Reviews (page 7 of 13)
Four really good songs (symphony, sonnet, drugs, lucky man) aren't quite enough on an album over an hour long for 4*. Enjoyed it overall though
This was a 2 on the work commute. But on a long drive to the North it became a 3.
Started strong but got a bit boring
I enjoyed this album. The only song I knew going In was Bittersweet Symphony (which is definitely the standout on the album) but the rest is still very enjoyable.
6.5/10
This album overall was pretty interesting. I didn't particularly love it but I think I will listen again to see if it strikes be differently.
Bittersweet symphony is kinda the most annoying song on this album but their vibes were good overall. Moodier than I expexted
Some really solid late 90's British rock. Bittersweet Symphony is probably the best track, but it remains really consistent throughout. Would give a 3.5 if I could.
Nothing particular special but nice to listen to
This was surprising good. I knew the single but there were a few tracks on the album that reminded me of Oasis. Not sure why it was included, but I'm happy I checked it out.
First song is the most popular
Bitter Sweet Symphony is excellent but a bit of a singles album.
I have sweetspot for string arrangements but even those don’t make this album rise above 3
Britpop. Bitter sweet symphony! Gillade också Lucky man
3.5
Solid 90s rock. BSS still rules
la primera canción la mejor, luego me suena bastante igual
Ah, Britpop. What a quaint genre. Everyone knows “Bittersweet Symphony”, but I enjoyed a few other songs on top of that one. The softer vibe of that song carries into some other tracks, but I also got shades of Tonic and Jane’s Addiction at times. This brand of alternative rock is very nostalgic for me. Some songs are more interesting than others. I saw there’s another album from them in here, so I’m looking forward to them popping up again. Favorite track: Lucky Man
it's hard when you have an iconic hit that is known by all, regardless of what type of music they're typically into. this started off with a bang and then faded into background music for me. 2.5
1997. Third album, after the band got broken up and re-formed but without the guitarist Nick McCabe. Nick McCabe rejoined in early 1997, so they re-recorded several songs to include his guitar parts.
It was good but I didn't think any of the songs were particularly great. They just seemed like good representations of all the 90s British alternative rock. I also think that Bittersweet Symphony needs to be shorter. They basically are just riffing over that one Rolling Stones sample the whole time. At about 6 minutes, it seems like a little much.
Bittersweet symphony is a nostalgia drug
Now I know why I only know one song by them.
Enjoyable but bland - kind of like a microwave Korma.
Typical 80s/90s band. Decent songs 4 stars
The Hymn of the 00s.
Prefer ‘History’ but this is the album that made (and probably broke) them.
3.4
Nice
Bittersweet Symphony The Rolling People Catching the Butterfly Weeping Willow
I wanted to give this album a higher rating, but I feel like there’s a decent amount of filler on here. The sound of this album is pure 90s Britain, Bitter Sweet Symphony is a classic but I’m going to give my standout track to Lucky Man, I enjoyed the lyrics on the majority of these tracks but the music started to feel repetitive about half way through the album. Would listen to again if I was in the mood for some Brit pop but don’t think I’ll be rushing back to this one.
Ja, den snurrade mycket när det begav sig, men har den verkligen åldrats med värdighet. Nja, det är rätt mycket utfyllnad och mellanspår. Verve var bättre på sina två första album än på urban hymns.
A Britpop classic, with one of the greatest pop songs of all time. Otherwise a bit samey, though, and very of it's time.
Where the classic, Bittersweet Symphony came from. Album is a relic of its time, encapsulating that quintessential late 90s rock sound.
One banger followed by music that just gets more and more uninteresting.
Arrancar con Better Sweet Symphony es poner la vara muy alta, el resto del álbum nunca llega a estar a la altura, tal vez porque en vano espero alguna canción similar. Es un álbum correcto más bien orientado al downtempo, no decepciona pero tampoco resulta memorable.
Great album, led with a song I adore. A little dull in the middle, but early Coldplay vibes and I like it.
some classic songs on this album overall a solid piece of work
It was ok, a bit samey, I’m weirdly culturally familiar having been a child in the late 90s. The drugs don’t work is good!
Väldigt varierande kvalitet och lite för långt. Några låtar var toppen, men andra var inte alls min smak. Jag landar väl i en svag 3a
Tycker det alltid är spännande att lyssna på album från brytpunkter, och detta känns verkligen som en sådan! Utöver temat på texterna kan man höra hur 90-talet och britpopen är påväg att ta slut. Det är dags för alla lads att växa upp och möta verkligheten som det nya millenniet kommer med. Där på andra sidan står Coldplay redo att ta över den lite störiga och sentimentala facklan The Verve springer med på upploppet. Blur ska utforska nya världar, Oasis vägra ge upp och fortsätter släppa en handfull impotenta skitalbum vilket leder till att man blir irrelevanta för att sedan självimplodera och komma tillbaka när världen är tillräckligt konservativ igen. Som album var det bättre än vad jag trodde, passade den stundande vårsolen fint. Trea rakt av!
Riktigt bra första halva med några odödliga hits. The Verve överskuggas ju av bittersweet symphony så pass att de känns som en one hit wonder, vilket ändå är orättvist. Men finns ett gäng sömnpiller här också och skivan är lite för lång. Stark 3a.
Positivt överraskad igen. Britpop är ju rätt segt alltså. Tänkte att det bara skulle vara typ oasis fast ännu sämre, men speciellt första halvan levererar ändå!
This one feels like it has some bloat compared to the last two (excellent) albums by this band, but I could see it growing on me with more listens. A strong 3 but this website doesn't have HALF STARS!!! So I must go with that. It's like a perfect 3.5 to me.
se nota mucho la influencia con oasis. muyyy britpop. temas muy estilo oasis (que lei que tienen el mism productor en este disco que algunsod e oasis) nota: vot a empezar a leer mas sobre las bandas que escucho, y los discos.
3/5
gets hard carried by bitter sweet symphony
There is a very good album in here, but it’s hidden within a bloated experience. I really enjoy the highlights but they are joined by some midlights
While there is a symphonic grandeur to their music, it ultimately bored me to death!
bit of nostalgia, still good tunes
Bitter Sweet Symphony is excellent. I am surprised I had never hear of The Verve. The rest of the album was okay. The sound is very relaxed and mellow. The singer has almost a mesmerizing sound.
It was fine. Way too long for mediocre music
Un album de guitare/ de britpop bien de son temps. Bittersweet Symphony est un gros banger, qui commence direct l'album, le hook a été samplé. Le reste de l'album est trop long, les tounes sont trop longues. Il a une belle voix though
Will give a 3 star because I enjoyed the first few songs but the back half of the album didn’t do much for me.
This is lush and boring. I feel the same way about Oasis. And this sounded way too much like Oasis.
It's got its fair share of epic, anthemic bangers, even other than Bitter Sweet Symphony. Weeping Willow and Lucky Man in particular have this addictive, nostalgic vibe about them. Unfortunately on a lot of the songs here I found the songwriting to be very average and the instrumentation kinda lackluster. Especially on the song that go in kind of a spacey, more abstract direction. It's not really a sound they do much justice. I would still say the album is worth a listen simply for the highlights.
i think it's an album that it's really hit or miss: you really gotta like this sound, or it's quite repetitive and not exceptional. ehh
ENOUGH FUCKING UK POP ROCK
I remember when Bittersweet Symphony was released when I was in highschool. I had really only listened to that. I didn’t have this album so I had never listened to entire thing. Most of the songs sounded the same. Favorite song: (obviously) Bittersweet Symphony There’s also a hidden track at the end: Come On/Deep Freeze. 13 minutes long Rating: 3/5
3 great songs plus filler
A primeira faixa é realmente excelente, mas o resto do álbum não me encantou muito.
oh no I do not like the voice okay it gets a bit better whos writing these lyrics... musically its really good but I don't care for the lyrics or the voice
I've got a theory that one of the reasons Noel and Liam Gallagher seem to have such an affinity with Richard Ashcroft from the Verve is that they all give interviews that are vastly more entertaining than a lot of their music. A couple of these songs are great on their own (Sonnet has always been my favourite) but taken as an album, it's all a bit slow and stately.
Liked this one more than I thought!
Favourite song: Sonnet
Britpop is just ok in my book. It's pretty boring for an entire album. This seems like good britpop so that's better than the lot.
This isn’t that awful.
I always thought Bittersweet Symphony was overrated. And that’s the best song on here. It’s fine.
Started off with their most popular song, the rest was pretty mid.
Good album that I've heard many times. "Bitter Sweet Symphony" is obviously the instantly recognizable track, but "The Drugs Don't Work" has always been my favorite.
A mix of good, bad, catchy, boring and irritating.
One of my favorite parts of going through this 1001 albums experience is recognizing a song I’ve heard my whole life but never known where it comes from and getting to enrich my culturally deficient brain. One of my least favorite parts of this experience however is waiting through 6 minutes of silence just to hear some goofy ahh techno baby whining in the outro.
Cool baseline Feels repetitive Overall sound is nothing really special Average
책을 때 들으면 좋을 듯. 무난무난~
Decent
Непогано, Bitter Sweet Symphony взагалі легенда. Поставила б 2,5.
First listen
Pretty good, knew the first song
Good start meh end
Лучшая песня: Bittersweet symphony Худшая: Catching the butterfly Слушать можно, но с каждым треком все становится скучнее и скучнее. 3 или 4 хороших песни и мутота
"Шутка про грузин и брит поп". Прослушав основные альбомы данного жанра могу продолжить утверждать, что не моё. Баллады на альбоме интереснее, чем энергичные треки
Not an album I would seek out to listen to again but some catchy tracks - I just prefer more energy in my sounds...
Enjoyable listen but the song are too long for my liking
Not all songs for me
pretty classic dad rock vibes
a fun britpop album
Started out good, first two songs at least. I find britpop quiet pleasant. But this one unfortunately was quiet boring, without any variety between songs. They honestly sounded like quiet a mush of sounds, almost too similar to differentiate. I gave this album a couple of chances cause I wasn't able to focus on the whole album for its entirety, but I guess that shows what type of albums it is.
Better than expected. I originally bought it hoping it would have more songs like Bittersweet Symphony but there's some heavy freak stuff that was worth hearing again. Iron Butterfly would do well to pay attention!
some songs ended up way too long.
Classic Brit pop. Very 90s, and surprisingly psychedelic. Bittersweet Symphony is such a great opening song to the album. Other favorite song: The Drugs Don’t Work.
***A good easy listening album
7,5/10
This one was ok. I'll give it 3 stars.
Some good songs
Bittersweet Symphony may be their most recognizable song, but I feel like it doesn't represent their sound. I think that's done by Lucky Man, but it's altogether a long and decent album.
3,5 - Startet stark, verliert dann aber am Ende den Drive. Aber allein für Bittersweet Symphony gehört das Album gehört. Highlights: Bittersweet Symphony, The Drugs Don't Work
some really cool songs
Just an ok album and one listen was fine but don’t need to revisit.
6/10
It's fine for background music, very consistent, no goofy shit. I was really happy when the hidden track hit.
Good little album! Starting off the group project well.
Unfortunate that they didn’t make more albums. Decent easy listening.
My first thought was to ask the question: What would happen if U2 and Oasis had a baby? Answer? Urban Hymns. Fun fact: Oasis formed about the same time and in the same place as The Verve, and U2 was of course ubiquitous in the 90s. The Verve is the only band I can name to break up more than Oasis! Second thought was "ChatGPT, create me generic 90s style songs that will be background music on a teen supernatural sleuth TV show." Recognized one song (didn't know it was originally The Verve, actually) but the rest were pretty nondescript. Not good, not great, not bad. Wiki says this was one of the all-time highest selling albums in the UK, and my question was, "How???" Meh. 3 stars.
This album sounds nice, I like Bitter Sweet Symphony despite the fact that it’s overplayed. However, this album had the same problem that The Clash had which was every song sounds basically the same. I was also fighting the final boss of KH1 while listening to this so I might not have been paying attention, idk. Also, what happened to the end? There is just pure silence.
I liked some of the music from this album. Best song: "Sonnet", worst song: "The Rolling People" and I didn't care for "Catching The Butterfly" either. "Catching The Butterfly" really reminded me of the music that movies would often put behind scenes of people tripping, which made me wonder if the title was an euphemism of the times. I could have done without the foul language and the heavy guitar riff in the last song of the album, "Come On/Deep Freeze" too.
Good album. Similar to Oasis. Richard Ashcroft writes and sings a good mix of rock songs and ballads.
I didn't feel particular to this album either which way. It was just something to have on in the background.
See my note for full breakdown.
Pretty decent with a few better than the rest
Fine. Hidden track is dumb
Who knew this one was more than one single that got them into hot water with the Rolling Stones? Never dove too far into this one. I suppose there could be some argument made that it's over-produced in some aspects, but it still sounds pretty good almost 30 years on.
It’s like they were never taught how to just end a song so they gave them all long closers that sounds like they have never been the first to leave a call
It was cute, not my favourite, dad playlist vibes, i liked this time
a little bit boring ngl... maybe due to the fact that I'd listened to bittersweet symphony about 3920482390482304 times yet all the other songs were new to me (maybe i'm uncultured idk)
late 90s! we love it
Weird to hear more than sweet symphony
Given all the mediocre British alt-rock bands the author likes to throw on here, I expected this album to be the same. I only know The Verve for Bittersweet Symphony and The Drugs Don't Work. This album actually surprised me though, as I found the more psychedelic elements to be really interesting and enjoyable. Still, there were a handful of forgettable tracks on here, and they largely started to sound the same by the end. 3.5 -> 3/5
i came into this album with the perception of the verse as a one hit wonder due to the huge success of bitter sweet symphony. i always thought the song was fine, not spectacular but way too long. after listening to the album, i now believe that to be an accurate description of this entire album
yo what happened from the beginning song to the end song??
L'exemple type du rock neutre pas nul des années 90. Un point bonus pour Bitter Sweet Symphony qui est quand même un putain de classique.
Other than Bittersweet Symphony I was not familiar with the verve. I enjoyed it.
Album Review 040 Urban Hymns by The Verve (1997) Rating 3.5/5 The Verve’s debut album, A Storm In Heaven, is a contender for a place in my top 20 albums of all time. Their third album, Urban Hymns, never really reaches the brilliance of A Storm In Heaven but it is still a strong album. Urban Hymns has the feel of break-up and regret to it, which is obvious in hindsight largely due to the conflict between Richard Ashcroft (Vocalist) and Nick McCabe (Guitarist), and Ashcroft’s indulgent use of drugs. I hadn’t listened to Urban Hymns or felt the urge to listen to it for at least 20 years as I never thought it was that good an album but enjoyed it more than I thought I would this time around.
Didn’t finish listen.. but off to a good start
Just good enough. Surprisingly, the one hit wonder wasn't the standout, it was the other popular songs on the album which I suppose are more known in the UK. It's like Oasis without the whiny vocals but less musicianship.
pretty nostalgic feel that I have towards this record, isn't bad but not enough big highlights from the lows like the drugs wont work
Cool album, but I think they leaned into the psychedelia aspect of it a bit too much, which wasn’t for me. The atmosphere was nice, but I thought that some of the songs overstayed their welcome, and considering that this album is over 70 minutes long, I lost interest a bit. It was still good background music, but I like something a bit more involved. 7/10
Album normalito ni tan tan ni muy muy buenas canciones pero nada que me transmite el volverlo a escuchar
This album, oddly, sounded familiar to me, but I don't believe I've heard it before. Perhaps it put me in mind of a different band I just can't put my finger on. Regardless, I thought this was nice. Perhaps a bit unmemorable, but nice nevertheless.
i know it was an impactful album, but it’s not to my taste. good production tho
Okay. Maybe some good stuff, but not great.
“Urban Hits” by The Verve is one of those albums that there are far too many of: one big hit – “Bittersweet Symphony” – and otherwise insignificant. Of course, what is insignificant is in the eye of the beholder. In this case, it refers to Britpop of the most average kind – and Britpop is not the most exciting genre of music in itself. Not bad but boring.
I do enjoy their sound, though most of the songs sound like a repeat.
Yikes, there’s a reason I know only one of their songs
I had forgotten I saw them in concert years ago. no surprise since this is very forgettable music. like Oasis "light". Britpop once again on the list & wondering why it's there 2.5 stars
Instantly recognized the first song. Good album.
Hated the first two tracks, but the rest of thr album was great, really enjoyed the psychedelic sound (reminded me of radiohead) and cause of instrumentation reminded me of taylor swifts self titled album 6.5/10 (yeah that ella fitzgerald album was rated too high)
3/5
Felt like I went through a tunnel 😮💨😮💨
I would rate it 2 but bittersweet sympathy deserves its own star. A bit repetitive and songs are very long. Unsure if i love his singing style too.
As someone who tends to like Britpop, this album was decent. However, outside of the obvious Bitter Sweet Symphony, this album seems to lack memorable hooks. In terms of both length and pacing, I would compare this to Suede's Dog Man Star, but that album both was not quite as lethargic, and the ballads actually had better hooks and guitar lines to latch on to. This album is just too long, and although I liked the guitar, I did not find the vocals particularly memorable. This could get 4 stars if it was significantly shorter, but I feel like this has to get 3 stars.
This one is okay. It’s just not my thing.
I wasn't looking forward to this as I remember The Verve being pretty dull indie by numbers and Urban Hymns is over an hour long. In the end though, it wasn't that bad. I wouldn't choose to listen to it, but I'd be perfectly fine with having it on while I was doing something else.
Bittersweet Symphony is a bop of course. Other than that, I didn’t connect with any of the songs.
Liked it, didn't love it. Similar feelings to Bittersweet Symphony - some songs I really like and would keep listening to, but definitely not a no-skip album for me
First song is iconic. The whole album was kind of forgettable the first listen, but then the second listen I started to understand the vibe of it all. Seems like a chill album for a nice cup of coffee on a rainy day. I think I will revisit this album but so far it didn't stick much on my mind after 2 listens. 6.8/10
Just made me want to listen to Oasis instead
Apparently, this album dominated British popular culture in the late 90s. I only had a passing similarity due to streaming algorithms pegging me as a potential fan. When this album was big, I’d just started graduate school and it was my lifetime low for exploring new music, perhaps because my mind was exploring new things elsewhere. For my limited exposure The Verve aligned with my vibe, so I started my listens being psyched for a deeper dive. McCabe’s guitar work is impressive. I could listen to that shit all day. Every tune where he is allowed to shine benefits. The more poppy ballads on the album don’t do much for me, although I can see how songs like “The Drugs Don’t Work” could become pop culture zeitgeist. The trippier tunes like “Catching The Butterfly” or “Weeping Willow” are better, or at least more interesting, the instrumentals are just better. I listened to this album more often than I typically do, mainly because I kept thinking that it should be grabbing more than it was. I understand the vibe is different on The Verve’s other albums, which I’ll explore, perhaps that will give me some insight into what I’m missing here.
La première musique est classique mais sinon juste sympa
Sympa mais de moins en moins bien au cours de l'album. Enfin j'aime pas Bittersweet Symphony, puis c'était super, puis c'était Oasis. ---------- --------- ------- ----- BZBZBZBZBZ OUIN ----------- ---------- en gros c'était comme ça
Only listened to half the album, it was a great album from the songs I listed too, but not really my vibe, the songs seemed too long in my opinion.
Their sound is good but they really feel like a one hit wonder. No other track really stuck out and sounds a bit like a budget version of oasis.
I saw this band in 1993 at Le Bataclan in Paris. U of I had an exchange program there. The Verve opened for the Smashing Pumpkins. James Iha came on stage with a paper bag on his head and baguettes coming out of his sleeves and slinky danced. He said his name was Baguette Man. I bought the Storm in Heaven CD. I smoked weed with friends and listened to it. I listened to this album less. I’m sure I like that first album because it was my intro to the band. It’s less about Richard Ashcroft’s singing and the melody writing, and more about hazy dreamy psychedelic rock. It also didn’t have any mega hooks like Bittersweet Symphony. I’m glad the guy finally got paid for his efforts. There are a few tracks on here I like beside it as well.
Pretty good, and showed me there was more to the Verve than Bittersweet Symphony. (About which I vaguely remember there's one of those unjust music-IP-troll stories in which the band gets screwed and some parasite benefits heavily.) Liked Drugs Don't Work, Space and Time, a few others quite a bit. OTOH I found a few songs dull and repetitive. So, a 3.
3/5 - The front half of this album is pretty good, especially when they turn up the volume like on Rolling People. Bittersweet Symphony is a sweeping classic, and I can’t fault it just because I’ve heard hundreds of times. The back half has some boring filler, but all around this is inoffensive, if generally unexciting 90s Britpop/rock.
Great opening song with a few other good cuts.
Bittersweet Symphony carries this album, *hard*.
Liked it fine, it didn't leave a strong impression
Radiohead is that you?
I changed my mind so many times about this album while listening to it. The singles on this album are great and the first four songs get the album off to a great start. Then Catching the Butterfly Comes. It’s a decent song, followed by 3 minutes of guitar solos very similar to the track before it. The short and shoegazey Neon Wilderness is a breath of fresh air before the album threatens to lose me again. My ears perk up at Weeping Willow and I have the pleasure of an incredible run of songs to finish the album. Obviously Lucky Man is great, but I did really enjoy This Time and the album's ending in chaos with the very trippy Come On. The hidden track at the end is a fun detail but it doesn’t really add anything musically. In summary- when this album is great, it’s really great. I would agree with it being essential listening. However, it really could benefit from a haircut. Hence the 3 stars. I would give it 3.5 if I could but there are one too many songs on there that I want to skip.
Best wel leuk! Wel wat lang
Enjoyable with some Brit-Pop Classics that even I now - 1 extra star for the Bitter Sweet Symphony, what a melody!
Not a bad album at all. Enjoyed it. Couple of very popular ones to sing along to as well
Started off with a classic that was once one of 30 songs on my first MP3 player for a long time. nice few songs i knew in this one. last track not my cup of tea but id happily listen through this album again.
Enjoyed it particularly with the opening tune. Started well and dropped off as we went.
One of these sounded familiar, think I'd heard it before
Starts with a bang and then just draaaaaaaags. There's a lot to like here and ¨Sonnet¨ for me is the standout track. I just wish the songs wouldn't meander so much- it could get away with it if it was shoegaze but not being Britpop.
Really evokes a certain hard-won zen. Less macho than Oasis, less angsty than Radiohead, and less anthemic than Coldplay, they sometimes reach in vain to get there and other times self assuredly settle in to their own niche, more danceable and psychedelic than all three put together.
Nice
Some good songs. More psychedelic than I thought. Wasn’t amazing
I like a good portion of this album. It's definitely one you listen to if you're into a certain vibe. Like a slightly psychedelic, sample supplemented, indie rock type beat. Obviously the big hit, "Bittersweet Symphony" is borderline flawless and easily the best song on the album. There are some deep cuts on here that are genuinely good songs like "Space and Time" "Sonnet" and "This Time" are some quality tracks. The rest of the album has kind of a mishmash of hazy instrumentals that for me were hard to differentiate from one another. I ended up becoming fatigued trying to set some songs apart. So the albums has a little bit of bloat at 14 tracks. But when the tracks stand out they're like REALLY good. I may have to sit with it and give it another listen with these thoughts in mind but for now....I say it's solid for what it is.
Why is it so long?
I think we just have a copy of this album somewhere on CD. It certainly seemed familiar, beyond the obvious tracks. And was a lot better than the previous Verve album I'd listened to earlier this year. Perhaps that's the familiarity, I'm not sure. But this was OK.
Honestly more interesting than I expected but doesn't really amount to more than watered down Spiritualized for me. Bittersweet Symphony apparently is well-loved online which I don't understand at all and it is one of the worst songs here for me Fav song: The Rolling People
This is a great album. I think the hysteria around Brit Pop clouds some opinions of some great music around that time. Saying that you can hear the Oasis influence slightly too much at parts
Так и не определился, насколько он мне нравится.
It's a fine 90s background album. Some cute stuff like reprising the Bittersweet Symphony violin theme in other songs.
Bitter Sweet Symphony kennt man natürlich, ansonsten wehleidiger Britpop von dem ich kein Fan werde dieses Jahrhundert
sweet gestartet, bitter weitergegangen, guter pun, danke
= The Beatles
Okay
Enjoyed listening once again but nothing getting added to my playlist so bog standard 3 beans
Not many standout songs but good background music. Better version of Oasis.
Album was indeed Bitter Sweet, peaking after the first song. Was heavily carried by a few songs.
Great album to vibe out to, but got a little bored
i think "sonnet" and "the drugs dont work" are pretty alright, but this albums shtick gets old after "space and time", aka this albums mission statement, because my god these songs can be long and quite boring in my opinion.
Not horrible, would definitely play again - just not over and over.
Nice vocals and nice musical arrangements. A good album overall.
Classic bangers. Easy to have in the background. Hard for me to appreciate how groundbreaking this is because I'm so used to hearing the hits
Listenable.
Like..not bad but not fantastic
Pretty Okay
A few very good songs, but a lot of bland ones too.
A few standout songs on this with Bitter Sweet Symphony being a long-time favourite. Otherwise good background music.
Fine but generally bland.
Nice. Slightly boring
I think I dismissed this album as a contrarian young person. Bittersweet Symphony was such a momentous cultural moment, an acme anvil dropped on society. It's hard to overstate how big this song was. I thought it was so uncool because of that. But listening to it along with the rest of the record I see it for what it is, an absolute behemouth of a track.
I have to admit, I always thought Bitter Sweet Symphony was U2. Enjoyable.
Used to own this album, so have listened to it quite a few times. In general I think it is good, but not great.
Should just be bitter sweet symphony 13 times. Good hit but the rest underwhelmed.
Never knew who was bittersweet symphony before this, banger. The rest of the album felt pretty samey towards the end but I liked it enough to stay at three.
Half these songs are too long
Urban Hymns is a high 3 for me so slightly better than expected, it mixes a few genres I’m fond of but unfortunately has a big dash too much of Brit pop for me, especially in the vocal delivery - I definitely prefer the more exploratory gazey tracks
I remember in grade 6 at my Christian school we did a dance telling the story of Creation in assembly set to Bittersweet Symphony. I believe I was a bird with feathers stuck on a baseball cap, and my friend was a jellyfish with a classic umbrella-based costume. Looking back, you would be hard pressed to find a song with less suitable lyrics! I can’t believe they chose it, it must have been just an instrumental version? But the song is a real banger nonetheless and that memory made me smile. Rest of the album isn’t great though, there’s a few nice tracks but it mostly sounds like Oasis I think. (3.5 stars)
I thought I had never heard of this band or album before, but I was surprised by how many songs I recognised. And yet, none of them really moved me. A very forgettable 90s sound.
3.5
Good album. Nothing that exciting.
Middle of the road. Drones through a rainy Tuesday morning. I'd be fine with it on, but there isn't much to remember about it other than Bittersweet Symphony which is incredible.
Mixed from my perspective. There are some songs in here that I really like but there is a bunch of boring filler. A hybrid of other Britpop bands and you can see the influence/range of songs. Just scrapes a 3 from me.
Fine songs, but they are all so damn long. I'd think I would've disliked it more based on it being a male singer 90s album, but it's moreso a bit over meh. Buoyed by the two songs I knew previously by The Verve.
Not that special but good
Another very marmite album, judging from the reviews. I loved it at the time and think it has stood the test of time pretty well
A perfectly pleasant listen — polished, mellow, and surprisingly restrained. I respect what Urban Hymns is going for, but “Bitter Sweet Symphony” towers over everything else here. The rest fades into a kind of agreeable background hum — nice, but not especially memorable.
Pretty standard Britpop classic. didn’t still out to me too much, but it had it’s moments
Not a bad listen, good for an album to put on for a day around the house.
Smooth jams, great travel background music
low 3 stars for me, wasnt very memorable
Bland and nearly made me fall asleep but not entirely bad
I generally don’t like britpop *that* much. This one didn’t really do it for me. Quite generic, not very interesting. Yeah Bitter Sweet Symphony has a nice instrumental
Bittersweet symphony bangs
Not my type but good musix
Ashcroft knows how to write a good song.
Starts with their biggest hit. The rest sound like they could have also been their biggest hit. What I am trying to say is that all of their music sounds the same. 5/10
Bittersweet Symphony and Lucky man are great. The rest of this album is kind of like a mix between U2 and and Oasis but sort of more bland than either. And remember when bands found out that they could put a 'secret song' on the end of a CD? That was dumb. Like why would I want to listen to 10 minutes of nothing just to hear the shitty 'song' (more often than not just a couple of minutes of random noises as is the case here) that you didn't deem good enough to actually be included on your record for real. I'm glad society moved passed that. It was kind of like the post-credits scenes that every movie seemed to have for a stretch of years more recently. We're kind of coming to the end of that fad too. Anyway, I'd give this one a sold 3/5. It's not going to blow anyone away, there are a couple of good songs, some people will absolutely love it, but it is pretty bland and generic mid-90s Brit alt.
Pretty good. Bitter Sweet Symphony is terrific.
Before listening to this album, I have always thought The Verve are fairly dull but not actively annoying, aside from Bittersweet Symphony which deserves its reputation. This album did nothing to change either opinion. 5/10
I was excited when I saw this album come up. I never knew anything past Bitter Sweet Symphony, which I always thought was a cool song, so I was looking forward to what else they had. Sorry to say I was disappointed overall. Everything was just kind of meh and sounded the same to me. It wasn’t bad, it wasn’t great. And it was too long - don’t need 1 hr 15 minutes of the same thing over and over. There were a couple songs I enjoyed, but didn’t have the time to go back again and figure out which ones they were. Overall giving it a 3 because it was fine. PS - Was that the sound of cats dying on that hidden track? That was rough.
I don’t know much about The Verve so I was intrigued to listen to this album. Started off great with Bittersweet Symphony so I leaned-in a little harder. From that point on, the songs were good, but nothing earth-shattering. This is the type of band that if a buddy had an extra ticket to their concert, I would go and would probably have a good time, but I’d never seek them out on my own. Decent music but when it’s said and done it was an average band with one song that went viral.
This is typical 90s indie rock that doesn’t really go anywhere. Highlights like Bittersweet, Sonnet and The Drugs Don’t Work show the best tendencies of the band’s sound, but this album drones on and on and never really hits the level of those tracks again. This album would be better if it was 25 minutes shorter and the band had never listened to a Beatles album, as it seems they are trying to re-create a dreamy, ethereal quality reminiscent of the Liverpudlians’ best work. But all of their music is, ultimately, derivative of something, whether directly or stylistically and, therefore, forgettable.
Classic 90s band with that one iconic song we all know. Music is quality overall, but nothing that really grabs me and keeps my attention at a focused level. It’s all well produced and sequenced nicely. Vocals accompany instrumentation in a balanced way and vice versa. It’s worth at least a listen through once.
Jopa tuttukin biisi, ihan hyvää settiä, jotkut biisit ansaitsee 4 tähteä.
There is that one song.
The wikipedia entry for this album is insanely long (I guess in homage to the album?). Strong memories of The Drugs Don't Work being everywhere around the time my gran died. Then Diana dying and getting all the attention. Diana has an insanely long wikipedia too. And she was 36 when she died?! Seems mad to have outlived her. In my head she was at least 45.
Some cracking singles, great hits! Lush production and great instrumentation But About 30 minutes too long, they should have just kept the Hymns and cut out the urban.
Meh. Bittersweet symphony is a masterpiece but I am not breaking any news with that! The rest if this album is just okay for a rainy day when all my other plans have fallen through.
I have a really hard time giving a shit about anything Brit pop. I’m sure if you were college aged in the UK around the time it was popular, it probably feels super important. But with a little geographic and temporal separation, I think we can see it for what it really is: just ok at best, unremarkable and boring at baseline, and kinda shit far too often. 3/5 Highlights: Bitter Sweet Symphony Catching The Butterfly One Day Velvet Morning Come On / Deep Freeze
This is The Verve we know and like. "Bitter Sweet Symphony" was a smash hit on MTV and deservedly so even though they may have stolen the violin from The Stones "The Last Time." Urban Hymns is a little long but I liked it all except for "Sonnet." The band continues to explore an eerie, mystical sound. They are like a blend of Oasis and Radiohead. I even liked the hidden track with the creepy baby. 2.85 for the record.
I had really only ever heard Bittersweet Symphony before - which I thought was a very catchy pop song. I was pleasantly surprised by the strength of the rest of the songs on this record - solid album.
Depri Rock. Aber einer der besseren
big meh, except the obvious winner with 1.5B views
Started better than I thought bit did drift off Don't think many.of the songs justified their 5minute+ song length
A few incredible songs which one might wish to argue belong on a “1001 singles to hear before you die” compilation, but beyond those and a few decent tunes, we are sailing a sea of unremarkable pleasantness with a light breeze and no sign of it changing anytime soon
This is an ok album. I just don't find it exciting. Very easy listening.
I think this is the most neutral I have ever been to one of these albums. Curtis said it perfectly, I sort of felt like I was in a Boy Meets World episode for the entire album. Didn't hate it, but I don't think I'll ever listen to this again.
Aside from unfinished symphony, which I haven’t heard in 30 years 40 years I’ve never heard this album before I found it quite enjoyable and really liked the song when the drugs don’t work
Middle of the road. Apart from the obvious hits this is very one note. The hidden track is just a baby crying. No thanks.
Some good songs, but not great album in my opinion.
I was introduced to "Bittersweet Symphony" on the Las Vegas strip when some barely dressed dancers performed a dance number to the song at a show I attended. I was quite taken by both the dancers and the song and initially thought it was Bono and/or U2. I later learned that it was The Verve, a band I had never heard of prior to that. Bittersweet Symphony was a great start to the album (love the strings) but what followed was pretty forgettable and disappointing. Since I can't give this a 2.5 I'll award it a very generous 3.
You know, it was fine. Pretty decent, but forgettable.
Sempre tive curiosidade em ouvir este disco, por causa da faixa de abertura. É um álbum interessante, com bons momentos proporcionados pelas partes de guitarras, é um disco agradável, mas não chega a ser algo empolgante e distinto. Destaque para a faixa "Lucky Man", quando a harmonia entre vocal de instrumental se complementam. Disco de razoável para bom.
Bitter Sweet Symphony followed by 12 forgettable 90's English rock band tracks. The tracks that broke the mold a touch more (This Time, Velvet Morning) were enjoyable, but the rest felt like an Oasis coverband. Not bad, not great.
Pretty good pretty good, need more time with it. Bittersweet Symphony is obviously the standout, and the rest lacks compelling hooks. Pleasant noise though.
Didn't realise I'd heard their songs before. What do you know. Pleasant enough listening.
Oh okay so the better Oasis?
The singles are amazing. The rest is ok.
Sounded like the Smashing Pumpkins or Coldplay to me - Bittersweet Symphony raised it from a 2
Favourite Track: Sonnet, Weeping Willow Album Cover: accidental candid shot in Richmond Park, taken when the band were waiting for a second photographer.
I’ve always enjoyed this album but honestly, didn’t expect to see it here! Great songs and such a staple of it’s time.
Nice voice with touches of 70’s era Neil Diamond here and there. Needed more hooks to keep it interesting. 3/ 5
Indie sounding britpop. Some really good songs here balanced out by plenty of forgettable ones.
Bitter Sweet Symphony is iconic but otherwise this one didn’t really resonate with me too much. I enjoyed that the last song “Come On” has a hidden track at the very end…. if you keep it playing, goes from silent to kind of an ethereal melody with a baby crying sound at around 13:45 for a little over a minute.
This one was cool. I, too, was stoked to hear Bitter Sweet Symphony - it's a great song! I wasn't blown away by this album but did really enjoy the more ballad-like songs (Sonnet, The Drugs Don't Work). I can appreciate the grungy, 90s sound. 6.5/10
Was fairly certain I had never heard of The Verve. Then after the opening track bitter sweet symphony I knew I had at least heard one song many times before. The vocals sort of remind me of local artist JP Hoe.
Not a bad listen
3.5
3.5
More like 3.5 stars, really enjoying it at the start but began to sound quite repetitive. Still quite a good album
This shit is a fucking hour long and it all sounds procedurally generated. Decent production by 90s pop rock standards.
This one is hard to rate. It's got two alltime classics (The Drugs Don't Work and Bittersweet Symphony) and another two great tracks (Sonnet, Lucky Man) and then a bunch of what I regard as filler tracks that really doesn't do much for me at all. Definitely an album where I'd playlist the best songs and leave the rest behind.
Huge album at the time but it’s never truly clicked for me. Always ended up going back to their other albums. But Rolling People never gets old.
Classic 90s Britpop. Swaggers between Rock and guitar ballads, lots of simple string samples/arrangements peppered in, the occasional 70s psychedelic guitar tones. You'll probably recognise at least one song on here. Bittersweet Symphony is an anthem of that era. The Drugs Don't Work has one of the most depressing lyrics ever ("like a cat in a bag waiting to drown.."). There is a definite dip in noteworthy songs after the opening few tracks with maybe the exception of Lucky Man. It sounds like the 90s.
Chill. Good. Never listened to whole thing.
Two great songs and many good ones.
A bit dreary for my taste but I enjoyed the more well known tracks. Highlight track : The drugs don't work
A good few very good songs on this but it's all a bit too plain and uninteresting
Thoughts before listening: Brit pop with one killer song ("Bittersweet Symphony") and at least one other that is very good ("The Drugs Don't Work"). Review: I like this just fine. The hits I mentioned are great, but the album did drag a bit over it's 75 minute run time. U2 is a major influence here, and the album stays in a similar late 90s mid-tempo groove throughout. I was into punk rock around this time, and mostly ignored these types of bands. I can appreciate them a bit more now, but it's still very much a 3-star album to me.
It was good, just needed more to make each some unique and memorable. The length didn’t help it.
Underrated album overshadowed by a massive (and great) single. Dig a bit deeper, and there’s some really good 90s psych revival here.
Not bad.
Un álbum decente de Britpop que sería mucho mejor si fuese más corto. Aquí destacan canciones como Bitter Sweet Symphony, The Drugs Don't Work o Lucky Man. Sin embargo, siento que algunas canciones de la primera mitad son algo olvidables y el cierre se me hace excesivamente largo. 3'5/5
Starts off with one of the best songs on the 90s. The rest is okay, kinda more of the same sound - layered instruments and reverby vocals. “Sonnet” and “The Drugs Don’t Work” are nice slower songs. “Lucky Man” is probably my favorite (besides the first song). Overall not very exciting of an album but has a distinct sound.
Bittersweet Symphony is the known song to me. For me the rest of the album is okay.
yea that's a britpop album alright. Bittersweet Symphony is real great, and it's never like. bad. but its whole movement doesn't capture me much and this doesn't have the variety that some of the best britpop does. deserves to be one of the 1001? uh yea sure. but i'd kick it out in favor of an Indonesian prog album
apart from their iconic opening track the album as a whole was pretty middle of the road late 90s altrock. decent.
Feels like a bad ruined by the meteoric rise of a single, which then defined them in everyone's eyes. Kinda fun until I had the realization they sound like U2 and then finishing was tough.
Controversially, I don’t like this album that much, Ashcrofts voice does my head in and I don’t think he’s a very good song writer. It’s also fucking LONG. But saying that, bittersweet symphony is arguably the greatest British song of all time. 2.5/5
Its nice actually
This is our big FUCk U
-britpop -easy listening -would’ve enjoyed loads when I started playing kit -classic re bssymphony -album grows on me as it plays through
It is, in fact, a bittersweet symphony, but that's life.
My partner has never watched Cruel Intentions so he will never understand Bitter Sweet Symphony like I do.
3.3/bitter sweet is the only good song
Eh
I doubt this would have made the list without the opening track. Well... I disagree with the list frequently enough that I take that back. I think it's pretty forgettable other than the opener though
Starting of with Bitter Sweet Symphony is like baiting, because it never gets better than that. Sure there are other moments on this album, but they are few. Can't say there is anything bad on 'Urban Hymns' it is just al around forgettable. And they had no right to make me wait 10 minutes for a hidden track, that wasn't even interesting.
3 // brit pop, fun, definitely not bad, but didn't really do anything for me
Good but not amazing, besides Bitter Sweet Symphony, which is a certified banger. Fave song: Bitter Sweet Symphony Honorable mentions: Drugs Don't Work, Catching The Butterfly
Pretty good but not exceptional. Favourite Song: Bitter Sweet Symphony Honourable Mention: The Drugs Don't Work
pretty good chill/slower album
2.5
I wanted to like this album more than I did. Kind of wild to start with "bittersweet symphony" as it seems to have a slightly different production than the rest of the album which comes across as subdued. Song writing is good, music isn't half bad either but I felt that if I put this album on and went about my day, most of it will become background noise.. Like a subtle soundtrack. The again... Maybe that's what they were going for. 3.5🌟