Urban Hymns

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🌟

3 estrelas

7/10 Highlights: Bittersweet Symphony The Drugs Don't Work Lucky Man Catching the Butterfly Sonnet Velvet Morning

Way too long, at times noisy. The opening feat. Symphony and Sonnet are beautiful.

Enkele goeie nummers, maar soms wat eentonig of langdradig. 3 sterren

🫶

Best first song

Bittersweet Symphony is a jam for sure. When I saw that their other singles had WAY more listens I was intrigued, as I had never heard of any of the songs. Kind of a let down. Album was a 3/5 in the end.

The Furby Award for the most 90s album I've ever heard goes to...

Solid 2 opening tracks and closing track.

Good vibes!

suena como si oasis tuviera un hijo al que le gusta la música clásica.

I had a thing written here and it got eaten up. Suffice to say I enjoyed it.

Solid album. Bittersweet Symphony is of course an all-time classic song, but the rest of the album doesn't have anything that's a true "hit". Good tunes and great vibes, but not an all-timer full album to me.

Solid. Occasionally even really good. But it just makes me want to listen to similar, vastly more interesting records by Spiritualized and Swervedriver...

Going pop isn’t always a bad thing. A slightly bloated but quite good Britpop album. Best song: The Drugs Don’t Work

Bittersweet Symphony overshadows everything here. Generally pleasant stuff, nothing I would go back to. But symphony is a classic.

Bittersweet Symphony is an all timer, rest is fine enough. 3.5

I'm really beginning to worry about the integrity and diversity of this list. This is the second Verve album I've listened to on it this year. The second! The Verve! In the long history of, well, albums, is it really the Verve who deserve multiple albums on the list? Or is it the maker of the list showing their bias for British 90s stuff? Anyway, this one was fine.

Singles are great but felt this could have been trimmed down considerably. Quite long and similar songs.

Meh

Meh

Good nostalgia tunes. Remembered more than I thought I would.

2.5

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

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

Liked Bittersweet Symphony

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.

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.

enjoyable listen if not very memorable. bittersweet symphony is an all-timer though

Pretty good, bit too long. 3.5/5.

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.

6.8/10

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?

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

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*#@?

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

It’s nostalgic

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!

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.

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.

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.

3 or 4 out of 5

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?

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

Not bad but boring af

Not my kind of Music. There are no surprises on the album.

Not my cup of tea

Bittersweet memories...

Nice.

It's fine

Better than I expected. Don't really get why this album seems to be so divisive.

3.5* 82%

A bit emo 🖤

Really liked a few songs on this. Hadn’t heard them in a while. Nice throwback to the 90s.

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

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

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.

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

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

It was alright.

: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!

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.

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?

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. 😕

Noice

pretty solid. i can really hear some oasis in these tracks, but the verve have their own distinct sound at the same time.

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’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

Some great tracks on this one, but maxing out the run time of a CD with plenty of filler tracks

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

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

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.

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 remember these guys from the radio.

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*

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.

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.

great stuff, especially on the first few songs

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

Love this album overall. It will stand the test of time. Class British 90's sound.

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

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

Some good songs. Some really dated and boring ones.

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.

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

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.

One of the best songs of the era. Plus some other stuff. Mostly alright, few skippable stinkers tho.

This was the first shit verve album - the previous two where gold

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!!

Mid.

Its pretty ok for what its going for, plus it IS one of the best songs of all time. True one hit wonder

Bitter Sweet Symphony is good the rest is meh.

It was a decent album with one popular song and the rest were forgettable

Having one massive song doesn't make the album great. Not the first record on this list that seems to be one massive hit and a bunch of B sides. It's not bad but it's not interesting either.

Bitter symphony - однозначный хит, который неоднозначен для меня. Мне он не особо нравится. Альбом в том же духе что и сингл - набор инструментов стиль музыки, есть необычные ксперименты, но их прям не очень много. Ровный мелодичный , некоторые песни мне больше понравились, но я не могу к сожалению ни одно выделить, они все достаточно на себя похожи. 6/10 приятный рокешник

"Bittersweet Symphony" is one of those songs that was ALWAYS on the radio in England in the late 90s / early 2000s. It's amazing how listening to a song can evoke images of car rides that would otherwise have stayed locked away in my brain-vault forever. "Sonnet" is also good. I definitely recognize it as 'The Verve's other song'. "The Rolling People" is a very Oasis sounding song. The rest of this album kinda faded into general britpop noises.This decade in England had so many bands that sounded exactly like this. They are certainly one of those. They don't have the power of a band like Oasis for me, but I liked it. 6/10

pretty alright, a few bangers

Some great songs in here - the hits are hits for a reason. It's a bit toooo lush for me, I'd rather a bit more rawness in my 90s music. 3.5, rounding down though but still a winner.

The music in this album wasn't awful or annoying or anything like that. However, nothing in particular stuck out to me. I didn't hate listening to the songs, but I didn't really have an opinion about their music at all.

Not bad at all! Didn't realize I knew the first track until I got war flashbacks to every commercial I've ever heard

Bitter Sweet Symphony reist es raus. 2.9

It wasn't bad, but it was maybe five tracks too many for me. Bittersweet Symphony is still an all-time banger, though.

Liked it more than I expected too

Very The verve all the way through. I mean I really only knew Bittersweet Symphony, but the rest was similar and good.

Opens with one of the best songs in history. Late 90s Indie Rock, Britpop. Their bestselling album. Loads of hits, otherwise decent British rock.

More contemplative than Oasis. The songs wash over the listener in a nice way but not something I want to go back to.

Who can forget “Bitter Sweet Symphony” to close out the movie “Cruel Intentions “? That is a great track and I liked “Lucky Man” some as well, the rest of this is a little sleepy. It’s not bad, just mellow.

The ubiquitous opener is the obvious standout and I was amazed to learn how many copies this album sold for such a short-lived band. Some other good tracks here and there, but a bit repetitive throughout.

Goodness, how massive was bittersweet! It was so overplayed that it’s prob taken me 20 years to ever want to hear it again. Also crazy that the most popular song doesn’t seem to fully represent the band. This was a good listen. Lucky man is also a good song. Not quite 4 territory for me but most props ✊

Obvi the opener is the standout but other good tracks here. Good, not great. 3.25/5

2.5

Da muss ich schomal gestah, dass ich das Album sehr verstückelt übers ganz Wuchenend bizli versuecht han z lose. Woni am Mäntig Morge aber gseh han, dass s ganz album doch wider us zwei Discs und 26 Songs bestaht, hani das unterfange abbroche und chans Album au darum nur so halbe bewerte. Aber was klar isch, isch das sich nach em Banger Start Bitter Sweet Symphony doch no einzelni sehr wohlklingendi lieder drigschmugglet hend, wo doch speicher- und wiederlosigspotential hend. Allgemein aber bizli z klassisch 90er-jahr-emo-emotional-truurigi-stimm-like wo mi ned ganz so sehr abgholt het. Hasta la vista und guete Wuchestart mini Albumklöppers

Ja du heilige siech. Bittersweet symphony lacht mich ah - scho fast wieder vergesse de track. Das isch e richtig guete ihstiegs sound für e zu arbeits fahrt am ne sunnige früehligsfritig arbeitstag mit öv. Ketchup mayo Bravo Also hock ich im zug, freu mich uf das lied und e frau wett an platz nebe mir hocke „isch da na frei?“, „ja sicher“, „merci vielmal“ und so witer. Sie isch nett aber ich wett au bitter sweet symphonie hinder tugge. Also konzentrier mi wieder ufs lied gnüsse. Sie möcht de laptop ihstecke, kabel über mich, irgendwie duez nöd, nach 30 sekunde fahds näb mim kopf ah schmörzle und chli rauch und funke. Mir steckeds sofort us, das kabel heds mal sowas vo gnah. Also drucki namal uf von neustarten, demit ich entli de song cha gnüsse. De rest isch easy, aber ez au nöd „us de socke rüehrend“ oder „lade kabel schmörzelnd“. Darum tres puntos

grossi nostalgie klatsche hettmi da verwütscht bi dem album nöd welli das album mal gloset han, eher wegem sound allgemein isch es lustiges gfühl gsi das durezlose und hettmi uf en chline 2000er trip gschickt mit dene albene wommer als CD's bi eus diheim umeligge gha hend shoutout ah powderfinger ah dere stell! aber für meh hetts den doch nöd glanget bi mir ih dem moment, wer weiss obs aber miteme witere album doch no en durchbruch git fühl mich hüt grad güetig, drum drü mal es aug zuedruckt für die hombres

Album #239 was the Verve. Album #1069 (nice) is the Verve. 1997: wow, there’s a hidden track on this CD! Neat! 2025: I’m not sitting in silence for 7 minutes for this album, don’t waste my FUCKIN time On that note, what happened to the sonic experimentation on display in the final two minutes of Urban Hymns? Or even from their previous album, A Northern Soul? Not bad by any means, but I don’t love any song on this album like I love “Bitter Sweet Symphony”. No cap that’s one of my favourite songs of the 90s, and of course they made nothing off it because of the Oldham sample that makes it so distinctive. This is psychedelic rock if, instead of LSD, it’s one or two beers. I think I’m especially bummed about this album because, according to the genre classifications of this website, I’ve heard every other Britpop on the list before Urban Hymns. And more often than not, it’s been a pleasant surprise (looking at you, Blur, Pulp, Super Furry Animals, and Supergrass). Unfortunately there are no surprises here, but it’s pleasant. And sometimes emotional (“Drugs Don’t Work”) Also am I crazy, or does “Catching the Butterfly” have the same melody as “Dancing Queen”. HL: “Bitter Sweet Symphony”, “The Drugs Don’t Work”, “Lucky Man”, “Catching the Butterfly” March 6, 2025

C'est sympa mais je ne suis pas hyper fan de the verve. Excepté bittersweet symphony je ne connaissais aucune chanson... très 80s feeling jsp, ça me fatigue un peu au bout d'un moment, mais les morceaux sont tout de mêem bons. J'ai toujours aimé le côté orchestral de Bitter Sweet Symphony, les productions sous la majorité des morceaux sont super intéressantes. J'aime trop la photo de couverture 3.5/5

Not bad, but honestly it was one of those that became mostly background sound. I do like "The Drugs Don't Work."

Bittersweet yeah

I like the 90s british atmosphere. Sounds nostalgic.

I know “bittersweet symphony” and I like that one. The rest sounds the same so far.

drei (plus)

[5/10] Damn this song goes on a long time

Bitter sweet isch scho seeehhhr bekannt. Vili schöni Lieder und Harmonie mit äre nice Stimm. Aber irgendwänn isch dänn scho guet.

bittersweet symphony findi halt echt cool. iwie söttis schlechter galteret sii aber s isch eifach cool und d drums sind so warm doch es gaht v.a. um die andere lieder, wo ich kei ahnig han! sonnet cool aber chli abglöscht? (ich han scho soo hüfig "cool" gschriebe) the drugs don't work findi recht schrecklich catching the butterfly chunntmer zumindest bekannt vor? isch chli psychedelic, I like neon wilderness spinnt de vibe chli wiiter space and time megaaa oasis weeping willow seeehr schön aber s wiederholt sich chli heee es langed langsam okee s gitarrespiel vo thsi time isch na cool dass es nümme so vill cd's und platte git find ich zwar scho schad, aber hidden tracks sind öppis, wo gern chan ide vergangeheit blibe JZ SPIEL EMAL GOPF HALLOOOOOLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO jz muss ich no 4 min warte bis ich chan mis 3 abgeh? will es isch zwar teilwiis sehr cool aber naja!!! alles chli glich, villes auscho ghört und nüt weltbewegends hä wie churz isch de hidden track? JZ ENDLICH es schreiends baby😐 und chli ihschlafmusig😐

Song: Bitter sweet symphony I like this song because it's my ringtone just the violin part not the lyrics Song:The drugs don´t work this song is good but it is sad and it's really bad because it is talking about drugs which i do not like but the voice and the beat guitar but he should had change the lyrics then it would not be like bad Song: One day this song is sad again but it is a little wonky so I kind of don´t recommend this song but i recommend the first song but this album is kind of good though

I like this song because the start is good and it is my type I would recommend this song I don't like this song because its too sad.

Do you want to listen to some music that has a lot of strings? Well in bitter sweet symphony you can! I rate it ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. I recommend this song. Do you want to listen to some music that has a lot of guitar? Well in The Drugs Don't Work you can! I rate it a ⭐⭐⭐. I kind of recommend this song. Do you want to listen to some music that has some electric piano? Well in One day you can! I rate this song ⭐⭐⭐. I kind of recommend this song.

I like this song because I like the beat and I like how they sound .but something i dont like is that its to slow . but the songs are good so i recommend this album

Have you ever wanted to listen to music? Then this song is perfect for you. In my opinion this album is not very good. I don't like it because of the instruments that are in it. Another reason I don't like it is because I don't like the lyrics that are being used. I would not recommend this to someone else because I don't like it and I don't think anyone else would. I would give this album a solid 3 stars out of 5.

Why is everyone looking one way except for one person? I loved "Bitter Sweet Symphony" it was awesome. The lyrics are so relatable and powerful. I also love the violin music. "The Drugs Don't Work" was good. The guitar is pretty. The lyrics are sad because they talk about drug usage and how they just make people feel worse. "One Day" is also good. The music sounds sad, and it talks about loneliness and not having purpose. I would recommend this album.

the first song is alright I like the instruments and I cant really understand the the words but its good. the second song is good I still like the instruments. the last song is good still the same.

Very nostalgic. The songs I particularly liked were the ones I already knew. Bittersweet Symphony & The Drugs Don’t Work particularly stand out as very good. The rest of it is okay but doesn’t really do too much for me personally. Harsh 3, felt to give it a 4 I would’ve needed to feel it just a little bit more

Oasis-lite.

Nunca había escuchado a The Verve con detenimiento, más allá del hit "Bitter Sweet Symphony". Me ha gustado mucho este álbum: tiene un sonido único dentro del indie de la época, muy atmosférico, melancólico pero sin llegar a ser triste. La única pega es que todas las canciones parecen seguir la misma fórmula; le veo poca variedad. No creo que merezca estar en la lista, pero, aun así, merece buena nota.

Dad rock

Damn, I totally forgot I knew Catching That Butterfly and Lucky Man, both good songs. Some of the others are just okay; while this album would be groundbreaking in the 60s or 70s, in the 90s not so much. Bitter Sweet Symphony stands the test of the time, the rest of the album not so much.

cute enough

The poor man’s Oasis. The overall sound/vibe is good, the lead singer has a cool, Liam-ish voice, but the songwriting isn’t really there.

I was excited to see what I was missing but turns out I wasn’t missing much. Lots of potential, never surprised me. +1 star because Bittersweet Symphony is really really good.

I had a boss once (Yogi) who was an MIT grad from India and he had as close to zero personality as anyone I’ve ever met. All he cared about was making his metrics look good and avoiding criticism from his boss (Christian) who he was scared to death of. One time I had to go on a road trip with the two of them to Lloydminister to meet a customer. I was driving, Christian was riding shotgun, and Yogi was in the backseat and we had the radio on at a barely audible volume on a random channel. For the 3 hours to Lloyd, Yogi only spoke when Christian addressed him and always about work. The trip home was more of the same, until about halfway home when Yogi leaned forward between the seats and asked me to turn up the volume on the radio because “he loved this song”. That song was Bittersweet Symphony. I don’t care too much for this album but if that song can touch Yogi’s heart, I have to at least bump it to 3 stars, even though they stole it from the Stones.

3.4 Couple of outstanding songs, and the rest of it sounded like pretty standard Brit pop/rock

Es cómo muy de película, también suena parecido radio head pero diferente

Some parts were great others blended together. Standout songs: Bittersweet Symphony The Rolling People Lucky Man

Tämäkin kuulostaa Oasikselta, tässä on jopa mukana samaa mahtipontisuutta, ei sentään ehkä ylimielisyyttä. Mut onko muuta mieleenjäävää kuin Bittersweet symphony (kauhea nimi, vaikka biisi ei ole paha)? Ei, vaikka ihan lupaavia aineksia on. Annan sympatiatähden lisää, vaikka levyn pituus uhkaa viedä sen.

BSS is a classic. Rest of it sounds almost like Coldplay and Guess Who had a love child

I had never heard of The Verve as a band before, but, damn, this album was packing some hits! Though, I feel similar to something like Oasis or U2 from a few days ago, where there is plenty of creativity and excitement in the music, but, ultimately, not for me, as the circle around the slow, love theming.

The comparison to U2 is not unearned.

did i like it? yes. will i listen to it again? apart from the opening track, probably no.

The Verve, especially the lead singer, is interesting. They, once again in my themed reviews, suffer (somewhat) from too many "songs in a row" that can kind of blend together. However, they are very listenable and even when this album finished it took me well into the second album (that came up automatically in Youtube) before I "noticed." Thus, I was not feeling bored or waiting for it to end. Nevertheless I mostly found that the difference between their really great songs and kind of Meh ones was large enough to be sometimes distracting. All in all though, I would like to give them a solid three and a half, ALMOST a weak four.

Favorite Track: Bittersweet Symphony

This is fine, not as bad as I thought it was going to be. I can't stand the opening track, Bitter Sweet Symphony, but fortunately the rest of the album is a little more bearable.