Remastered • Unheard live audio • B-sides & Remixes • DVD • Vinyl box
Universal will celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Verve‘s Urban Hymns in September with a reissue campaign that includes a 5CD+DVD super deluxe edition and a massive 6LP vinyl box set…. All formats feature a remastered version of the album (the work of Chris Potter and Metropolis’ Tony Cousins) and the super deluxe edition box set adds four further CDs offering B-sides, remixes, session tracks, BBC Sessions and two discs of unreleased live performance from the era, including the May 1998 hometown show in front of around 35,000 fans at Haigh Hall, Wigan.
That same show also features on a content-packed DVD, included within the super deluxe, which includes the 1999 documentary The Video 96-98 (unreleased on DVD until now) and promo videos.
Urban Hymns – 5CD+DVD super deluxe edition
Though widely remembered for the massive hit single “Bittersweet Symphony,” the Verve’s back catalog is a treasure trove of beautiful songs. I’m sure we’re all familiar with the albums, but how often do we listen to the Verve’s b-sides and other rarities? “I See the Door” was. No Come Down (B Sides & Outtakes) The Verve; Urban Hymns The Verve; The Very Best '99 The Verve; This Is Music: The Singles 92-98 The Verve; This Is Music:The Singles 92-98 The Verve; Forth The Verve; A Storm In Heaven (Deluxe Edition) CD1 The Verve; Northern Soul The Verve; Forth (DVDA) The Verve; A Storm In Heaven The Verve; Love Is Noise. The Verve are set to release a deluxe 20th anniversary edition of their 1997 album 'Urban Hymns'. The deluxe versions will feature all of the accompanying b-sides plus three hours of. Vintage Ashcroft that could have been a b-side at any point in his illustrious career. Verve's debut 'Hit The North' radio session aired on February 5, 1992 and included performances of 'Slide Away,' 'She's a Superstar,' and 'One Way To Go,' plus an interview with Mark Radcliffe.
As with the last year’s Verve box sets this super deluxe includes a 56-page hard cover book, a poster and five postcards.
What is different about the reissue of this album is that there is a vinyl box set edition that is very extensive indeed and covers most (not all) of the audio in the CD box across six vinyl records (three gatefold packages). The remastered Urban Hymns is pressed on two LPs, and all the B-sides and remixes are included on two further vinyl records. All 15 tracks from the previously unreleased Live at Haigh Hall fill the final two vinyl records, completing this six-LP vinyl box.
Urban Hymns – 6LP vinyl box set
The audio you don’t get in the vinyl box is the BBC Evening Session (CD3 of the box) and the 12 tracks of ‘Further live material’ on CD 5. However, the vinyl box does come with a 20-page booklet and a download card which entitles you to all audio from the super deluxe edition CD box set.
There is a two-CD edition as well. The second disc is the Haigh Hall live performance, rather than the B-sides and remixes, although the eagle-eyed amongst you might notice that Universal haven’t just repeated CD 4 from the box set. Neon Wilderness is missing (along with the encores) and they’ve added three tracks from the aforementioned ‘further live material’ tracks. Putting this live audio on disc two is probably a good decision, since many fans will have CD singles from back in the day.
All formats of Urban Hymns will be released on 1 September 2017.
Compare prices and pre-order
Compare prices and pre-order
Compare prices and pre-order
Urban Hymns / 5CD+DVD super deluxe edition
CD1
Remastered album
1. Bitter Sweet Symphony
2. Sonnet
3. The Rolling People
4. The Drugs Don’t Work
5. Catching the Butterfly
6. Neon Wilderness
7. Space and Time
8. Weeping Willow
9. Lucky Man
10. One Day
11. This Time
12. Velvet Morning
13. Come On
CD2
B-sides And Rarities
B-sides
1. Lord I Guess I’ll Never Know
2. Country Song
3. Bitter Sweet Symphony (James Lavelle Remix)
4. So Sister
5. Echo Bass
6. Three Steps
7. The Drugs Don’t Work – original demo
8. The Crab
9. Stamped
10. Never Wanna See You Cry
11. (Bitter Sweet Symphony) MSG
12. The Longest Day
13. Lucky Man (Happiness More or Less)
CD3
B-sides (cont.) + 2 session tracks issued in 2004*
1. Bitter Sweet Symphony (extended version)
2. This Could Be My Moment *
3. Monte Carlo*
BBC Evening session 27/8/97 – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
4. Life’s An Ocean
5. A Man Called Sun
6. The Drugs Don’t Work
7. On Your Own
8. So Sister
CD4 Live at Haigh Hall 24/5/98 – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
What Are B-sides
1. This Is Music
2. Space and Time
3. Catching the Butterfly
4. Sonnet
5. The Rolling People
6. Neon Wilderness
7. Weeping Willow
8. The Drugs Don’t Work
9. Lucky Man
10. Life’s an Ocean
11. Velvet Morning
12. Bitter Sweet Symphony
CD5 – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
Haigh Hall Encore:
1. One Day
2. History
3. Come On
Further live material (Washington / Brixton / Manchester – 1997/8)
4. A New Decade – Washington DC 9.30 Club (3/11/97)
5. The Rolling People – Brixton Academy (16/1/98)
6. On Your Own – Brixton Academy (16/1/98)
7. History – Brixton Academy (16/1/98)
8. The Drugs Don’t Work – Washington DC 9.30 Club (3/11/97)
9. Slide Away – Manchester Academy (11/8/97)
10. A Man Called Sun – Washington DC 9.30 Club (3/11/97)
11. A Northern Soul – Washington DC 9.30 Club (3/11/97)
12. Space and Time – Brixton Academy (16/1/98)
13. This Is Music – Manchester Academy (11/8/97)
14. Weeping Willow – Washington DC 9.30 Club (3/11/97)
15. Stormy Clouds (and Reprise) – Manchester Academy (11/8/97) 7.24
DVD
The Video 1996-1998 –originally issued as HUTVID1
Later with Jools Holland – 01/11/97 – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
1. Lucky Man
2. Life’s An Ocean
3. The Drugs Don’t Work
4. Bitter Sweet Symphony
Live at Haigh Hall – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
1. This Is Music
2. Space and Time
3. Catching the Butterfly
4. Sonnet
5. The Rolling People
6. Neon Wilderness
7. Weeping Willow
8. The Drugs Don’t Work
9. Lucky Man
10. Life’s an Ocean
11. Velvet Morning
12. Bitter Sweet Symphony
13. One Day
14. History
15. Come On
The promo videos:
Bitter Sweet Symphony
The Drugs Don’t Work
Lucky Man
Lucky Man (US version)
Sonnet
Urban Hymns / 6LP vinyl box set
LP 1 & 2
Remastered album
Side 1
1. Bitter Sweet Symphony
2. Sonnet
3. The Rolling People
Side 2
4. The Drugs Don’t Work
5. Catching the Butterfly
6. Neon Wilderness
Side 3
7. Space and Time
8. Weeping Willow
9. Lucky Man
10. One Day
Side 4
11. This Time
12. Velvet Morning
13. Come On
LP 3 & 4
B-sides, session tracks issued in 2004*
Side 5
1. Lord I Guess I’ll Never Know
2. Country Song
3. Bitter Sweet Symphony (James Lavelle Remix)
4. So Sister
Side 6
5. Echo Bass
6. Three Steps
7. The Crab
8. Stamped
Side 7
9. The Drugs Don’t Work – original demo
10. Never Wanna See You Cry
11. (Bitter Sweet Symphony) MSG
12. The Longest Day
Side 8
13. Lucky Man (Happiness More or Less)
14. Bitter Sweet Symphony (extended version)
15. This Could Be My Moment*
16. Monte Carlo*
LP 5 & 6
Live at Haigh Hall – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
Side 9
1. This Is Music
2. Space and Time
3. Catching the Butterfly
4. Sonnet
Side 10
5. The Rolling People
6. Neon Wilderness
7. Weeping Willow
8. The Drugs Don’t Work
9. Lucky Man
Side 11
10. Life’s an Ocean
11. Velvet Morning
12. Bitter Sweet Symphony
Side 12
13. One Day
14. History
15. Come On
Urban Hymns – 2CD deluxe
CD1 Remastered album
1. Bitter Sweet Symphony
2. Sonnet
3. The Rolling People
4. The Drugs Don't Work
5. Catching the Butterfly
6. Neon Wilderness
7. Space and Time
8. Weeping Willow
9. Lucky Man
10. One Day
11. This Time
12. Velvet Morning
13. Come On
CD2 – Live 1997/98 – ALL UNRELEASED
B-sides R Us
Tracks 1-11 from Haigh Hall concert – May 24, 1998
1. This Is Music
2. Space and Time
3. Catching the Butterfly
4. Sonnet
5. The Rolling People
6. Weeping Willow
7. The Drugs Don’t Work
8. Lucky Man
9. Life’s an Ocean
10. Velvet Morning
11. Bitter Sweet Symphony
12. A New Decade – Washington DC 9.30 Club (3/11/97)
13. History – Brixton Academy (16/1/98
14. Slide Away – Manchester Academy (11/8/97)
Core members: Richard Ashcroft (vocals), Nick McCabe (guitar), Simon Jones (bass), and Peter Salisbury (drums). Simon Tong was added as second guitarist for the album 'Urban Hymns' but not included in the group's 2008 reformation. Group formed simply as Verve in 1991 (they became The Verve in 1994 after a dispute with the jazz label Verve). Early material tended toward guitar-based soundscapes influenced by My Bloody Valentine, but they would later become a more conventional alt-rock group. In April 1999 The Verve announced that they had mutually agreed to disband. 8 years later the original band reconciled their differences and reunited to record a new album and resume touring.