Urban hymns

Urban hymns
Studio album by The Verve
Publication (s)	September 29, 1997
Label (s)	Hut Recordings / Virgin
Format (s)	CD, LP, cassette
Genre (s)	Britpop
Title (number)	13 + 1
running time	76 min.
occupation	Vocals / acoustic guitar : Richard Ashcroft Lead guitar : Nick McCabe Bass : Simon Jones Drums : Peter Salisbury Keyboard / guitar : Simon Tong Streicher : Will Malone
production	Chris Potter / Martin "Youth" Glover
Studio (s)	October 13, 1996 - August 4, 1997 Olympic Studios , London , England
chronology A Northern Soul (1995) Urban hymns This Is Music: The Singles 92-98 (2004)

Urban Hymns ( English : Urban Hymns ) is the third official music album by the British band The Verve , released on September 29, 1997 by Hut Recordings . The album reached number 1 on the British album charts and held it for a total of twelve weeks with interruptions. This made the album, which also contained the band's only number one single ( The Drugs Don't Work ), by far the most successful of the group. In Germany it entered the charts with its top position at number 11, in the USA the album made it to number 23.

description

The Urban Hymns are dominated by eight Britpop rock ballads by The Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft , who has advanced to become the main songwriter since 1995 . He still plays these songs, along with the opener Bitter Sweet Symphony , solo in his live program and with the band, which was reunited in 2008.

With Rolling People and Come On there are two old "noisy rock" Verve songs that come from the recordings of A Northern Soul . The song Neon Wilderness is the only song that makes a reference to the very early spherical-surreal times of the band ( The Verve EP & A Storm in Heaven ) and at the same time, Deep Freeze, is one of the two songs on the album, which came from Nick McCabe's songwriting are. The very "electronic" Deep Freeze was initially intended as an album intro for the track Bitter Sweet Symphony , but this was rejected by the producers and the song was positioned as a hidden track at the end of the album.

Britpop had already passed its zenith in 1997, and according to many critics, The Verve recommended itself with the Urban Hymns at that time as the ones who could have opened up a new perspective and inherited the artistically disappointing Oasis . The band's split soon after Nick McCabe left the band defeated that hope.

Title of the album

1. Bitter Sweet Symphony (05:58)
2. Sonnet (04:21)
3. Rolling People (07:01)
4. The Drugs Don't Work (05:05)
5. Catching the Butterfly (06:26)
6. Neon Wilderness (02:37)
7. Space and Time (05:36)
8. Weeping Willow (4:49 am)
9. Lucky Man (04:53)
10. One Day (05:03)
11. This Time (03:50)
12. Velvet Morning (04:57)
13. Come On (07:35)
14. Deep Freeze (Hidden Track - 02:14)

Awards

The Urban Hymns are the fifth fastest-selling album in British music history and mark the climax in the band's history. In 1998, The Verve received three BRIT Awards for the album  - best album, best band and best producer - and one award from the Mercury Music Prize . A year later, the song Bitter Sweet Symphony was nominated for a Grammy in two categories as a soundtrack contribution to the film Eiskalte Engel .

Chart placements

album

Charts	Top ranking	Weeks
Chart placements
Germany (GfK)	11 (56 weeks)	56
Austria (Ö3)	9 (27 weeks)	27
Switzerland (IFPI)	13 (28 weeks)	28
United Kingdom (OCC)	1 (161 weeks)	161
United States (Billboard)	23 (46 weeks)	46

Singles

year	Title album	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes)					Remarks
		DE	AT	CH	UK	US
1997	Bitter Sweet Symphony Urban Hymns	DE37 (22 weeks) DE	AT15 (12 weeks) AT	CH15 (29 weeks) CH	UK2 (56 weeks) UK	US12 (20 weeks) US	First published: June 16, 1997
	The Drugs Don't Work Urban Hymns	DE87 (7 weeks) DE	-	-	UK1 (20 weeks) UK	-	First published: September 1, 1997
	Lucky Man Urban Hymns	DE89 (5 weeks) DE	-	-	UK7 (17 weeks) UK	-	First published: November 24, 1997
1998	Sonnet Urban Hymns	-	-	-	UK74 (4 weeks) UK	-	First published: March 2, 1998

Awards for music sales

Country / Region	Award	Sales
Awards for music sales (country / region, Award, Sales)
Argentina (CAPIF)	gold	30,000
Australia (ARIA)	3 × platinum	210,000
Belgium (BEA)	platinum	50,000
Germany (BVMI)	platinum	500,000
Europe (IFPI)	4 × platinum	(4,000,000)
France (SNEP)	platinum	300,000
Italy (FIMI)	gold	50,000
Canada (MC)	2 × platinum	200,000
New Zealand (RMNZ)	platinum	15,000
Netherlands (NVPI)	platinum	100,000
Sweden (IFPI)	platinum	80,000
Switzerland (IFPI)	platinum	50,000
United States (RIAA)	platinum	1,000,000
United Kingdom (BPI)	11 × platinum	3,300,000
All in all	2 × gold 28 × platinum	5,885,000

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h} These pieces were composed and written by Richard Ashcroft .
2. ↑ ^{a b c d e f} Chart sources: DE AT CH UK US
3. ↑ Award in Argentina
4. ↑ Award in Australia
5. ^ Award in Belgium
6. ↑ Award in Germany
7. ↑ Award in Europe
8. ^ Award in France
9. ^ Verve award in Italy
10. ↑ Award in Canada
11. ↑ Award in New Zealand
12. ↑ Award in the Netherlands
13. ↑ Award in Sweden
14. ↑ Award in Switzerland
15. ↑ Distinction in the United States
16. ↑ Award in the United Kingdom

Web links

• Official band website