Reviews (page 8 of 13)
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.
I thought I was going to love this one more than I remembered. This album has few high highs (Bittersweet Symphony, The Drugs Don’t Work) and very boring lows.
3.5
A few good songs. I think my favourite is the last song
3 stars. Good album, however.
Nearly a really good album. My sort of thing - rock, beats, bit of psychedelia, songs that build. I love Lucky Man. Unfortunately, as a whole album, it meanders a bit and starts to drag, in my opinion.
Never knew the existence of their music outside of the one song. If I would have listened to this album in the 90s I would have loved it.
Pretty good.
Decent listen. Genuinely enjoyed about half the tracks, and the other half wasn't bad. Very similar again to Oasis, Keane, Radiohead. 90s Britpop bands. Worth listening beyond the very popular first track.
Everything up to drugs don’t work, yes… then they bit off more than they got a bit greedy. Worth the listen for A side
Mostly only enjoyed the two singles from this - absolutely love The Drugs Don't Work - but the rest didn't do much for me. I did also enjoy the "Hidden Track" Come On/Deep Freeze.
Such a 90s album. One fantastic song and a few decent ones.
It was good but not really my cup of tea.
Urban Hymns overcame my concerns stemming from my utter disappointment in Northern Foul, sorry Soul. There was more life in this release for sure and while I won’t return to it, I certainly enjoyed parts of it. Clocking in at an hour and 16 minutes, The Verve could have flushed a good 20 minutes of this down the pipe. Did we really need the 6 minutes of silence before finally closing out your final track boys? That being said, I actually did really like the swirling rock the brough in on Come On, wish they worked some more of that into the rest of the album. 3 stars
Alright but way too long. Every song dragged and dragged and just felt repetitive. If this was 45 mins instead of 1 hour 15 then it would be a 4 star but for now it’s a 3
Good first track meh rest of the album.
It was nice, but didn’t wow me.
Wasn’t a massive fan tbh, mostly generic 90’s pop but doesn’t deserve 2 stars so I’ll give it a low 3 (5/10), best song is come on with wah pedal but is kind of ruined by the fact it has a hidden track at the end which takes like 10 minutes of silence before it starts
Every song feels like the background music for the scene in a movie when the protagonist is at their lowest point and walking away from a situation, in the rain, after missing a bus, with a paper bag that just broke and spilled their groceries all over the pavement. A homeless man just walked by and gave this protagonist his coffee mug with $.13 in it. Keon pity party monologue that ends with them on a couch with empty to go containers surrounding them, haven’t shaved in days, and dirty as I’ll get out.
I don’t think I’ve heard most of these songs before but it still made me feel nostalgic. At the start it was a 4 but then slowly dropped.
Fine overall, occasionally boring. Yes, Bittersweet Symphony is a great song. Maybe a top 25 or 50 pop song of ‘90s? Although for me it is one of those songs that has been played so much back in the day that I doubt I’ll ever specifically seek it out to listen to, but if I did hear it at a store or in a movie or whatnot then I would likely think to myself “wow, this is a great song”.
Niiice and really full of hits!
Another 90s rock band that seems to be looking backwards to the psychedelic rock of the 60s. It sounds pretty good, but I was bored. The ubiquitous hit Bittersweet Symphony was the best song on the album for me
I don't know, apart from the first song that, as most people, I've heard a million times, the rest is kind of forgettable. None of the rest really caught my attention.
prima canzone spacca, il resto meh
The drop off in quality between Bittersweet Symphony and the rest of the album is absurd. I can't believe they wrote one off the most timeless greatest singles of all time and then 12 throwaway wannabe Oasis songs. Also the lyrics in The Drugs Don't Work are really lazy and cringe. I think its fair to compare this album to Pablo Honey. One really strong hit and then a bunch of generic 90's songs that are fine. He also kinda sounds like Thom Yorke. Also this album does not earn its length. Mid 3.
I came in with familiarity which can work either way. Bittersweet Symphony is excellent. Lucky Man and Sonnet are very good, but the rest is dirge. This is singles padded out with filler
I do like their vibe so it’s not hard to listen to this album. But there’s certainly isn’t much variety to it. 3.5 if I could. Bittersweet Symphony really is a great tune but nothing else on this album is half as good.
I like the big hits but not much else. I have some of the same issues with this one as Be Here Now Rating: 3.3
Jaki singlovi, puno filera
not feeling a lot of verve for this one
Obviously I had heard Bittersweet Symphony a million times, but nothing else by this artist. The rest of the album sounds like a kind of fever-dream of the 90s. Everything sound vaguely familiar, but not exactly memorable.
2.75
I had only heard Bittersweet Symphony. I was prepared to write it off but then I listened to the whole album. Good album!
Wow, I’ve never heard of them. Nice instrumental backup, interesting choice. Good voice. Sonnet is lovely. A 60s sound at times. Definitely on the psychedelic side. 3.5/5
It’s just semi melancholic whiny blue color British rock from the mid 90s. It’s fine but it’s not extraordinary by any means. 3.5/5
https://1001albumsgenerator.com/albums/52AeC4gwbxDfFlLHgK1ByD/urban-hymns
This intro carried this album on this list probably. Few good tracks but overall not in a 4-5 star range to me. Bitter Sweet Symphony will forever hold a good place but if these mfs didn't came up with this genius wonderful sounding piece of music, i really do believe wouldn't be in all these typa lists. Still respect it tho! the drugs don't work, lucky man and country song where a few i liked. They where not many changes in the project in sense of delivery from the vocalist... (3.0/5.0)
Bittersweet symphony into sonnet is an amazing 1-2 punch. Rest of the album was quite patchy. Reminded me of a radiohead album, strong britpop vibes.
Some great tacks on here and the album has grownin cult stature over the years.
Bland. Average 90's Britpop. Inoffensive background music, really.
A couple bangers. Mostly forgettable
It's alright, still hate that music video though. Some songs are better than others.
ok had some good songs but not really for me 3/5
Meh
Hittarna är fantastiska resten lite blekt. 3+
are we *sure* that Catching the Rainbow is not by Radiohead? The 60 Songs episode about Bittersweet Symphony really gave me a primer on the history of this band which was, as far as i had previously known, a one-hit wonder. Glad to have listened to the whole album though, I liked it quite a bit. 3.5
I feel like this got completely blown out of the water by its contemporaries, but it's a perfectly fine brit pop album
An okay album, kind of boring and not altogether memorable.
Never heard the album before. This is okay I guess. Not sure it deserves to be on the list. It's pretty unremarkable.
Wow a Symphony and then a Sonnet. Yeah, so what? Pretty boring. It was easy listening but that's not what I expect from one of the albums to listen to before I die.
Aside from the main hit, most of this album was unimpressive. I have a hard time distinguishing The Verve from Oasis in sound, and it feels like the kind of stuff that fades into the background and then you become aware of it and ask yourself "what is this I'm listening to? and why? Isn't there something better?"
If the middle of this album matched the beginning and the end, then it would’ve been truly epic. Instead, they fell asleep.
There’s a few songs I didn’t like and a few I did like. Ur welcome for the most groundbreaking review of an album ever.
5/10 - The songs with strings sounded better than the songs without. Those also happened to be the only songs I had heard before and the only songs I liked after.
It was fine, just got a bit boring. Sounded way too Americana for a britpop band which was a little confusing
Y'know, it never struck me before now that The Verve is a one-hit wonder, but they totally are. Before I started this list, there wasn't a single song I knew from them besides "Bitter Sweet Symphony". In the public consciousness, everything else may as well not exist. Todd In The Shadows could totally cover this group if he wanted to. And even after my group had gotten the Verve album before this one, A NORTHERN SOUL, a couple of months ago... Yeah, no, I still only care to know one song from them. And thing is, that goes for this album, too. I don't figure it's ever a very good sign when a one-hit wonder has their one hit open their album. Of course, there was no way they ever coulda known, but still, goodness. It's right there at the top of the pile; you don't even hafta dig for it. And, I mean, "Bitter Sweet Symphony" isn't their one hit for nothing. That orchestral riff, taken from a Rolling Stones song or not, is incredible, and the vocal melody placed on top of it... It's so unique in Britpop. Seriously, I can't think of another song in this genre that sounds like this. It's a great one hit to have. The rest... Well, as I might've implied, the risk you run when your one hit is placed at the top is that it might all be downhill from there. That was the case with Chumbawamba's TUBTHUMPING, for instance, but it managed to prove it was a great album even besides that. URBAN HYMNS, meanwhile... Doesn't. I'm not gonna say it's bad, necessarily, 'coz I do like Britpop, especially in the Oasis mold, but... That's it. That's all there is to the rest of the album. It's just pretty-alright Britpop; nothing terribly unique about it. It all jus' kinda ran together and faded into the background. And, like, I feel bad about that sorta thing, but... That's just how it is, y'know? This is my group's tenth Britpop, and honestly, I'm just wondering how this band got **one** album on this list, let alone **two**. Besides "Bitter Sweet Symphony", what else is there? All that said... The presence of "Bitter Sweet Symphony" alone keeps this thing at a 3. I really wanna say that if it wasn't here that this album could still be a 3, but... Honestly, would it even be on this list if not for that song? So, this album gets a pass from me, but really only barely. I guess I can only hope that the rest of the Britpop albums (or one-hit wonder albums, for that matter) can do more to prove themselves.
not bad
first song restored my faith in humanity 🙏 🙏 Album had a really nice sound, but did get a little mind-numbing after a while. Would probably be better if they cut the worst 30 minutes. Definitely enjoyed the first half more than the second half, especially after the last track had SIX MINUTES OF SILENCE, and then a "secret track" (which was awful). "Bro thought they were cooking with that one!!" -in talha's voice I do really like the first half though, Bitter Sweet Symphony was the best track, Sonnet, The Drugs Don't Work (I kept hearing "The Trucks Don't Work"), Catching That Butterfly, Space and Time, and Lucky Man were the most notable tracks.
Good
Really liked this as a teen but went right off Richard Ashcroft, probably due to overplay. Revisiting after a long break, many of these songs really stand up - emotive, textured. Some of the production feels unnecessarily dramatic from a modern perspective.
Lots of long, drawn out songs. Some were much too sleepy for me. One obvious stand-out. I honestly didn't really like any of the other tracks. Majority were meh, a few are just boring. Ten minutes of silence in the last song sealed it's 3-star fate.
Szczerze mówiąc trochę nie rozumiem Waszej niechęci do tego albumu. Moim zdaniem jest naprawdę całkiem ok. Zgadzam się z wieloma uwagami co do jego mankamentów (jest zdecydowanie za długi, spokojnie można było z 4 utwory z niego zdjąć, może nawet 5; pierwsza połowa solidniejsza od drugiej, która już trochę nuży), ale wydaje mi się, że te dwójki są zdecydowanie zbyt harsh. Zastanawiam się, czy to nie kwestia tego, że jeszcze mało zespołów było w rankingu i oceny były mniej zniuansowane. To na pewno jeden z tych albumów, który pomógł ukształtować pewien kierunek w muzyce, jeden z wyznaczników odejścia głównego nurtu od cięższych brzmień w kierunku soft indie na przełomie tysiącleci (choć dokonało się to ostatecznie jakoś w drugiej połowie 2000s tak na moje niewprawne oko i bez sprawdzania danych). Dla mnie pierwszych pięć kawałków ("Bittersweet Symphony", "Sonnet", "The Rolling People", "The Drugs Don't Work" i "Catching The Butterfly") jest naprawdę solidnych i przez dłuższy czas zastanawiałem się nad słabszą czwórką. Ta druga część albumu ostudziła mój zapał, ale dla mnie to wciąż podchodzi pod 3,5. Chyba w dużej mierze dlatego, że słyszę inspiracje tym albumem (zwłaszcza utworem "Sonnet") w twórczości zespołu Blackfield Stevena Wilsona, który całkiem lubiłem w liceum i którego wciąż czasem słucham. Gdyby album był krótszy, to pewnie byłoby 4.
They really made the music they wanted to see in the world.
Ein, zwei große Hits. Ansonsten läuft es so vorbei.
The album is good but comparing first track with any other song on the album is completly unfair. It speaks both for memorability and impact that Bittersweet Symphony has and how the rest songs struggle to even close to that level.
Not bad
I like it
This one lives somewhere between Britpop swagger and soft introspection. Shades of Radiohead, but without the same edge or experimentation. The arrangements are rich, but some tracks meander. It’s an album that reaches high, though not always evenly.
Bitter Sweet Symphony (Remastered 2016) I MEAN COME ON! "One day" was okay....
Always loved Bitter Sweet Symphony, but hadn't heard much else from The Verve before. The rest of the album was kinda eh, though. Not bad, just generic rock. Best song: Bitter Sweet Symphony
When I first heard Bitter Sweet Symphony in 1997, I was thrilled. Back then, music channels like VIVA and MTV were still an important source of information for music and clips. I also liked the video for the song. This song was played over and over again on my music station, so at some point I got tired of it. In the meantime, I can listen to it again in good doses. Even then, I wondered what the rest of the album would sound like. I didn't want to buy the album without further ado. At some point I was able to listen to it. I wasn't particularly interested in it, so I was curious to see how I would get on with the album now. Well, not much has changed. I occasionally listened with interest. But that wasn't enough for me to pay more attention to it. And so the album rushed through on the side. I don't need to listen to it again. 3/5
90's grunge I am not sure if that was a baby or cat at the end of one song. Mostly mellow
Bittersweet symphony is iconic and popular and timeless, but i wasnt much of a fan of the rest of the album. Probably cuz of how slow it was, and non interesting enough. Another notable song was “lucky man” though. I dont think it was enough for me to want to save it, but it was a nice listen.
Not earthshattering or groundbreaking. Just okay. 3/5
The album is fine, I didn't hate it but I don't see where its an album everyone MUST listen to really.
Needs more listening. Some standouts, very Britpop.
Bittersweet Symphony still goes way harder than it ever has a right to. The Rolling People kinda sounds like a modern-day U2 song. Space and Time sounds VERY U2-y.
I sometimes really wish there would be a possibility to rate ,5. This is one of those albums. I like it, but not enough to give it a 4. On the other hand, 3 is too little. I have to choose one - this time it is the 3.
Rating: 6.5/10 Overall pretty good, just way too long. Choice cuts: Bittersweet Symphony, Weeping Willow
A fantastic opportunity to give more royalties to The Rolling Stones… Shame it’s so mediocre and dated
Just not for me.
Because yesterday was a holiday I didn't find time to get through the whole album. Listened to the first 5 or so songs then skipped around. I could see a time when I would want to put this on but it wasn't today.
Pretty generic after the first song.
Does everyone picture Reese Witherspoon driving away in Ryan Phillipe’s sporty convertible at the end of Cruel Intentions when they hear Bittersweet Symphony or is that just me? I like that track enough, the rest of the album didn’t grab me but I didn’t hate it. 2.5 rounded up to 3.
Thought I would like this more as I listened to the first few tracks but got tired of it as it went on. Dumb 7 minute gap on the last song before the “hidden” track. All in all fine.
In the late 90s, we all fell under the spell of a long, rambling British pop song that felt vaguely spiritual and uplifting. Champagne Supernova. Tender. The Universal. All You Good Good People. And yes, Bitter Sweet Symphony. This album dares to ask the question, “What if we made the whole plane out of those songs?” And let me tell you, unless you’re Blur, you just don’t have two of them in you. Two great ones, at least. (I did kind of like Lucky Man, I’ll admit, but it’s under 5 minutes, so I’m not even sure it counts, and it’s certainly not at the level required to justify this experiment.) So it’s a pretty disappointing album all told.
Good album studded with the occasional gems. Tone is mixed between psychedelic and indie which leaves one with the question what the album would have sounded like had there been more thought put in the overarching concept.
Bittersweet Symphony and Drugs Don’t Work are good songs but the whole album kinda blends together. Overall not bad.
Bitter Sweet Symphony is one of those all time classics, but the rest of the record is wayyyyyyyy too long for my tastes.
One song doesn’t make a great album. This actually has a couple of very good songs - drugs don’t work is a bit special - but it’s more of a decent attempt showing promise than a must hear. Another couple of albums might have seen a must hear. This is fine. But a not yet. 2.5.
Oasis' Be here now from Temu. It feels really overindulgent. There's some nice songs here like The Drugs Don't Work, but the overall thing is a lengthy 75 minutes with songs that have been needlessly dragged out. Can't say they aren't nice noisy soundscapes though.
Sounds like Oasis. Hits are good but rest is quite boring. Favorite Tracks: BSS, The Drugs Don't Work, Lucky Man
Overall, the album was a bit meh, apart from the one song that is their (I think) only popular song, which also had over a billion stream on Spotify - Bitter Sweet Symphony. That one song is a great jam and boosts the rating of the whole album slightly. Nothing too exciting overall and nice just having it in the background, as it is relatively chill.
Hørte den her plade virkelig meget som teenager, den er for lang men jeg synes der er mange gode numre!
Enjoyed the mood this set for my day. Listened through 3-4 times. Lol I have such a love/hate for hidden tracks. Cheeky little novelties. Solid 3
Neutral. Couple tracks interesting. I knew only bittersweet symphony.
Liked a few, disliked a few, was indifferent about a few. if I could, I would give it 2.5, but I will round it up to a 3.
Had very high highs but unfortunately the sound felt repetitive and songs blended together
I admire the earnest nature of this album and they are pretty good with setting tone and atmospherics, I just personally find it a bit boring. This will sound harsh, but I wonder if the popularity surrounding this one is because it was the U2 album most people hoped for but they got "Pop" instead.
Decent!
There are some interesting instrumental moments scattered here and there but I struggle with the dour, dreary vocals. If they gave Ashcroft the boot and got a decent singer with some personality, this could have been much more palatable, albeit lethargic, neo-psychedelia. Great band name and cover artwork though.
I like it much more than what i expected. The rest of the album isn't as insufferable as Bittersweet Symphony, but sadly overstay it's welcome.
3.5
Pretty good stuff. Familiar with Bittersweet Symphony, the rest of it is nice stuff but not standout IMHO.
rest of the album not as good as the 1st song
I did not like this one as much as their other album. The cover being a photo at an outdoor location was an immediate bad sign. I mean, the most famous single from the album is a remix of a Rolling Stones song. Most other tracks are either chill winding tunes, reminiscent of Dreampop, with further Classic era references, or just lukewarm hipster Alternative/Indie. I have to give them credit for trying to compete with Radiohead, though.
Hot take: Lucky Man is even better than Bittersweet Symphony. The Drugs Don’t Work is solid. Rest of this is fine, particularly like Weeping Willow, but doesn’t really connect with me like Lucky Man.
Alright
Bitter sweet symphony only memorable song