Customer Reviews

Urban Hymns

5 star:		(178)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(21)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

This is undoubtedly one of the best albums of the 90's. It contains two megahits - Bitter Sweet Symphony and The Drugs Don't Work. The latter I consider to be one of the best love songs ever recorded. Few other songs also rate very high - Sonet, Lucky Man, Space and Time and Velvet Morning.

The album is very consistent with an excellent sound, brilliant lead vocal by Richard Ashcroft and gentle and often psychedelic guitar by Nick McCabe. Ashcroft, an author of most of the songs, is at its peak as a songwriter. His songs at Urban Hymns are better than on the two previous Verve albums. He can write the most passionate and tender lyrics and then deliver them in his original way.

The Verve only recorded three albums, each of them better than the previous one. Urban Hymns is the last one after which the band broke up. If you like Urban Hymns then I recommend to go back and listen to the previous one called A Northern Soul (the song History itself is worth the money). Ashcroft's solo album from 2000 - Alone With Everybody is a good work too.

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+

What else can you say? "Bittersweet Symphony"--an instant classic. "Sonnet"-a great ballad in the words of Noel Gallagher, and mine. "Rolling People"--rocks you throughout. "Drugs don't work"--I cry every time. "Catching the Butterfly"--a chilled out jam. "Neon Wilderness"--a nice come down. "Space and Time"--reminds me of Revolver-style song crafting. "Weeping willow"--melancholia at it's best. "Lucky man"--my personal anthem, along with everyone else in the UK. "This time"--sums up my feelings about life. "Velvet morning"--describes that feeling you get when you wake up after the long evening. "Come on"--Rock anthem for the ages. Totally solid album that has remained in my personal top 3 rotation since it debuted in 1997. My pick for album of the year in 97, and probably in my top 2 of the decade with the Pumpkin's "Siamese Dream" as the other album. Ashcroft knows how to write a good songs and McCabe knows how to take it to the higher level. I wish the guys much luck in their solo careers.

The Verve have come a long way since the pondering lyrics and dreamlike acoustics of their debut album "A Storm In Heaven", and in doing so they created some stunning songs, i.e. "History" and "Stormy Clouds" from "A Northern Soul", their second album. But it here that we hear a band that has truly reached the peak of its powers, and in The Verve's case, these powers are awe inspiring. The album opens with "Bitter Sweet Symphony", an song that just has every emotion in it, showing singer and songwriter Richard Ashcrofts' disenchantment with life, the vicious cycle of it all, all over a beautiful orchestral rhythm, with a little help from Pete Salisbury's drums, well it all creates a swagger in your step from the knowing that someone else shares your misgivings with life in general. The album moves on the the acoustic "Sonnet", a busking classic, very easy-listening, taking you deep into Ashcrofts thoughts and memories. Then comes the rock 'n' roll high point of the album-"The Rolling People". Drenched in overdubs, full of classic lyrics such as "I'll be the first to toast, yeah, to my rotten soul", the rhythm section of Salisbury/Jones is at its very best here thrashing its way along with McCabes and Tongs guitars. Great rock 'n' roll, very similar to a lot of The Stone Roses "Second Coming". Following that is "The Drugs Don't Work", a song that really oozes emotion, he really means every lyric on that song, it is truly beautiful. Next is the simple "Catching The Butterfly", full of the moody guitars and effects that made "A Storm In Heaven" such a memorable record. Following that is guitarist Nick McCabes "Neon Wilderness", wacky, and slightly drug induced I feel, it is food for thought to say the least. "Space And Time" follows, it is another easy listening song, not quite as memorable as the preceding 6 tracks, yet good in its own right. "Weeping Willow" is a very downbeat Northern Soul song, though provoking and intimate to its intended listener. "Lucky Man" is quite the opposite, showing a happy side to Richard Ashcroft, almost euphoric, it is the nemesis of "The Drugs Don't Work". "One Day" is fairly forgettable, trying to hard to be an emotional epic, but as always with The Verve, they really do mean what they write. "This Time" combines a funky rhythm with simplistic and poppy lyrics, and make no mistake, this is as near to poppy as The Verve will ever get. Very similar to early Stone Roses, i.e. "Fools Gold", through its recurrent riff and basslines. Then comes the third of three epic and unforgettable tracks from the album, "Velvet Morning" (the others being "Bitter Sweet Symphony", and "The Drugs Don't Work"). A dull and lifeless verse is followed by a rhythmatic and stunning chorus that makes you want to sing along at the top of your voice, because you really do have an empathy with Richard Ashcroft on this one, just like "Bitter Sweet Symphony". The closing track "Come On" is pretty standard fair, but the reprise is very reminiscent of "The Rolling People" with its swirling guitars. There's a hidden track if you let "Come On" keep playing too, its a prophetic Blake-esque instrumental effort, strange to say the least. All in all, this album has everything, it is a natural progression from "A Storm In Heaven", and it is everything a classic rock 'n' roll album should be; smooth, arrogant, understanding, performed by brilliant musicians, this is a truly under-rated album. It is as good as "Sgt Peppers", if not better. I doubt another band will ever come close to making an album as complete as this one. And as Richard Ashcroft says "With the music comes an attitude", just like the swagger that he has on the promo for "Bitter Sweet Symphony" this album means business. If you like The Beatles, you'll like The Verve, they're a modern equivalent in their melodies. Buy it and you won't be disappointed, it's the soundtrack to your life; its your Urban Hymns.

Like many others, I bought The Verve's Urban Hymns in early 1998 because of "Bittersweet Symphony," the fantastic ode to angst that became a minor hit. At that time, I was listening to such air-headed schlock as Dave Matthews Band and No Doubt. Needless to say, the somber, reflective brit pop album did not connect with me and I shelved it for several years. A few years later, Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon proverbially melted most of my CD collection. Since then, I have built what is, in my humble opinion, a collection of some of rock's most ingenious albums (Beatles, Bowie, Dylan, Young ect.) and become a bonafied classic rock geek. A few weeks ago, I was feeling a bit spiteful and wanted to hear the malicious refrains of "Bittersweet Symphony" and somehow let the track number slip past one. About seventy minutes later, I collected my jaw from the floor.

After spending countless hours listening to some of the most profound and expressive rock songs ever written, I now recognize that lead singer, Richard Ashcroft, was a man possessed by inspiration. Like George Harrison's All Things Must Pass or Leonard Cohen's The Future, Urban Hymns is the sound of a songwriter in his absolute prime. Mr. Ashcroft dispenses lines that magnificently inspire ("One day maybe you will cry again/Just like a child/You've got to tie yourself to the mast my friend/And the storm will end"), lyrics that pierce the heart ("All this talk of getting old/It's getting me down my love/Like a cat in a bag, waiting to drown/This time I'm coming down/And I hope you're thinking of me/As you lay down on your side/Now the drugs don't work/They just make you worse/But I know I'll see your face again") and shove-offs that cut to the bone ("There ain't no space and time/To keep our love alive/We have existence and it's all we share/There ain't no real truth/There ain't no real lies"). There is barely a verse on Urban Hymns that is not absolutely spectacular.

Meanwhile the band shows expertise at backing such powerful words. They mold their electric sludge into foundation-shaking, sonic ripples on tracks such as "The Rolling People," "Weeping Willow," and the towering closer, "Come On," a song that pushes forth youthful frustration as if it were an outtake from Who's Next. But they also show remarkable restraint and stunning gorgeousness on the more somber numbers such as "Sonnet," "Lucky Man" and "This Time." Whatever the mood, each song is given a radiant texture by this obviously gifted group of musicians.

It took me a while to realize it, but Urban Hymns is a stunning success; thirteen excellent tracks (no duds) that echo in the depths of the soul. As a fourteen-year old high school freshman, I had never encountered such quality (even though I was obtuse to it) and as a nineteen-year old hopeless rock acolyte, rarely do I come across anything so fine. I will greatly value this album for years to come.

The Verve are like a fine wine. They get better with age and more people want a taste. Although they are no longer, a resonance has lasted these many years. Urban Hymn is an effortless affair. Each track has something painfully beautiful about it. Everyone knows Bittersweet Symphony and Lucky Man, due to their heavy rotation on movie soundtracks...I want to spotlight other tracks that lie wait in the shadows. Velvet Morning is to me their finest hour on the album. A brilliant slow burner that starts at a trot before rolling into a magical gallop. This time has a slight Stone Rosey mersey shuffle with a taste of the Verve's first outing. For those who love the cavernous guitar wash of McCabe then Catching the Butterfly and Neon Wilderness will take you back, but for those who look forward...there is a glimpse of Ashcroft's solo style in haunting ballads like The Drugs don't work, Weeping Willow and One Day. But nothing holds the Verve's mastery of the burning ballad as strong as the track Sonnet. The beauty of this song is everlasting. Sure, we have Radiohead, Jeff Buckley and Elliot Smith for tender glass breaking tear-jerkers...but The Verve bring hope to their lost causes and I certainly can identify.

To best understand this album, we must approach it from the times that created it. Circa 1995 The Verve had released the epic "Northern Soul" album, continuing their evolution from a shoegazing, reverb-drenched, psychedelic freak-out band into a more mature, soulful, inspired, reverb-drenched psychedelic rock band. Sadly, the powerful tension between shaman-esque frontman Richard Ashcroft and guitarist-extraordinaire Nick McCabe (perhaps the most unappreciated British guitarist of the '90s) came to a peak and the band split with the release of "History" as their farewell single.

After a year of simmering creativity, Richard Ashcroft began writing a solo album and drafting in musicians to help record his efforts. Gradually, the dynamic Verve rhythm section of Peter Salisbury and Simon Jones was brought back into the fold, along with guitarist/keyboard player Simon Tong. After a few months, an acknowledged void was recognized and several guitarists were approached to play lead guitar, including ex-Suede member Bernard Butler. He declined in order to concentrate on his own material instead, and the Verve continued as a four-piece. Eventually, Ashcroft succumbed to reason and extended an olive branch to McCabe to return.

With several songs in place, the Verve concentrated on the remaining unfinished material in jam sessions, spooling hours of tape and letting their combined efforts birth the songs. This effort was finally released in 1997 as "Urban Hymns" and the Verve finally took their place as one of Britain's most beloved bands. "See the Verve when they come to your town" went the saying "because you may never get the chance to see them again."

Too prophetic words, unfortunately, as the tension between Ashcroft and McCabe returned. Towards the end of the year, McCabe announced his exit from the band, and the Verve soldered on for several months with BJ Cole on steel guitar before they called it a day.

So what we have in this album is an artifact from the days of Noel-Rock, with earnest lyrics, thematic musical canvases of epic scale, and really good tunes. It's also an album of halves with the personal and the universal gaining equal attention. Ashcroft has never differentiated between the two, speaking for both himself and to humanity in the same breath, thus a song as tragic and guarded as "Drugs Don't Work" shines when embraced by everyone. Same again with "Sonnet" and the burnished genius of "Lucky Man" which, tellingly enough, are recognized as the songs Ashcroft was planning for his solo album. Longtime Verve fans will rejoice at the slow burn grooves of "Neon Wilderness" and "Weeping Willow". The songs fully completed by the full band are complete barnstormers of edgy, muscular rock with "Rolling People", "Space and Time", and the freak-out monster of "Come On" closing the book of the Verve's time together.

While Ashcroft would explore similar personal efforts on his proper solo album "Alone With Everyone", he would never scale the heights of fury that McCabe brought to the table. We should be grateful for what we have to remind us. And we're not going to talk about "Bitter Sweet Symphony" because a bunch of spoiled, old men who used to be rock stars sued the pants off the Verve and almost ruined them before their comeback began.

An album of true genius and a landmark of British rock at the end of the 20th century.

Scanning through the track list of this gorgeous album reels in memories of lush rock and roll music that is reflective, transcendent and bountifully melodic, with confessional lyrics that speak of starting anew after living through a sordid past. Well, not all the lyrics are like that. "Come On" is a rollicking, high-energy tune that seems to encourage a debauched night out, while "Bittersweet Symphony," "The Rolling People" and "Catching the Butterfly" just seem resigned to what we're handed here on Earth. But "The Drugs Don't Work," "Space and Time," "Lucky Man" and a few other tunes from "Urban Hymns" indicate a singer looking for a new direction in life. Perhaps it's not all that surprising The Verve called it quits after releasing this CD.

Many used to wonder if all the songs on "Urban Hymns" were as top-notch as "Bitter Sweet Symphony." The answer is yes, though with its sweetly stirring violin section (originally performed by The Andrew Oldham Orchestra from an old Rolling Stones album), "Bittersweet" might qualify as the most memorable single from the 1990s, and is certainly hard to top. (At the time, singer Richard Ashcroft called "Bittersweet Symphony" the best Rolling Stones song in 20 years, since Mick Jagger and Keith Richards laughably received the credit for writing it, due to the Oldham Orchestra violin within the song.)

Even the more tame tunes on "Urban Hymns" have a larger-than-life presence, due to a melancholy, echoed chorus that's repeated in an Oasis-like fashion, and meaningful lyrics that tug at the heartstrings. More prominent, though, is the loud, psychedelic wall-of-sound heard on "Space and Time" and "Weeping Willow" (the former song sounding just like a U2-penned gem with Bono on vocals), and the grooving bass line and wah-wah guitar sound by Nick McCabe on "The Rolling People." (McCabe, it should be noted, is a formidable, atmospheric guitar player who is deeply missed since The Verve called it quits.)

From lazy and hazy rhythmic grooves to over-the-top, distinctive bombast, "Urban Hymns" is beautiful from start to finish, and each song has something to say, both lyrically and through an arsenal of amazingly layered sonic creations. Sure, some of this music is a bit of a downer, but listen to the poignant "Lucky Man" sometime and see if you don't view your own little world in a more positive light.

I will go ahead and tell you that I could not be without this CD. Personally, I think that Urban Hymns is quite possibly my favorite album. When If irst got this CD, I was dissappointed becuase Bittersweet Symphony seemed to be the only good song. WRONG! Just listen to the songs and give them a try. They will grow on you like moss grows on trees. Richard Ashcroft's vocals are stunning. You feel his emotions when listening to his songs.

All of the tracks are fantastic and top-quality British Rock. However, I have some favorites: "BitterSweet Symphony," "Sonnet," "The Drugs Don't Work," "Space and Time," "Lucky Man," and "This Time." The tracks are varied from classical, to slow easy listening, to some nice rock.

The tracks are all very long. The shortest is Neon Wilderness (about 3 minutes) and the longest being Rolling People (about 7 minutes.) They filled this Cd to the brim with music. People say the tracks are repetitive but that is just his style of music. Repetitive? Maybe. Beautiful? Yes.

Trust me on this one: This is one of the best albums ever released in music history. You would do yourself a favor getting this masterpiece.

I recently added Urban Hymns to my CD collection. When I popped it in, I was transported back to 1997, one of the best periods(1994-1997) for music in a long time. Before all the mickey mouse bubblegum crud hit the airwaves and you could still some great alternative tunes on the radio or on MTV2. I personally think this CD stands the test of time when it comes to that period of music and will still show its freshness now or 25 years down the line. Each track was more enticing than the next and it kind of stinks that the band went their separate ways,though richard ashcroft has had a pretty decent solo career. A must buy for any fan of mid-late 90's alternative