Reviews (page 10 of 14)
bittersweet symphony - excellent song. The rest was fine.
Helping to define the lush alt sound and definably influenced by the success of Britpop, the Verve worked hard from a Storm in Heaven to achieve this level of success. I think they left a bit too much silence before the secret song, but always a treat to see it. Still find it hard to believe this is considered one of the BEST British albums but I feel the same about Good Morning Morning Glory Bittersweet symphony is far overplayed, but learning the sample is from an orchestral rolling stones cover is particularly cool.
- The Rolling People is an epic song - The rest of the album is fine but isn't anything too crazy
Thije vond m overrated ik vind m legit wel hard
CAUSE ITS A BITTERSWEET... SYMPHONY THATS LIFEEEEE
dollar store Oasis. 3/5. would be 2.5 if i could do half stars. its fine. completely inoffensive. lifted a lot of guitar tone from the stone roses which i can appreciate but thats really it.
One amazing song followed by some mid tunes.
Only a few songs I wasn't feeling, including the hidden track, which is kind of a shame because it was a long wait. Overall, a pretty good album
I do have a soft spot for The Verve, especially their earlier work. This album continues some of the shoegazing sonic philosophy of their first two albums, but mixes it with crowd-pleasing maudlin tracks. 50% of this is really good, and 50% of it just isn't.
Not really sure how to feel about this one. Bitter Sweet Symphony being almost a meme song is hilarious, the rest of the album was decent and a little corny. Definitely some stronger songs. Negative points for making me thinking Lucky Man was going to be an ELP cover. Top tracks: Sonnet, The Drugs Don't Work
Like many of these albums I know the one super famous song (bittersweet symphony) but didn’t know the rest. Drugs don’t work was cool, the rest sort of just blended together
Solid. Not great. Not bad.
I liked this album and I will return to it one day. That said, I think it’s more accurate to say that “Bitter Sweet Symphony” is one of the 1,001 Songs to Hear Before You Die, rather than this album being a necessity. 3.5/5
Pretty good, and a bit darker than I expected
Thrilled Catfish is making a comeback, but I probably could have supplemented with the guys
One hit wonders
All the songs are so samey
I've listened through this album several times before this. It's quire nice, though I will say it gets a bit one-note by the end. I can only do symphonic light rock for so long before it makes me sleepy.
90s brit-pop??! WHAT?! I would never have expected that on this list after (checks album count) 666 (hail satan) albums. But, in all seriousness, as much as I've hated all the brit-pop this list's editors have crammed down my earholes, Bitter Sweet Symphony is a pretty solid song. It deserves it's place as a classic of the era. I really don't think I've ever heard another The Verve song, though. The rest of this album is unremarkable but they get a kudos for the hidden track! How does this one hit wonder band still have 9.2M monthly listeners on Spotify? I blame the algorithm.
Its hard to listen to this album and not hear U2's slightly less edgy and much sadder younger cousin. Not hating it, but this feels like one of those albums where you can drift away for 9 minutes and not be really sure that the song you were listening to ever actually ended. Is this the same song. A different song? Are these guys still strumming and brooding? Whatever. Not horrible but I'm not sure I will have a reason to dig out Urban Hymns in the future to hear it again.
#153. Another one hit wonder? At least this album as a whole was pretty good, unlike some of the other one hit wonders. 3/5: acceptable
I think the album’s hurt a bit by starting with The Verbe’s most memorable song (Bittersweet Symphony) rather than building up to it, but overall I found it a pretty enjoyable experience. Besides the obvious favorites I really liked “The Drugs Don’t Work” and “Velvet Morning”.
It’s good, but someone definitely heard Oasis and thought “I could do that”
Growing up I was always confused by The Verve vs The Verve Pipe. Still not entirely sure I know the difference
extremely ok drunk british guy voice
Aggressively OK.
favourite song: bittersweet symphony mannnnn this album kinda sucked i think. obviously bittersweet symphony and the drugs dont work are great songs, but the albums too long and never reaches that level again. i also am not particularly fond of the singers voice.
This was decent, some good songs. Kind of long.
Like 1 good song
Not bad, some good songs on this one.
The three singles are all great obviously. They clearly knew that and decided to make every other song on the album as similar as possible. That can work in some cases but here it means you end up with over an hour of mumbled, soporific rock mush.
I was familiar with some of the singles prior to drawing this album. It's an alright listen, as I've been exposed to other Britpop from around this era. If anything, though, listening to this made me want to listen to Oasis. This album runs a bit long, with a few 5+ min tracks including the interesting final hidden track that literally contains like 7+ min of silence. The singles themselves are memorable (talking about the iconic "Bitter Sweet Symphony" and "Lucky Man" of course), but nothing else really stands out.
Bitter Sweet Symphony 3.7 Sonnet 3.5 The Rolling People 3.6 The Drugs Don't Work 3.6 Catching the Butterfly 3.3 Neon Wilderness 3.6 Space and Time 3.5 Weeping Willow 3 Lucky Man 3 One Day 3.1 This Time 3 Velvet Morning 3.2 Come On / Deep Freeze (Hidden Track) 3.1
Bittersweet Symphony is such a great song but honestly nothing else is really memorable here.
Three good songs can’t hold up a mediocre album, and I just don’t understand why this one gets so much praise. Sure, I get that the three big tracks were massive, but come on—the rest of the album is boring and repetitive. Nothing special, to keep it simple.
This album undoubtedly had a lasting cultural impact, but about half the tracks on this album feel derivative of each other. I had a good time listening through this, but probably won't revisit it again.
Very light 3 stars. The album is...pleasant. The lead single was overplayed, but it's a cool song when actively listening to it. Reminiscent of Rufus Wainwright with the lead singers singing and Oasis with the instrumentation. All the songs sound good, but nothing really stands out. Album is very long for all these songs to be pretty indistinguishable. The words are hard to parse out with how the singer sings them, and even looking at them, they seem superficially deep. Nice enough, but no real reason to return to it.
2.5-3
Good album, good listen, some good classics
Legendary first song of the album. Everything else very bland and blah. Not special.
British pop/rock, kind of dull for me
Burnt by 90s
Better than I remember with seemingly a lot of influence from Radiohead.
lots of what just seems like "noise" and repetitive tones. do like bittersweet symphony though
Not as good as Oasis but definitely the vibes and influences are there
Nostalgisch aber nur Ok
2.5
Genre: BritPop, Alt Rock Instruments: 2/5 Modern Translation: 3/5 Dance Potential: 1/5 Listening Location: Making/eating lunch in Auckland Heard it before: Yes (some) Favourite Song: Bitter Sweet Symphony, Lucky Man Made me feel: This is a 90's iconic album. I liked listening to the whole thing, but it's a little too rocky for me and thought it was a little similar all the way through. I really enjoyed the nostalgia.
Radiohead were robbed when this won the ‘Best Album’ in the 1998 Brit Awards over OK Computer. Still, it is a good album, 3.5 stars.
Good surprise! One of those albums in which all the songs are better than the hit!
The instrumentals are probably a 4 for me but not the vocals.
I’m pretty sure every Britrock album I’ve ever heard has sounded like every Britrock album I’ve ever heard before (maybe minus Stone Roses). A fine album with that might overstay its welcome a bit.
Ratings: 5: I will happily play this album anytime 4: I may occasionally play this album of my own free will 3: I will happily listen to this if someone plays it in the background 2: I will tolerate this if it is playing in the background 1: I will leave the room if someone plays this in the background Solid 3. Bittersweet Symphony alone is one of my favorite tracks from the 90s...but it almost hurts the album as a whole as the rest of the songs pale in comparison. There are some other decent tracks here but by the end of the album it is just becoming a slog to get through it all.
de las mejores entradas en un album pero de ahi no se que paso se podía explotar mas eso
it's totally fine. great for some 90's nostalgia but i don't really know if i'd ever be in the mood to just jam out this whole album
Typical 90s Britpop
Wait... I always thought the bittersweet symphony was a song by Moby! I stand corrected. The album has some interesting experiments but is not the kind of music that resonates with me. Didn't hated it but didn't fell in love either.
a vibe, the drugs dont work is my fav.
75 minutes of 90s Brit rock is too much 90s Brit rock. I think “What’s the Story…” outpaces this album by a long shot. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ it’s fine, it’s just too long.
Yet another album from the '90s that I have never heard and I only even recognize the name of this band because of the major pop single that they released That's the opening song on this album. And I was delighted to see that they did not lock into the methodology of that pop single and the other songs on the album had intonations of the upcoming psychedelic trend that would develop in the 2000s, And I really enjoyed the sound of the vocals and it was a soft mesmerizing album to listen to. I don't know that I would venture in to listening to anything else by then but I'm glad I did get to hear this and that it was a pleasant experience.
I thought I would like this more but I can see why they have one hit.
A couple of good songs on this album.
maybe it's me but it didn't feel very special
Hidden track was the star of this album tbh
A couple of great songs, but I struggle to remember anything about the rest the album
It's alright.
Bitter sweet symphony is fantastic. Others I felt were mostly ok, nothing else really stood out to me
The Verve is like U2, if they were less annoying, but also way more generic.
Just finished my second listen, and I may be feeling contrarian and/or my feelings here might be impacted by my having been born the same year this album came out- but honestly? It's pretty boring basic stuff. A few moments I enjoyed but otherwise inoffensive and like. Fine. A solid 3.5 for me. Won't be listening again. Catching the Butterfly: Very good!! I like this one a lot!! Bittersweet Symphony: always felt neutral-positive about this one. Not a bad song but I would forget it exists if not for the Rolling Stones copyright drama. Sonnet, Space and Time, Weeping Willow, Lucky Man, Deep Freeze: Enjoyable in a very passive way, a neutral example of a genre that I usually like The Rolling People, Neon Wilderness, Come On: Feels like they were inspired by a lot of good music and came up with a much more neutral version of what they heard. I do actually really like the end of Come On though, it's good. The Drugs Don't Work, One Day, This Time, Velvet Morning: Okay. whatever.
Solid
Always annoying when an album starts with the best song, sets you up to expect greatness only to end up a little bit disappointed. Still enjoyable overall though.
This album has its ups and downs. This might be the most 90s thing I've ever experienced and that is wild. Hootie would be embarrassed at the amount of 90s haha
i liked this just not loved it
Nothing amazing. But not bad.
Solid album.
It was fine. Nothing extraordinary.
At last we’ve gotten out of the classic rock rut & songs that've been so overplayed we never need to hear them again, no matter how earth-shaking in their original release. This list is called ‘1001 Abums To Hear Before You Die’, and so far I’d heard them all. This is the first one I’ve not heard before. Somebody else said it was really interesting to hear ‘Bittersweet Symphony’ in context with all these other songs, and I completely agree. Also, sounds a little more current even though by now it’s 25 years old than the other 40 to 50 year old tracks we’ve been listening to. Don’t know that I will listen to it on repeat like some ref reviewers have said, but I had fun listening to it once all the way through. Do absolutely get the Oasis comparison though.
I like it. The first song is great, the rest is okay.
A British classic, melancholy vocals with classic guitar band rhythms.
Didn’t think this album was really good or bad, it just was
Everyone has heard Bittersweet Symphony hundreds of times. The rest of the record is rather obscure. There are a couple of gems on there such as The Rolling People but the rest is fairly forgettable.
enh
-Track that stood out: The Drugs Don't Work -Recognized Lucky Man from the radio but never knew before that it was The Verve! -Overall enjoyed the album, hard to imagine when I would go out of my way to listen to it though -Will always love Bittersweet Symphony for the great role it plays in the Cruel Intentions soundtrack
Urban Hymns by The Verve is a standout album that truly defined the sound of a generation—mine included. It captures a unique blend of emotion and atmosphere that still resonates today. The Verve were also an incredible live band, and that raw energy comes through in every track. Favourite Tracks: There are some absolute belters on this album. Bitter Sweet Symphony is iconic for a reason—its sweeping orchestration and emotional pull are unforgettable. Sonnet is another highlight, with its poignant lyrics and haunting melody. Least Favourite Track: Honestly, every song on Urban Hymns brings something to the table. There’s no real weak link—each track feels carefully crafted and worth revisiting. Album Artwork: The cover is effortlessly cool. It perfectly reflects the introspective, moody vibe of the music within.
i understood why every song was in the album (well, nearly every song) and though i loved this album overall, i will never listen to some of these songs again - to me, they were very dry-my-hand-and-lean-out-of-the-bath-to-skip kind of songs, so i rate the album a solid 6.5/10. perhaps my opinion will change, and if it does, i’ll update you all. but for now, i stand by my rating ! rest of the review on ig: @musicwithnessa
That felt like a more melodic, meloncholy Be Here Now. An absolute slog to get through to be honest. I'm exhausted and the last track is still playing. A few tracks less and a few minutes trimmed off several of them would have made for a much better album. Reading up on it now, how was this voted one of the best British albums ever. Jesus Christ. 2.5*
Olha os cara tem outras músicas boas, mas isso só aumenta meu ódio por Bittersweet Symphony
The first thing I always think when I see this album cover is “Wow, that guy’s shoes are so huge!“ I like the orchestration on the various pieces. Good mixture of instrumentation beyond the normal guitar/bass/drums/vocals. “Bittersweet Symphony” is a 5 star song, the rest were average or forgettable. Overall I’d I’ve this 3 stars.
I found myself signing along to Bittersweet Symphony, and tbh I've always thought I hated the song. So far enjoying this far more than I wanted to. Ok, I didn't hate it. 3.2/5
This is one of those albums where I wish I had a copy of the book to understand why it is here. I presume it’s because the Verve were massively popular and this is the 19th-biggest selling album in the UK ever. I love Britpop (despite being born well after the movement occurred) but I found this far too melancholy. The album itself was too long — 75 minutes?! I couldn’t really understand what he was singing due to the mixing unless I focussed, but I used this as background music due to the aforementioned runtime. I like the two hit songs but unfortunately they happen very near the start so the rest was a slog to get through. 5/10.
The most middle-of-the-road Britpop imaginable.
Everybody knows the big hit that opens the album. Not sure the rest of the offering lives up to that, but it’s much more solid all-around than I expected. Will definitely listen to it again.
"Bitter Sweet Symphony" is one of those songs that I get really excited about at first, but then it seems to get kind of tedious and whiny by the end. But the first minute and a half is perfect. Turns out maybe I just like the song it sampled more than the rest of it. This album as a whole was kind of like that. The first half I was thinking it was a solid four. Getting somewhat bored of it by the last track (my least favorite track), and the hidden track (Oh, how I HATE those and especially this one!), I was thinking the album was a three. So I listened again, and confirmed that the first half is good but the last of it rounds it down.
I wasn’t expecting much, for no real reason, and so I was rather pleasantly surprised at how well the first few tracks went. After about a hour (it seemed) I looked to see how many tracks were left and saw I was on track 4….then it started to just drag on and on. It really lost what charm it had by the end.
Aside from the distinctive and ubiquitous Bitter Sweet Symphony, I found this very generic and very long. I can't imagine listening to it again.
It was alright if long. I feel like I have heard enough of this style music in my current life though.
What a great imprint from the late nineties- There is a reason Bittersweet Symphony hit top charts all over the world and can still be heard today, i think many people forgot who the original band was (including myself until i was able to put 2&2 together). Nevertheless, i feel a great wave of nostalgia when listening to them, and i like a lot of the messaging in the lyrics as well.
Hadn’t heard Bitter Sweet Symphony in a long time, never liked the song and still don’t care for it. Weird as an opener too. However, I’m pretty surprised how much I like many of the tracks that come after it
It’s fine. There’s times where it sounds a bit generic, but there were a few standouts to me—Bittersweet Symphony of course, as well as Sonnet. It’s a bit bland at times, and can run a bit long. Once or twice a song tries to go in an “acid-rocky” type direction that doesn’t really hit. Overall, it’s a 90’s alternative album!
Thought this album was pretty decent.
3.4/5 - Its probably the best album ill never listen to again
İt's definitely not the best Verve album but don't expect the others to be in this list. This was their most radio friendly and more britpop sounding with a hint of psychedelia. Love Sonnet and Space and Time.
- Rundes aber im Gesamteindruck gemächliches Album - Neben bekannten Mega-Hit gibt es noch ein bis zwei andere Tracks die sehr ins Ohr gehen. Der Rest lässt mich ehrlich gesagt etwas kalt - Stilistisch sehr charakteristisch, wenn auch bequem im Britpop verwurzelt. - Ich habe bei The Verve leider das gleiche Phänomen, wie bei Oasis auch: Irgendwie sind sie mir, aus nicht erklärbaren Gründen, leicht unsympathisch und das wirkt sich bei mir auch auf das Hörvergnügen aus. 3/5
Rating: 2,75 / 5
Bitter Sweet Symphony is the only song I know from these guys, but I guess the rest of the album is alright. It is kind of generic otherwise.
Goo goo dolls radiohead
Bittersweet Symphony is a great song! I love the strings, the lyrics. So different really from the rest of this album. Drugs don’t work is a great song. I remember Ben Harper singing it, not The Verve. Giving it a 3 only because of the hit song is that good.
Starts off with such an epically, wonderful, 5/5 song and then just ok for an hour.
Listened to this many of times, happy to give it another go Production is very nice but the songs aren’t exactly amazing
Good music, some hits, some songs i liked and can play from time to time
3/5 Thought it was good, but over time the tracks were way too long and the songs started to sound kind of same-ey.
Meh
Very much a three star record. Some of the songs are fantastic, especially the singles, but much of the record is bogged down by a feeling of self-indulgence. Almost all the songs are at least a minute too long, overbaking what could've felt like a more clever, subtle record and some of the songs duffer from overproduction. A shame, because there really is a spark somewhere here.
Was alright, reminded me of 2000s FIFA soundtrack
A really good album.
Ja pretty cool maar ook wel vrij standaard niet heeeel bijzonder, eerste track wel vet ofc en leuk dat er een hidden track was al was dat echt niet om aan te horen
General thoughts: The Verve is really not my kind of band, its personality is very insipid, someway very 90s, the singer does a really good job, also the band, its the songs. There are some songs which feature orchestra elements, maybe if they would have taken that as the special trait of the whole album the songs in average would stand more, but really just a couple of them stick to the ear. Favorite songs: Other than the obvious Bitter Sweet Simpphony, Sonnet & Drugs don't work are pretty good, also Deep Freez was a very good outro. Cover: Pretty much reflects the bland aspect of the band, really boring. Real rating: 2.93
Bittersweet symphony and some other cool tracks. I really like "come on" which is the last track. 3.5
It was ok. More than just bittersweet symphony. Reminded me a bit of Oasis. Not a relevation, but not bad
3 stjörnur(nenni ekki að skrifa ritgerð hérna eins og þið tónlistarnördarnir)
Can't currently listen to Bitter Sweet Symphony without thinking of the whole Rolling Stones lawsuit. This issue, along with the dreadful pop song from 2023 that uses this same melody (don't really know its name but I've heard it in malls), does not allow me to enjoy listening to this song anymore. The rest of the album is definitely more interesting, I really like the way the Verve integrated the whole shoegaze and baggy movement into their music while maintaining a rock edge.
Boring songs for dads with bowl cuts
It's fine. Some decent songs, bit wanky
A few good tracks, but frankly most are not memorable.
2.5
This is 90s Britian. The swan song album with every sound recorded. The lush British orchestral background with the cheeky lyrics and cigarette rock sound. Bittersweet Symphony will always be the sound of the generation. Britain is always a little rougher around the edges. Sound of the all night club that looks like it's in a living room. Crepe paper decorations are all that'll do. But there's a sound there that feel like the truth.
I only ever listened to Bittersweet Symphony. The entire album was good. It reminded me a bit of the Beatles. I would listen to it again. Although more likely I'll just put Bittersweet Symphony in a play list.
This album was fine, but nothing earth-shattering if you exclude how big track 1 became. There's only a few tracks I would go out of my way to listen to again—6, 8, 9, and 11. Listening to this does make me feel it's too bad some of their other songs didn't get much airtime on the radio back when this came out.
Everything kinda boringly blends together after the first track (which remains a really good song). It wasn't bad, but I don't think I'll ever listen to this again.
The singles are all pretty great. The album tracks, maybe growers. Favourite tracks: the singles
melancholic city vibes, reminds me of The Smiths a lil bit
Still working through it, but I like the first few songs!
Bittersweet symphony obviously fantastic, the drugs don't work and lucky man also nice
Very similar to Oasis, have always known the classics, good to listen to the rest of the album. Pretty good if you are in to brit rock.
Very fine.
I started listening to this, and was like "this isn't the album I remember really liking" then I realized it was The Verve Pipe's album with one hit on it, not the Verve's album with one hit on it. three stars I guess - the famous song on this one was better, but the Verve Pipe's album was better overall.
I’d have to listen more closely to the other songs to decide on them, but I really like Bitter Sweet Symphony
Obviously the symphony song is amazing. The rest of the album is just okay.
It's a meh album. Pretty dated at this point. Bittersweet Symphony is a good song. I like The Drugs Don't Work but it sounds similar to another song but I can't tell which song it reminds me of. It's a fine album.
Better than I would have expected, but not brilliant.
soooo 90s, early 2000s, was a little over it by the end
It's like wish.com radiohead
I used to use Bittersweet Symphony as my pump-up song for my HSC - it would be the last song I'd have playing in the car before I went in. Don't know why, but the intro got me in the zone. The actual album and other songs take them or leave them.
the drugs dont work
not as bad as i remember.
It wasn’t bad but it all sounded the same.
Torn on this one - some songs are outstanding but it’s hard to listen to as an album as some songs are not to my taste at all. Of I coild go back I’d give steely Dan a 2 and this a 3. So a three in any case
Good first listening experience decent album. Really captures the sound of Brit Pop and what I’ve come to expect from it. I’ve heard the classic song, bitter Sweet Symphony before but revisiting it was a treat, and reading about the history of the band was also excellent. Perhaps, someday I will go back to their discography listen to their first album.
Average 90s inidie album.
Bitter Sweet Symphonie ist einfach grossartig, was für Gefühle! Der Rest des ist solide, kommt in der Tiefe aber nicht an den Hit heran.
Bitter Sweet Symphony, forgettable softish rock music. Grocery store classic.
7/10, banger of an opener
Pretty much the same as most other English alternative bands from their era. Elevated by "Bittersweet Symphony" of course but otherwise rather forgettable.
i only liked two songs in it, the rest felt too similar or was repetitive. Not fully my style
I can see why Brits would like this
How long is this album?! Singles are all great, overall sound is pleasant but just too much of it. The story of the royalties with Bittersweet Symphony is mad.
I don’t get it.
-this album cover is really giving lets go to the park and take aesthetic photos for our album cover -but i kinda like it -WAIT I THINK I KNOW THIS FIRST SONG -i really liked sonnet a lot, especially the strings at the end -all of these songs are on the longer side but they feel enchanting the whole time -i am REALLY liking this album which is UNEXPECTED -its not very interesting, kinda wish there was more diversity between the songs -why is the HIDDEN TRACK the most interesting song on here. sigh
90's sadness
The unceasing melancholia wreathed in BritPop mastery could irritate in larger volume, but this album definitely shows restraint. Of course Bittersweet Symphony is a jewel of 90s pathos; the rest of the album is surprisingly similarly and sweetly sour.
Liked sonnet and the drugs don't work
Whole album is fine. Not a huge fan of Bittersweet Symphony. Probably wouldn't go out of my way to listen to it again but wouldn't turn it off if it comes on the radio.
Not really my style
не нашла отличий от оазиса (но скучновато, видимо надо несколько недель попривыкнуть)
Bittersweet Symphony is stands out because the strings are so unique. The rest of the album does not.
Some decent songs on this (especially bitter sweet symphony), but it really did not need to be an hour and 15 minutes.
Best album heard yet, liked the vibe but no songs really stood out to me, would listen again though
first song is good and iconic but the rest are kinda just meh
A couple of good ones, overall not the best album but enjoyable.
More Brit rock, yay
i was pleasantly surprised by this one! obviously i knew bitter sweet symphony before listening to this album, but didn't know what to expect from it. would it be mostly filler and the big track, or something more? well, i think it was something more. and perhaps every song on here is not as lofty as bitter sweet symphony, but it is a very fun of-the-era britpop album. I do feel like the first two-thirds of the album are very good and the last third really grinds the album to a halt, feeling very lethargic, and not in a great way. but overall, i liked this one, and am glad i gave it a listen!
Enjoyed
bittersweet symphony is a banger per usual, i liked 'this time', and 'space and time' a lot, a few other cool songs, but some of it dragged on a bit
This is a really chill album to have on in the background to zone out to. Pretty boring/repetitive on the front half but DAMN does it hit its stride in the back half. If the album was just Bitter Sweet Symphony + the back half it would be a 4/5.
6/10 i was able to look past my blind hatred of bittersweet symphony and actually enjoy this album worst song: bittersweet symphony
Soft, slow songs. Could listen to these while I have a headache, they are soothing.
Je n'avais écouté que Bittersweet Symphony et The Drugs don't work sur cet album. J'avais un peu peur de ce qu'allait donner le reste, en mode "c'était sympa jeune mais en fait c'est cringe", mais en vrai ça se tient très bien. Rien de révolutionnaire, mais un album de pop-rock bien ficelé, qu'on associe tout de suite à une époque.
Mouaaais... Je ne peux plus trop écouter Bittersweet Symphony que j'ai l'impression d'avoir beaucoup trop entendue, mais d'autres chansons sauvent le cd (The Drugs don't work). Je concède que cette écoute me fait partiellement revenir sur un a priori négatif
Standouts: Bittersweet Symphony, The Drugs Don’t Work, Sonnet, Lucky Man 3.5
When I first heard this in the 90s I thought that (with the exception of Bittersweet Symphony) the songs were all either dour acoustic ballads or low-fi discordant jams. Enjoyed the re-listen much more than expected, though doesn't feel like groundbreaking stuff.
Bitter Sweet Symphony is well known and pretty catchy. The Drugs Don't Work is a meme these days isn't it? Lucky Man is ok. Fave tracks from this session: Catching The Butterfly and Deep Freeze
That one great song but mostly just OK for me
Petite déception pour moi. Je l'ai trouvé moins intéressant que l'album précédent que j'ai entendu d'eux, sauf en ce qui concerne la pièce «Bittersweet Symphony», qui vieillit très bien dans sa composition hétéroclite.
Pop rock, I'd describe it as spacey/lackadaisical
6/10. Decent, but too coldplay-y
Perfectly fine. Pretty one note for the most part. Nothing to be bothered by.
meeiro
Hasn't aged well, but some decent tunes in here.
Bittersweet Symphony is genuinely one of the top 5 most beautiful songs I've heard but the rest of the album falls so flat comparatively. Want to give it a 4 because of how easy and smooth it was to listen to but despite that, the songs werent all that good
It's nice, and of course has an epic beginning.
Occasional banger, rest are average
Some of the bangers are all right. Some of the songs I hadn't heard before were all right. All right (iha jees) / 5
Bittersweet Symphony is one of my favorite songs ever, but the rest of the album was just okay. It didn’t vary much from song to song and faded into the background quickly for me.
Bit of a snooze fest, if you've heard brit pop you've heard this.
Bittersweet symphony is amazing, but the album dies down a bit as it drags on.
A decent listen but a bit too 'run of the mill' 90s brit pop.
Another 90s insertion for 1 good song. There were so many good albums from that decade but they just keep finding the one-hit-wonders. I swear if Chumbawumba is in here...
Was this group formed to sell Oasis B sides? I think so. It is a bit of a guilty pleasure, please don't tell anyone.
That violin that begins “Bittersweet Symphony” was ubiquitous in 1997. The Verve’s “Urban Hymns” didn’t have much life in the US past that, but “The Drugs Don’t Work” and “Lucky Man” were also successful in the UK. I didn’t know if the rest of “Urban Hymns” would be more like “Bittersweet Symphony,” or more like their previous album “Northern Soul.” I remarked that “Northern Soul” was heavier than I expected based on that one hit. “The Rolling People” brought the sound I was hoping for, but alas that song is by far the album’s best. “Weeping Willow” is a decent slower track, and several others are ok, but overall I prefer the previous album. The Verve aren’t a strong enough band to place two albums if they were American.
This fits squarely into 90s Britpop. Into the meaty part of the curve. I hear some Oasis, the quintessential 90s Britpop, in these tracks.
A reasonable album with some decent tracks, but The Verve were a lot more exciting when they were also exploring psychedelic rock, space rock, and shoegaze rather than trying to follow the success of bands like Oasis.
Bitter Sweet Symphony is one of my least favourite songs of all time. The reasons I hate it are the same reasons many love it. The two violins playing the same melodramatic phrase over and over and over is so annoying, only to be outmatched by Richard Ashcroft's drab, droning delivery. The first 6 minutes of this album fucking suck. I hate this song and most of that hatred is irrational. Fuck this song fuck it fuckit ahhhhhhhhh So it turns out the The Verve are a pretty good band. The Drugs Don't Work is an excellent song, and I get emotional every time the chorus kicks in. Sonnet, Lucky Man, and The Rolling People are other highlights. Some of the slower points on this album are forgettable. One Day sounds like a song written by the frontman of The Verve's tribute act. That being said it's inoffensive, palatable, and its biggest offense is adding five minutes to the album's length. I think 5/10 is a more appropriate rating based on how I feel about these songs individually, but as an album it is cohesive and very well executed. Ashcroft clearly has great writing chops, and it is a damn shame that I can't tolerate his masterpiece for a single second. 6/10.
Bitter sweet symphony is awesome. Long album though. I liked it but they needed to cut some fluff
Bittersweet Symphony could be in my personal top 100 songs. Sonnet is a pretty good song too. The middle of the album gets pretty boring. Lucky Man was pretty good amidst the boring. I actually liked the ending a good bit too. All in all it ends up squarely as a 3. It's way too long as well.
Ahh Bittersweet Symphony. What a classic. Not sure I know anyone who doesn't like this piece of art! I hate when the drugs don't work. Not the song but just when the actual drugs don't work. This song is pretty peaceful though. Unlike drugs not working. Really like the background guitar work on Catching the Butterfly. Ah I've actually heard another song by these guys in Lucky Man. Pretty song. Was working with this in the background but found some songs a bit boring. Might come back to it again we'll see.
Wasn’t familiar with this band, sonically well done.
“Bittersweet Symphony” is an iconic track. The rest of this felt like pretty standard, unremarkable 90s music. Best tracks: The Drugs Don’t Work, Bittersweet Symphony
Bitter Sweet Symphony and Lucky Man are the best songs. The others don't stand out. Not a bad album.
3.5, I'd say. Bitter Sweet Symphony stands out, rest of the album was just okay.
Not a bad listen, albeit pretty forgettable. However, I would put this on again as some background noise.
Bittersweet Symphony is hands down the best song on the album. Unfortunately the rest of the album is nowhere as good. Totally unremarkable. I will round up to a 3 simply because of Bittersweet Symphony.
Very very good
Good
It's like a second rate Oasis album... Not in a mean way, like, if I bought the album I wouldn't be mad about it. In the same breath, the radio hits are the best songs.
Some good tracks can be found here but overall it has not aged very well. At least for me
Pretty good 90s rock. I like that the album didn't stick to too-rock or too-soft - that it went back and forth between the two - so it didn't feel like it was dragging on (even after 65 minutes)
90s as it is
4/12, 33%
This album defines a time. Guitar forward rock record, rock star sound and lyrics. Sounds like Oasis. Bittersweet Sympathy ironically is the outlier on this album. Occasionally some strings enter the arrangements of other tracks, but mostly Urban Hymns to me is an extension of modern hair rock like Poison or Def Leppard, even Aerosmith - drugs, alcohol, guitars, and a couple acoustic ballads. It doesn't rock like those bands' records do, but the bones of that sound are here. Sadly, as the album goes on...and on (this album is also very long - like 76 minutes) it becomes diminishing returns. Some producer lost a battle with the band because no album, not even like if Jimi Hendrix came back from the dead, should be 76 minutes long.
Sounds of the 90's
Fine
If Oasis was actually good at music. A lot of the songwriting is a bit bland though, but beautifully performed.
Not bad but nothing too special.
Great first song. Solid rest of the album, but nothing mind-blowing for me...
Good album, not great, but their hit was huge
This is fine but really didn't blow me away.
Middleschool me would have absolutely adored this album, which is tragic as It was out then. As it is I don't really care for his voice. That makes this album a middling affair to me.
If U2 and Oasis had a love child, it would be The Verve. Liked it more than I thought I would. A bit uneven and not everything works. Note to bands. If you're not The Clash and your hidden track isn't Train in Vain, don't do hidden tracks. Overall, decent but not spectacular.
WHY does the music that England was producing in the late 90's leave me so cold? Albums like this should be right up my alley, but this does nothing for me. More off-brand Oasis, who were just off-brand Beatles. It's perfectly serviceable, but not memorable. And wow, at 75 minutes it just feels like a slog. I think this could have been a much tighter album if it was edited down by half an hour.
Nice album and their break through album but do like their earliest stuff like a Storm In Heaven and Northern Soul better. This one a 3 star,
Easy to listen to. Gave some big Coldplay vibes, but like better for the most part. Nice
I never really gave these guys a chance when this came out because "Bittersweet Symphony" was SO overplayed I just decided that the band and everything they did pissed me off. Nuance wasn't always a huge part of my teenage music criticism! Anyway, it's fine enough fare if a tad too long. Some nice symphonic bits here and there. "Bittersweet Symphony" IS actually a pretty good song when you're not hearing it every damn where you turn.
The only required listening of the Verve is Bitter Sweet Symphony. The only reason Bitter Sweet Symphony makes the Verve a must-listen and merit entry on this list is because of the fucked up copyright laws that allowed Alan Klein snatch the rights of the song because someone messed up on the sample clearance and Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are credited as the writers of the magnificent song. They're not and it's not their fault, as a matter of fact, they reverted the rights back to The Verve, but anyways the rest of the album is meh 90s Brit-Pop-Alternative-Rock. 3/5.
Þrjú af fyrstu lögunum fjórum eru frábær, enda talsvert meira spiluð en öll önnur á plötunni nema eitt. Þetta byrjar svo vel, en svo rennur þetta út í eitthvað miðjumoð. Synd.
álbum um pouco longo demais, apesar de num geral ter curtido a sonoridade. a primeira música é um baita hit, algumas outras achei boas, ainda mais com a utilização de instrumentos clássicos em diversas. num geral gostei do álbum.
2.5
Enough here to come back for another listen
Some great tracks, a good listen, but it just never elevates higher. Still like it though!
The flaw with this album is that it starts off with their biggest hit ever, by a mile. It’s hard to appreciate anything else on the album, even though the talent is there. The Verve throw together some interesting tracks, some slow, some poppy, some rockin, some absolutely space and time affluent. Nothing here is bad. It’s just average; and the contrast to Bittersweet and the rest of the album is just too great of a divide to appreciate anything much more than a forgettable track here and there.
Pretty decent album, though it seems because of label influences, the hit single got placed first on the tracklist and everyone forgot about all the other songs. 3.5/5
ну альтернатив рок, да
I remember this being a one hit wonder. The album is better than I expected. Glad I listened, but not sure I will be going back for more
The first song is obviously a 5 but after that it varies.
decent
Not bad
Perfectly acceptable
Didn't mind the singles from this back in the day. They do capture the mood of the time for me; a more contemplative antidote to the BritPop nonsense. But the more rockist album tracks here didn't do much for me. I have never been a fan of The Doors, unlike this band, clearly. Close, but no cigar.
Twenty years Bitter sweet symphony was everywhere and I hated it. Never heard the album but now I say it's good (except Bitter sweet symphony), even if he's 'oasising'.
Nothing too special. I can tell why the hits were big but the rest of the tracks didn’t really connect with me. Kinda remind of crowded house.
Some good songs, but not particularly engaging. Probably didn't need to be a double album.
As excellent as that title track is, the rest of this album comes off as fairly generic. It's well enough made late 90s Britpop, but pretty forgettable. Fave Songs: Bitter Sweet Symphony, The Drugs Don't Work, Lucky Man, Space and Time, Neon Wilderness, This Time
Classic album that combines Oasis and Radiohead sounds into something very 90s. The Rolling Stones had no business suing them for using a sample on Bittersweet Symphony!
Not anything groundbreaking, but a pleasant listen, quite unforgettable in most cases Saved tracks: Bitter Sweet Symphony, The Rolling People, The Drugs Don’t Work, Weeping Willow
I recognize Bitter Sweet Symphony from the radio back in the 2000s. Feels nostalgic. Instrumentation and production is pretty good, don’t like this vocal style too much though. Drums get 👍 Snoozefest... Neon wilderness skip About halfway through, super boring. Yeah didn't care for this album.
My favorite part about this album is that it has Bittersweet Symphony on it. My least favorite part of the album was listening to the rest of the album afterwards. It's fine as an album, but it's another Brit pop album that feels like nothing special to me 3/5
I'll admit to a precise weakness for this tone, but there's also an objective case that the album is not nearly as overstuffed as it appears. It leans hard on the second syllable of Britpop, opens with the unmistakably good, continues strong for an admirable stretch. The sound of the B side pushes patience more than any frontier, but represents decent variety.
Solid album, pretty standard BritPop (which is way overrepresented on this list IMO). Bitter Sweet Symphony is a classic but I've heard it enough for one lifetime. 3 stars.
Meh.
Straight down the middle
3/5 I knew and therefore liked the first song. The rest just kinda blended together. I will go back and relisten cause that was probably on me. It felt very familiar and it was good on the technicals.
Sounds like the Smiths going 90´s Brit-pop
Quite good, but nothing crazy good to me. Very comfortable 3, almost 4
Four really good songs (three of the first four, plus Lucky Man), supported by a lot of less good stuff. I've seen Richard Ashcroft live, supporting someone else (can't remember who). He was quite good, but got visibly frustrated that almost no one knew any of the songs he sang other than Bittersweet Symphony and The Drugs Don't Work. It's too long (even without the 15 minute final track which is mostly silence), and it's a bit beige other than the singles, but they lift it up to a 3/5.
3-4
It was a solid 4 until I got to the hidden track. Who the hell wants to hear a baby crying, it grates my nerves. Putting music over it doesn't make it edgy, just stop.
3.5 - .5 extra for Bittersweet Symphony
An album for the times, has aged OK. 3/5
it's not oasis
Pretty nice but a bit boring
seems like a very popular album but I only like a few of the songs
Lol I was clowning on this album and then next thing I know I’ve listened to it twice back-to-back. This fully dunks me in 90s cheese and I love it
Outstanding opening track. But, apart from Bittersweet, Lucky Man and Drugs don't work, the album feels very mid.
Bitter-sweet, gets mundane after some time
Bittersweet Symphony is 5/5, the rest is like 2-3 range. Classic one hit wonder type of stuff lol.
First time hearing a complete The Verve album. There were at least 2-3 songs that are very recognizable as being hits by them. Easily an album to enjoy with the family in the car.
It's the hits. Album drags a bit I must say.
Overall the album is fine, there are some tracks I really like, yet there were many that aren't memorable. Fairly generic sounding Brit-Pop and If I played tracks of Oasis and The Verve, I probably couldn't differentiate the two bands and at times, I swear I was listening to U2. Nothing special here, but a pleasant and enjoyable listen. ***1/2
Bittersweet Symphony is 5*
Aucun intérêt une fois qu'on a passé les violons et le plagiat du premier morceau.
Un album de bonne facture de la part de The Verve, mais le manque d'urbanité pourtant promise sur le titre de l'album leur empêche d'accéder à la caste très resserrée des 4/5.
U2 + Oasis = The Verve
This album was really good It exceeded my expectations. The cover looked pretty cool and I really enjoyed a few songs from this album. I give it a 6/10
Very unique sound for this band. Good album. Glad I listened to it.
Better than usual for Britpop, with 'Bitter Sweet Symphony' obviously being my top pick. The rest of the album was fine after that, but I doubt I'll return.
Some great tracks, and a lot of filler.
the drugs don't work, and this album has been cut with Vim
While this album certainly has it moments (it peaks with the first track), it ultimately suffers under its own weight. Despite the interesting mix of britpop, alternative rock, and psychedelia, the running time makes the album sound very much the same. The Verve are masteries of melody and orchestration, but in the year that saw the release of OK Computer, it falls a bit flat.
Besides Bitter Sweet Symphony, this album didn’t really have any highlights. All of the songs were the exact same. Same instrumental, same lyrics, same mood, everything. This album was by no means a bad album, but it could have been better. To be honest, I forgot that BSS was on this album. Overall, this album is pretty forgettable as The Verge as been a very forgettable band. Rankings: Ovr. -> Weak 7 Best 3: 1. BSS (Favorite) 2. Sonnet 3. TDDW Worst 3: 1. CO/DF 2. TRP (Least Favorite) 3. S&T
Hi, we're The Verve. Not to be confused with the Verve Pipe. We're the band with the one ginormous song that you actually like, but one with a melody we might have borrowed from the Stones. But we gave Mick and Keith songwriting credit on it. The lesson, as always, is Allen Klein is a huge prick. Whatever. When's the last time you listened to "Freshmen" by The Verve Pipe? We even give you a hidden track here at the end, which doesn't mean shit now but was a nice little surprise back in the CD era.
Discount Oasis that is surprisingly better than the real thing - besides the notorious main single which is also still a great song - this record is peppered with very memorable tracks yet it feels a bit too long and the fillers are fillers with not much to remember them by.
Would prefer to give this a 2.5 or 5/10 but due to this rating system it gets a generous 3 stars. This album really dragged The rolling people and catching the butterfly felt really slow with the 7 minute play time, I don't mind a long song but it really didn't feel like there was any major progression or pay off here, just droning back ground music. Coming away from this album I guess I can say I enjoyed the singles and time and space. My biggest issue with this album is it really feels as if most of these songs aren't supposed to be paid attention too and just exist for filler and background noise.
I was unaware they wrote \"The Drugs Don't Work\" - I thought it was Ben Harper. Wow. A beautiful, devastating song. It is emblematic of British Arena rock.
Love the 90s!
Fine
Bittersweet Symphony ist der einzige Track, der mich abholt. Sonst eher durchschnittlich.
Bittersweet Symphony is one of my favorite songs and really the only song by the Verve that I know coming into this album. The Drugs Don't Work was instantly my new favorite song on the album. Singles: ---------------------------------------------- Bitter Sweet Symphony (UK #2, USA #12, US ALT #3) The Drugs Don't Work (UK #1) Lucky Man (UK #7, #14 US ALT) Sonnet (#74 UK, #4 Iceland) Standouts: Bittersweet Symphony, The Drugs Don't Work, Lucky Man Others: Sonnet
love
Got the cassette out. Not sure why I've got it as never liked it much. I guess I didn't know until I had it.
3.5/5
Best songs are in the first half but then the second half kinda dragged on. I think what really hurt this album is how long the song where. Don't get me wrong some of the long tracks were good.