Urban Hymns
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| Urban Hymns | ||||
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| Studio album by The Verve | ||||
| Released | 29 September 1997 | |||
| Recorded | 13 October 1996 – 4 August 1997, Olympic Studios, London | |||
| Genre | Space rock, Britpop, Indie rock | |||
| Length | 75:51 | |||
| Label | Hut, Virgin | |||
| Producer | The Verve, Chris Potter, Youth | |||
| Professional reviews | ||||
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| The Verve chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Urban Hymns | ||||
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Urban Hymns is the third album by English rock band The Verve, released on 29 September, 1997. It earned nearly unanimous critical praise upon its release, and went on to become the band's best-selling release and one of the biggest selling albums of the year.
Contents |
[edit] Background
The Verve had previously released two albums, A Storm in Heaven in 1993 and A Northern Soul in 1995. Neither album had achieved mainstream success,[2]and the band split shortly after their second album due to internal conflicts. Vocalist Richard Ashcroft quickly reformed the group, but without guitarist Nick McCabe, who was replaced by Simon Tong, an old friend of the band.[2]
[edit] Music
The Verve were known for their music's complex, immersive sonic textures. "Bitter Sweet Symphony" was a hit on both sides of the Atlantic, and remains the band's most well-known song. "The Drugs Don't Work", the band's only number one single in the UK, became a concert staple for jam bands and other groups.
The rest of the album alternated between wistful ballads like "Sonnet" and "Space and Time", spacey grooves like "Catching the Butterfly" and "The Rolling People", and all-out rockers like the Led Zeppelin-esque, pounding "Come On", the album closer.
[edit] Release and reception
The album received nearly unanimous critical praise upon its release, with Melody Maker naming Urban Hymns as the number-one album of 1997 in its year-end list[3]
[edit] Legacy
In the years following its release, Urban Hymns received much acclaim. In 1998, it won Best British Album at the Brit Awards, it was also shortlisted for the Mercury Prize, and Q magazine readers voted it the 18th greatest album of all time.[4]The magazine placed it at the same position in 2001.[5]
In 2006, its editors voted it the 16th greatest album of all time. The Verve were awarded with the first ever "Q Classic Album" award for this album at the 2007 Q Awards. In a 2008 poll, Urban Hymns was ranked as the 10th best British album of all time.[6]
[edit] Track listing
- "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (Richard Ashcroft, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards) – 5:58
- "Sonnet" (Ashcroft) – 4:21
- "The Rolling People" (The Verve) – 7:01
- "The Drugs Don't Work" (Ashcroft) – 5:05
- "Catching the Butterfly" (The Verve) – 6:26
- "Neon Wilderness" (Nick McCabe, The Verve) – 2:37
- "Space and Time" (Ashcroft) – 5:36
- "Weeping Willow" (Ashcroft) – 4:49
- "Lucky Man" (Ashcroft) – 4:53
- "One Day" (Ashcroft) – 5:03
- "This Time" (Ashcroft) – 3:50
- "Velvet Morning" (Ashcroft) – 4:57
- "Come On" (The Verve) – 15:15
- "Come On" - (00:00–6:38)
- "Lord I Guess I'll Never Know" - (06:38–13:01)
- "Deep Freeze" - (13:01–15:15)
The Japanese edition of the album contains 15 tracks — the bonus track "Lord I Guess I'll Never Know" is track 13 and "Deep Freeze" is track 15.
[edit] Sales
| Country | Chart position | Certification |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 1 | 8× Platinum |
| United States | 23 | Platinum |
| France | 9 | Platinum |
| Canada | 18 | 2× Platinum |
| Australia | 9 | 3× Platinum |
| Netherlands | Platinum | |
| Switzerland | 13 | Gold |
| New Zealand | 1 | 5× Platinum |
[edit] Chart positions
[edit] Album
| Chart (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard 200 | 23 |
| Top Canadian Albums | 18 |
| Media Control Charts (Germany) | 11 |
| Lista Top-40 (Finland) | 4 |
[edit] Singles
| Single | Chart (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| "Lucky Man" | Modern Rock Tracks | 16 |
| Lista Top-20 (Finland) | 16 | |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 38 | |
| "Bitter Sweet Symphony" | Top 40 Adult Recurrents | 9 |
| Adult Top 40 | 8 | |
| Modern Rock Tracks | 4 | |
| Mainstream Rock Tracks | 22 | |
| Top 40 Mainstream | 23 | |
| The Billboard Hot 100 | 12 | |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 15 | |
| Lista Top-20 (Finland) | 6 | |
| "The Drugs Don't Work" | Lista Top-20 (Finland) | 9 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 10 | |
| "Sonnet" | New Zealand Singles Chart | 43 |
[edit] Personnel
[edit] Band
- Richard Ashcroft – vocals, guitar
- Nick McCabe – lead guitar
- Simon Jones – bass guitar
- Peter Salisbury – drums
- Simon Tong – guitar, keyboards
[edit] With
- Youth – producer
- Chris Potter – producer, engineer, mixing, recording
- The Verve – producer
- Liam Gallagher - backing vocals (on "Come On")
- Mel Wesson – programming
- Paul Anthony Taylor – programming
- Wil Malone – conductor, string, arrangements
- Gareth Ashton – assistant engineer
- Lorraine Francis – assistant engineer
- Jan Kybert – assistant engineer
- Brian Cannon – director, design, sleeve art
- Martin Catherall – design assistant
- Matthew Sankey – design assistant
- Michael Spencer Jones – photography
- John Horsley – photography
- Chris Floyd – photography
[edit] References
- ^ James, Martin. "Review: The Verve - Urban Hymns, Hut Records". Melody Maker (IPC Media) (October 4, 1997): 51.
- ^ a b Follow the Yellow Brick Road
- ^ "Albums of the Year 1997", Melody Maker 74 (51): 66–67, 20 December 1997 – 27 December 1997, ISSN 0025-9012
- ^ 100 Q Magazine - Readers 1998
- ^ In our lifetime #2; at RockListMusic
- ^ Oasis top best British album poll
[edit] Notes
| Preceded by Be Here Now by Oasis Let's Talk About Love by Celine Dion Titanic (OST) by James Horner |
UK number one album 11 October 1997 – 14 November 1997 3 January 1998 – 13 January 1998 21 February 1998 – 27 February 1998 |
Succeeded by Spiceworld by Spice Girls Titanic (OST) by James Horner Titanic (OST) by James Horner |
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