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The Verve - Urban Hymns - The Funkadoobian
The Verve - Urban Hymns - The Funkadoobian
The Verve - Urban Hymns - The Funkadoobian
The Verve - Urban Hymns - The Funkadoobian

The Verve - Urban Hymns

€250,00 inc. VAT
Product Details
  • Artist The Verve
  • Title Urban Hymns
  • Label Hut Recordings Virgin
  • Catalogue No HUTLP 45 7243 8 44913 1 4
  • Format LP
  • Genre Funky Rock Indi
  • Media Condition Very Good Plus (VG+)
  • Sleeve Condition Very Good Plus (VG+)
Description

UK 1997 press with Black Side Labels

  • Matrix (Side A runout stamped): HUTLP 45 A-1-1-|
  • Matrix (Side B runout stamped): HUTLP 45 B-1-1-|
  • Matrix (Side C runout stamped): HUTLP 45 C-1-1-|
  • Matrix (Side D runout stamped): HUTLP 45 D-1-1-|

Year Released: 1997

Genre: Britpop, Indie Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Orchestral Rock

Description:

Urban Hymns is the third studio album by English rock band The Verve, and it represents both the pinnacle of their career and the end of the Britpop era. Released on September 29, 1997, it was a massive commercial and critical success, catapulting the band from respected indie favorites to global superstars. The album is a masterful fusion of the band's psychedelic, space-rock past with frontman Richard Ashcroft's increasingly melodic and emotionally resonant songwriting.

The album's sound is epic and expansive, characterized by lush string arrangements, swirling guitars from Nick McCabe, and a sense of spiritual and philosophical searching. It features some of The Verve's most enduring and anthemic songs, including the chart-topping "The Drugs Don't Work" and the bittersweet epic "Lucky Man."

The album's most famous and infamous track is the opener, "Bitter Sweet Symphony." Its iconic string riff, a sample from an orchestral rendition of The Rolling Stones' "The Last Time," became the subject of a high-profile legal battle. The dispute, led by the Rolling Stones' former manager Allen Klein, resulted in Mick Jagger and Keith Richards receiving the full songwriting credit and all royalties for the song for over two decades. In 2019, they famously returned the rights to Ashcroft. The commercial success of the album, propelled by "Bitter Sweet Symphony," was immense, making it one of the best-selling albums in UK history and earning the band two BRIT Awards in 1998 for Best British Group and Best British Album. Despite this triumph, internal tensions and the pressure of fame led to the band's second and final breakup less than a year after the album's release.