Reviews (page 7 of 15)
J - 3/5 Best Track - "Bitter Sweet Symphony" F - 3/5
EN: The late 1990's and early 2000's were sometimes defined by uncreative, boring and oversentimental music. Sadly, Urban Hymns fall into this category, even though it is not the worst sample of it. It's undeniable that Bitter Sweet Symphony is a classic and deserves to be remembered as the great track it is. I also don't belive Sonnet or The Drugs Don't Work are particularly bad songs at all, but they are weaker than the first track. Overall, though there is some cohesion in this album, it's all so flat and boring that it's impossible to give it a higher rating. It's just an album that exists and that happens to have three or four memorable tracks, with only one of them being really great. --- PT-BR: O final dos anos 90 e o início dos anos 2000 foram, por vezes, definidos por músicas pouco criativas, entediantes e excessivamente sentimentais. Infelizmente, Urban Hymns se enquadra nessa categoria, embora não seja a pior amostra dela. É inegável que Bitter Sweet Symphony é um clássico e merece ser lembrado como a ótima faixa que é. Também não acredito que Sonnet ou The Drugs Don't Work sejam músicas particularmente ruins, mas são mais fracas que a primeira faixa. No geral, embora haja alguma coesão neste álbum, é tudo tão monótono e entediante que é impossível dar uma nota maior. É apenas um álbum que existe e que tem três ou quatro faixas memoráveis, com apenas uma delas sendo realmente ótima. 5,75/10
This was the jam in high school.
Acceptable I guess
High School me would have rated this a 6 out of 5. I used to listen to this a TON. I still think there are some masterpieces on this album, but the rest has kind of just turned to good, not great like it once was.
2nd rate Oasis. Oasis is 3 star to me. I gave their other album on the list 2 stars. Must have been a low 2 stars. This is a medium 2 stars, because at least it has the only relevant song they ever made, Bitter Sweet Symphony, which is really only good because they picked a good sample.
83/100. The album doesn’t rely on any single standout, instead, it flows naturally, each track reinforcing the dreamy, reflective tone. And even when the tempos shift, the atmosphere never breaks. While “Bitter Sweet Symphony” is the obvious entry point, what stands out most about the album is just how consistently solid the deeper cuts are.
This list sure likes its “waves”. Yet another entry from britpop. I had gotten somewhat fed up of the whole scene by the time of this. All that laddish arrogance just got boring, so I know the singles but don't remember hearing the whole album. It's OK, some good songs, but suffers somewhat from the curse of the overlong 90s cd, where it starts to feel padded and filler, even when no one song is terrible or even not too bad but there's no real flow, which affected acts at the time that I liked to start with much more that The Verve. There's some of that britpip attitude, all brash swagger n styling but like someone said this has the end of the party feel to it, which is it turns out it's stronger point. On its own it's an OK 90s rock album, uses it's best by far card at the start, though have soft spot for lucky man too, if it was a tighter 45 min album would probably enjoy it a lot more and revisit(?), but it isn’t , and it does the dreaded hidden track thing too, 3 Star
I was a fan of "Bittersweet Symphony" when it came out in the 90's. After learning that The Verve had ripped off the intro from a Rolling Stones song, I was less of a fan. That song is still nostalgic when it comes on a playlist or the radio. This album wasn't what I was expecting and went a slight bit hard-core with it's message and intent. It was moderately good.
Good tunes
Ashcroft at the height of his powers.
Kicking off with ‘bitter sweet symphony’ was such a good opener. The album holds a similar tempo throughout. Britpop isn’t upbeat but I loved it
I liek the first track, the rest I was waiting for the album to end. Its fine, just not my vibe, the Britpop or whatever you call this genre isn’t my bag, so 2 stars for me
biggest L in music for sure
This is more like a 3.5 or 3.75 but fuck I just love the atmospheric sounds on this album.
Bloated, safe, and stuck in the shadow of its own biggest hit. 𝘜𝘳𝘣𝘢𝘯 𝘏𝘺𝘮𝘯𝘴 rides the emotional weight of 𝘉𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘚𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘚𝘺𝘮𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘺 so hard that nearly every track feels like a lesser rewrite. Richard Ashcroft delivers each vocal line with the same strained earnestness, as if chasing the same moment again and again. The instrumentation is lush and polished, no doubt — but it lacks invention or urgency. Where others in 1997 pushed boundaries, The Verve chose to inflate familiar ideas. And the hidden track? Best left hidden. A few good melodies can’t disguise the overall sense of missed opportunity.
"Bitter Sweet Symphony" is known by everyone, but the rest of this holds up as well. Great brit-rock album.
Mediocre
Liked Bittersweet Symphony
This was pretty profoundly boring. (2)
It's '90s rip-off Oasis which is rip off Beatles trash and I am here for it
I wrote about this and then forgot to save it, I haven't forgotten the songs on this album since I first heard it in 1997 and a lot of other music has come and gone since then.
No more brtipop please. I'm over it. lol
Did you know they had to turn all royalties for bittersweet to The Rolling Stones up until like last year? Super interesting story, they sampled the strings from a cover of a Rolling Stones song and got that cleared but their manager claimed the chorus is too similar to a different Rolling Stones song (it’s not similar at all) so Keith and Mick got full writing credits and all royalties for that song for years and years. There’s a very good YouTube video on it highly recommend watching it and how old school music managers are villains. Anyways that’s the only thing interesting about this album.
Holy shit bitter sweet symphony is 6 fucking minutes long??? Jesus this album felt so long that I forgot that they did bitter sweet. This album sucks almost all of the way through. The lyrics were so shallow and cringy that I almost had to stop playing it. I was comparing this album to the Linkin Park album, and I can safely say that this one is way worse and deserving of a 1.
I’m not a fan of bittersweet symphony, but that’s the best song on this. It’s all downhill from there. This is a mediocre rock, adult contemporary, shitty lyric heap of trash. You wanna listen to over an hour of oasis rips? Do you crave prepubescent lyrics? Well the Verve want to let you know that they’re here for you. Pick up a copy at your local target. The production on this seems to only serve the purpose of trying to mask corny lyrics and boring song arrangements. Why is every song so long? Why does his voice have literally no character? Credit is due to whomever convinced Dimery to include this milk toast, proto-ai slog of an album. 1/5 I will never listen to this again and neither should you.
Boooooooring
point9.
If you drew a Venn diagram with Coldplay, U2 and Oasis I think The Verve would be the space in between all of them. At first I wasn't particularly captivated (due in part by the radio saturation of bittersweet symphony) but by the end of the album I actually think I prefer this album over any of those I have reviewed from the aforementioned bands.
The album starts strong with possibly one of the best songs ever recorded and also the only Verve song I know (or so I thought). Why have I never dug more into the Verve considering I actually really like Bittersweet Symphony? Unfortunately, it’s kind of a step down in quality after Bittersweet Symphony. Nothing really stood out to me and a lot of the tracks just sounds like generic and derivative britpop (I genuinely thought Lucky Man was an Oasis song; the second Verve song I apparently knew). The tracks that did stand out just got annoying. For instance, Catching the Butterfly sounds interesting, but then he just keeps saying the same line about catching a butterfly in lucid dreams over and over for 7 minutes. All that being said, this isn’t actually a bad album. It was enjoyable to listen to, it just didn’t live up to the expectations set by the first song and it ends up sounding like every other britpop album on the list.
mehh and ehhh
One of my absolute favourite albums ever. Here is nearly everything wonderful.
In 1997 "Bittersweet Symphony" was playing everywhere. Along with "The Drugs Don't Work" and "Lucky Man", Urban Hymns spoke to millions... just not me. The songs seem to bleed into each other, but not in a good way, by the time I got to the end, I was hard pressed to say what I liked or didn't like. It was all just "meh".
The album’s fine, but man, Britpop really is disproportionately represented on this list when you consider how much music there is in the whole wide world one should listen to before they die. I understand the authors have their perspectives, just frustrated to get another hour of it today. Anyway, the Verve. Besides the opener track, the rest also has the markings of a band that can write catchy hooks, even if they didn't hook me so well. The instrumentation and their respective parts I found pretty boring, but together they are actually better than the sum of their parts and create a cohesive identity (dreamy 90s britpop), even if it's one I personally have a hard time enjoying.
I imagine my rating will be higher than the average maybe influenced by nostalgia. The Drugs Don't Work is my favourite probably just nostalgia from listening to Virgin Radio rather than an imperially good song. I could see how listening to the whole album would be monotonous for some like the Beasty Boys was for me.
I feel like this is yet another album that could have been trimmed down. Almost every track goes on for a minute or two too long, just meandering with reverb-y guitars and a nasally drone from Richard Ashcroft. Considering how little variety there is on offer here, it could have done with being half the length. 'Bitter Sweet Symphony' is one of the all time great singles in my opinion. A fantastic track track, that has a more epic sound than the rest of the album thanks to the string section 'riff' that plays throughout the song. I don't care if it was ripped off or not, it gives me goosebumps. A brilliant opening, but unfortunately it never quite reaches these heights again. Overall, it's a bit sleepy, definitely too long, the same slow tempo throughout. It sounds a bit like a depressed and downbeat Oasis, and could really do with a kick up the arse. Despite that though, I did quite enjoy it up to a point then just became tired of it and a little bored. More listens would help I reckon, but with an album this long, I'm afraid my time is scarce.
Nice stuff
Britpop classic notable for its anthemic singles. The Verve's previous 2 albums are stylistically quite different, particularly the first which is a much more shoegaze/dreampop type sound. By Urban Hymns they leant on a slightly more 'commercial' kind of output and it paid off massively - Bittersweet Symphony is classic and the other singles would go on to become acoustic anthems in the late britpop era It's 5* because it's a strong album overall though, not just the singles - i also like Weeping Willow and Velvet Morning for example with some of these tracks echoing their more psychadelic background
Bittersweet Symphony is still amazing. Many of the other tracks have held up well.
enjoyable listen if not very memorable. bittersweet symphony is an all-timer though
Pretty good, bit too long. 3.5/5.
I would have enjoyed this quite a bit more if it were a tighter experience. Not only is the album too long, but pretty much every song is roughly two minutes overlong. That said, this is a heavy vibes record, so if you're not feeling it the album will seem interminable. That said Bittersweet Symphony holds up, even if I never really need to hear it again. If I could give half stars, I would, but alas.
The Verve have a good singer, with good quality songs on this album. For me the album started great but lost steam as it went on. Most of the tracks ran on too long; I think they could have been shortened without losing anything.
This is very 90s! I always liked 'Bitter Sweet Symphony' (I mean, the entire Cruel Intentions soundtrack is perfect) but not enough to look into what else The Verve were cooking. Turns out they were cooking a banquet of orchestration! I really like pop with strings, and Ashcroft has just enough of that cello-y vocal timbre to interest me. But this album is long, and started to lose its luster as it went on. I was waffling between a 3 and 4 by the end, but revisiting the first few tracks convinced me it's a 4. Highlights: 'Bitter Sweet Symphony', 'Sonnet', 'The Drugs Don't Work', 'Velvet Morning' Lowlights: 'The Rolling People' (it's fine, just a little generic/loud/stringless), 'Catching the Butterfly' (yes, it does sound like the Beatleses 'Within You Without You' ! except longer and with less compelling lyrics), 'Neon Wilderness'
I had this album in grad school and listened to it over and over through a painful breakup. Now I just think it’s whiny and twee.
wide and classy indie pop rock, has a heavy emphasis on an orchestral, dreamy energy and longing, emotional vocals. the first track, "bitter sweet symphony" was quite the smash hit all the way back in '97. even if you've only heard that song, you've pretty much gotten a taste of what the entire album sounds like. it's all really slow, moody and dramatic. these guys really like their string samples, and while it's a pretty nice sound, with little variation between tracks sometimes makes me a little disinterested. songs are very psychedelic and ethereal, but i feel like a few songs kinda draggggggg. if you're a fan of oasis you might like this album.
Another British alternative rock band makes the list. I like this album. Others are going to say that it doesn’t stand up or hold up. This was peak for these guys.
MAWR BRI'ISH! this is a band for me where, like, it played in Sears and shit like that for years, and you think you know this band, but it just blends together which a buncha other bullshit that i can be super cynical about... but its okay. is it Oasis? U2? Snow Patrol? who knows. now i got that outta my system, i can go over the songs i don't know. Sonnet is very chill. very British pop rock of the 90's. some parts have some energy like The Rolling Papers. kinda whiny, even though this is the kinda stuff i grew up with.
6.8/10
An album that catapulted this band into the mainstream, slick and ethereal arrangements that shifted the band into well deserved recognition. Sadly they broke up soon after and never really captured again what they achieved with this album
I didn't get into the Verve until later in my life. Out of their four albums, I liked the second and third ones the best. This is the third album, and though it is admittedly a bit long. A Northern Soul is a better album in my opinion and since it is not represented in this book then Urban Hymns should be in here. Even knowing that I like this band and album, I can also see the annoyance at ANOTHER British 90's band is represented in the book. I have complained about British artists being over-represented (which is true), but I think the Verve have a different sound that separates them from the other Brit-pop bands. The sound is represented in part by other artists in this book, but I think they do it better. Bitter Sweet Symphony Sonnet Drugs Don't Work Catching the Butterfly Lucky Man Space and Time Velvet Morning I always enjoy this album.
I've heard bittersweet symphony before but never fully delved into The Verve. What I found was a wonderful album full of a wide variety of music including well constructed ballads and different alternative styles of rock. While it didn't blow me away, I found that it was a great britpop album to soothe in the background with some definite standout tunes.
Obviously love Bittersweet Symphony, and so far the album is excellent. Love The Sonnet. I love this kind of music. Some songs veer a little trippy (Neon Wilderness) Rating: 5 stars (will definitely listen again)
7/10
Hahahahaha instantly started laughing when the first song came on. Is this song the only reason this album is on the list?
More BritPop! This is fine: grandiose, symphonic, dramatic. And some huge hits. And who hasn't listened to 'Bittersweet Symphony' ten thousand times?
Not more Brit pop! I never realized exactly how overrated the genre was until I started this project. I did re-appreciate “Lucky Man,” and “Bittersweet Symphony” is canonical, but that’s about it for me.
Bitter Sweet Symphony... what a way to start an album. It's beautiful, well-palyed, and catchy as heck. The Rolling People is essentially an extended 70s-rock jam with a particularly great bassline. Lucky Man is possibly even more symphonic than the opening number, with a gorgeous cacophony of piano, strings, distorted guitar, and overlapping vocal lines. It's incredibly feel-good and is definitely the centrepiece of the album. But the quality is a little choppy across the rest of the album, with many tracks being passable but nothing special. Velvet Morning, Neon Wilderness, Come On / Deep Freeze... they're fine, particularly the guitar parts, but also pretty unmemorable and serve as generic filler (especially in the case of Come On / Deep Freeze). I'm half convinced all the top-voted reviews (i.e. all those 1- and 2-star ones at the top of the review page) are gut reactions from seeing any British album released in the 1990s on this list. It might amaze some of these people to discover that British music consists of more than one genre! Urban Hymns genuinely sounds nothing like the Britpop that swamps a great proportion of this list – apart from maybe the vocals (which admittedly aren't great). Everything else is so sonically versatile that I struggle to identify it with any one genre apart from, well, alt-rock (as the album's Wikipedia page identifies). It sounds a bit like The Bends-era Radiohead, which notably is not classified as Britpop. Finally, even if it is indeed Britpop, it can still be good. Which this album is, for the most part. 3/5 Key tracks: Bitter Sweet Symphony, The Rolling People, Lucky Man
Reminds me of Coldplay, U2, and Oasis mushed into one. I love and was already familiar with ""Bittersweet Symphony"" but I have been happy to hear the rest of their album.
I guess I'm a sucker for lush production but some classic 90s bangers made this album a 4 for me.
my expectations were way low going into this because i think ‘bittersweet symphony’ is a great song the way ‘champagne supernova’ is a great song, and we all know how the rest of oasis’ discography sounds…but i really dug this! the shimmery drone lite guitar music of the 1990s often appeals to me and this fit right in there. sorry richard ashcroft i was unfamiliar with your game. fav tracks: bittersweet symphony; catching the butterfly
they're like if oasis was good?? the album was too long but that's my only gripe.
First song is the iconic bittersweet symphony and it was an easy listen throughout. 2
Pretty good. Pretty upbeat. 4/5
Perfectly nice. In my mind I'm sitting on the grass on a cool afternoon, just like the Verve on their album cover. What a perfectly pleasant way to spend an hour. Nothing better to do. Just chill. Three low vibe stars. Right, that's enough off that then. Let's go and fuck shit up. Where's that Morrissey C*#@?
na twee nummers lag ik in een even diepe coma als de 'zanger'
8/10 Great psychedelic britpop sounds here. A bit too long, trim a few tracks and it'd be a better experience but there's nothing bad on the album.
Actually didn’t expect to like it. I wouldn’t say this album is memorable but a few tunes are stuck in my head. It’s not the best thing I’ve heard, but I wouldn’t mind hearing it if someone played it.
I’m coming off of the oasis record I thought I was getting more of the same. This one wasn’t as rocking, but it was the best U2 record I heard in a long time. I got into this, lots of different vibes in the record, great production. I’m gonna give this a 4. Maybe too strong a score but my attention was never drifting away. That says something.
So.. The Verve, they had a bit of a rough start as a shoegaze/psychodelic rock act, they did a few standalone singles(Gravity Grave is a highlight https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtCem7r4i2I) before their debut album A Storm In Heaven (Slide Away https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEqHAc1Y0NY)), since we have A Northern Soul in the list I wont talk about it too much, but after touring that album the band reached a break point and they enter hiatus. The singer/songwriter Richard Ashcroft starts to write songs for his next project and starts to recruit former bandmates, bar Nick McCabe guitar player, and instead call Simon Tong, they go to the studio and record an album, without a band name or a direction, just Urban Hyms as potential band name. After a while Richard realizes that the band lacks the magic touch of McCabe and gives him a call and the band gets the definitive 5 man lineup. The band was already on the brink of their goal of dominating the charts, but the rolling stone sample thing happen and they decide to go on anyways. And boy they delivered with this album, it might be too long for some people(not helped by the 7 minutes of silence between Come on and the hidden track Deep Freeze). So this album for me is a melting pot of everything The Verve did as shoegaze(Deep Freeze and Neon Wilderness), the rockers displayed on A Northern Soul(Come On and The Rolling People) and the singer songwriter stuff that Richard was brewing and would later do less sucessfully in his solo albums(Bittersweet Symphony, Sonnet, Drugs Don't Work, Lucky Man) or a combination of those previous categories (Catching The Butterfly, One Day, This Time). What a album, would love to hear it once again for the first time, the band would implode again after touring it for a year, here's the band playing at Pinkpop 1998 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hb1jaj06UW4 5/5
I was underwhelmed by this album. The songs on the album have a sameish quality to them that causes them to blend into one. It is the sort of album that could play through in the background on a chilled night in and except for one or two tracks you wouldn't notice it playing
Banger
It’s nostalgic
Heard it before. Sadly, they peaked with their Rolling Stones rip off and did nothing too interesting otherwise 2/5
Surprisingly pleasant
Nostalgia points for bittersweet symphony. I listened to that A LOT in middle school
I listened to this so much in high school and college
Maybe the best use of strings in a pop song
I got so sick of Bittersweet Symphony being overplayed on the radio, I steered clear of the album. But it’s a solid album, I was missing out!
Bittersweet Symphony is a masterpiece.
Albums got some highs and lows, overlall it just falls in the middle for me. I will admit I love Velvet Morning.
Aside from Lucky Man there isn’t much here that I find interesting.
Kind of bland. A little long and slower then i was looking for.
I liked this one more than the other The Verve album, and it has Bittersweet Symphony which I've always liked. But past that it's a fine album with some annoying parts.
Landed at the right time. Possibly overplayed. Still prefer there earlier stuff. Will always be remembered as my first live band in 1992, supporting Ride.
29/06/2025 The good songs made this album, there were some songs that were a little too slow.
3/5
Ok. Dated at this point. Was never a fan of the hit single, thought it was a bit repetitive. Strong Brit-Rock styling overall.
An interesting combination of funk/soul and rock. Probably just my bias talking, but I feel like it would have been better at times to lean more into the rock side.
For me, Bittersweet Symphony is interesting, the rest is just so-so.
3 or 4 out of 5
Everything about this album is okay
Some really good songs here--"Bittersweet Symphony," "The Drugs Don't Work," Lucky Man"--but also a lot of filler and just boring Oasis or Radiohead-lite. It does get better as it goes with the more interesting songs toward the end. How could there be both The Verve and The Verve Pipe?
Hate this. Bittersweet Symphony's a good tune, but its been so co-opted by car and credit card commercials that its lost its shine for me. The whole album otherwise is just aggressively generic. They sound like Driveshaft, the fictional band from Lost, but worse. Lyrically ranges from bad to medicore, musically bland. Singer oscillates between weak Bono and Thom Yorke impressions. These guys aren't unique enough to be taking themselves so seriously. I give 1 stars sparingly, and if it were interesting or had real spirit behind it but still bad, I'd give it two. But the combo of soulless and bad is just too much. Outrageous that this is on the list when groups like Modest Mouse (for a great 1997 release see: The Lonesome Crowded West), and even all time legends like Louis Armstrong and Chuck Berry are omitted.
A very average britpop album that happens to have one of my favorite songs ever on it (not the one you think it is). "The Drugs Don't Work" is absolutely devastating, its like a knife to the chest. A masterpiece surrounded by mid. Favorite track: The Drugs Don't Work
“Bitter Sweet Symphony” has always been a favorite song along with the video since ‘97. Not as familiar with there rest of the album but after this listen I should’ve listened more when the album came out. Right up my alley. Good if Mick & Keith to to make it some right 20 years later.
The first track is a top 50 song OAT. The Drugs don't work is beautiful but sad... very sad. Catching the Butterfly isn't anything special but serves its purpose as a mood transition. One day is very god as well. This is a must listen album.
Solid album with one of the greatest songs ever made and 3 other really top tier tracks. The rest is strong if not great. Their lesser works are way better than Oasis's mid tier.
Smooth listening!
Urban Hymns is either that last great Brit Pop album or the first Post Brit Pop album. I'm certain of that. Which one? Not too sure but whatever it's a great listen if a tad too long. Clocking in at just over 75 minutes and only slowing down towards the end, Urban Hymns is very much worth your time, but had it been edited down by half an hour or even 20 minutes this would be a Five - Star album in my book as it stands it's a solid Four-Star Album. A very strong orchestral psychedelic album both poppy & bright and dark & foreboding. It's a shame that The Verve broke up after Urban Hymns as it sold well over a million copies in the US alone but if ever there was an album that sounded like it would break America while seemingly breaking up the band internally it's very much this one. A hell of a way to go.
Great album
They say that people like what they're comfortable with. While this album exhibits many of the features that usually turn me off music, somewhat dreary singing and a lack of variety, the album is well-produced, well orchestrated, catchy, and, most importantly, extremely familiar. It's like listening to a warm hug from an old friend.
This album set a high bar for itself with “bittersweet symphony” being the opening track. It never got close to reaching that point again.
The Rolling People - Finally a rock song, this one definitely didn't feel like 7 minutes, and actually flew by, keeping my attention the whole time. The Drugs Don't Work - Sadboi ballad, I really like it, definitely feels like some 90s British Sadboi vibes with some occasional strings, 2/12, nothing else really sticks out.
Not bad but boring af
Great vocal
Some cracking tunes
Not my kind of Music. There are no surprises on the album.
Interesting tape machine distorsion.
It's fine, but mostly just standard 90's alt-rock fare
Not my cup of tea
I've always hated this album...especially Bittersweet Symphony. Annoying AF.
I'm plowing through this long, boring album and I finally get to the last song...and it's 15 minutes long! No thanks. One or two pretty tunes, though.
This is a tough one. The good songs are some of the greatest out there, and the non stand-outs are still quite good. With that said, the hits are still the ones I vibe with the most. I think I'd be crazy not to give it a 4. I can definitely imagine how hearing this when it first came out would've felt super exciting.
I dislike bittersweet symphony and the rest of the album is very forgettable
Highlights: - Bitter Sweet Symphony (classic) - Sonnet - Weeping Willow - This Time
Bittersweet memories...
Maybe it’s the Monday morning blues, but I couldn’t wait for this album to be over.
Parts of it sound like surfer Pink Floyd. Not your typical Beach Boys. I really enjoyed “
Nice.
Kinda boring
It is 1997. Noel Gallagher has effectively killed Britpop and The Verve record the sound of the comedown. I have never considered The Verve to be Britpop, because they never had that hedonistic vibe. They tend towards shoegaze and a much heavier sound than the swirling, jangly guitars of the Britpop vanguard. While I enjoy this album on the whole, it’s not perfect by any stretch. The pattern is very similar to A Northern Soul - album is too long and loses its way round about the middle, where there is a lot of excess fat, bit it brings it back just in the last couple of tracks. For me, not as good sonically as A Northern Soul. It sometimes gets a bit self-conscious in its gloom. Space and Time has the sort of guitar swirling that Oasis would have killed for, I have an abiding fondness for Velvet Morning, and Bitter Sweet Symphony is a perfect opener.Its just that everything else is a bit samey and missing a vital spark. Overall though, this is completely in my wheelhouse, and I enjoy this album a lot.
This is NOT Britpop. It is an album miles above any Britpop release. Just a magnificent body of work from the band.
Thought it would be more brit pop, but was actually way better. Surprised me for sure.
It's fine
Better than I expected. Don't really get why this album seems to be so divisive.
Is fantastic
3.5* 82%
A bit emo 🖤
90s albums are always too long. Unfortunately, every song on this album sounds the exact same, and none of them are as good as Bittersweet Symphony (which is a good but not a great song).
Already Listened to
This just bored the absolute pants off me. No wonder I've only ever heard their 2 biggest songs
Really liked a few songs on this. Hadn’t heard them in a while. Nice throwback to the 90s.
Lucky Man and Bittersuite Symphony are pretty damn impressive songs.
I wanted to like it, but something was just slightly off.
I love bittersweet symphony- it’s in one of my favorite movies. So I was excited. This was okay.
The classics are great! Bittersweet symphony, lucky man. But they also kinda just sound like Oasis with a touch of 90s Radiohead. I'll go with a 2.5 and round up for the hits.
Pretty cool overall!
This wasn't bad!
Decent
In between Radiohead and Oasis, rather good, love bittersweet symphony 3.9
Pretty good but even though they formed before Oasis, their sound is too much alike. Not in a bad way but Oasis is much better and they kind of gravitated to that exact sound which is ok but males them a bit less relevant. Bittersweet was a massive hit because the producer killed it with the violins but other than that just a really good band second to Oasis
Started VERY strong
prohibitively boring
It's a brilliant album full of brilliant songs, fun the more psychedelic to the more introspective (Lucky Man). Only problem is it's so long that inevitably not everything works so well and some of the latter songs drag. Cut 20 mins and it's a 5 every day of the week.
Yes, I enjoyed this a lot. Hidden track was a bit of a letdown but you can’t have it all.
I find it hard to separate these tracks from the lad culture it seemed to epitomise, which I heavily disliked. But will have a go. Bittersweet is quite good, it is catchy, but the sample gets annoying after a while and I've heard it so many times - blah. Sonnet is brilliant, love that song. Drugs don't work is good, pretty catchy. Lucky man is meh, my memory of it is better than it is. The rest of the album is pretty forgettable. A few of them sound like stone roses b sides. I remember buying this album and being underwhelmed by it following the hype. My opinion hasn't changed.
Pretty Great record. Love the iconic opening, and the other standouts
Not one hit wonders some decent songs
Meh.
Album 795 of 1089 The Verve - Urban Hymns (1997) Rating : 3.5 / 5 Some more decent British pop. 1st track is recognizable from Publix commercial and some past mild success. Pleasant listen. Good songs and performance. Well produced album.
This is a pretty solid album, and I think more would've gotten to hit status if it wasn't for the plagiarism controversy.
I’ve never heard anything but bittersweet symphony, and the rest so far sounds like an extended version of that song, which already has an extended version. But you could do much worse for a sleepy Monday morning
this is a brilliant album - can't believe i'd never listened to it the whole way through before. made my little indie heart very happy
I remember getting this album in high school because of the song Bittersweet Symphony and being disappointed with the rest of it. When it came up yesterday I was excited to listen again hoping that I would find some more on here that I liked. Still no. Nothing is inherently bad, but it just feels like a mess. It doesn't really go together except its late 90's emo. We have tech to alt to rock but none are great. Bittersweet symphony feels effortless and real. For the rest they are trying to hard making them so forced sounding that it looses much of the feelings in the song.
So this is the band that sings Bitter Sweet Symphony (a pretty good song). Sometimes you can find some hidden gems besides "that one hit". And sometimes the rest of the album just sucks.
I’ve always felt that this album was/is completely overblown. It lived in literally every car CD book case I ever perused. It’s lovely here and there, and Bittersweet Symphony is iconic, but the rest of it feels as if it’s trying to be the most important Britpop album you’re ever going to hear in your life, all while keeping a steady slow to mid tempo range and sounding totally generic throughout. Some of these songs go on for too long for no reason and in the end, they all sound the same. The nail in this coffin comes at the end when Come On, a song that sounds exactly like everything that came before it, except for that he screams an insincere and apathetic “fuck you”, trudges on for almost 7 minutes only to have to wait another 6 minutes for the hidden track, which sucks. I always hated that trick on CD, but in the digital age, there’s no reason in this world to wait through minutes of silence for a hidden track. Nirvana did it on Nevermind, but at least that song is violently great and worth waiting for. Here it’s just sparkly guitar noise and the sound of a crying baby seal. Irritating and pointless.
Bittersweet Symphony is such a 90s anthem and one of my fave songs, but I’ve never listened to this album before and wasn’t familiar with any of their other work. Bittersweet is definitely the star. There were a few other standouts, but overall the vibes were a little too melancholy.
Klassisk britpop, men utenom bittersweet symphony er sangane ganske like og blandar i kvarandre
Good shidd. Generelt veldig digg å hørra på! "The drugs don't work" havna på chillelistå!
It was alright.
It didn't pain me to listen to this one, unlike most Britpop albums, and a couple of songs I actually thought were pretty decent, such as The Rolling People. But 75 minutes of Britpop gets to you eventually. Maybe a harsh 2, probably would be higher if it was shorter
This album felt pretty empty to me, despite its length. None of the tracks really grabbed me, aside from "Weeping Willow" and (of course) "Bitter Sweet Symphony." Other than that, this seemed like a pretty generic album.
This Is an incredible album, got tobe one of the best I've heard.
Kind of goes no where and does nothing for me. Brit pop
Starts good, but not a fan of most of the songs.
:shrug: Not for Me
Not too shabby! I was only vaguely aware of the name of Bittersweet Symphony, and had no idea who it was by, so that was cool!
A favorite from back in the day. I haven’t listened to it in decades. It held up well.
One of the all-time great lead tracks on an album. This is a perfect album listen. Start to finish. If this was Britpop's swan song as Apple Music suggests, then what a great way to end it.
Did not age that well.
I just love Bittersweet Symphony, and The Rolling People is pretty good, I've never heard anything from The Verve besids Bittersweet Symphony. So far I'm liking their sound, sort of a throwback to 1960s rock. Some of the slide guitar songs like The Drugs Don't work aren't my style. I feel like I've heard Catching The Butterfly before, that's kind of a good groove. Weeping Willow is good too, overall I think this is a better version of Oasis
Opening track is definitely the highlight. Otherwise, it's pretty much middle-of-the-road rock that's been drenched in reverb. It's a solid 2.5 stars, so I guess rounded to 3 stars.
A lovely album. I wasn’t really a fan growing up although I appreciated the singles so never listened to this album and glad I did now.
(36 known/80 new)
Only knew Bittersweet Symphony before giving this a listen. Rest of the album is really good, might be a new favorite for me
Excellent opener. Enjoyed the rest of the album as representative of an era I loved. However it mostly blended together for me and I don’t see myself returning to this often.
Bitter Sweet Symphony is incredible. The rest, not so much. I took a break after 5 songs where I thought everything after Bitter Sweet Symphony was uninteresting. The next day - Bitter Sweet Symphony - awesome. Everything else - meh. Nothing here is really bad, it's just forgettable. I also got the feeling that every track is about 2 minutes too long.
Not my cup of tea, but still a good almbum
Funky, I dig it. 3.5?
i was not expecting this to be so good. genuinely enjoyed this a ton
an album called urban hymns with a white guy in a bucket hat on the front cover….WHEW. bittersweet symphony really props up the rest of this thing. it feels like every single song, except for the one (1) that is under three minutes, overstays its welcome.
++: Bitter Sweet Symphony, The Rolling People, Catching the Butterfly, Neon Wilderness, Come On, Deep Freeze +: This Time, Velvet Morning +-: Weeping Willow, Lucky Man -: Sonnet, The Drugs Don't Work, Space and Time, One Day 5,4/10
More than a one-hit wonder, this album has so many great songs.
Great album, but I wish it was 3-4 songs shorter. It had a natural place to stop earlier. The rest felt like a forced encore. Still love the album.
An album that played a big role in my life. It came out during my university years and I was totally into alternative rock, so yeah, how could I not like this. It's not perfect because it has some weak moments (Neon wilderness???), it is way too long including a stupid hidden track. But the great moments are so strong that it still deserves a 10 out of 10. 'Sonnet' is one pof the most beautiful songs of the nineties. Well there are many excellent songs, let's mention 'Space and time'. I love it.
This album feels kinda cliche in large part, I believe, because it was so defining of an era. While I think some albums are more timeless, that's still really respectable. It's fun and flows front to back though not hugely dynamic. Good stuff.
I'm a sucker for psychedelic rock. I'm not as familiar with the entire album but this is what you want to have on headphones on a beautiful sunny day walking along the beach.
I surprisingly loved this. I was like, “boo, another Britpop album.” But damn this was fun indie bops all the way through. Maybe I’m coming around on Britpop.
Had only remembered the hit “Bittersweet Symphony” but found myself really liking a number of tracks including “Catching the Butterfly”, “Space and Time” and “Lucky Man”. Better than I remember and expected
I’m a sucker for Bittersweet Symphony, which made me unprepared for how average/samey the rest of this album was. 😕
Like everyone else, I only knew Bittersweet Symphony going into this. After giving it a listen, I feel like Bittersweet Symphony was the apex. It's a pity they started with that, because it was all down hill after. This sounded like background music. It didn't make me feel anything. It was a bit boring and over-serious. Lighten up, everyone. Shorten your songs and make them more interesting. Forgettable and bland.
Noice
pretty solid. i can really hear some oasis in these tracks, but the verve have their own distinct sound at the same time.
8/1001. Ok amd rhe review I wrote got lost great. To cut the story short: heard? Check? Own? Maybe. Listened to in 20 years? No. Enjoyable album which has been obscured by the Bittersweet megahit, which must be in top 10 (5?) songs from the 90s. It's story of Rolling stones stealing "This May Be the Last Time,” from the Staple Singers and then getting pissed that the Verve used too much the sample from "Last time" and claiming 100% writer rights still makes me laugh and feel sorry for the Stones. Glad to hear that since 2019(!) Ashcroft has been returned the rights. Come on, one sample - although it makes most of the song, but it is really like claiming that our album cover had yellow init and now you are using it. After listening ro this now it feels a tad too long (cd era, let's put everything in it, and I never got too fond of Brit pop, and it is not so dreamy, spacey and druggy as the Spiritualized (it must be included in 1001 albums, right?), but more than Oasis so 4 stars.
Huge fan of Bittersweet Symphony. I was 13 when this was released and thought this was an epic song. Don't really know anything else by them. Track 2 sounds very generic to me. Track 3 gives me stone roses/oasis vibe
Another 3 stars!! I'm not sure if I'm getting into an indifferent mindset with music. It's either that or a lot of these albums are just truly uninspiring.
I like it
I’m A Million Different People 1001 Albums Generator 27 (05/09/2025) I was in Portland this weekend so no big review. It was alright, with the first half certainly being stronger overall. Bitter Sweet Symphony is a stone cold classic for a reason. Favs: Bitter Sweet Symphony Sonnet Lucky Man Least Fav: Velvet Morning
This is what it would sound like of Colin Robinson were to start a band influenced by Oasis and REM. Except for the chorus in Sonnet, there wasn’t much to enjoy. The songs dragged on for way too long
Haven't heard this one before but I doo t care. Bitter-sweet symphony is a perfect song. It rules and there is nothing you can say about it. OK the rest of the tracks are fine but I don't want to listen to them again. I wasn't angry or upset I just wandered away. I couldn't stop thinking about a book im reading and not listening to the music. It's just boring. It's fine but im bored to tears
Some great tracks on this one, but maxing out the run time of a CD with plenty of filler tracks
I keep getting albums where there’s like one phenomenal song and that’s it, dunno how that’s a whole album that you must listen to before you die.
Bittersweet symphony, The Drugs Don't Work and Lucky Man are all classic songs. The rest is ok and I did enjoy listening to it. 6/10
This is one of my personal favourites from the 90s, maybe all time. The songwriting is solid and the production is slick. It's wild that at one point, Oasis opened for The Verve. I wish I could've seen that tour. It's too bad they didn't last, but at least we have Urban Hymns. Liked Songs Added: Bittersweet Symphony The Rolling People The Drugs Don't Work Catching The Butterfly Space and Time Lucky Man Come On
Favourite songs: Sonnet, The Drugs Don't Work, Lucky Man
This thing bored my pants ON!! I am wearing pants to this day!
It's a bittersweet symphony this life......
not only did this suck... but it was also long as fuck
Way WAY better then their debut. Some good songs and a couple snoozers. It's ok 6/10
Starting off a little hot: secret tracks are stupid and I don't think they add much value to the CD other than lying about the length time. You shouldn't have a 15 minute song on your album where roughly 8 minutes is silence because maybe I forgot to start the CD over. And frankly, if I'm being honest, I don't even think I'd want to start this CD over. Bittersweet Symphony slaps for the first two minutes and then the rest of it drags on. I shouldn't be confronted with multiple songs that have over 6 minute run times. It doesn't mean they can't exist. But I suppose I want something a little more tucked. I want the wheat and not the chaff. I want something polished and dense and not necessarily 60 minutes of music that sounds roughly the same. I might change my mind as the day goes on but I wasn't really looking forward to this listen. Starting play through two now so fingers crossed I am able to uncover my true feelings about this album. Listened to it a second time and thought it was still mid. Everything kinda blended together, but nothing really captured my attention. It’s not that the music was bad. It’s just more that I didn’t find it original, or appealing, or very engaging. Maybe I’ve heard these songs a bunch in the milieu of living and the appeal has worn thin over the years. Or maybe it’s because it’s just not what I’m into. I don’t doubt the talent of the musicians, but the final product wasn’t for me.
I was excited to get this album. I really like songs I’ve heard (and my faves were on this album), but I’ve never listened to their full album from start to finish. However, when I finished listening to it, I didn’t really recall anything else from the album apart from those songs, but now I also felt a bit depressed. I’ve given it an extra star purely because I think I would have enjoyed it more on a different day, and I would listen again to test this theory
Not a huge fan, but I can see the appeal
Sonnet The drugs don't work Weeping willow
Very vibey album, but it can become a bit repetitive. Some songs really standout, like the opener with that great melody, but I wouldn't generally say there are some really weak ones.
Fine. Okay
I will admit right off the bat that Bitter Sweet Symphony is one of my least favorite songs ever. (I also find the music video just as annoying.) So, when I saw that Urban Hymns by The Verve was my album for the day, I didn’t expect this to be a pleasant experience. Based on my disdain for Bitter Sweet Symphony, I never took the time to listen to this album before today. About halfway through Urban Hymns and this is not as bad as I expected. Some decent songs on here. I’m not crazy about Ashcroft’s voice but it’s not a deal breaker. I knew of a Ben Harper version of The Drugs Don’t Work. I didn’t know this was a Verve song originally. Whether this is a fair assessment or not, my initial reaction to Urban Hymns is that it reminds me of a mix between Oasis and The Stone Roses. Overall, there are songs on here I don’t mind but I’m not sure this a full album I want to listen to again. I’m going with a 2 rating. 2/5.
It's an okay album. Obviously their big hit was Bittersweet Symphony, which was good as always. The rest of the album wasn't very notable, though. The songs felt connected and cohesive, but afterwards I couldn't pick one out of a lineup. They're not bad, though not excellent either.
Not a beig fan of their hit song here and the rest is pretty middle of the pack 90s.
Front loaded the good song so everyone could pack up quick. Considerate.
Een Britpop-album die in eerste instantie aanvoelt als de standaard blauwdruk van het genre rond die tijd, maar na een aandachtige luisterbeurt zie je wel in hoe The Verve met deze plaat echt een eigen niche bekleden. Het is veel orkestraler en psychedelischer dan hun tijds- en genregenoten. Dat gezegd hebbende is het ook een album dat lijdt onder een grote kloof tussen goede en slechte nummers. Ik merk dat ik er nooit echt lekker in kom door die inconsistentie. Daarnaast zeuren de meeste nummers ook net iets te lang door. Muzikaal gezien is het soms wonderschoon, maar als totaalstuk doet het me niet veel. 6/10 Highlights: Bitter Sweet Symphony Sonnet
Iconisch 90-s Britpop album. Daarvoor vind ik 1997 altijd best last. Van veel nummers hebben beetje een Stone Roses vibe (Catching the Butterfly), maar dat was bijna een decennium eerder. En ook de hoogtijdagen van Oasis en Blur waren een paar jaar eerder. Op Urban Hymns staan natuurlijk een paar echt fantastische nummers. De rest is sferischer maar helaas niet echt sterk. Eigenlijk komt het er op neer dat waar het lijkt op Oasis (Space and a Time) of Stone Roses, het eigenlijk net iets minder is. Daar waar afwijken, zijn ze sterker. Hierbij vind ik Lucky Man de uitzondering. Dat zou ook één van de beste Oasis nummers zijn geweest, mits van hun. 7/10 Highlights Bitter Sweet Symphony The Drugs Don't Work Lucky Man
Bitter Sweet Symphony is one of the best songs of the 90s. Unfortunately the rest of the album doesn't hold up.
They really like that one synth patch, don't they? Listenable britpop that evokes the late 90s. Standout Tracks: Weeping Willow, This Time, and of course Bittersweet Symphony
I honestly didn't expect this album to be this good. It is an hour and a quarter long (including the silence between the last track and the hidden one), and I can't say that there was a moment that I felt bored, tired or irritated, and all thanks to the psychedelic melodies presented in all the songs, and the great voice of the singer. There's some tracks that are weaker, like 'Space and Time' or 'This Time', but they don't ruin the flow or the nice experience of the record. Also, 'Bitter Sweet Symphony' may be one of the greatest opener to an album.
I remember these guys from the radio.
Very much enjoyable with a couple of bangers. All songs were at least good
The Good: It’s a Symphony! The Bad: It’s bittersweet… The Ugly: Having to wait 10 minutes to hear a baby cry… I recall thinking, when the video of the only hit these lads ever had came out, that here’s a clone of Oasis, also thinking they are god’s gift to humanity… I never listened to an entire album by The Verve, so this was a first… and my thoughts are bland… as that is what the album was for me: bland. It didn’t make me sit up and pay attention, it didn’t want me to hit the skip button… except by the time the last track came into play. So, I ask again, why is this an album that one needs to listen to before one dies? It contains 1 hit, and only thanks to the Rolling Stones, the rest of the album generates imagery of a pseudo nerd just sharing his thoughts… nothing rock n roll about this album at all. 2 1/2*
It should have been a band in my wheelhouse but never made it. They have the right basics and that period in Britpop that I was immersed in. But for some reason I couldn't quite get into them. Of course Bittersweet is a classic, and Drugs Don't Work a great song but overall it's not quite enough.
No notes required for this one, firmly in my top ten of all time. Have worn the grooves out on it. 5/5 all day long.
Huh the verve have more than one song.
it waS GOOD
not totally my speed, but i appreciate it for what it’s doing. i’d never really thoughtfully listened to Bittersweet Symphony before despite hearing it a million times, and there’s a real craft and care to it that hadn’t ever stuck out to me.
Nostalgic 4
Great album by a great band. I find most Brit pop bands to be criminally overrated, blur and oasis in particular, but the verve had a couple unreal albums. Shame the Rolling Stones are a bunch of cunts
Why is this on any list? Such a nothingburger. It just kind of exists and is music.
Iconic? Definitely. Boring? Sure is. And it just goes on and on and on. Cut like, 10 tracks out it still gets the same score.
Way too long and boring. Yes, Bittersweet sticks in your head. But the rest is forgettable.
Never knew The Verve had more to offer than their one violin laden hit. Turns out they're a much better band than that song suggests. Live and learn.
It's ok I suppose. I did expect to not like this more because of "Bittersweet Symphony" which upon relistening I like more than I used to. The rest of the album kind of just sounds like a Spiritualized rip off. "The Drugs Don't Work" is a good song with some good lyrics 6/10 Favourite: Bittersweet Symphony Least Favourite: Weeping Willow
Much like my review of The Charlatans Tellin' Stories from a few weeks ago... I'm of the age where I could appreciate The Verve when they broke out, they're a tidy band, neither too flashy nor underperforming and were more infamous with their never ending in-fighting and breaking up every other week and Richard Ashcroft properly hating Nick McCabe, but there's no world where this album is in a list of albums you must listen too. You could give me the entire paper content of an office supply store and I still wouldn't get to this album on that list. There's enjoyable stuff on here but it's only cracking the "best of 1997" top 10 lists of old british music rag journalists who wanked themselves blind over any band that knew three chords and could pull an unlikely hit out their arse (looking at you NME & Q). I mean, 1997 gave us great albums from Radiohead, Blur, Ben Folds Five, Notorious BIG, Foo Fighters, The Prodigy, Missy Elliott, Elliott Smith, Marcy Playground, Sneaker Pimps (those last three being released on the same day), Oasis, and Portishead, then even lower level UK guitar music scene stuff like aforementioned The Charlatans, Stereophonics, Cornershop, Robbie Williams, Ocean Colour Scene. And these were all released either before or the same day as this. "Bittersweet Symphony" is the stand out but it's long since been played out, and the whole album is overly long and wrought with the notion that length somehow equals epicness and endless lovelorn ballads is what the people wanted. Yeah, there's love if you want it, but it literally didn't need no sonnet.
I may not love Britpop, but Urban Hymns gets close to winning me over without ever actually getting there. No matter what, this is a huge improvement over A Northern Soul, which is bloated and full of itself and meanders into ‘60s homage to a degree that feels like riding an ouroboros. Urban Hymns, on the other hand, has some real stand out moments in it, and I think the songwriting itself is a lot stronger across the board. Sure, “Bitter Sweet Symphony” is a stone-cold classic, but “Sonnet” following it makes it a great one-two intro punch. I also think there’s a bit more mature variety on here, from “The Drugs Don’t Work” to “Weeping Willow,” which both provide great hooks around somber material and topics. Overall, I think Urban Hymns is a better record, a more maturely crafted work of art, and one that showcases Britpop in a better light, even if it isn’t the spark that lit the match, but rather the last big burst before a flameout. Still, The Verve suffer from the same problems here as they did on A Northern Soul. Songs can be bloated and run way past their denouement, even when they’re only 4.5 minutes long. There’s also a love for ‘60s British acts, psychedelia or no psychedelia, that feels more like dick-sucking than pastiche; in fact, it’s the most famous “flaw” of this album you could know about without hearing a single note of tracks 2-13. It is also very British, and as someone who hates that about Britpop, it’s hard to ignore, even though I know that’s an objectively unfair critique to lobby here when that’s also very much the point. To Urban Hymns’ benefit, most of these problems are dialed in a lot more, hence the maturity, but they’re still there, and they’re still problems. After giving it a few days of space, though, the enjoyment I felt was very ephemeral, and beyond the first couple tracks, none of this sticks with me. I still think it’s good enough while it’s on, though some moments are very self-indulgent and make me groan. Any album that makes you groan is an issue, even when otherwise decent. But when that decent material also leaves your brain after only a day or two?.. Pastiche only takes you so far. The song is better than the album, unless you’re a British lad, and even then, I think this is kinda thin representation for The Lads™️. Better in context of the band’s history and the history of Britpop overall, has its moments while it’s on, but even its best moments between tracks 2-13 don’t warrant the effort.
Bardzo spoko chillout album
great stuff, especially on the first few songs
Saved to my playlist, really enjoyed!
Urban Hymns is a sweeping, emotionally heavy album that wears its heart firmly on its sleeve. While it’s best known for the massive hit Bitter Sweet Symphony and fair enough, it’s a great track. The rest of the album digs deeper into late-night melancholy and psychedelic-tinged introspection. Tracks like The Drugs Don’t Work and Sonnet show Richard Ashcroft at his most vulnerable, while Catching the Butterfly and Weeping Willow expand the soundscape with moody textures and layered instrumentation. It's an ambitious album that straddles the line between Britpop and something more spiritual, even cosmic. There are moments where it meanders a bit, and it could’ve done with a slight trim, but the highs are undeniable and often deeply moving. It’s both a product of its era and something timeless, achingly sincere, beautifully produced, and easy to get lost in. A high watermark for late-'90s British rock.
Lori- 5 Mike- 5 Michael- 5 Miles- 6 Cole- 6
Ok
This album has cropped up for me just after (4 albums in fact) I was served "(What's The Story) Morning Glory", which is quite bizzare as I've always considered them as very similar musically. It's a great album, there are 5 absolute standout tracks for me, and the rest are all very good - not one weak track on the album. It's a very easy 5 stars!!
a great time
Cool but not great. Bittersweet Sympathy probably puts this above a regular 3 but not by much - 3.5
Some solid British rock
I listened to this album a lot during a very down period — it did not make my life better. Obviously, because I listened to it frequently, I won’t say it’s not a good album — in fact, it performs best because it is an album. But if i wanted to listen to the Lament of the Heroin Addict, I’d listen to Pink Floyd instead. This is a two.
Es ist ein Meisterwerk britischer Rockmusik. Mit Songs wie *Bitter Sweet Symphony* und *The Drugs Don't Work* verbindet das Album emotionale Tiefe mit epischer Soundlandschaft und zeitloser Melancholie. Die atmosphärische Produktion, kombiniert mit kraftvollem Gesang, macht jeden Track zu einem Erlebnis. Von gefühlvollen Balladen bis hin zu hymnischen Gitarrenriffs – Das Album fängt die Essenz der späten 90er perfekt ein und bleibt auch heute noch faszinierend. Ein Album, das Generationen überdauert. 😊👍
Love this album overall. It will stand the test of time. Class British 90's sound.
Bittersweet symphony is good but everything else is mid to terrible
Some good songs that I remember listening to back when this came out. Brings back some memories of being at college in Lawrence, KS. I don't know that it's anything I would listen to these days but it's not bad and kind of nostalgic for me.
Pipe or no? No pipe. In the 90s the word Verve was so hot people were fighting over it. This album is real solid 90 Brit Rock no pop. Better than the single Bitter Sweet Symphony that always annoyed me. Also everyone who reads this owes Mick Jagger a dollar.
I can’t really explain why, but even though it’s generic and pretty boring, there’s something kind of wistful about this album that I like. (Well, even then, it starts to get old about halfway in…) Favorite: Bitter Sweet Symphony
Nice
solid
A bit too loft. Neo psych without going all in. Mainly Im bored. Wheres the wit thats on Bitter Sweet Symphony. At least Lucky Man is also that good
This ones a bit of a mixed bag. It felt like Psychedelic brit pop meets 90s dance music with some top 40 alternative rock thrown on top. The songs that leaned more towards dance music were definitely the better tracks. Overall the record wasn't weird/psychedelic enough to be interesting (except maybe the hidden track with the baby crying vocal)... or poppy enough to stick with me. I feel like the debut record from the Stone roses is such a better combination of these ideas. It's weirder and it's catchier. I hope it's on this list. Highlights: The drugs don't work - good pop song, good lyrics This time - good mix of dance music, good beat Velvet morning was solid And ofcourse.... Bitter Sweet Symphony is a classic... love a pop song with really bleak/existential lyrics In general the hits of strings in the background across the record were nice (i wanted to give it a 2.5 but you can only give whole numbers)
Peaks right away with Bittersweet Symphony and devolves /immediately/ into one of the most unfocused and forgettable albums I’ve ever listened to.
This album grew on me so immensely hard that I really want to give it a 5. It didn’t hook me until around the 3rd listen, but when it finally resonated with me I absolutely loved it. It turns out these guys are good friends with the guys from Oasis. Go figure. They sound like them so much, and I mean that as a massive compliment. “Bitter Sweet Symphony” is an absolute classic which I had never even heard before listening to this album for the first time. What really surprised me though is “The Rolling People”. I honestly wish the rest of the album was like that, but it’s not even a problem when the rest of the album is still so good anyway. My only nitpick is that there’s a multi minute long dead air during the final song that makes listening on repeat rather annoying, and I didn’t particularly like the song “The Drugs Don’t Work”. I don’t think that’s enough to dock it an entire star though. Yeah. Sure, it’s another 5 star.
Honestly, I just don’t see the appeal. It’s just a copy of everybody else. There is nothing original or compelling with this band. Posers.
Good overall and a couple of great songs.
So bland. Sounds like a cheap imitation.
stinker
Some good songs. Some really dated and boring ones.
I mean classic album. Bitter Sweet Symphony and The Drugs Don't Work.
Boring
Each song could be cut by an average of 2 minutes. Love the arrangements on the songs, they all sound good The writing of the music is so melodramatic that it pains me. They definitely listened to Oasis. I implore you to open any song on this album and randomly click through it, you cannot tell if the song just began, is in the middle, or is about to end, it all sounds the same.
Sounds like radiohead and oasis making sweet love watching RainMan
You can definitely date this thing. Not for me but there are a few good tunes.
I've always hated Bittersweet Symphony. The rest of the album isn't as irritating, I liked some of the psychadelic/shoegaze elements, Neon Wilderness is a good little song. It just drags on though.
fine. one good song. not interesting.
This isn’t my genre… album is bloated and kind of repetitive (both song to song and within songs), but there’s some decent stuff in here
4/5
Zomg i liked this album. A lot. Felt like it was speaking to me and my possibly-neurotic obsession with death and introspection. Instrumentation was overall good, singing was the real highlight. Drums ehh. Overall.. FIVE!
It's not bad music, and there should definitely be a huge audience for it, but it's really not for me. It sounds a little bit like 'radiohead at home' without the huge peaks and experimentation, giving me quite the genetic and boring listen. Songs like bittersweet symphony and the drugs don't work are definite highlights
Why is this on this list ? Albums. Not one half decent song
Great album. Could do without the final extended jam track. But generally solid with some standout songs throughout.
Amazingly, this is the first time I’ve ever listened to this entire album. Outside of Bittersweet Symphony (which is easily a top 10 alternative song from the 90s), the rest of the album is … fine. Some nice musical elements but all in all it’s kind of boilerplate mid/late 90s brit pop alternative. Fine, no complaints. Just not going to be an album I put on very often. 3 stars.
2/5. Okay so I blanked out about halfway through listening to this and that does not bode well for the score. I mean, to be fair, there were some songs that stood out but overall, the wall of sound was just too much. I was getting lost and not at all figuring out why I wouldn't just listen to Oasis. I recognize some songs but I wouldn't say they were game changing. This was alright, maybe I'll take another listen at a different time. It was just so long. Best Song: Bitter Sweet Symphony, The Drugs Don't Work, The Rolling People
One of the best songs of the era. Plus some other stuff. Mostly alright, few skippable stinkers tho.
'And I'm a million different people from one day to the next.' Ashcroft has a bit too much of the Bono affect, - melodramatic, laying into something that doesn't exist - the songs are too long, and the music is often prosaic. 'The Rolling People' boringly channels Oasis. Listen: 'And here we ARE the rolling people' directly lifts Liam Gallagher's characteristic cadence. 'The Drugs Don't Work' is properly earnest but poorly written: 'The drugs don't work they just make you worse.' Obvious much? The best song here is the short 'Neon Wilderness,' but even that can't save the record from being a dispiriting drag. Dreariness is a necessary theme of our best art, but it's not a productive quality. 'We have existence and it's all we share.' Yecch.
Bittersweet symphony can't make up for the fact that this album is 75mins of soulless, pandering softrock muzak. A proper waste of time. 1/5
It all started sounding the same after a while
I've heard of this band! I had a bit of a britpop phase a while back and heard about The Verve a couple times. Bitter Sweet Symphony also got popular on tiktok for a while.
This was the first shit verve album - the previous two where gold
Really pleasant Britpop.
It had some good hits and was good to hear early Verve.
Noch so ein nerviges Britpop-Ding. Aber ein paar Songs gehen auch mir ins Ohr...
Ok album. Now I know the difference between "The Verve" and "The Verve Pipe" Yay!
Liked it..cool vibe
Hadn’t heard this album before, only the opening song. Overall solid but extended last song (hidden track) was below average. The last song was actually top notch!!
This one didn’t really work for me. It didn’t resonate with me at all. I had to listen to it twice just to be sure. On the second spin I rather enjoyed The Drugs Don’t Work and One Day, however the album feels disconnected and lacking cohesiveness overall. It seems to me they were trying too hard to make an eclectic album - one for the ages, but couldn’t pull it off due to lack of synthesis. Many of the songs sound like they have overly complex instrumentation and feel over engineered, resulting in kind of a muddiness. I enjoyed the two aforementioned songs because of their simplicity. My take is that The Verve was trying to be the next Oasis with more dynamism but created kind of a scrambled mess. I enjoyed the journey, but was dissatisfied with the destination.
Booooring
The Drugs Don't Work is a good tear jerker. The rest ranges from irrelevant to ill-advised (Bitter Sweet Symphony).