Sarah C. Fallon 2009-07-31

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

Wow. I can't believe how good this album is. This will be at the top of my playlist for a long time. It's an early 90's album, but is only dated in the sense that you don't hear creative rock like this anymore. Wish I had discovered it as a teenager when it came out, but apparently The Verve was a gem that had to be sought out. The sound is fluid, enveloping and beautiful, yet still rocks...perfect for when you want to feel calm, or intense, or both.

jm 2008-12-18

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

Sad to say, the Verve will never be like this again: simple, abstract lyrics ("Signs are right/The signs are here/Who needs virtual world/
When I can see it now" ...ah!); unabashedly effects-laden and layered guitars- murky and illuminated, surging and soaring all at once; drifting, featherlight vocals giving way to rock bellowing. Lilting, delicate compositions mixed with roaring chaos, ebb and flow. Swagger and sensitivity, hollering and hushes. This album sounds exactly like its title.

Their subsequent albums have had their good points, but they sounded like an entirely different band. Perhaps serendipitously, circumstances led to Verve becoming THE Verve after this album, and in turn a whole short-lived era was put to rest. Birth, life, death, all in this genius first album- how perfect.

Sh32echo 2008-06-28

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

I remember when i first time I saw them on second stage of Loll. back in the day. I stumble upon them, the music they were playing was great. The following day the bought the tape. Now that dating me. anyway I had to add this cd to my collection finally. Good times.

Em11th 2007-12-30

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

"Urban Hymns" lovers might not care for it, but this is the best of the Verve's fleeting but extraordinary and influential career. A Storm in Heaven easily makes the list of my top ten albums of all time, which is a list that spans four decades.

There's a little bit of everything in this sonic extravaganza...from softly and pyschedelically haunting to hard driving rock. I have to agree with some of the negative comments about the production work though. The vocals on some tracks are far too muted, relegating Ashcroft's incredible vocals to background instrument status. That's not necessarily a bad thing I suppose, because the multiple lush layers of guitar really shine through.

This is an absolute "must-have" for your collection.

Richard Driver 2007-05-27

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

I've been a Richard Ashcroft fan since I first heard "Bitter Sweet Symphony" but never ventured backward into the less known (in the United States) first two albums by The Verve. Since I picked up ''This Is Music: The Singles 92-98'' I've wanted to go back and listen to this album and ''A Northern Soul''. After hearing this album I could not stop listening or replaying it. The other reviewers say that this album is one of the most played in their collection and I can see why.

True to the excesses of The Verve at the time, the album has a very mellow and relaxing feel to it. It will calm you and let your mind think, but not in a negative manner. The songs are soft which allows the lyrics and melody to flow together. Some listeners won't be able to get past what seems to be similar sounds from each song or what they perceive as no real separations between songs, but those thoughts are misguided.

If you like "Bitter Sweet Symphony" because it was popular, stay away from this album. But if you would like to explore more of The Verve beyond that song and ''Urban Hymns'', check out this fantastic beginning for a band that never received the credits they deserved.