Northern Soul

The Verve | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 20, 1995)
• Original Release Date: June 20, 1995
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Virgin Records Us
• ASIN: B000000W8C
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (56 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #50,289 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #52 in Music > Alternative Rock > Indie & Lo-Fi > Shoegazing

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This one is as intense as it gets., July 7, 2000

By 

Stan - See all my reviews

This review is from: Northern Soul (Audio CD)

"Urban Hymns" is a fine album, but "A Northern Soul" is the Verve's greatest record. Why? It's the intensity -- seldom have I heard rock music performed with such passion and desperation. The band, and especially Richard Ashcroft, pour their hearts and souls into every track as if their lives depend on it. Much has been written about the squalor surrounding the recording of "A Northern Soul" -- the drugs, the broken glass, the screaming arguments -- and you can hear the effects in the music. The production is far from perfect; it sounds murky, and the mixes sometimes sound odd. Every track is amazing, but special consideration must be given to "So It Goes," the title track, "History" and "No Knock on My Door." Richard sings with a far purer voice on "Urban Hymns" and his new solo record, but the pain he exorcises here -- it's about a break up of devastating circumstances -- and how he does it is stunning. It's absolutely tragic that this magnificent record tanked outside the U.K.; indeed, the band broke up because of it, almost for good. If you've only heard "Urban Hymns", I hereby command you, dear reader, to purchase "A Northern Soul" and bask in its imperfect, yet mesmerizing glory.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best albums of the 90s, yet unknown by many, March 4, 2004

By 

justin "storminheaven" (north carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Northern Soul (Audio CD)

If you know of the Verve as the "Bittersweet Symphony" song and the Urban Hymns album, then you're definitely missing out on what the Verve is all about. A Northern Soul is in many ways, even better than Urban Hymns. Soul hads a slightly harder sound, with songs like "A New Decade","This is Music", the title track "A Northern Soul", and "No Knock on My Door". But the album also contains ballads like the excellent "On Your Own" and "So It Goes". It also contains a song that sounds a lot a track from Urban Hymns, which is "History". It also contains a few songs that sound a lot like A Storm in Heaven, their debut album, these being "Stormy Clouds", "Life's An Ocean", and "Drive You Home" All in all, the album has the right balance of sound, and at times, it's simply amazing. The album does have a weak song or two, one of which is "Drive You Home" But one of the best things I like about this album is being able to understand most of the lyrics. In their previous albums, the lyrics are echoed out and tough to hear, but A Northern Soul is much better, with Richard Ashcroft's lyrics coming to the front of the music.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The "bridge" album, October 22, 2005

By 

trainreader (Montclair, N.J.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Northern Soul (Audio CD)

It's just incredible to me that Verve (or "The Verve," if you prefer) released only three albums. Their second album, "Northern Soul," perfectly bridges the lush swirling guitar sounds of "A Storm In Heaven," and the more mainstream, heavily orchestrated "Urban Hymns." While guitarist Nick McCabe clearly dominated "Storm," on "Northern Soul" (and continuing with "Urban Hymns") their is no doubt that vocalist, Richard Ashcroft, became the leader and chief visionary of the band. As compared to the prior album, Ashcroft sings with much more emotional depth and confidence. His lyrics are almost achingly personal and painful. It's notable how he uses repetition of certain phrases to imply deeper meaning in a number of songs, much the same way that the brilliant Thom Yorke of Radiohead does this.

While "Northern Soul" is a fine and consistent album (I like several of the tracks alot, namely "A New Decade," "This is Music," "On Your Own," "So It Goes," "History," "No Knock On My Door"), I don't think it reaches the level of the best portions of "Storm" or "Hymns," wich is why I gave it "only" four stars. Additionally some of the songs run on a verse or two too long. Nevertheless, "Northern Soul," holds its own as part of the extraordinary Verve trilogy of albums. Why did they break up?