Urban Hymns
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| Urban Hymns | |||||
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| Studio album by The Verve | |||||
| Released | September 29, 1997 | ||||
| Recorded | Olympic Studios from October 13, 1996 – August 4, 1997 | ||||
| Genre | Alternative, space rock, Britpop | ||||
| Length | 75:51 | ||||
| Label | Hut, Virgin Records | ||||
| Producer | The Verve, Chris Potter, Youth | ||||
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| Singles from Urban Hymns | |||||
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Urban Hymns is the highly acclaimed alternative rock/space rock album released on September 29, 1997 by English rock band The Verve. After the release of the band's previous album, A Northern Soul, The Verve broke up due to growing tensions between Richard Ashcroft and Nick McCabe. They reunited in 1996 (see 1996 in music) and recorded Urban Hymns, which earned nearly unanimous critical praise upon its release and went on to become one of the biggest selling albums of the year largely on the strength of the international chart-topper "Bitter Sweet Symphony".
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 UK #1 to date, has become a concert staple for jam bands and other groups. The rest of the album alternates 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", which closes the set.
Melody Maker named Urban Hymns as the number-one album of 1997 in its year-end list.[1] In 1998, Q magazine readers voted it the 18th greatest album of all time. In the same year it was also shortlisted for the Mercury Music Prize. In 2000, Q placed the album at number 58 its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever, while 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.
Since its release, the album has sold more than 6 million copies worldwide.
Contents |
[edit] Track listing
- "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Richard Ashcroft) – 5:58
- Samples by The Andrew Oldham Orchestra.
- "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)
- - (06:38–13:01)
- "Deep Freeze" (13:01–15:15)
Some versions of the album contain 15 tracks — the bonus track "Lord I Guess I'll Never Know" is track 14, and "Deep Freeze" is track 15.
[edit] Sales
| Country | Chart position | Certification | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 1 | 8× Platinum | 2,500,000 |
| United States | 23 | Platinum | 1,340,000 |
| France | 9 | Platinum | 1,000,000 |
| Canada | 18 | 2× Platinum | 200,000 |
| Australia | 9 | 3× Platinum | 3,000,000 |
| Netherlands | Platinum | 1,000,000 | |
| Switzerland | 13 | Gold | 500,000 |
[edit] Chart positions
[edit] Album
| Chart (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard 200 | 23 |
| Top Canadian Albums | 18 |
| Lista Top-40 (Finland) | 4 |
[edit] Singles
| Single | Chart (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| "Lucky Man" | Modern Rock Tracks | 16 |
| Lista Top-20 (Finland) | 16 | |
| "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 | |
| Lista Top-20 (Finland) | 6 | |
| "The Drugs Don't Work" | Lista Top-20 (Finland) | 9 |
[edit] Personnel
- Youth – producer
- The Verve – producer
- Simon Jones – bass guitar
- Peter Salisbury – drums
- Richard Ashcroft – guitar, vocals
- Nick McCabe – guitar
- Simon Tong – guitar, keyboards
- Liam Gallagher - backing vocals (Come On)
- Mel Wesson – programming
- Paul Anthony Taylor – programming
- Wil Malone – conductor, string arrangements
- Christopher Marc Potter – producer, engineer, mixing, recording
- 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] Notes
- ^ Anonymous (December 20, 1997 – December 27, 1997), "Albums of the Year 1997", Melody Maker 74 (51): 66-67, ISSN 0025-9012
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