The Verve - 'Urban Hymns'
Richard Ashcroft's bittersweet symphony. How The Verve bounced back with one of the greatest albums of the '90s.
OK, so Yer Verve are from Wigan, but we Mancs have clasped them to our bosom and called them one of our own. 1997's 'Urban Hymns' was a milestone in Richard Ashcroft and co's career, following a few years of noodling around as the "the"-less Verve (until the American jazz record label set their lawyers onto them), putting out the underrated 'A Northern Soul' in '95. Kicking off with the fantastic 'Bittersweet Symphony' (complete with memorable video), 'Urban Hymns' was packed full of instant classics, including 'The Drugs Don't Work' - a ballad dedicated to Ashcroft's late father, which hit the Number One spot during the crazy week of Princess Di's death.
Top tune: 'The Drugs Don't Work'
Download The Drugs Don't Work from iTunes
Download Urban Hymns from iTunes
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