A Northern Soul

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.

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

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.

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

No notes

Nothing happens for 54 minutes. This band has never done anything worthwhile. Their hit isn't on this record but even that is a ripoff where the verse and chorus are the exact same.

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

Sounds a U2 cover band. Not great

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

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.

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

This is an album I listened to. This is the end of my review.

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

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

It was really good. TIL I like the Verve.

Possibly their finest moment.

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

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...

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.

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

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.

группа одного хуесосного хита

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?

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

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

No Bitter Sweet Symphony so who cares? Another album that’s on here only because of where the author is from. For future revisions this album could be replaced by: Americana - The Offspring Gordon - Barenaked Ladies Casiopea - Casiopea Rosna - Laboratorium Pieśni

The goat.

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

The British bias on this list is showing. A slog!

Maybe the band was angry at each other and the world, but that doesn’t mean I have to find the music interesting.

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.

a truly beautiful display of how music can be art

"Hey, these guys kinda sound like Be Here Now-era Oasis!" "Actually, I hear early Stereophonics." "I hear some Second Coming-era Stone Roses in there too." "And some Chemical Brothers, even." "There's even a little bit of early Coldplay in there." Truth is, all those bands sound like them. And when Richard Ashcroft says on the title track that he's gonna die alone in bed, he sounds more than a little like the Northern souls from down the road in Liverpool who they're all really chasing. Phony Beatlemania has rarely worked this well, both as elegy ("On Your Own," which feels ragged and Plastic Ono-y in the best ways) and as muted, half-shrugging optimism ("History," which doesn't outpunch "Eleanor Rigby" in the strings department but at least goes the distance). The Harrisonesque stretch-outs throughout the album only add to the ambience.

Nicely melancolic rock edge. Always had a soft spot towards this 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.

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.

another masterpiece by a band who only made em..

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.

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

This album is brought to you in part by… drugs. Most people probably know The Verve through Bittersweet Symphony and their psychedelic pop masterpiece Urban Hymns, for good reason. And while the follow-up to A Northern Soul is almost inarguably their magnum opus, this album is far from a write off. It’s pretty wild and trippy, paranoid and hazy from the drugs that the band openly consumed during its creation. It’s probably one of the better drug albums ever made, up there with Station to Station and Maggot Brain in terms of albums that drugs played a key part per the artists who made them. The guitar work is great and Richard Ashcroft’s voice is perfect for the atmosphere created by the music. It’s not an every day listen, but every time I've listened to this album I come way thinking “damn this is good”.

Awesome!

I'm only familiar with Bittersweet Symphony so I was curious what their other stuff sounds like. I would listen to this again and again.

Never really listened to The Verve outside of that one hit they had in the 90s but I really liked this album. One of the best so far.

I love this album. Apart from brainstorm interlude and drive you home, which I tend to skip each song has something which always makes me want to listen again. Nick McCabes guitar work is outstanding. Checkout the acoustic version of On Your Own. Brilliant version which is good to play along to.

The instrumental tracks were v good and atmospheric - I would defo listen to these again.

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

Masterpiece

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.

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

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

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

Great album.

Excellent stuff

Love it, great music

This works for me surprisingly well, mostly through the turbulent guitar, around which the band builds songs that have me reaching for astronomical and meteorological terms, "History" and perhaps the slamming title song the exceptions.

As far as album art goes this is one of them. Looks like all four members' mugshots levitating on a black backdrop, except for the guy at the bottom who looks as if he's angry at you for daring to pick up the album. I recall being surprised by the psych-infusion of the first album on this list and this one delves even deeper into those pools. For all the angst of that cover, this is a delightfully loose and airy psych-indie-pop album. Opener A New Decade creates a ton of space in the instrumental for a lightly drugged out, airy feel. Paired with the strong vocals that separated The Verve, this is a highly effective song. This is Music may have a terrible song name, but is great atmospheric rock that delves into a sludgier space than I expected. All that sludge is cleaned off summarily on On Your Own -- a tender acoustic ballad. A Norther Soul has a sort of (more) drugged-out Lenny Kravitz energy to it and I'm all about it. Brainstorm Interlude is a solid 5 minute jam out. Loving all of the psychedelic effects overlaid -- this is fun. I like the sleepy, but sweet instrumental sprawl on Drive You Home, but the vocals are kind of meh. Life's an Ocean is another really solid atmospheric jam as well. Nothing showy, but this shit is clearly made for sinking into. Vibing hard with (Reprise). There were a few times throughout where there were long quiet intros and I thought the album was already done (e.g., Life's An Ocean > Stormy Clouds) and each time I was okay with that being the end. That said, while this ran long, I never felt like it was a chore. All said, I really enjoyed this one. While it doesn't have anything that touches the popular appeal of Bitter Sweet Symphony, I loved how expansive the songs were here and the atmospheres they generated. For me this falls in the high 4 realm -- a damned solid record.

This is totally in my wheelhouse, and I have been a fan of this since it was released; back in the day, before we knew anything about Urban Hymns. I enjoy the dreamy shoegaze landscapes and RA wailing over soaring guitars. It’s got an abrasive, unpolished sound, which I really love. Lyrically it’s very angsty, and that suits the low-Fi sonics. However, it’s long and a bit flabby. It starts off well, but then runs to fat in the middle. It picks up again with History and No Knock on My Door, then loses me again at the end. Overall though, I still enjoy it.

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

ganz ok.

The Verve is one of those bands that I feel could have been as popular as Oasis, but just could never get their act together. I mostly know them for "Bittersweet Symphony" (which came on a later album). I'm not really familiar with this album, although I'm sure I've heard some of these songs before, mostly because I saw them live opening for U2 years ago. They got up on stage and were a total mess. People kept yelling for them to just play "Bittersweet Symphony" and booing them. Richard Ashcroft (lead singer) yelled at the audience, shouting a few expletives and telling us that none of us was good enough to make a hit record like they were. As far as this album goes, I liked a few of the songs. The problem is that most of their songs sound exactly the same and run together. This album could have been half as long and would have been fine. Based on other reviews, it looks like their album that has "Bittersweet Symphony" is also on this list, and I'm just not sure why the Verve is deserving of having two albums - one of which has no hit songs on it - on this list. I didn't mind listening to it because it's my style of music, but probably doesn't belong on the list.

too moody

Feel like I'd like it more if I did heroin, but still pretty enjoyable

It was fine. A little too one note for my liking.

Mid

Ok

A bit underwhelming from a decent band. Some of this is good, some of it sounds like oasis, and some of it drones on. Pleased to see Urban Hymns is on the list as I imagine it will fare better.

I wasn’t crazy about the album as a whole, the songs were too long and a bit too repetitive. But I liked their music, it’s unique.

nice at times, but didn't care for some songs. sometimes reminded me of radiohead even though this predates a lot of their albums?

A Northern Soul A New Decade was the first track on a particular favourite cassette mix tape I made when I first passed my test - I listened to it so much even 29 years later I still think On Your Own by Blur is going to play next. I really loved this album back then but I’ve not listened to it in a while. The songs I loved back then I still very much enjoy - A New Decade, This is Music, On Your Own, A Northern Soul and History - but it’s striking how much shoegaze there is to it, and in my memory it sounds very different to the hazy psychedelic space rock of their first album, but it actually sounds a lot more like A Storm in Heaven than it does Urban Hymns. Outside of those songs I was also a little surprised at how moany and dirgey it sounds to me now, and aside from History it sort of limps and moans its way to the end of a long 64 minutes. The drumming and guitars really shine though, Nick McCabe in particular is superb on here - psychedelic, woozy and spacey yet melodic and evocative. I wasn’t such a fan of So it Goes on the listen, but his guitar on it really is great, and I love the teary country playing on Drive You Home. Despite his excellence and unlike Gold, I’m not sure the nostalgia quite gets it to a 4. There’s some great songs, but listening now, my overall takeaway is that it is a bit of a slog. My 17 year old self would think I’ve lost my mind but I’ll go to a slightly tight high 3. ⬆️⬆️⬆️ Playlist submission: History

Not as good as I remember, lacking the bangers of their blistering debut. About half is close to par, esp. "A New Decade" getting the anthem/psych balance just right, and I've always preferred "History" to their later biggie. Was lucky to see them live many times pre-"The" and blagged this well in advance of release, impressing my callow collegemates.

𝘈 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘭 occupies an awkward middle ground. It leans toward Britpop, yet lacks the immediacy and clear hooks that defined the genre’s biggest albums. At the same time, it’s more varied and less uniform than the band’s later work, even if that comes at the cost of focus. Released at a time when the spotlight was increasingly shifting toward bands like Oasis and Blur, the album struggled to stand out. It neither fully fits into the Britpop wave nor clearly sets itself apart from it. The result is a record that feels somewhat diffuse. There are strong moments and a consistent atmosphere, but not enough contrast or direction to make it fully compelling from start to finish. It’s a solid album with interesting ideas, but one that never quite comes together.

It sounds like music Stillwater would make

listening in 2026, it sounds like 'what if the guys who wrote Bittersweet Symphony were Radiohead'. the result is alarmingly like U2.

It’s fine. I got nervous I would get another Verve album in these last 20 or so, after this one, because this one didn’t have Bittersweet Symphony. So I went into my history but then saw I actually did already have that one, only a couple months ago. Don’t remember that at all. I guess that’s about all I have to say about The Verve

I really enjoyed Urban Hymn, but I mostly just found this one really boring. It's fine, the whole thing is fine, but it's just there.

This just was boring and not interesting. It wasn’t completely terrible though.

Meh. Kind of boring and monotonous.

Not my cup of tea: super washed out and sort of repetitive '90s alternative psychedelic that served as nice background music, but didn't do much to grab me. I actually enjoyed the softer moments here more than anything else, like 'On Your Own' or "Drive You Home"; they felt like interesting takes on '90s alternative, and less jammy and meandering. Just the long, washed-out, and very monotonous music that I've never really been a fan of. Execution is fine, but the music was ultimately bland and uninteresting to me.

Some songs are really well put together, but others have this sort of inauthentic moodiness. I had trouble taking the band seriously.

“ChatGPT, please create an Oasis clone who thinks they are also early Radiohead. But don’t make it any good.”

2.0

I don’t know. Inoffensive, low volume background music maybe. I know that one song from the commercial but it isn’t on the album and I don’t care to listen to it anyhow. I’ll spin it twice. (Update: nah) But sonically, melodically uninteresting. At its best. Some of it sounds like a pop version of a Spacemen 3 song with some funk wah.

It's not necessarily bad, it's just a painfully british & 90s album. The divorce dads who go up for this stuff probably swear by it, but to me it's just boring. There are barely any dynamics which make the whole thing stagnant. The swells (or lack thereof) are not significant enough to make me stop for a second listen. The lyrics aren't very imaginative either. It's not a bad album. I swear it. Just not for me. Highlights: So It Goes

Another britpop band I just missed for being too young. Apart from Bittersweet Symphony - that was everywhere. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Meandering, meditative, mid. There's too much of a muchness going on here for me - it's a lot of sound, but it is all similar from track to track and flows into each other with minimal distinctive elements. I can't really pick out a track that stood out. Laminar flow - the album. 1*

Heard Before? Not at all. Notes: - hard for me to get past one of my least favorite production styles. too much compression, pointless reverb, everything too loud all the time. almost completely lacking in dynamics, and everything is midrange. - arrangements are similarly unrestrained, in the sense that everyone needs to play all the time, while seemingly not listening to each other. - the songs seem not to have been written but to barely coalesce, while still not sounding like a proper jam. could be the near-complete absence of hooks. repeating the same stupid non-melodic line twenty times ("i want to die alone in bed") doesn't count. - the endless caterwauling of the whinging man-child vocals also repels me. - at least all the performances are spot on and committed. they all truly believe in this music, even if i don't. - and yes, it's 1995, so every song and the album as a whole is waaaaaay too long. - but wait? what's this? did i actually enjoy "Life's An Ocean"? I think I did! Hard grooves, use of space, an actual verse melody, fabulous bassline. - "Reprise", while completely unnecessary, makes a virtue out of its meandering. No vocals really helps. Verdict: Marvelously competent lads grooving away in a hall of mirrors. Must be great to be them. For me I was mostly waiting for it to get interesting, and then just waiting for it to end, and then I was suddenly somewhat invested. Listen Again? Lord save us all, but I did queue up "Life's an Ocean" for later. We will see how it fares out of context.

Wtf is this doing on this list, for real ? It's not just bad. It's bland. It's nothing memorable. Everything is washed away in wall-of-sound reverbed guitars, uninspired chord progression, taking hints from everyone from My Bloody Valentine, Radiohead, some hints of Cocteau Twins, and every C-tier grunge band at the time. The album goes along and is forgotten as soon as it's finished. It's boring, it's supermarket background muzzak for depressed kids, and it's done better by so many other bands. And please don't start me up on Ashcroft nasal, whiny croon, his monotone and blasé delivery gets lost in the overwashed layers of white noise. Each track is dull, each track sounds like another one, the pacing of the album makes you drowsy with boredom, each new song makes you wonder why you're inflicting such a shite to yourself. It's a boiled lettuce, it's hospital food, it's a Big Mac it may fill your belly for a bit, but it doesn't have any taste, and you're left hungry right after. Please remove this album from the list: it's never been, and never will be an essential listen, in any genre. Verve were a low-grade, one-hit wonder, riding on the coattail of much better bands. If 90's britpop is your thing (not judging you), there are so many better options : Pulp, Ride , Lush, Manic Street Preachers, Blur, Supergrass, hell, even fucking Kula Shaker, all these band offer much more, even in their early years; than the Verve. (not Oasis. Oasis were much, much worse, but that's a whole 'nother can of worm)

old favorite

Always liked the Verve but most of these were new to me. All the layering, sound effects, made for a very cool listen.

kinda cool

Loving it so far :D

Crazy underrated and such a drastic improvement from their debut. This is a pretty great album that builds to the sound that would define their next album, and while this album can drag on a bit at points, it is a pretty great album that has some variance in sound. Most of these songs are all really solid, especially songs like the title track, A New Decade, and Brainstorm Interlude. Genuinely an amazing album

Chill

Parfait j'ai trop kiffé p'tite gem cachée ça yes, bien thé verve en mode oasis mais avec des morceaux hyper shoegaze ça regaleeee

Damn, what a band they were. On a given day you might convince me any of their first three records* was their best. This one perfectly combines the towering psych rock of their debut with the songcraft that made them. *who here remembers there was a fourth?

This was an outstanding album. I had heard a couple of times before, but was totally unaware of their deeper work. I will definitely add them to my playlist.

Åh nu blev mina öron glada! När drogerna faktiskt fungerade i Wigan. Verve innan dom blev städade. Härligt knarkigt och stökigt! Bas och trummor är tungt mullrande, gitarrerna är ute på en bra syratripp och det fräser om den nordengelska underdoglyriken. Även om debuten är ännu knarkigare och stökigare men här finns tydligare låtar, en bättre balans. Vill man mer ha soundet väljer man debuten, vill man mer ha låtar väljer man den här, det är dagsformen som avgör. Inledningstrippeln är direkt formidabel med två rediga käftsmällar och finfina "On your own", en av de bästa inledningarna på ett rockalbum under 90talet. Även om skivan inte når upp till sin knäckande inledning behåller den bra styrsel med fint utpotionerade toppar. Titelspåret är strålande motljusrock med rader som >your speakers are telling the thruth<. "History" skvallrar om framtida Verve med stråkar och är bättre än de mesta från Urban hymns. Och Askkoftan är en perfekt sångare för den här fypen av musik, kanske inte klassisk bra men för det här är han som klippt och skuren, en favorit för mig faktiskt. När han deklamerar underdogstatementet >I stand accused, just like you. For being born, without a silverspoon< i inledning av "This is music" tror man fullständigt på honom och knyter näven i hederlig klasskampsvrede. Noel Gallagher ska ha varit gravt inspirerade av A northern soul, både till sound och text på "Some might say". Det blir lite långt, en av instrumentalerna hade med fördel kunnat strykas, kanske även "Drive you home" även om jag tycker den senare bidrar till stämningsskapandet så är det inte mycket till låt. Som helhet imponerar det här väldeliga, det är stringent med bra balans och är utmärkt genomfört och det bär en tydlig identitet av att det bara är ett band från norra England som skulle kunna stå bakom det. Jag tänker faktiskt hala fram femman även om den är ytterst svag men du får leta dig fördärvad om du ska hitta nån bättre motljusrock

own

I always used to get the Verve and the Verve Pipe mixed up; I don't think I'll be doing that going forward. This was awesome, way better and different than I expected. Started good and just got better. This isn't perfection but it's closer to a 5 than a 4 so that's what it gets

The Verve is a band that makes me want to sit on a hill. I'm motivated to lie on a field and soak grass for hours as I enjoy this shoegazey britpop. I can't really say anything bad cause I always feel extremely pleasant every time they're on. Is it special? Yes, each track is its own experience and the record as a whole feels like a psychedelic slip and slide that seamlessly connects rock and folk elements into its sound. This album sounds like mushrooms. The psychedelic swirls that the songs jam throughout the record are super sick, and it gives a nice contrast to the soft clean material and also build wonderful dynamic effects to enhance the atmosphere. As much as I appreciate each individual track, the album is such an emotion and mood based substance and it's definitely better as one whole experience, like playing the opening track and entering a tunnel, and then finishing the album out the other side with the tracks altogether giving the full effect. I really fuck with The Verve.

Очень достойный бритпоп альбом. Вцелом он полностью соответствует этому жанру, и это хорошо, так как звук на нем идеальный.