Absolutely Totally Brilliant Without A Doubt
5 stars! Is that all! Ok...This is just one of the discs that I would want to take with me to my grave should the world explode. No other album I have ever listened to has the appeal this one has. A sonic lover's dream come true. All of the tracks here are layered and textured with such care with so many 'things' going on, that even 4 dozen listens later, I am still discovering new things hidden in the many sounds of this CD. All tracks deserve a listen. Though many people bought this CD on the strength of "Bitter Sweet Symphony", the other treasures found following that song are just as great or greater. "Sonnet" weeps. I cannot listen to "The Drugs Don't Work" anymore - it's just too depressing, but it's sooooo good. The next six songs are perhaps the greatest collection of songs put together - "Catching The Butterfly" makes you feel you're up in the air with them; "Neon Wilderness" brings you back down to earth; "Space And Time" starts with an acoustic guitar, moving quickly to a rock based beat; "Weeping Willow" has some fabulous lyrics to compliment its super sound..."the world don't stop there ain't no time for cracking up believe me friend". "Lucky Man" is, I think, the best song on the CD. It is an anthem to end all anthems. It's acoustic beginning, ending in a stirring crescendo of violins is empowering to say the least. "One Day" delivers a sad sound but a great lyric - "tie yourself to the mast my friend and the storm will end". The common thread holding these songs together is the music. It's the strongest element at work here. Sonically, it's the best CD with the most unique sounds. More importantly, they work with the lyrics and vocals, not against them. The orchestral sounds give the CD a more visceral strength. Richard Ashcroft is a great wordsmith - his lyrics are potent, socially aware and real. His vocals are sorrowful, sad, inspiring and right on target. This was a fitting end to The Verve, a great display for Richard Ashcroft's talents - now surfacing again with a solo career. Satisfying to the last chord.
Determination for light and hope
The Verve was a psychedelic indie-rock-based band during the release of their debut. Yet audiences should have found out that frontman Richard Ashcroft has directed his music style to a more rock 'n' roll-like band instead of psychedelia. "A Northern Soul" is a great album and so as "Urban Hymns". Some people may be upset by the Verve's melodic style, yet I feel that it's another change in their style which may not satisfy everyone. But personally i do think it's a great heart-touching album with ultimate melodies. "Bitter Sweet Symphony"'s magical string arrangement has built up fame for the band and has influenced many other bands to follow them as using symphony in their songs. Richard's lyrical skills are still one of the best in England, as you can see in this first track, "Sonnet", " Catching the Butterfly", "Velvet Morning", "The Drugs Don't Work" and other songs. "The Drugs Don't Work" is my Favourite track which touches m heart very much...richard's beautiful and bitter vocal performance has expressed sour and struggle, pain and relief with a touching and despair emotion. The acoustic guitar has added scents of sadness. By the way, Nick McCabe's spacy floating guitar skills are still present in some of the songs which is deeply rooted from their debut. Anyway, the age of Mad Richard had gone. Here's the evolution.
The best in my collection.
I got this CD two weeks ago, and it hasn't come out of CD player since. After I first heard Bitter Sweet Symphony, I knew I had to get it... that song is great on so many levels.1. Bitter Sweet Symphony (10/10)- The violin music in the beginning sets the tone for the entire piece, and I love it. This has no competition- it's my favorite song.
2. Sonnet (9/10) I think I might be a little prejudiced with this song, because you can see what comes before it... it's a sweet song, but it doesn't really compare...
3. The Rolling People (10/10) I love this song, as well. It shows a different side of The Verve, and it's great, too. This one isn't slow... good contrast.
4. The Drugs Don't Work (9/10)- Very soulful.
5. Catching the Butterfly (10/10) 'I'm gonna keep catching that butterfly in that dream of mine...' great melody, and I love the lyrics...
6. Neon Wilderness (7/10) This song sounds like it wasn't finished... my least favorite. I usually skip through this one.
7. Space and Time (10/10) I love the 'I just can't make it alone' part of this song... makes my want to sing... or perhaps jump up and dance. Either one.
8. Weeping Willow (10/10) You never hear the lyrics 'weeping willow' in this song until the very end, but when you do, they really mean something. Not quite sure WHAT, but something...
9. Lucky Man (10/10)- I love this one, as well.
10. One Day (10/10) The lyrics and the song are both so sweet in this song...
11. This Time (8/10)- I like this one, but not quite as much as the others.
12. Velvet Morning (10/10) I love when the music changes from soft and slow to loud and a bit wilder... It's like, 'dumdumdumdumdum- ANOTHER VELVET MORNING FOR ME.' Kinda takes you by surprise. :)
13. Come On (10/10)- Perfect ending... 'Come along with our sound'. Fabulous.
End rating (drum roll, please): 123 stars out of 130. That's a pretty good percentage. Get this CD... I loved it. And, once you hear Bitter Sweet Symphony, you're pretty much sold already...
Urban CRAP.
Boring typical british new romantic crap. To say this album can stand the test of time is a joke! There are plenty of copies in the second hand record shops already! Anybody into this trash should get a life.
This Will Stand the Test of Time
This is one of those timeless albums that you can listen to now (six years after its initial release) and still enjoy it. Each of the songs still sound as fresh as today as they did back in 1997. With this album, the Verve hit a homerun.
I remember I was browsing through a CD store when I first heard "Bittersweet Symphony." It immediately caught my attention, and I stood rooted on the spot just listening. Very few times has an album jolted me like that, but this was one of those times. I asked the clerk who this was and he said that it was from the new album by The Verve. After "Bittersweet" was over, he told me to hold on and listen to "Lucky Man." It was after that I was sold -- I had to buy the album.
On this album, you get 13 little masterpieces -- there's not a filler track in the bunch. Besides the excellent songwriting, the production is outstanding. I haven't heard such a good mix of strings since Tony Visconti's work with T. Rex -- just listen to "Lucky Man," "Bittersweet Symphony," or "Sonnet" for proof.
The only downside is that the group broke up after this -- their finest moment! Of all the dumb luck. While Richard Ashcroft has gone on to do a couple of solo albums, they don't seem to capitalize on what The Verve had done on this album. Yes, he's the voice, the did much of the writing, but as the old saying goes: the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Best album of the 1990's? This one, no question about it. After the Britney's, the Justin's, and all the other drivel from that era fades, this will be one of the albums people look back upon fondly. Rating: A+
Perhaps you weren't convinced of the Verve's staying power until recently. Before the release of Urban Hymns, skeptics wondered if they could ever match the explosive power of their earlier dedications. In 1995, most critics dismissed their offerings of the time as vapid, romantic excursions. To their credit, the Verve have sustained their shadow rock legitimacy while introducing string arrangements, piano fills, and slide guitar. Nowhere are these stirring traits more obvious than in the epic single "Bitter Sweet Symphony." Laying it on thick throughout the rest of the album with painfully engaging ballads, the Verve have crafted their most accomplished album to date, proving the longevity of their cultural resonance. --Lucas Hilbert
Japanese edition of their highly acclaimed 1997 album with the unmarked bonus track 'Lord, I Guess I'll Never Know'. 15tracks total, also featuring the hit 'Bitter Sweet Symphony' and singles 'The Drugs Don't Work' & 'Lucky Man', plus 'Deep Freeze', a hidden bonus track on the U.S. edition. Black & white picture CD with a group shot of the band. A Virgin release.
