The Verve Urban Hymns released

Urban Hymns The Verve

Released: September 30, 1997 Peak: 23 US, 112 UK, 15 CN, 9 AU Sales (in millions): 1.3 US, 3.3 UK, 11.0 world (includes US and UK) Genre: Britpop

Tracks: Song Title (Writers) [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to charts. Bitter Sweet Symphony [5:58] (6/28/97, 12 US, 2 UK, 22 AR, 4 MR) Sonnet [4:21] (5/30/98, 74 UK) The Rolling People (The Verve) [7:01] The Drugs Don’t Work [5:05] (9/13/97, 1 UK) Catching the Butterfly (The Verve) [6:26] Neon Wilderness (Nick McCabe, The Verve) [2:37] Space and Time [5:36] Weeping Willow [4:49] Lucky Man [4:53] (12/6/97, 7 UK, 16 MR) One Day [5:03] This Time [3:05] Velvet Morning [4:57] Come On (and hidden track Deep Freeze) (The Verve) [15:15] Songs written by Richard Ashcroft unless noted otherwise. Total Running Time: 75:57 The Players: Richard Ashcroft (vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboard) Nick McCabe (lead guitar) Simon Tong (second lead guitar, keyboard) Simon Jones (bass) Peter Salisbury (drums)

Rating: 4.105 out of 5.00 (average of 27 ratings) Quotable: “A rich album that revitalizes rock traditions without ever seeming less than contemporary” – Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: “Not long after the release of A Northern Soul, the Verve imploded due to friction between vocalist Richard Ashcroft and guitarist Nick McCabe. It looked like the band had ended before reaching its full potential, which is part of the reason why their third album, Urban Hymns — recorded after the pair patched things up in late 1996 — is so remarkable. Much of the record consists of songs Ashcroft had intended for a solo project or a new group, yet Urban Hymns unmistakably sounds like the work of a full band, with its sweeping, grandiose soundscapes and sense of purpose.” AMG “The Verve have toned down their trancy, psychedelic excursions, yet haven’t abandoned them — if anything, they sound more muscular than before, whether it's the trippy Catching the Butterfly or the pounding Come On. These powerful, guitar-drenched rockers provide the context for Ashcroft’s affecting, string-laden ballads, which give Urban Hymns its hurt.” AMG “The majestic Bitter Sweet Symphony and the heartbreaking, country-tinged The Drugs Don't Work are an astonishing pair, two anthemic ballads that make the personal universal, thereby sounding like instant classics. They just are the tip of the iceberg — Sonnet is a lovely, surprisingly understated ballad, The Rolling People has a measured, electric power, and many others match their quality.” AMG “Although it may run a bit too long for some tastes, Urban Hymns is a rich album that revitalizes rock traditions without ever seeming less than contemporary. It is the album the Verve have been striving to make since their formation, and it turns out to be worth all the wait.” AMG

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for The Verve AMG All Music Guide review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine WK Wikipedia First posted 4/7/2008; last updated 10/2/2023.

 

The Verve released “Bitter Sweet Symphony”

Bitter Sweet Symphony The Verve

Writer(s): Richard Ashcroft (see lyrics here) Released: June 16, 1997 First Charted: June 28, 1997 Peak: 12 US, 22 RR, 8 A40, 3 AA, 22 AR, 4 MR, 2 UK, 5 CN, 11 AU, 1 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 0.5 US, 1.28 UK, 2.24 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 1103.7 video, 901.07 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: “Bitter Sweet Symphony” was the lead single from Urban Hymns, the third album from the British alternative rock group The Verve. With its “Phil Spector-ish density,” AMG it became “one of the defining songs of the Britpop era.” WK While the group had other hits in the UK, this was their only song reach the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the U.S. It might not have charted at all if it weren’t for its use in a Nike commercial which prompted radio statios and MTV to add the song. SF Lyrically, it takes “a somber look at the ennui of everyday life.” SF Lead singer Richard Ashcroft said the song is a reflection on how money and happiness were not synonymous. Rolling Stone and NME each named it the Single of the Year. It was nominated for a Brit Award for Best British Single and a Grammy Award for Best Rock Song. It also garnered MTV Video Music Award nominations for Video of the Year, Best Group Video, and Best Alternative Video. The Verve’s lead singer Richard Ashcroft is shown walking down a London sidewalk in one continuous motion, an homage to the “docu-fiction music video” for Massive Attack’s ‘Unfinished Sympathy.” WK The Guardian’s Francesca Perry called it one of the best music videos about city life. WK The song created legal controversy because the opening strings, which are sampled from a 1965 orchestral recording by Andrew Loog Oldham of the Rolling Stones’ song “The Last Time.” Although the Verve got permission from Decca Records, which owned the Oldham recording, they didn’t know they also needed permission from ABKCO, which owned the original publishing for the song. The company’s owner, Allen Klein, was a former manager with the Rolling Stones and forced them into a very lopsided contract which gave him publishing rights to all the songs the band had recorded through 1969. He employed similarly cruel tactics in paying Ashcroft a flat fee of $1000 and forcing the band to sign over 100% of the publishing. SF Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for The Verve AMG All Music Guide SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 2/2/2021; last updated 8/24/2023.