| Urban Hymns | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by The Verve | ||||
| Released | 29 September 1997 | |||
| Recorded | 13 October 1996 – 4 August 1997, Olympic Studios, London | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock, Britpop, psychedelic rock, soft rock, hard rock | |||
| Length | 75:58 | |||
| Label | Hut (UK/US) Virgin America (US) Virgin (UK) |
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| Producer | The Verve, Chris Potter, Youth | |||
| 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 on Hut Recordings. 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. It is currently ranked the 15th best-selling album in UK chart history.[1]
Contents |
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, with Simon Tong, an old friend of the band on guitar, however Ashcroft realised Nick McCabe's unique guitar style was required to complete the true Verve unit and later asked him to return. Tong also remained adding more guitar and keyboard/organ textures, making them a five-piece band and expanding their sound.[2]
The four-piece had already recorded several tracks for the album with Youth as producer, but once McCabe returned they re-recorded several tracks and changed producers to Chris Potter. McCabe said that in the next seven months of work, "... the key tracks were recorded from scratch, but some of them were already there."[3]
The cover photo was taken in Richmond Park, London.[4]
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" (written by Richard Ashcroft), spacey grooves like "Catching the Butterfly" and "The Rolling People" and all-out rockers like the Led Zeppelin-esque, pounding "Come On" (written by the band after Nick McCabe's return).
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Pitchfork Media | (8.9/10) [5] |
| Melody Maker | (Positive)[6] |
| Allmusic | [7] |
| Entertainment Weekly | (B+) [8] |
| Rolling Stone | [9] |
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.[10]
Urban Hymns debuted at #63 on the Billboard 200, becoming the first album by the group to chart in the U.S.[11] The album ultimately peaked at #23, and is the group's best-selling album in the U.S. with over 1.3 million copies sold.[12] The album was certified Platinum by the RIAA on April 4, 1998.[13]
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.[14] The magazine placed it at the same position in 2001.[15]
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.[16]
It was also nominated for "Best British Album of the Last 30 Years" at the Brits 2010 but lost to Oasis's (What's the Story) Morning Glory?[17]
All songs written by Richard Ashcroft, except where noted.
The Japanese edition of the album contains 15 tracks — the bonus track "Lord I Guess I'll Never Know" is track 14 and "Deep Freeze" is track 15.
Songs which did not make the cut include
All of these five songs, however, would later be released; the first three as solo singles by Ashcroft, and the latter two on the band's compilation album, This Is Music: The Singles 92–98.
| Country | Chart position | Certification |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 1 | 8× Platinum |
| United States | 23[12] | Platinum[13] |
| France | 1 | Platinum |
| Canada | 1 | 2× Platinum |
| Australia | 9 | 3× Platinum |
| Netherlands | 1 | Platinum |
| Switzerland | 1 | Platinum [24] |
| New Zealand | 1 | 5× Platinum |
| Chart (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard 200 | 23 |
| Top Canadian Albums | 18 |
| Media Control Charts (Germany) | 11 |
| Lista Top-40 (Finland) | 4 |
| 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 |
| 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 – 7 February 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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