Reviews (page 9 of 14)
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
Saved Prior: Bitter Sweet Symphony Off Rip: Sonnet, The Drugs Don't Work, Velvet Morning Cutting Edge: None (Would've saved the last song if not for the 7 minutes of silence followed by the *hidden track* of digitized baby crying) Overall Notes: Bitter Sweet Symphony is a classic for a reason and Velvet Morning was a pleasant surprise but everything else is at LEAST a minute too long. Needed more hooks. 2.5 rounded up because Bitter Sweet Symphony is Like That but still.
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 was BITTER SWEET that I didn’t like this more. Instrumentals had potential, but sound didn’t deviate much.
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
I hated this band when this came out. It had so many ubiquitous songs on it. When I saw this come up here I dreaded it. Turns out time has turned me a lot milder towards it. I accidentally made it through the whole expanded edition and it was grand.
Overall, the album was decent, but I can’t say I’ll be going out of my way to listen to it again. Honestly, reading about the legal battle between The Verve and The Rolling Stones over the Bitter Sweet Symphony sample was far more entertaining than the album itself. So, let’s talk about that instead. Basically, Bitter Sweet Symphony used a sample from an orchestral version of The Rolling Stones’ The Last Time, arranged by the Andrew Oldham Orchestra. The Verve had supposedly negotiated and obtained a license for the sample, but the trouble started when they were accused of using “too much” of it. The legal battle eventually ended with The Verve losing, and all rights and credits for the song were handed over to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. So, even though the song was primarily written by The Verve’s frontman, Richard Ashcroft, all the royalties went to The Rolling Stones and their team, leaving The Verve without a penny from one of the biggest hits of the ’90s. But hey, after more than 20 years, when all the buzz around the song had long faded away, Jagger and Richards graciously gave the rights back to The Verve. It must’ve been a real struggle for Mick and Keith, considering they’d never had their 15 minutes of fame at any point in their careers!
A few good songs but too long and often boring
a brit pop classic. there are some personal highlights (weeping willow, velvet morning) but overall pretty enjoyable
Katottiin album cover ja nolosti kävi... Aikamuuttujan arveltiin olevan 60 luku.... every song.. incredbile incredible how how how how how 1960's.. the verve 60s band... 30 years ahead...
Bittersweet Symphony was everywhere when it was released. It is a good song though. Kind of an alternative-lite album, clearly influenced by Achtung Baby. This is another album that sounds very much of it's particular time. These guys were one-hit wonders, but the album is good so far. Very string heavy. This could have been a late 90s U2 album or series of outtakes except for Bittersweet Symphony. I guess they could be called proto-Coldplay or Radiohead for pop fans. I'm realizing a lot of music from the UK in the late 90s/early 2000s had an eerily similar sound. The lyrics are a little whiny throughout. It feels a little bit like these guys strategically planned to make a knock off of (What's the Story) Morning Glory? It started out strong but it loses its appeal pretty quickly. The album has a specific sound, there's just very little after the first song that is different at all, the songs all kind of blend together. 15 minute final track which is really two tracks separated by a five minutes of silence to.....I don't know what...this was a stupid but popular trick to try and pull on your fans. They aren't the only band to do it and it was so incredibly dumb. I think with the rise of mp3s and streaming this might be a relic of a time when CDs ruled music formats. Six and a half minutes of silence for a static filled "hidden track" lasting two minutes. I don't get the point of this...finding out who your real fans are? Being clever? Burying something that sucks but you love? The baby crying noises on a loop are an especially nice touch. Why do so many artists need to have such moronic last tracks on an album? Songs played by Spotify automatically after the album?.....The Cranberries and, you guessed it, Coldplay.
Some decent songs but there is a lot of songs that just sound generic
Several songs gave me U2 vibes. Overall not a terrible album.
Some good songs but some get lost. It has a lot of build and inspirational verve..but I think others bands do it better.
Enjoyed most of this album
5/10. “Meh” overall but it had ok moments and Bitter Sweet Symphony intro is great.
Bittersweet Symphony carries this whole album. Maybe, just maybe... Lucky Man, too. Other than that, it's pretty unremarkable.
Day 41 - September 7th, 2024 So mid. 3/5
Has all the ones I know, and they're decent tracks. Apparently they've another album on this though. I didn't even known they had another album period. Whatever they've got a style and it works ok, does get a lil grating at album length though.
An album that gives men the permission to feel (it's fine)
pretty nice pretty okay! was easy to listen to and had a nice time! liked the first half more than the second! a little long but good!
sad british boy pop. Didnt know lucky man wasn't a switchfoot song. 3 stars
Oh they just made Oasis again
Solid album but not necessarily my thing. Some classic songs that I didn’t realize were the verve. Feels like driving through the Midwest when you’re a little depressed.
I don't know why but I never liked Bitter Sweet Symphony. That was the first track and I just skipped it. And other than that song I don't know if I know any other songs from these guys. The second song mentioned the lord a bunch so fuck that one. This third one sounds like Oasis. The album art is so 90s lol with his bucket hat. meh 3 stars.
Bittersweet symphony was huge for me when it came out. Played everywhere constantly! And I pretty much forgot about it. I think that song holds up, not crazy about the rest of the album.
3.5
I like some elements of this record very much but it's hard to compare it to others in the 1001 who are either groundbreaking or feel more compelling or more unique.
Why does this album sound like u2?
Had some songs I really enjoyed, but a lot of the them just became fillers. I only got to listen to it once, so maybe it has potential to be a 4.
Solid 3. The hits are a five, but they do not pull the rest of the album with them.
It's aight. I prefer other shoegaze/britpop/British music. They owe Achtung Baby a lot of credit with this one tbh
The albums peaks with the first song, which makes the rest blend together for me.
Starts off strong with Bittersweet Symphony, the rest had a good rock sound throughout
rumin mies maailmassa... tietää että rumiluksen tehtävä hyvää musiiikkia... muuten ei ura menossa mihinkään... kaveri unohtanut estetiikan.. seksi anti-ikoni... top 10 ugliest motherfuckers peoples magazine 1997: this bitch.... sulje silmät ja kuuntele... beauty in the sound... horrible face but listen... siis kokeilkaa kansa hetken.. HETKEN.. olla katsomatta ällötystä!! ja kuuntelette vaan... on se hyvä... ei tarvitse kommentoida kauhunaamaa pelkästään, musiikkikin on tositosi hyvää!!! bitter sweet smyphhonyyy ... blaa haa llaaaffhh......
Opens with a banger. Lots of decent hymns to follow.
Didnt go all the way through but really only liked bittersweet symphony
Bitter Sweet Symphony // Sonnet // The Drug’s Don’t Work // Lucky Man //
meh
Du rock mou qui dérange pas, ça serait un 2 sans Bittersweet Symphony
It was better than I expected, but it really rides the high of the single.
Overrated
It sounds like, The Beatles, Oasis etc. And you don't want to skip it.
Skipped Bittersweet Symphony because 25 years of overplay is enough to form my opinion on it. The rest of the album switches between mid paced rock and more enjoyable psychedelic jams. Found a few songs worth relistening to, surprisingly.
Decent enough to be a 3. Doesn’t blow me away and at times feels derivative of U2
Lots of Cali callouts. It was ok
A late nineties relic! So many influences. Like a message in a bottle.
Classic
I would probably like this more if I was going through a bad break up in the 90s. Im guessing it was huge among Fathers 4 Justice
Great album! Memorable, iconic tracks
Pretty good mid nineties soft rock. Bittersweet Symphony is a classic.
3.5 90s Britpop but not on the level of Blur or Oasis
Pretty average, but that's what a lot of this late 90's mellow rock was to me in general. It's a decent listen but nothing I'd come back to. 3/5
Meh
It's tricky; I like quite a lot of it. Maybe somewhere in here lurks a 38-minute, tight, 4-star album. But I find it a bit too narco nod-off in places, sludgy, or like a low(er)brow Spiritualized.
I think I had this album but barely remember it. It holds up well enough
TIL: The Verve and The Verve Pipe are two different bands. Just kidding. I prefer Oasis.
3.5/5. The Rolling Stones were so wrong with the royalty thing, sucked this band bone dry. Glad it was eventually made right.
I liked this more than I thought I would. Bittersweet Symphony was always a song I sort of enjoyed but it drags on. The rest of the first half is solid, way more trance-y than I expected. The second half got a little dull. Also, it was far too long.
3.5
Favourite Song: Come On
The first song is fantastic but the rest was pretty meh
Bitter Sweet Symphony immediately throws me back to getting rides home from my friend Justin senior year. Scrounging for loose change to pay for gas. Getting confused whether it was The Verve or The Verve Pipe with the song on repeat on the radio. Nothing on the rest of the album stands out.
Rolling People reminds me of U2 meets Oasis which now reading the wiki I can see they were friends/toured with Oasis. I did not realize this band started in 1990 and sounds like it was a long way to a huge hit. Bittersweet Symphony is such a catchy layered song. The vocals fit the tone so well. I was really only familiar with this song given it was so huge when it came out. The potential this song demonstrates is great and goes way beyond the sample they use. When Oasis existed, I do rather listen to Oasis. With that said I did enjoy Weeping Willow, Lucky Man and Velvet Morning. They were redeeming on my rating.
I have mixed feelings about this album. There is a lot to like, but I keep coming back to the idea that this seems like what an AI bot would create as an album. The vocalist has the right sound, there are musical elements that are catchy, the single is very memorable and actually sounds important, etc., but after listening to the album, I don't have a connection with the album at all. Could I spend time and listen to this album more and gain a greater appreciation for its significance? Sure. Will I? Probably not.
They really hit it out of the park with bittersweet but the just had the same sound but not as good as bittersweet
A lot of the same, and that same was fine. 2.8.
Aside from Bittersweet Symphony this album was pretty unremarkable and unmemorable. Personal enjoyment: 3/5 Relevance to this list: 3/5
i liked this much better in 2024 than in 1997. A Storm in Heaven is still their best, by far imo, but this was good.
Bittersweet Symphony is great. The rest is background music
-I definitely like it a lot more than the other Verve album, there seems to have been an improvement in direction and sound -I loved the more experimental ambient-esque stuff on Neon Wilderness and Deep Freeze -Favorites are Bitter Sweet Symphony, The Drugs Don’t Work, and Weeping Willow
I started this album only knowing the one song (Bitter Sweet Symphony) but I have enjoyed the other songs, they are rather calm. The lyrics can get pretty repetitive though.
I think every human being should once experience the joy of walking on the street to Bittersweet Symphony.
I mean, there's the one song everyone knows if they have HEARD of The Verve. But what's interesting is that seemed to get more and more repetitive to me the more the song went on. The other songs on the album were more interesting to me because I hadn't heard them before. Which is different from a lot of other albums where I know the hit (or hits) and the other songs are not as interesting. (BTW, how much more Britpop is on this list? There seems to be an overwhelming amount.) Songs like "Weeping Willow" and "The Rolling People" I really enjoyed. The second of the two had a shuffle feel which was interesting. The singer reminded a bit of Oasis, but without as much bite. (Really, I thought "Bittersweet Symphony" was an Oasis song to begin with.) So I guess because of the incorporation of the orchestra? THAT makes it so relevant? Still it, had a few good tracks, but mostly standard britpop fare. Top tracks: "Bittersweet Symphony," "The Rolling People," "The Drugs Don't Work," "Weeping Willow"
It's a pretty easy to listen to album and it came out of nowhere in the late 90's to become one of the biggest albums ever in the UK. But it feels a little bit of the same thing over and over doesn't it? I enjoy all of the singles, though I like their biggest one (Bittersweet Symphony) less than the others (Sonnet, The Drugs Don't Work, Lucky Man). And yet I find it hard to pinpoint a non-single that really stands out to me. Some good ones, or at least decent ones, but they just kind of blend in with the rest of the album. Knowing all 4 singles and not knowing the rest of the album well, I thought I was going to be more energized listening to the rest. Instead I felt indifferent to at least half the songs on the album.
The music was good, but fifth graders are more lyrically complex than this was.
Bitter Sweet Symphony - 8 Sonnet - 6 The Rolling People - 7 The drugs don’t work- 6.5 Catching the butterfly - 6 Neon Wilderness - 5.5 Space & Time - 5 Weeping Willow - 6 Lucky Man - 7.5 One Day - 6 This Time - 6 Velvet morning - 6 Come on / Deep Freeze - 5 Total = 62/100. 3.1* Seems you have to be in a certain mood in order to be able to enjoy this album. First somg was great but it seems that every song in the album suffers from extreme repetition that enhanced the boredom of the mind that slowly gets worse as it goes.
There are some (obviously) strong late 90s vibes to this album. It's a little long, making it drawn out in my opinion 3.4/5
sleepy
isn’t really a bad album just not my kind of music. it would be good to listen to for background music or if you’re doing homework.
Iconic Bitter Sweet Symphony on here. Some other okay songs as well, but not too much that stands out.
This album is held up by its singles. Bitter Sweet Symphony is a fantastic single and a staple of Britpop. The Drugs Don't Work is also a masterpiece in its sadness. Lucky Man's tune and lyrics make it stand out among the rest of the psychadelic-leaning songs. Speaking of which, the psychedelic remainders are not bad, with more dynamic production than Oasis. However, it gets repetitive, with the rock-y bombast for most tracks letting them down after 3-4 minutes. The exception is Space And Time, which earns the noodling at the end. This is a lesson in why \"Oasis' \"BE Here Now\" was doomed to failure - psychadelic-inspired hard rock songs should be way shorter to start with, let alone wall-of-sound for 7 minutes. Overall, great sound and vibes overall but the lack of re-listenability means it loses stars.
I almost like Bitter Sweet Symphony, Lucky Man, One Day, This Time
“Bittersweet Symphony” is easily the best song here and still hits (almost) the same. “The Drugs Don’t Work” reeks of trying too hard. The rest of it is pretty generic Brit Pop. The Verve still have the problem of an album full of overlong, repetitive songs.
Great first track
This was quite a surprising album, much better than I expected. I remembered the hits but most of the songs stand the test of time quite well, much better than most of their brit bands peers. It has more groove and grit than I thought. Arrangements are clever, occasionally a bit experimental too. Bittersweet Symphony is a little classic.
Итс олрайт. Я бы сказал, что из всех бритпоп альбомов, что мне пока встречались в этом листе, этот звучит наиболее бритпоп, но при этом будто бы понравился мне больше других (Suede, Pulp и Oasis еще не было). Несколько прямо отличных песен, но упомянутая ниже стала для меня сюрпризом, поэтому ее я и выбрал вместо Bitter Sweet Symphony. Лучшая песня - The Drugs Don't Work.
It’s fine. Fine. Overlong, some stinkers, but it just sounds the same as the last Verve album I got, which was only like a week ago, and it’s just the same Brit pop that proliferates throughout this list. It’s fine! Why did the Verve need TWO albums on this list, when there’s amazing bands and performers I know not represented at all?!?
Clásico, relajante, profundo al mismo tiempo. Un 100 para una mañana de estudio
Bittersweet Symphony is an obvious banger, but this is solid throughout.
they dhould have changed thte rest of the songs to be as good as bittersweet symphnony
It was nice, easy listening. First song was the best, but overall, nice.
Pretty good
At least two of these songs were used multiple times during Scrubs
Bittersweet Sympathy is such a wonderful song, everything else on this album is cast in its long shadow and can not step out of the shadow
Nice.
It’s okay. The Drugs Don’t Work connects along with Bittersweet Symphony.
A good album, definitely some hits in there but at the same time it's not ethereal enough
Heard a lot of shared DNA with other Britpop groups like Oasis. Bittersweet Symphony is a classic; I wouldn't mind revisiting this later. Also, hidden track? What a throwback!
Sounds like my late 90s soundtrack. Enough big tunes to warrant a 3. Unfortunately a lot of the other songs run together.
I remember this album when it came out. Bitter Sweet Symphony was a huge hit, but I thought it was repetative and dull. After listening to the album, it just doesn't do it for me.
Prima arrangementen, maar uiteindelijk niet echt goed. De topnummers zijn te weinig.
Recently I have been doing some intense pipetting while listening to my generated album of the day. This one was pretty boring to listen to again while pipetting, but there was nothing really wrong with it. My baseline is the metal album I listened to three days ago- nothing will compare to that experience. 3/5
Sounds good
Of course Bittersweet Symphony is one of my all-time favorites. The remainder of the album wasn't very memorable for me, though.
Bittersweet symphony is great, but the rest of it really didn't stick.
Better than I was expecting, but my expectations were pretty low. The Aphrodite's Child influences were interesting.
Pretty classic 90s
Woaaah, bittersweet symphony has been popping up a lot in my life these past couple of weeks, crazy! Let's see if the rest of the album holds up as well. Very Oasis reminiscent. Catching the butterfly sounds proto-Muse. Overall enjoyable album, 3*. It's interesting that this is such a high selling album; I think that is all an artifact of an era where you had to buy the whole album for just one song,, you couldn't pick and choose like we do with streaming. This means these guys had one amazing banger and that's that. A la tubthumping. The hidden track was weird. Highlights: bittersweet symphony
Heard Bitter Sweet Symphony way too many times to actually enjoy listening to it today. The rest of the album was a little samey, although The Drugs Don't Work was good, and I added Weeping Willow to my Spotify!
“Bitter Sweet Symphony” is this band’s big claim to fame, but even that song wears out its welcome eventually. The rest of the songs are good, but why are they all over 6 mins?!
Good, not great album
All these songs sound the same.
One of the bigger hits of the 90’s was “bittersweet symphony”. This album was pretty good. 3.5
Bueno.
I didn't think I'd heard The Verve before, but then as soon as "Bitter Sweet Symphony" started playing, I realized I *had* heard them (at least that song, many many many times), and I always enjoyed hearing it on the radio. The video is weirdly misanthropic, though, and makes me like the song less, sadly. (Likewise, the Wikipedia article for this album only seems to reinforce that Richard Ashcroft is a selfish, arrogant jerk, sadly.) I'm pretty sure I haven't ever heard most of the rest of the album, and for all of the hook to "Bitter Sweet Symphony", the rest of the album doesn't really deliver on that promise. The album seems just sort of average overall. Nothing great, nothing horrible (except maybe that video...). It's a bit shocking that "Urban Hymns" is #19 on the list of best-selling albums in UK chart history, as I feel like I could list a lot more than 19 UK albums that are much better than this (and yes, I know that's not the same thing). I'm also *super* bummed that the track "Velvet Morning" wasn't a cover or adaptation of that bizarre Lee Hazlewood/Nancy Sinatra song.
My take is that Bitter Sweet Symphony is brilliant and I was really excited with the first part of the album. However, as it went on, none of the other songs really landed. I like the feel and tenor of the band more than the songwriting. I'll need to come back to this one as it could raise over time, but it's a:
This one started slow for me, but I liked it more as the album went along. Probably wouldn't ever choose it intentionally.
I enjoyed this a lot! Totally new to me (besides track 1 which bothers me a little at this point). I give it a 3.2.
It kind of went in one ear & out the other. Didn't dislike it. Prefer the Beta Band. Admittedly tired of posting 2 & 3 star reviews.
I can remember not particularly rating this as an album. Only remember drugs and symphony. Will be interesting to see what I think now. Better than I remembered especially the last few tracks, but too long a bit mono paced and no great emotion coming through to me.
Britpop er VIRKELIG ikke min ting. Det er et par sanger som kan være ok å høre på. Hvis pop er din greie, så kan det sikkert være et bra album.
I liked this album.
I enjoyed several songs
I enjoyed this one well enough, though didn't find a whole lot here to love outside the first track.
pretty good album, lucky man and bittersweet symphony standout!
Massive hit. Some pretty good songs. But drags on
So much filler!
classic
Urban Hymns is a bona fide classic 90s britpop album. Ashcroft's smooth vocals and melodies paired with big spacey verbed out guitars, and well layered production. The obvious big hit, "Bitter Sweet Symphony", I think is the main reason this album even makes this list. Undeniably memorable, but just as much so for the copyright debacle as the song itself. All in all, it's a good album, but suffers from most of the songs sounding pretty similar throughout. Throw it on in the background while you cook dinner or study or work. It's not an album I'd say you want to sit down for a fully dedicated listening session as the somewhat repetitive feel of the album can be a bit of a drag over the 75 minute runtime (knock about 5 or so minutes off if you skip the silence between "Come On" and the pseudo sci-fi sounding instrumental hidden track "Deep Freeze")
Kinda the background for a lot of outdoor experiences of the era.
“Who the hell are these guys” *first song plays* “oh”
I like Bittersweet Symphony, but sitting down for 75 minutes of it again is a no thanks for me. I’ll admit being into the general vibe in the 90s and early 2000s and still to some extent when I’m in a particular mood these days, but the overwrought pseudo symphonic thing generally just doesn’t hit right at this stage for me. I’m not offended or anything by this and it all sounds fine, but I’m very skeptical about the assertion that any of us need to listen to this album before we die and think maybe the author just had Bittersweet Symphony stuck in their head when they were getting toward their deadline.
Okay
Hey Robert Dimery, which kinda mediocre, completely unexceptional, generic brit pop album should we include on the list of 1001 albums you must here before you die? Robert Dimery: YES!!!! 76 minutes of shoegaze-lite monotony. Ugh. These songs are too long and too boring and the lead singer sounds like the guy from Coldplay. This album isn't bad, but it sure as hell isn't good.
Only knew bittersweet Symphony but the rest of this album was quite good and quite a bit not that...which is good. Loved his raspy vocals and almost psychedelic guitar moments. Overall a great listen from a band I previously knew nothing about
This was HUGE at the time and it's hard for me to be too objective as I was sick of the singles so much. Saying that, I enjoyed it more than I expected but man, way overlong. There's a super tight 40-45 minutes here. A generous 3