Obviously Love is Noise is a great track, certainly the most obvious choice for a single, their stunning live performance of it at Glastonbury was certainly a testament to its energetic, crowd pleasing potential. However, if I had to take a pick of the bunch, I would go for Appalachian Springs and Sit & Wonder as being my favourites, closely followed by Valium Skies and Judas - each one equally as detailed and soulful as the next.
So that's 5 tracks that instantly grabbed my attention upon first listen!!! - and you know what? - that's FIVE more tracks than any other album I've heard this year, or for the last 5 years in fact, so for that reason alone, 5 stars is well deserved.
Richard Ashcroft has never been one to undersell his own brilliance - his solo career may have been weak, and the first two Verve albums excellent, but on Urban Hymns the hype finally justified the mouth. Just as the Britpop bubble was about to burst, the Verve reformed for one last album, to sign off at their peak (although, obviously, they have since reformed again).
Urban Hymns is the distillation of everything great about the Verve, but with an extra poppy edge. The band generally reign in their psychedelic jams of the previous two albums, with notable exceptions being the fantastic 'Rolling People' and even better 'Catching The Butterfly.' The big singles are all here, from 'Lucky Man' to 'The Drugs Don't Work' right up to the world ... Read More:
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This is a 'difficult' album to say the least. After watching them play live last year I thought this album would be the kick in the backside the music world needs right now. Big music played with huge intent. Instead all we get is a diluted, uninspired, sloppy bunch of half-arsed ideas that seem to go completely against what these guys are about and what they can do live. 'Sit & Wonder' started out as a belting monster of a live track when they were first performing it. What on earth did they do to it in the studio?? They seem to have compressed the life out of it with McCabe's once immense guitar lines reduced to a tinny squeal. Ok so it's not a completely terrible album. There are moments in tracks like Judas, Numbness and Columbo where you can just ... Read More:
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This is The Verve's Greatest Hits Albumn.
They have a fantastic array of music to highlight the era, rather than Britpop, they were of the Indie and Alternative Genre.
Such hits as Bittersweet Symphony, Lucky Man, Sonnet, The Drug's Dont work, History,etc. Make this one of the greatest Albumns you will ever own, completely original and well done.
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Believe the vast majority of reviews here: A Northern soul is not as commercial or immediately accessible as Urban Hymns, but infinitely more powerful and balanced and contains some of The Verve's best work.
One of the things you're generally supposed to say about debuts that you don't think are that good is that they hint at a band's potential and their future direction but if I said that about the Verve's debut it would just be a lie. It's unbelievable that this is the band who several years later would record Urban Hymns, and that's not just because of the difference in the quality of the music but the styles, I never thought it was possible for a band to go from Shoegaze to BritPop, especially not so quickly.
Before I even start to get into the songs one thing I have to say about this album is that I really don't like how Ashcroft's voice is presented, it's buried deep in the mix and surrounded by tonnes of echo; now there are many bands who I wouldn't mind doing ... Read More:
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One of the things you're generally supposed to say about debuts that you don't think are that good is that they hint at a band's potential and their future direction but if I said that about the Verve's debut it would just be a lie. It's unbelievable that this is the band who several years later would record Urban Hymns, and that's not just because of the difference in the quality of the music but the styles, I never thought it was possible for a band to go from Shoegaze to BritPop, especially not so quickly.
Before I even start to get into the songs one thing I have to say about this album is that I really don't like how Ashcroft's voice is presented, it's buried deep in the mix and surrounded by tonnes of echo; now there are many bands who I wouldn't mind doing ... Read More:
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Obviously Love is Noise is a great track, certainly the most obvious choice for a single, their stunning live performance of it at Glastonbury was certainly a testament to its energetic, crowd pleasing potential. However, if I had to take a pick of the bunch, I would go for Appalachian Springs and Sit & Wonder as being my favourites, closely followed by Valium Skies and Judas - each one equally as detailed and soulful as the next.
So that's 5 tracks that instantly grabbed my attention upon first listen!!! - and you know what? - that's FIVE more tracks than any other album I've heard this year, or for the last 5 years in fact, so for that reason alone, 5 stars is well deserved.
Overall the detail in each composition is excellent, the guitar work superb, ... Read More:
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This is a great 'album', mostly very relaxing and mellow. It is worth buying, though, for 1 track - Gravity Grave, live from Glastonbury. It is such an amazing version of a fantastic song. To me, it is one of the best live songs I have ever heard. It sends a shiver down my spine every time I hear it. There is so much emotion evident in all the band members. The highlight is about a minute from the end, when Nick McCabe's guitar kicks in with a howling screech of feedback - just amazing. Buy this now.
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I have always admired The Verve, but find them to be a bit drab and depressing. Don't get me wrong - I LOVED "the Drugs Don't Work", "Lucky Man", "Bittersweet Symphony" etc but I have never associated the Verve's sound with the words 'upbeat' and 'uplifting'.
So, when I first heard their new single "Love is Noise" I was blown away. No, seriously! The song is a catchy, uptempo, melodic anthem. Yes, love is described as being pain, the lyrics are not syrupy sweet but there is a realism to the song and such a great beat to it which sends shivers down my spine. It is a welcome and refreshing change - I look forward to hearing the album.
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