Reviews (page 12 of 15)
Star ratings suck
Bad radio style pop rock
Good and rocky
Would be a great chill out album on vinyl. Lots of instrumentals and solos, great listening.
Never have sought out The Verve outside of Bitter Sweet Symphony, I was surprised by how Radiohead-influenced about half the tracks were. I found those more engaging than the more ballady-type tracks, but all in all it was an enjoyable new listen
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
Lame and forgettable. In fact, I don't remember any songs between the first (which I know from the radio) and the last (which was 6 minutes long and actually different from the rest).
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.
Whiney shit.
1997. The year Josh and I got together. Paris. Bitter Sweet Symphony.
the drugs dont work
Two good tracks and a bunch of forgettable
Heel nice! Wel nog beetje rustig voor wat ik nu chill vind merk ik maar wel een album die ik vaker ga opzetten en echt luisteren
Some classics, but not as deep as I was hoping for.
The 90s is when garage bands began to try harder. Despite the controversy and copyright issues regarding the famous 1st track, the album itself has many other great tracks.
It seems to me that non-Brits always have an odd concept of what Britpop sounded like. American’s especially seem to associate it almost exclusively with acoustic ballads a la Wonderwall. And while I do get how that image has come about, it’s pretty far from the truth of what was happening with Britpop. It was a diverse genre, stretching through the early 70’s-ish hard rock of Oasis, the late 60’s-ish power pop of Blur, the spiky glam of Suede, the class politics fuelled New Wave of Pulp, and numerous others. Any sound you liked from the previous three decades of pop music, you could find a good Britpop approximation. Where the Verve come in is providing the Psychedelic part of the Britpop movement. Coming from a shoegaze background and eventually adding more keyboards, strings and acoustic elements as their sound evolved, by 97, when Urban Hymns was released they had already broken up and reformed a couple of times. I’ve always thought this tension really came through in the music. It’s big and orchestral, and more than often light and airy, but there’s always a brooding melodrama just behind the surface. It’s one of my favourite Britpop albums, and a lot of the songs are a close contender for some of my favourite songs of all time, but I do bow to some of the more critical voices this time. It is 75 minutes, no album needs to be that long. But, for a lot of those 75 minutes, Urban Hymns is perfection
basically the same guy wailing similar angsty things over and over, but I liked it I think - some of the songs I really liked the melody and wished he would be quiet
not as bad as i remember.
It wasn’t bad but it all sounded the same.
I think it's really telling that the most popular song from this album, 'Bittersweet Symphony' is based off a repeated 4 bar loop from a 1965 Rolling Stones song. I don't understand the appeal of this kind of alternative brit-pop. The album makes no statements, takes no risk, and is unmistakably bland and boring. I actually had to do some research to find out what makes this album so respected, and I still didn't get a solid answer. I don't understand who the target audience is, who searches for music where you can't tell one four-chord progression pop song from another in the same album? I felt like I could fall asleep halfway through, wake up, and not even realize I'm five more songs into the album.
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
Nicht mein Ding
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.
Better but still not exactly my style
1 classic, 1 good, rest pretty boring. 4/10
Average 90s inidie album.
Bittersweet Symphony is always a bop, but the rest of the album I was quite surprised. Kinda taking a page out of the Oasis book but also gave me some Radiohead vibes even though OK Comp released the same year as this album. If I ever feel like vibing I might go to this.
Stuk saaier en vooral zeurderiger dan ik verwacht had.
Fav songs: Bittersweet Symphony, Drugs Don’t Work
Not really into Britpop
Bitter Sweet Symphonie ist einfach grossartig, was für Gefühle! Der Rest des ist solide, kommt in der Tiefe aber nicht an den Hit heran.
Proper music - written with the melody and music first, not just a computer beat with samples on a doggerel lyric. So although it's not all perfect, at least it starts from the right place - and some of it most certainly is perfect. Let's have more of this, please.
Bitter Sweet Symphony, forgettable softish rock music. Grocery store classic.
Bad
Pretty pretty pretty good
7/10, banger of an opener
Bittersweet symphony is already a favourite of mine. I also enjoyed Sonnet and the rest of the album.
Pretty much the same as most other English alternative bands from their era. Elevated by "Bittersweet Symphony" of course but otherwise rather forgettable.
hmmm soninho. Só é salvo por bittersweet symphony
I read some of the scathing reviews and was thinking maybe this will not have stood the test of time. But no, it’s great. I want to give it 4.5 because it does go on a bit too long but that’s not an option so here we are
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
The Brit pop albums on this list have been hit or miss for me, but I enjoyed this one. As an album, it's a bit too long, but there are some great catchy 90s punk pop hits on here! A lot of songs that were familiar from my FM radio listening days, but I didn't realize they were all on one album. This is one I really could've gotten into back in 1997, but I never did. At any rate, a happy surprise. 4/5
Bittersweet Symphony remains an absolute banger. Rest of the album is trash
After the one hit wonder of Bittersweet Symphony its a big pile of mediocrity. It's pretty much all the same song and more often then not they go on for too long.
Medium, lucky man goed huilnummer, bitter sweet symphony te vaak gehoord
1997 was when I first started listen to music properly so this was right in the sweet spot, I’ll probably rate it higher than it’s worth but that’s nostalgia for you. Also it was way longer than I thought it was gonna be.
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.
Very 90s Brit Rock. Bitter Sweet Symphony is definitely the best song on the album. The rest is good, but not memorable. 4/5
Meh. Sometimes I just really think the 90's aren't for me. This is pretty mediocre in places for an album on this list, in my opinion. Sure the singles are standouts and have their merits - The Drugs Don't Work is haunting, and Lucky Man grooves along covering ground that Coldplay will improve on in a couple years' time. But the rest of it just washes over me. The worst bits of Oasis and 90's misplaced swagger. The sample debacle surrounding Bittersweet Symphony taints the obvious high point for me.
Wigan's finest. And possibly Wigan's only. My heart sank a little when I had this, maybe because of having to hear the intro to Bittersweet Symphony during every single terrible England game for 20 years, but actually it's very good. The singles are great, and album tracks like Catching The Butterfly catch you off guard a bit. All in all, very enjoyable, and took me right back to buying it on tape aged 13 and wearing a fisherman's hat.
Highlights: Bittersweet Symphony, Sonnet, The Drugs Don't Work, Catching the Butterfly, Neon Wilderness, Rolling People, Come On if it wasn't packaged with the extended silence/hidden track. JUST SPLIT IT FFS!
I don’t get it.
I think this was one of my favourite britpop albums (at least in the top 5), maybe its that psychedelic style that's here. This was so much more than just Bitter Sweet Symphony. I didn't realise Richard Ashcroft went solo after this album, now I have so much music to check out, including a pandemic acoustic version of this album. Standouts: Bitter Sweet Symphony, Sonnet, The Rolling People, The Drugs Don't Work, Lucky Man
Really great overall sound and flow to the album.
Meh
-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
Just not for me.
heard did but didn't know it. Liked it but didn't love it
Three absolute classics on this.
90's sadness
I never actually listened to the full album when it came out because I really didn't care for "Bitter Sweet Symphony" at the time. I still don't, really, but there are some really good songs on here. "The Drugs Don't Work" and "The Rolling People" were probably my favorites, but most everything was solid. I totally understand why this album made the list.
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.
7/10
Liked sonnet and the drugs don't work
Not bad, nothing too memorable besides the big one (bittersweet symphony) and Sonnet was also quite good I’d give it a 2/5 Wouldn’t bother listening again
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.
Groovy, I’ve been listening to bittersweet symphony for a while, and though it starts a bit from the rest of the album, overall I liked the pace and feel.
Not really my style
Nice chill album, really enjoyed the lyrics. It’s definitely a laid back album, so not one I’d probably put in a running rotation, but a joy to listen to.
I owned this CD as a young teenager, but I only ever listened to "Bittersweet Symphony." Even if I had listened to all of the album, I don't think I would have really appreciated it back then. Around 2001, I think I sold this to CD Warehouse or some similar type of establishment, and I'm pretty sure I got a whopping $1 for it. Wonderful return, considering I probably paid over $15 for it originally. And if my memory serves me correctly, I think that $1 went towards a new Lego Bionicle figure at Target next door. I was a weird teenager. Anyway, it's now the year of our lord 2023, and this was my first time listening to this album from start to finish. I really enjoyed listening to this album. Over two-and-a-half decades later, "Bitter Sweet Symphony" is still very much the star of the show here. But the rest of the album is really good to. Sure, there are a handful of songs here that sound a lot like Achtung Baby era U2, but "The Rolling People" and "Catching the Butterfly" are both good songs. But The Verve are at their best when they sound like... well, themselves. The from "Weeping Willow" to "This Time" is great, and honestly the strongest part of the album apart from the opening track. The instrumentation on this album is great, and The Verve really did a great job of establishing their own identity in the wide sea of Britpop. These songs are beautiful, and they still sound great to this day. This is definitely an album that I'll be returning to. I just wish I had appreciated it when I was younger.
не нашла отличий от оазиса (но скучновато, видимо надо несколько недель попривыкнуть)
Better than I thought. More than a one- (or two-) hit wonder.
I would not have considered this album as "culturally significant", but I guess The Verve are a big deal in Britain. But you know what? So is the royal family and we dunked on those nerds. 2/5, do not recommend.
It says a lot about a band when the most popular song sounds nothing like the rest of their work. In other news, here's Creep.
Pretty enjoyable as a whole.
Bittersweet Symphony is stands out because the strings are so unique. The rest of the album does not.
Pretty good jams. First track will be stuck in my head for 3 weeks but that's okay
The verve did successfully what Oasis were attempting to do with “Be here now”. A few songs in the first half drag a little longer than they need to but the record is a britpop classic that I won’t soon get tired of no matter how overplayed Bittersweet Symphony is.
Meh
Typical mid 90s Brit Rock. Oasis type, but more depressing. Made me feel like it was cold and rainy even when it was sunny and warm outside
Some decent songs on this (especially bitter sweet symphony), but it really did not need to be an hour and 15 minutes.
Bitter sweet simphony est bien mais sinon l'album est oubliable souvent des rythmes patates en plus
It has its moments where I really like the vibes and experimentation in sound. Highlight is the Rolling People for sure, really like that track. What takes this album down notches is these guys have NO clue when to end a song. They ALL drag for so much longer than necessary. Really would enjoy it more if it was tightened up but alas, it’s not.
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
only one good song
WHY HATE?: This is one of those moments where I don't quite understand the people on this website bc how this is so low I don't know. It has three banger tracks which were debatably massive on release and still hold up well till this day. Just an all round amazing album (also slightly bias bc I heard a lot of it via my dad but still...)
The only song I ever knew of theirs was bittersweet symphony before listening to this. I was not expecting the rest of the album to have songs as good or even better than it. Very good album that I will look forward to repeat listenings.
Oh I remember this one. Bought and returned the CD several times because it would NOT work on my CD player. It was a kinda cheap CD player, but it played all of my other CDs. Something about this CD kept it from working. The last time I returned it I ended up buying Reel Big Fish instead. Which is ironic, because they have a song about being "Trendy" and that's exactly what I was doing by getting the Reel Big Fish CD. Got rid of that one pretty soon too. Anyway, I guess my point is that this is better than Reel Big Fish. Even though it was more memorable than The Verve.
A couple of good ones, overall not the best album but enjoyable.
More Brit rock, yay
Here’s an album with numerous classic tracks, yet an album that I remember mostly for being so inoffensive: there’s just nothing to dislike here. Guess that’s why it sold so many copies.
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!
No. Sounds like the 90s
Enjoyed
One of my favourite albums of this period. It doesn't seems to age and the tone of the album feels perennial. A great showcase for Ashcroft's voice and heartfelt writing talent.
Got about halfway through. It’s not bad but not worth the rest of my time. The songs are super long.
Personal rating: 7.4/10
Kuunneltu 2016 remasteroitu versio. Bittersweet Symphony oli tuttu kappale, en tiennyt aiemmin kenen. Kolmannen biisin kohdalla aloin jo katsella että kuinka monta pitää vielä kuunnella. Toinen biisi ei jäänyt yhtään mieleen. Drugs don't work oli ihan ok. En jaksanut kuunnella loppuun, niin tylsä.
Great album from the 90s Great tunes...
83 / 100 Really really liked this. “Bitter Sweet Symphony” is an obvious highlight, but it’s far from the only one as “The Drugs Don’t Work” is a close second for me. Actually the first half of this was often times close to perfect. My only real complaint is that 75 minutes is a bit too long for the project as I usually start to lose interest towards the end. But overall this was great.
These guys should have been more. Great album
I heard Bittersweet Symphony all the time growing up, but never anything else off of this album. Overall I thought it was pretty boring, although a variation of the motif from Bittersweet appearing in the bassline of Catching the Butterfly was interesting & fun.
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.
Good album, but other than Bittersweet Symphony there is nothing special on it. The record sounds extremely British and in the same mold as Oasis, Blur and all of the rest bands like that. Quite pleasant listening to this album, but it won't stay with me any longer than that.
They put all their energy into the first song, and all the songs after that were bland and boring.
This will always be one of my favorite albums of the 90's. It may not be their best album, but the songs are lyrically strong, Ashcroft's voice shines throughout the album.
A very well made britpop/neo psychedelia album from the 1990s with a massive hit and other hit songs. Production is top notch, and Ashcroft's voice is brilliant. They created a sound that was really great - perhaps you have to have live through that time to appreciate this album greatly. 'Bittersweet Symphony' remains one of my favoruite songs from the whole decade, it's iconic with a fantastic video clip, and its consequence was one of the most unfortunate and biggest plagium-related lawsuit in the pop-rock business. I once read a great analysis of the meaning of it that began so: 'This is a brilliant song. It is about the feeling of being trapped and powerless to change your behavior or your life due to circumstances beyond your control. It is about the sense of desperation you feel as your life passes before your eyes and you struggle unsuccessfully to control and shape it. It is about the perpetual conflict between the path you want to follow and the path you are compelled to follow.' So true. I can relate to this song a lot. Another favourite of mine is 'Lucky Man'. Other hit songs, like the heartwreching 'The Drugs Don't Work' and the hymnical 'Sonnet' are also great and so are the rest of the album. The only criticism is of the album is that it's a bit too long (any album that is over an hour are long to me). It was a more commercial effort than their two previous, more psychedelic albums, but it was their biggest hit. I'd give it a 4.5 out of 5.
6/10 i was able to look past my blind hatred of bittersweet symphony and actually enjoy this album worst song: bittersweet symphony
I enjoyed this album throughout its relatively long run time. Solid.
I'd heard a few of the songs on this before but never listened to the whole album. Impressed by this one and will probably listen to it again
Si tot el disc estigués al mateix nivell de 'Sonnet', 'The Drugs Don't Work' i 'Bitter Sweet Symphony', 'Urban Hymns' seria un dels grans clàssics del pop contemporani. No és el cas, és clar, i la resta de temes baixen entre una mica i bastant la qualitat dels singles. Tot i així, i malgrat ser massa llarg, la proposta de pop rock psicodèlic de Richard Ashcroft i cia és força consistent i excel.leix com el millor treball de la banda i un dels millors del brit pop d'aquells anys
Soft, slow songs. Could listen to these while I have a headache, they are soothing.
would be a solid 5 but Bittersweet Symphony rules so hard it can’t help but make the rest slightly pale
I had so little inclination to listen to this after living downstairs from a heroin addict who would play it on a loop on top volume in 2011. I hope he’s doing okay. I thought this album was fine.
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
loved it so great album, bitter sweet symphony is a classic
The singles are great. The rest of it just kind of meanders.
Just boring. Every song sounds exactly the same and even the famous one isn't that good.
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
These guys were heavily overplayed back in the day, but they don't rub me up the wrong way nearly as much as Coldplay or the like. Still, though, the presence of those too-familiar tunes means I prefer "A Northern Soul" to this one. Fave track - quite like the psychedelia of "Neon Wilderness" blending into "Space & Time"...
That one great song but mostly just OK for me
The best song was the one I already loved. Not great.
Some good music right here. Some would say it's classic and it wouldn't be far from the truth.
Meh
90’s to the max! But idk. Didn’t click. Kinda water off a ducks ass
Kinda just sounds like all the 90s blurred together. And makes me want to go listen to more fun and interesting 90s music.
Weirder and more psychadelic than I was expecting, but in a good way.
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
Very 90s, a la Oasis. Only liked the first hit song.
I'm surprised at how much I ended up enjoying this. I think it just scrapes a 4 from me, as I love the sound they have. Some of the jams in the earlier part of the album, on some relatively long songs, were really fun. It does commit the cardinal sin of being far too long though, there's no reason for an album like this to be over 70 minutes long. If it was a tight 9 songs, ~50 minutes, we'd have a real gem on our hands, but when you've got your sound nailed down like this, it gets tiring by the last few songs. Well worth a listen regardless though.
Favorites: Bitter sweet symphony The drugs don't work Space & Time Lucky man
Pleased to say that this is more than just Bittersweet Symphony. It offers up a darker, more melodic side of '90s britpop and I'm here for it. Standout tracks (besides the obvious hit) are Sonnet, Lucky Man, Space and Time, and One Day.
it is good
It's pretty good so far. First song is a classic. Made it four songs in. Got tired of the style of the music.
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.
Amidst breakups and reunions they still managed to improve on their second album and produce excellent pop songs and groove jams. Timeless soulful and groove based rock.
Sounds lovely but almost every song is too long. Requires to be in a certain mood, I think
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
I know nothing of the Verve. <Starts album> OK, I know one song. I like the strings on that song. It goes downhill after that. The songs are just...so...dull. And too long. And the album itself is 30 minutes too long. The singer sounds like he's putting in the least amount of effort possible. Oh, and the hidden song at the end after several minutes of dead air sucks too. Was that a dying cat I heard?
I was very surprised, I only knew Bittersweet Symphony going into the album, and the rest of the album was very good. Standout track for me was The Rolling People
The white bread of albums. Just so unbelievably inoffensive. The amount of Britpop on this list is one of the worst parts of the experience so far. I’m deducting 1 point from this album because of the ridiculous length of it all. Every song is longer than it needs to be which leads to the entire album being longer than it needs to be.
It's nice, and of course has an epic beginning.
Occasional banger, rest are average
Sounds like oasis but more interesting
Ihan ok. 2.5/5
Yksi parhaista ja merkittävimmistä britripop-ajan levyistä. Lohdullinen, melankolinen ja melodioiltaan rikas. Tän soidessa on aina lempeä syksyinen iltapäivä jossain vehreässä puistossa, ehkä aavistus sateesta.
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.
Sensational album, Bitter Sweet Symphony, Sonnet, the Drugs Don't Work and Lucky Man are great tracks
Bit of a snooze fest, if you've heard brit pop you've heard this.
This album is quite nice to listen to. I only knew one song but the others have the same style.
Fun album!
This is great. always only knew bittersweet symphony but it turns out they got other good songs too!
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.
First album!
Singles are deadset smashes. The rest was more psychedelic than I’d imagined
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...
I loved this
Referência enorme do final dos anos 90, com MTV e FM tocando os hits. Realmente é bem construído, começa com mega hit e sustenta o interesse na sequência das músicas.
I listened to it once full through when it came out and then again this week. That was enough for me!
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.
Bittersweet Symphony is a great song - one of the best of its era, IMO. That elevates this otherwise pleasant, but not great, album for me.
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.
I hadn’t heard the bulk of this album so I didn’t expect much after Bitter Sweet Symphony. I was pleasantly surprised that much of the rest of the album is as good as the radio hit. Solidly a britpop album without being formulaic.
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.
If someone tells you they don't like Bitter Sweet Symphony, you shouldn't trust that person. I'm not huge on the euro-indie-pop of the late nineties, but this song deserves all of the respect. Classic string intro with one of the catchiest god-damned choruses that makes everyone think they can sing. Sonnet is kind of a boring handover after BSS... The Rolling People picks up with a big room guitar / drum combo. The Drugs Don't Work is a comfortable little ballad. Solid little song. Catching the Butterfly is my second favorite song on here so far. Digging the spacious, noodly atmosphere of the second half. Very open and almost psychadellic with the synth tones poking around under a haze of drum and reverberated guitar. Neon Wilderness is another sparse number. Feels initially like a B-side instrumental number from Modest Mouse with some atmospheric guitar and drums with vocals floating overhead. I had this in the background for the remainder of the album, but I honestly can say that I enjoyed this album way more than I expected to. Especially closer "Come On;" that was an unexpected jam. All around this is a 4/5 for me. They cover a lot of ground and had way more variety to their sound than I expected going in -- ballads, pop, jam / psych influences.
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.
Bittersweet Symphony is a great way to start this album. It is the only song I know by them and it was cool for it to be first. Catching the Butterfly and Neon Wilderness are a nice trippy twist in the middle of the album The strings that are featured in a lot of songs really lift this album up a notch The album ended pretty weak in my opinion but still a very good album all around
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.
I completely forgot this album existed, I listened to it a lot as a kid. Bittersweet Symphony is one of my favourite songs. The rest of the album is less memorable, but still good. 4/5
“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
The Verve vind ik oprecht een van de slechtste bands ooit.
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.
Great album. Been a fair few years since I listened all the way though but yeah, this album is an easy 5 for me. Love it
Way too long of an album for one that is so uninteresting beyond the first track. It wasn't offensively bad or anything, but it was just too much for what it actually is.
thoroughly ordinary. like Oasis, but even more middling (even the fucking album cover looks like Oasis!). yet another album that serves more as an indictment of the listmakers' tastes (SERIOUSLY, BRITISH MUSICAL OUTPUT IS NOT NEARLY AS GOOD AS YOU THINK IT IS) than of the artist in question.
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
I’m pretty over Bitter Sweet Symphony, but fortunately the rest of the album is great
Following the great Bittersweet Symphony, there's an hour plus of the most insipid Britpop ever recorded. I'm far from the biggest fan of Oasis but at least they know how to write some interesting songs unlike these guys.
No go bro
Three tracks stand head and shoulders above the rest: "Lucky Man", the hypnotic "Bitter Sweet Symphony", and the heart wrenching "The Drugs Don't Work".
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.
Not a top 1001 album, i don't care what anyone says :-)
Bittersweet symphony was a nostalgic listen otherwise just ok.
I got sick of hearing Bittersweet Symphony when it came out but it's grown on me now.
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)
I LOVE IT. Just great
Even if you strip away the single releases, this is an album with a lot of depth.
I listened to this a lot in high school. I usually skipped Bittersweet Symphony(it being first on the album made it so easy), just tired of it due to it being overplayed. I don't find much of a dull moment on here, and their sound is pretty unique. It seems like people thought they were a less successful Oasis, but I think this tops anything Oasis made.
Slow but easy to listen to
90s as it is
It's kinda slow, kinda boring, repetitive
I didn't listen to all of this. It was like listening to the colour brown for an hour. I like "Sonnet" and "The Drugs Don't Work" but that's probably because I remember them from when I was an MTV addict in 1997. Probably also why I can't stand "Bitter Sweet Symphony". Look, it's ok. But it just hasn't aged well to me.
4/12, 33%
Listened Before? N Wow, this took me by surprise. Bittersweet Symphony is by far their best known work in the US and it's all I'd heard by them. Imagine my surprise when I realized it's an outlier and sounds nothing like the rest of the album. This album is fantastic. Hooky, acid-drenched, 90s fun. Added to Library? Y Songs added to playlist: Sonnet
Didn’t know anything other than ‘Bittersweet Symphony’ but really enjoyed this album.
Hmmm. Hard to say. Was a bit too long for my taste and I kept zoning out. But I still have good memories with Bittersweet Symphony, that'll always be special. + Bittersweet Symphony + Catching The Butterfly + Neon Wilderness + Space and Time
Ikonisk åpningslåt. God fortsettelse også, heldigvis. Nostalgisk på en måte.
A familiar album. I really like it but feel it is let down by the final track
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.
This just FELT good. I love the layers and tones of guitars and other classical instruments peppered throughout the album. Ashcroft has a distinct, emotive voice. Another pleasant surprise as I had only heard the singles.
Millions-selling depression? Sure.
Bitter Sweet Symphony is a good song. After that it's like a dream where you are stuck in molasses trying to get out but moving so slooow. Torture.
- Heard some of the songs before - Always thought Bitter Sweet Symphony was great so I'm surprised by how little I enjoyed the rest of the album - Sounds like knock-off Oasis combined with U2, which is an awful combination - Fav songs: Bitter Sweet Symphony, The Drugs Don't Work
1 hit band to my ears. sorry
Not for me
Iconic Britpop album Favourite Tracks: Bitter Sweet Symphony, Sonnet, The Drugs Don't Work
Sounds of the 90's
Fine
Truth be told, this isn’t such a bad album. If it’s anything, it’s okay. There are however two elements that bring down my opinion of the music. Firstly, this static 80 bpm (or slower) continously plodding along kind of rock is incredibly uninteresting. It can work, but for an entire album it makes for a very monotonous listen. This also relates to the second point, that being that this album has no business being 76 minutes long (or, more accurately, around 66 minutes without the silence preceding the hidden track). Again, this style of rock can be nice and I enjoy ”Bitter Sweet Symphony” as a song, but more than an hour of the same style just makes me pray for any sort of increase in tempo. I’m hoping the other Verve album on this list is more stimulating, because otherwise it would make for a real waste of 2 album spots.
Borde ha tagit slut efter bittersweet symphony
This is the first album I ever bought that isn't by the Lightning Seeds. It got extremely heavy rotation in my school days and influenced which other music I would choose to listen to in my formative years. It will be interesting to see how it stands up a quarter of a century later. UPDATE: The main thing I've learned from listening again is that it's impossible to be objective about an album that has significant personal context. If I listened for the first time now, I may feel the album is bloated, lacking in variety, too cleanly produced and the songs are over-long. However, memory and familiarity are powerful attractive forces, and I can still sing along to every word, decades after I last listened to the album in full. Listening to the album conjures up the same feelings as it did 20 years ago. Its layered strings, guitars and vocals give it an ethereal quality, which combined with Richard Ashcroft's aching and longing lyrics make it quite affecting and beautiful. As before, whilst Bitter Sweet Symphony is the banger that brought the record to my attention, the rest of the first half does comparatively little for me. It is tracks 7 ('Space and Time') to 12 ('Velvet Morning') that I loved and still retain a lot of affection for today ('Weeping Willow' may be my overall favourite). Whilst they offer little in variety, they have a lovely, despairing but somehow uplifting atmosphere that I can happily sit in for half an hour. Each is also carefully written with distinct and memorable melodic hooks built in to their verse, bridge and choruses. These songs, words and melodies are seemingly etched onto my brain. I really enjoyed revisiting this and won't wait another couple of decades before my next listen. I make no apologies for the entirely subjective, context heavy, rating. Rating: 4.5/5 Playlist track: Bitter Sweet Symphony Date listened: 25/05/23
i’m a sucker for these nostalgia ridden albums. bittersweet symphony is close to an all time banger lowkey
If Oasis was actually good at music. A lot of the songwriting is a bit bland though, but beautifully performed.
I actually remember borrowing this CD from the library in like 2003 and ripping it to our home computer. I don't remember any songs beyond Bittersweet Symphony, which was a banger then and is still a banger today. Kinda Oasis-ish vibes a couple songs in. Nothing to write home about so far, but highly inoffensive. Oh they wrote Lucky Man. Yeah I remember this one, didn't realize it was The Verve. I don't mind this song either.
Meh, it’s fine but I get why they’re a one hit wonder. Oasis is better
this rock ROCKED !!!
Har alltid lurt på ka dei seie i refrenget til Bittersweet Symphony. Va visst ikkje "I'm here immamo", men "I'm here in my mould"
Not bad but nothing too special.
Great first song. Solid rest of the album, but nothing mind-blowing for me...
Great late 90s vibes
Good album, not great, but their hit was huge
This is fine but really didn't blow me away.
I wonder why The Verve never made it further.
Bitter Sweet Symphony is a classic, and Lucky Man is pretty great too. The rest of the album is a bit... meh. Not bad, just standard 90's pop rock sound to me. There's a little bit of synth here and there to mix things up, but nothing to adventurous.
DNF
not really for me
really liked!
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.
nice
Perfect starter!!! And finisher! +1. But nothing special in total. But not so bad.
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.
2.5
4.0
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.
Pretty Good, nice 90s album, fun listen all the way through. Need a few more listens before I think off adding to collection. I like Bitter Sweet Symphony a lot so would be cool to enjoy the rest of the album as well.
Perfectly fine. I recognized a few, and would get one or two. Nothing spectacular, but nothing terrible
Consistently mellow ambient psychedelic-britpop. The 4 singles - Bittersweet, Sonnet, The Drugs Don’t Work, and Lucky Man - are fantastic. Easy full listen.
Find the reviews saying it's one good song absolutely crazy - Urban Hymns is an all time great but also has Sonnet & Drugs don't work. Love this album as it's moving away from the disposable pop rock of the time and being self reflective while still being rooted in youth drug-taking, up for a fight energy.
Superb
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
För lång. Borde varit en singel.
first listen this album is just great
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.
How is it possible that the great British music scene, the same place that the Beatles and the Stones came from, produce something so bland as this?
One of my favourite 90’s albums, so completely biased review but absolutely love this album, all the singles from this album are outstanding. A britpop masterpiece.
I was wondering how long it would take to get here on the list, to the first album I bought, nostalgia is hooked directly into my veins as cascading memories wash over me as I shed a single tear of blissful adoration. After all this time? Always.
Fedt album. Bittersweet har man hørt 100 gange, men Drugs og Lucky Man er virkeligt gode sange.
Bitter Sweet Symphony was inescapable for a time. It's a fine song as are many on this record, but I don't find many of them particularly compelling. The songs here seem like they're great for slacking around in your loafers, comfy pants and bucket hat. Just like the guys on the record cover, you are looking elsewhere for something of interest.
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.
Los ritmos muy suaves
Classic
Boring
2.5
I've mostly just heard the Sweet Symphony, but I gotta say I was positively surprised and really enjoyed the album as a whole. Very high bar overall in my opinion.
Was not in the mood for soft rock and knowing only "Bittersweet Symphony" and "The drugs don't work" I was not looking forward to it. Surprised by the heavier tracks such as "The Rolling People" and "Come On" were very good and generally enjoyed the album.
If it weren’t so tedious, I wouldn’t be so bored. If it weren’t half an hour too long, I wouldn’t be so irritated. But it is. And it is. Standout Tracks: Bitter Sweet Symphony, The Drugs Don’t Work
dont send me no shit like this again
RateYourMusic rating 4.0 8/10 pepeJAM
Enough here to come back for another listen
Some great tracks, a good listen, but it just never elevates higher. Still like it though!
Bittersweet Symph is ok... other than that it doesn't do anything for me
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.
This is like an old friend who's popped around for a cuppa when you're feeling down. Evocative and accomplished. Very much a 90s album it epitomises the decade to me. C'moooon, bring it on maaaan!! Manchestaaaarr!!
I searched out this album ages ago purely for "Bitter Sweet Symphony", but I didn't remember much of the actual album outside of that track and "The Drugs Don't Work".
Rating: 8/10 Britpop essential, some top top tunes on this.
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
The late 90s album U2 wished they had made. Two stars — forgettable save for the one song everyone knows.
This album is a bittersweet symphony. There's the obvious incredible song on here, then there's some fantastic snippets of songs, but there aren't really any GREAT songs that spoke to me, they somehow lose me in the middle. Maybe that's just the psychadelic alt-rock genre in general for me? I ALMOST made it to the end... this album has like 5-6 songs too many
Sometimes this list feels like it's about quality, sometimes about breadth, sometimes about influence. But why is this here?
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
Putting Bittersweet Symphony at the very start of this album was a mistake. They blew their load way too soon, and the only other fine track is The Drugs Don’t Work which is also not far behind Symphony on side A. It truly goes on way too long for what it is. I feel like every track could be used as credits music for early 2000’s romance movies, and I wouldn’t be able to differentiate half of them from each other, much like early 2000’s romance movies. Not atrocious, but astoundingly milquetoast.
Not my vibe.
Some solid songs on this! There are a few that let it down otherwise could’ve been back2back 5*