Customer Reviews

Forth

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Most "reunion" CD's are disappointing and many are downright terrible. Verve breaks the trend by offering 10 tracks that range from good to great. Most tracks are closer to "good," but there's no denying that this CD stands fine along side with Verve's 3 CD's from the 90's. If anything the tracks we get this time are more akin to their first "shoegazer" CD "Storm in Heaven," than the 2 later "rock" albums. Most of the tracks are quiet and long length and often have a nice (to me at least) bassy drone sound. Melodies are less constantly present but they are there. The studio production quality is uniformly excellent.

If you're not a fan of Verve, this is not the first CD to buy. Get Urban Hymns first if you're curious about the band. Also if you can find their recent Glastonbury 2008 concert on video, it is worth it. They peform the "hits" plus "Love is Noise" and they play in truly excellent form.

A Masterpiece Revival for a group that clearly creates something special when they get together. Regardless of the relationship between Richard and Nick, they make otherworldly good music in collaboration. Singles are surely "Love Is Noise" and "Sit and Wonder"--with strong guitar lines, exploding rhythms and Ashcroft's vocal instrument at the top of its game with rises and falls and memorable lyrical work. Other highlights include "Rather Be", "Judas" and "Valium Skies". I was lucky enough to see them live in NYC in the early summer and now I am just thankful the album finally came together--it was well worth the wait. I could go on and on with a deep analysis of Richard's introspection, soul-searching, life-wondering--as well as the evolved musicianship of the band, but I will leave that to your own discovery. They have again created something timeless but contemporary that rivals even, dare I say, "A Northern Soul" or "Urban Hymns". In sum, thank you to the band, Forth is gold in its own right but yet a fine continuation from an already unmatched legacy.

I realize after reading many of these reviews that you are younger than me and did not get introduced to Verve's music until Urban Hymns. I am a 38 year old man who was 23 at the time when in '93, these outrageous wall to wall, full flanger, Chorus pedals on 10 echoing sounds were coming from the second stage at Lollapalooza in New Jersey. I was wandering away from the first stage while Arrested Development were playing and was drawn to the majestic sounds. For the next forty minutes or so, I and just a 100 more were fixated on the tranquility this band bestowed upon us. It was an unbelievable experience. Of course, the band was Verve. all the music played was from A Storm in Heaven. I made sure I owned that tape (yes, tape! ) before I went back to college. I must have played that tape in my dorm room endlessly that semester. To this day, THAT album is monumental. Yes, The Verve changed, and it wasn't a bad change but when I think of where The Verve really peaked, it was actually their first album.
This reunion album is good, and it certainly is Verve. ButI don't think I can ever experience that first euphoria I felt when I first heard them, and live at that. Not the band's fault. Just an amazing experience and I truly believe that no other piece of Verve music can compare to ASIH

The Verve started right where they left off 11 years ago. I am completely in love with this album. It is gorgeous, heart wrenching, optimistic, and thoughtful. I am so glad they are back, I keep my fingers crossed for another brilliant album!

Has it really been 11 years since The Verve's masterpiece "Urban Hymns"? Wow... how time flies. Lead singer Richard Ashcroft's solo career since 1997 has been less than remarkable, and he must have finally realized that, and so finally the Verve come back with this, their 4th studio album.

"Forth" (10 tracks; 64 min.) starts off tremendously with "Sit and Wonder", with energy blazing all over. It is followed by "Love Is Noise" (1st UK single), which struck me as sounding eerily similar to the Simple Minds' sound of the mid -80s "Once Upon a Time" album sound, but that is not a slight. "Rather Me" sounds like the ballad that "Bitter Sweet Symphony" was, albeit not as good. After that excellent first third, the album starts to falter, with songs like "Judas" and "Numbness" that simply doesn't leave a lasting impression. The album is not well served by its 64+ min. length. It's simply too long, and nothing would've been lost by simply chopping off the last 2 songs, trimming it to a more manageable 50+ min. length.

It strikes me how this album sounds very similar to "Urban Myths" in its overall musical tone. This could have (and probably should have) been recorded in 1998 or 1999. That said, I have come to like the album quite a bit, and have been playing it a lot. I was supposed to see the Verve at Coachella earlier this year, but ended up not making that first day of the festival (when they played). I'm looking forward to an opportunity to see how the songs of "Forth" translate in a live setting at some point, assuming the band keeps playing together, a guess in anyone's book.

Having purchase almost any and all previous releases of the Verve (including singles), I was extremely excited to hear of a new release. But I was disappointed that they failed to trail-blaze and deliver as they had in the past.

THE GOOD:
Rather be, Judas, I see houses, Valium skies, and Appalachian Springs

THE BAD:
The rest of the songs.

THE UGLY:
* Poor mixing job. The guitar work if phenomenal, but TOO FAR BACK in the mix.
* Too much of a Richard Ashcroft solo carrier influence. I like him. But this is a VERVE album.
* The remaining songs tried too hard to seem ground breaking or ecliptic.
* Should have stuck to their existing pioneering sound and do what they do best

Overall it is a good album and definitely has its gems worth purchasing. But I'm used to celebrating 90+% of a Verve album. This one could have delivered better. Perhaps a different producer would have prevented the BAD from ever coming out.

I am a big, bif fan of Urban Hymns and was so excited to see a new release from the Verve. Just brilliant work again from these guys. If you are a Verve fan you must get this! Just love the mix of guitars, strings and piano on the songs. It is different from other Verve albums but I recommend it highly.

I am a huge fan of the Verve and own every disc. The day they broke up was a very bad day for me so when I heard that they were reuniting and putting out a new disc I literally could not wait and I was not disappointed. The songs are amazinig leaning more towards the A Storm In Heaven disc and the last song is as good as any song on Urban Hyms. I can't understand how anyone could give this CD a one or two star rating. I can't wait for their next CD and hope they continue to mkae music for years!!

I have listened to this CD 4 times now, and I love it. It's the verve, you know what to expect when you buy this. No it isn't Urban Hymns or as good as their 1st 2, but it's a return to form and a new beginning, and that puts a chesire grin on my face.

I am an early Verve fan, admittedly crazy about their debut album (which still makes me drool). I was pleasantly blown away by this latest album, which is a nod to their early work but also keeps one foot in the contemporary music scene. I am NOT a fan of URBAN HYMNS, which seemed to me a commercial pandering (however nice the pop songs were). This album really hits in the middle: it makes us old school fans drool, but also keeps a sense of the pop perfection that really made URBAN HYMNS such a hit with folks. I don't know how they did it, but this album really is a perfect middle way, a shout-out to us old Verve fans but a stable send-out to those who want pop hits. It's just simply a marvelous rock and pop record, with a groove and a hook and a smart set of lyrics . . . I worry that this album is so good that folks won't buy it. This album really captures the essence of this band's genius. It's brilliant. Buy it. Seriously.