overplay? yes. is it better than any track on this album? yes! that's how it got overplayed!
VERY similar to oasis their greatest hits aren't here but the album as a whole isn't bad 3.5
I like this album. It definitely feels like it was inspired by and inspired other 90s groups and albums, like U2 and Toad the Wet Sprocket.
Some of these album selections really peg the book’s author as a British fella who came of age in the early 90s.
Huonolla tavalla raskas levy että pisteet taitaa parantua kun oli lyhyt palaveri välissä kesken kuuntelun. Huumeet ei selkeesti toiminu tämän levyn aikana...
Ei ollu ihan koko levyä kuunneltavissa. Kuitenkaan en usko, että puuttuvat pilais kohtalaisen hyvää kokonaisuutta
If Pablo Honey era Radiohead was more influenced by Hendrix
Britpop. Verzerrt. Hängender Gesang
Never really liked the verve, still don't. Obvious parallels with other moany overblown music of the same era.
Couple of good tracks otherwise I wasn’t terribly moved by the album. Very cool feel to the album tho.
like the sound but nothing stood out on first listen
A serviceable if forgettable mid-90s Britpop/shoegaze album. Nothing wrong with it really. It has a couple of interesting songs and seems to improve on repeated listening. Fave Songs: Drive You Home, History, No Knock on My Door, (Reprise), So It Goes
A deathly dirge and the lovely History. Having done this and Urban Hymns I think I've realised that The Verve's string arranger is the only member with any real talent.
Felt like classic 90s.
The album was just meh. It did not have The Verve's most well known song. The songs were uninspiring and unmemorable. There is no need to listen.
Its 90s brit rock. if its for you its for you. It sort of bounces off me. I am not a huge fan of the lead singer's upper register.
ok, 3/5
not bad
legalzinho mas nao é muito o que curto ouvir
Una altra banda més que sobrevalorada. Cal reconèixer la potent imatge i el carisma de Richard Ashcroft, però la lisèrgia i psicodèlia revisitada pels '90 d'aquest disc és molt lluny de resultar encissadora. L'ambient està ben trobat, però no hi ha cançons. El posterior 'Urban Hymns' almenys tenia 3/4 temes demolidors. Aquest simplement no en té cap
Gets kinda noisy in the middle.
Good album in its day.
2.4 - A muddled and bloated mess. Listening to this album is like watching my 4 year old fingerpaint. He’s eager to experiment with all the colors so he slathers them all on with abandon, smooshes them together such that his canvas ends up looking like a giant smear of diarrhea.
Wenn mir in Bezug auf ein Album die Adjektive ausgehen, bevor ich überhaupt angefangen habe, liegt einiges im Argen. Banal, abscheulich, langweilig: das kam hier alles schon vor bei der Beschreibung von Platten und ist dennoch abwechslungsreicher als diese Aneinanderreihung von Plattitüden (diese Formulierung gab’s hier auch schon). The Nerve…
4/5. A bit overblown, and stuck in the 90s, but definitely one of the most impressive and gratifying Brit-pop albums
Turgid dross. No idea how this ever got released tbh
Not sure why this is the album to make this list. It's fine, nothing standout.
I’m a huge fan of urban hymns not sure why Iv never listened to this before, it’s also brilliant history the stand out song, but the rest of the album just not quiet the same level of urban hymns.
The definition of 3 star rock
Best doctor prescribed cure for insomnia on this list yet. They should put "BETTER THAN AMBIEN" on the cover of this dull ass white people album
Don't really know much of The Verve other than Bittersweet Symphony, but I liked this quite a bit. Very psychedelic/Brit-pop sounding. Reminded me a bit of U2, a bit of Oasis, a bit of the Stones, and a few other things mixed in. 4 stars.
I liked this album. I like it more than Urban Hymns. Spacey and atmospheric, I think they pull it off really well. It starts out great, bogs down a bit in the middle but ends with a couple really strong tracks. Urban Hymns always sounded too polished and too "rock star" like. I never warmed to it which is why I never explored any other releases from their catalogue. 3.5 stars
Nice to hear another side of The Verve it probably deserves a few more listens but it didn't really do a lot for me today.
I in general LOVE 90's music...and have always considered myself a bit of an Anglophile. But this is boring. 1.5/5
never have gotten why people loved this album. Urban Hymns is the masterpiece, this would have never made me listen to the Verve again.
I liked this album. I like it more than Urban Hymns. Spacey and atmospheric, I think they pull it off really well. It starts out great, bogs down a bit in the middle but ends with a couple really strong tracks. Urban Hymns always sounded too polished and too "rock star" like. I never warmed to it which is why I never explored any other releases from their catalogue. 3.5 stars
Meh.
Like a soundtrack for One Tree Hill?
No thanks
Only knew Urban Hymns of the Verve but this is perhaps deeper and goes harder on the theme of someone from the underprivileged north taking on the world. 3.9
Not bad, 90s brit-rock, Oasis meets early Radiohead.
Excellent stuff
A great album save for the fact that it drags in the second half.
It's very good. There's no doubt that Nick McCabe's guitar sounds so good on this.
I've never really enjoyed the Verve. His voice annoys me and this album is pretty boring. I'm giving it a 3 but it's just middle of the road. Not memorable at all
Meh, 90s manchester sound. Pretty generic. They didnt deserve the stupid lawsuit and Im glad the rollimg stones came to their senses and gave credit and money back to Ashcroft.
Some of the songs I liked, such as Stormy Clouds, but the generic alternative rock songs I didn't care for.
A Northern Soul by The Verve (1995) Well, this is a downer. If this is a northern soul, I think I’ll head south. To call this dark would miss the mark. Darkness that makes an effort can make for good music. But this album just doesn’t seem to even care. Over an hour of one negative judgment after another, with no justification, no explanation, no resolution, no hope, no development, no desire, no regret, no pity, no rage, no hate, no love, no vitality, no . . . Here’s a sampling of some of the more reflective lyrics, spread relatively evenly throughout the album: “Nobody comes, nobody calls.” “Jesus never saved me, he’ll never save you too.” “Life seems so obscene until it’s over.” “Another drink and I won’t miss her.” “I’m gonna die alone in bed.” “I’ll never change for anyone.” “I’ve got a skin full of dope.” “Believe it ‘til you see what living has done to me.” “I was buying some feelings from a vending machine.” “I walk in to trade out; this boy won’t come back again.” All this is a damn shame, because the talent is there, albeit sometimes disguised. Vocalist Richard Ashcroft seems at times to deliberately lose the pitch on these deplorable lyrics and melodies, but bassist Simon Jones and drummer Peter Salisbury keep it steady throughout (too steady, actually, given the dreary and unchanging tempo). Guitarist Nick McCabe consistently supplies suitably nihilistic tonal noise, and that with above average skill. Then we hear the laziest, flattest album ending ever. Glad this record is over. I’ll go back to my book. 1/5
A typical Verve album with ups and downs, where you start skipping several songs on the album, but really listen to the few marvels on here (like History)
Sickly leopard Richard Ashcroft is still in his "mad" phase. Mix of plodding indie with shoegaze/MBV guitars. This is probably a seminal album if you come from Wigan and hadn't heard anything else. Best Tracks: This Is Music; On Your Own; History
Solid
Really enjoyed when they went into the heavier parts of the album, it almost felt like a mix of U2 and Oasis but more aggressive. If it were a bit more consistent it would be an easy 4.
Shoegaze-ic Oasis. Love the psychedelic bits in some otherwise generic tracks, and I also enjoyed the surprisingly moving "History".
Absolutely not. This is trash. Utter garbage. Pretentious dishwater-grade Britpop. Ashcroft's voice is grating, the guitars are crashy and dissonant. Whiny shite. Probably the progenitors of the ultra-pomp of renting the nearest strings section to play backing while the lead singer grizzles about something of zero consequence, and for that I cannot forgive.
A volte il cantante ricorda Bono. Non trovo nulla che mi colpisca particolarmente.
Better than urban hymns
Pretty okay. Not as good as their next album.
1995. So It Goes, This Is Music
Sorry, I tried. I really, really tried. But The Verve does nothing for me, and this album is no exception. Nothing in *A Northern Soul* is groundbreaking or particularly well written, and the songs are just too linear and predictable to seal the deal for me. This... stuff simply doesn't make me feel anything. "How long will I run for?," Ashcroft complains during the opener. Too long, probably. And this here is only a first self-indulgent, lengthy dirge among many other ones on the album (all of them, actually?). That some people in here dare compare this excruciatingly boring record to Radiohead's *OK Computer* is baffling to me. Are people this tone-deaf??? I get that listeners have different tastes when it comes to harmony, composition and song structures. But c'mon, you gotta be kidding me here, nothing in this album is lively or truly dynamic. Nothing stands out. It's just a big blurry cloud throughout. Chords don't have a shred of originality in them, neither do most of the hackneyed dad-rock arrangements,. Lyrics have no substance, and vocal melodic lines are not interesting at all--they meander without anything catching your ear (and their delivery is a bit ridiculous sometimes, even though I have nothing against Ashcroft's voice per se). "This Is Music", The Verve tells us. Uh, OK. But is this *good* music? No. It's just very lame, pop-wise. And neither is it original production-wise. I'd rather listen to a drone from one of Sunn O)))'s lesser records for the rest of my life instead of having to listen to this again. At least a long guitar drone would provide an interesting atmosphere in the room... I'm pretty sure The Verve were themselves aware of their lack of skills as songwriters from the get-go. It's no surprise they used a sample from an orchestral version of an old Rolling Stones staple song on their next record to pen their only real hit, "Bittersweet Symphony". They *knew* they didn't have enough inspiration in them to create a song that would be both catchy and genuinely moving. So they had to steal a good idea somewhere to make it happen. I very rarely say that a band is overrated, because I know music is first and foremost a subjective thing. Yet here, I'm tempted to say so, to be honest. I always try to keep an open mind, but clearly, I don't see what the fuss is all about with The Verve. What we have with them is more than competent musicianship, of course. As in 'they can play instruments'. But if you want to select a list of 1001 albums you should absolutely listen to, surely there are twice as many albums worthier of your time out there. Life's too short to waste it on stuff you consider bland. [Number of albums left to review or just listen to: 980 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 9 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 6 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (as I think many others are more important): 5 (including this one) Albums I might not be able to judge (some might end up on my final list if they're culturally important): 1]
Meh. Bleh
Started off promising but went downhill. Brainstorm interlude not good .
Boring shite
More drones than the Obama administration
What’s the draw for this album? Generic alt-rock. Doesn’t even have Bittersweet Symphony on it. Skip this.
Progressive britpop? Mr Godlike Genius and pals take 90s UK music to new-ish and quasi-interesting places.
Not too bad. Not too good. Just.
these people are so talented I’m not crazy about some of these songs but for the most part it’s really cool - 8/10
A lot better than I anticipated. The space rock touches really did a lot to increase my enjoyment.
Much preferred Urban Hymns... I gave that a 3 (harsh) so I guess I have to give this a 2 lol
Watching Paint Dry, the soundtrack. I’d almost respect it, if the Verve had intended to make me feel like my brain folds were being smoothed from boredom. I’m still not entirely convinced they didn’t just put a saltine cracker on a record player and let the needle drop.
U2 Mixed with End Credits bait.
Not quite sure why everyone thinks this has Radiohead vibes. If it does, it's but a poor imitation.
This is the band that sings Bittersweet Symphony! I'm expecting some 90s nostalgic vibes. Did not disappoint!
Si, estuvo bien.
Mostly a ho-hum but fine 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.
Decent rock album that is too long and lacking highlights to be
6/10
This was pretty good. The Verve seem underrated, usually relegated to their one or two big hits. Solid piece of work.
Solid album by that band where you know one song but that one song isnt on this album.
Fine UK alt-rock.
Not a terrible album though songs go on for awhile and gets a little boring
First listen. Nothing stands out to me on this album. Every song is very forgettable. Maybe it will get better next time I hear it. 2/5 for now.
6/10
Lower end of a 4. Lacks the bangers of Urban Hymns and all a bit samey
Not my thing.
Un poco rollo.
3 stars. It’s so close to being great but every single song on here is just too long. They should have cut at least 1 chorus from each song, then this album might make 4 stars
Nothing special to me. But not bad. Ok the vocals kinda decline during. This album is not very good, could qualify for a 1. For some reason it's the most soulless thing I've heard yet. Brainstorm interlude is kind of interesting. To the extent psychadelia can be interesting. Ugh it's so boring. 1
A good example from the Brit pop era. I do think there are better examples.
It's interesting, moody and has a good feel to it. Still, there isn't much that stands out as amazing, and Northern Soul and Brainstorm Interlude lean towards the less enjoyable portion. I listened to it several times hoping it would grow more on me... but it is just "fine".
I only knew The Verve for Bitter Sweet Symphony, and after listening this album I can see why. This was quite boring.
Not sure if this is ground-breaking - would need to get under its skin to be sure.
I can't say they don't know how to play their instruments but I can say I will never listen to this again. I'm not a fan of dreamy music like this.
So, a few seconds after I listened to the Cardigans, I played this album. The differences were quite apparent: The (Verve) production is muddier; the vocals are hard to make out; the songs are less distinctive. To quote a reviewer, “The songs are long and have little structure, the production is murky and raw and harrowing, the tempo is unchanging to the point of testing endurance. There is no joy or even solace to be found in this record, only unforgiving turmoil.” I would add that “History” sounds like a prequel to "Bitter Sweet Symphony” and the lawsuits that followed. My mark might be a bit more harsh than normal, but I couldn’t score it within a point of The Cardigans.
I’m so done with 90s Brit-pop. They all sound like cheap Oasis knock offs and this was the least inspiring one yet.
It's OK. Doesn't have the standout songs of Urban Hymns, so feels a bit too much of an uninterrupted Verve drone.
I'm sure I've heard more than "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (not on this album) from the Verve. All of this music was new for me. "Brainstorm Interlude" got my highest rating, but overall none of the tracks stood out for good or for bad. The album was okay, but it won't take long for me to forget what I heard.
Ok, this was pretty rocking - did not fit my preconception of what The Verve sounded like. It pairs pretty well with Spiritualized's "Ladies & Gentlemen..." which came up on here recently, for being a bit droney wall-of-sound-style rock. Fave track - "A New Decade". I'm definitely up for more listens to pick out other faves though...
2/5 Not really interesting, pretty boring
well, i am definitely a sucker for dreamy guitars, as i believe i've mentioned in other reviews. this album delivers those in heaps, which i super appreciate. closing track is easily my favorite, though i found i liked a surprising number of others on this album. i of course only knew of them through their massive late-90s hit, which i did actually love, but please don't tell anyone that. i ended up feeling like this album gave me permission to love that track, and probably a lot more by them. i think the real takeaway here is that i'm a fan of northern england in general. that seems to be a running theme.