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This CD is absolutely brilliant. The fact that there are even people saying that it's anything less than a classic is utterly astounding to me. If you're a fan of more mellow British music, this CD is a perfect fit. The Verve don't have the swagger or the sing-along choruses that Oasis have, and it works for them. The lyrics are (almost entirely) wonderful, and the songs themselves have a timeless feel to them. The CD opens with the classic Bitter Sweet Symphony (often people call it "Bittersweet Symphony," but that isn't the proper title), and I think that song alone could lyrically save the entire CD, if the album actually needed it. It doesn't. How can you forget lines like "I let the melody shine/Let it cleanse my mind/I feel free now/But the airwaves are clean/And there's nobody singin' to me now"? Next is Sonnet, which is another piece of Verve excellence. But after Sonnet, I feel that the CD loses a bit of steam with The Rolling People. To me, this is the weakest song on the CD. It has a great feel to it, but the lyrics just aren't quite up to par. The album is saved immediately by the next track, The Drugs Don't Work. This song is absolutely brilliant. It turns what could be a very depressing song into a song that somehow manages to convey a note of hope. Catching the Butterfly is next, which is also a song with a great feel to it. Neon Wilderness has one of my favourite lines from this album: "In a neon wilderness/He was restless/Escape loneliness/Find a new address." Space and Time follows, and while I love the song, it's definitely not one of the stand out tracks for me. Weeping Willow, however is the stand-out track from the entire album for me. It's also probably the most underrated song off Urban Hymns. Richard's voice has this almost ache to it, and the lyrics always affect me in one way or another. Lucky Man is considered a "classic" song in England, and with good reason. It's rather uplifting compared to most Verve songs, and it's generally just a very good song. One Day and This Time follow, and when I first got the CD I could never remember the name of those two, but both also have some brilliant lyrics in them. Velvet Morning is a moody piece of brilliance, and the closer, Come On, is just a rockin' good tune. It's completely different from the demos, though, even the lyrics are changed, but it's still great. The there's a hidden track, which, I hate to stay, is skip-worthy. It just has random baby crying and stuff, it's weird. All in all, though, really, this is a CD you should not miss out on.Read full review
Hands down the Verve's most impressive album to date. It may not have been their last one as reports from the UK suggest the band is currently reforming. It is assumed new material will follow. However, if Urban Hymns was the last release from the Verve, it would be a beautiful swan song. The Verve seems to finally do what its peers have been proclaiming they should have done years prior to the Urban Hymns release, claim the UK rock throne. In the likes of the Stones and Cream these guys rock with a purpose on this album. Pure rock-pop brilliance here. Hymns gives something new to the die hard fans and gives something expected to brand new listeners. The Verve only faults are tracks like "Neon Wilderness" while die hard fans will recognize this as Verve's true purest roots, new listeners will simply press the skip button. Redemption is found in tracks like "Sonnet", the amazing "The Drugs Don't Work", and the anthemic "Velvet Morning". Urban Hymns will find its way into rock history as being a classic that kids 10 or 20 years from now will hail as a staple of for rock music as they way it was and still should sound like. Along with "Nevermind', and "Ten". Urban Hymns will be remembered as one the greatest rock albums of the late 20th century.Read full review
I heard the song "Bitter Sweet Symphony" and loved that song. I had to find out who sang it. I remembered it was in the movie "Cruel Intentions". It reminded me of a "Simple Minds" song of the 80's. After hearing the whole cd, I was quite impressed , enjoyed every song. This cd does have a lot to offer than just the hit song. I love music and have an ipod that I listen to daily. I grew up listening to 80's new wave and this cd hit a cord with me.
Nice CD. Case was perfect.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
Love this CD.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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