Official press release:

Every now and again, the world of music throws up a record that is out of the ordinary, something in its timing, quality and spirit that just feels right.

The Verve’s 1997 album Urban Hymns, released on September 29th 1997, was one such record. It captured the mood and spirit of the times with songs of an emotional and musical depth that touched a raw nerve throughout the world and ensured this band would graduate from highly respected indie favorites to a genuine rock colossus. A certified classic, Urban Hymns is one of the 20 biggest-selling albums ever in the U.K. (now 11 times platinum) and has sold over ten million copies worldwide.

The album spawned three highly successful singles. The first was the epoch-making worldwide smash “Bitter Sweet Symphony”, which trailered the album and became the sound of the summer. It was followed in the U.K. by “The Drugs Don’t Work” (No. 1) and “Lucky Man” (No. 7).

20 years on the strength of the writing, the quality of the ensemble playing and sensitive production ensure the album sounds as riveting as ever and to mark this anniversary, UMe is releasing a remastered version of the album with a bounty of bonus material – all of the accompanying b-sides (The Verve’s b-sides were genuinely something special) plus three hours of powerful, previously unreleased live material, including the full triumphant May 1998 hometown show in front of around 35,000 fans at Haigh Hall, Wigan (on both CD and DVD).

The remastering and mixing work have been undertaken by Urban Hymns’ original co-producer Chris Potter and Metropolis’ Tony Cousins – as it was for the two super deluxe The Verve reissues issued last year, A Storm In Heaven and A Northern Soul.

The DVD includes the documentary The Video 96-98, only ever previously available on VHS.

The deluxe packages also feature new interviews with all of the band and all physical releases draw on a vast array of previously unseen photography by Chris Floyd, who first travelled with The Verve on their U.S. tour of 1994 and was granted unprecedented access during the making of Urban Hymns and beyond – up to and including the Haigh Hall show. His work brilliantly captured the band in the studio, on stage, backstage, during down time, on their video sets and tour bus.

The Super-deluxe CD includes a lavish 56-page hard cover book plus a poster and five postcards. The Vinyl Edition comes in a gatefold sleeve and includes a 20-page booklet.

Pre-orders:

1CDclick here

2CDclick here

3LPclick here

Super Deluxe Editionclick here

The track-listing of each of the 4 formats is:

Standard CD:

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”

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

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)

Tracks 1-11 from Haigh Hall concert – May 24, 1998

Super Deluxe (Remastered Version) – 5CD/1DVD

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

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

1. “Bitter Sweet Symphony” (extended version)
2. “This Could Be My Moment” *
3. “Monte Carlo” *
4. “Life’s An Ocean” ^
5. “A Man Called Sun” ^
6. “The Drugs Don’t Work” ^
7. “On Your Own” ^
8. “So Sister” ^

* = B-sides (cont.) + 2 session tracks issued in 2004
^ = BBC Evening session 27/8/97 – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

CD4

Live at Haigh Hall 24/5/98 – 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”

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”

VINYL BOX SET

LP1

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”

LP2

B-sides, session tracks issued in 2004*

Side 1

1. “Lord I Guess I’ll Never Know”
2. “Country Song”
3. “Bitter Sweet Symphony”
(James Lavelle Remix)
4. “So Sister”

Side 2

5. “Echo Bass”
6. “Three Steps”
7. “The Crab”
8. “Stamped”

Side 3

9. “The Drugs Don’t Work” – original demo
10. “Never Wanna See You Cry”
11. “(Bitter Sweet Symphony) MSG”
12. “The Longest Day”

Side 4

13. “Lucky Man (Happiness More Or Less)”
14. “Bitter Sweet Symphony”
(extended version)
15. “This Could Be My Moment” *
16. “Monte Carlo” *

LP3

Live at Haigh Hall – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

Side 1

1. “This Is Music”
2. “Space and Time”
3. “Catching the Butterfly”
4. “Sonnet”

Side 2

5. “The Rolling People”
6. “Neon Wilderness”
7. “Weeping Willow”
8. “The Drugs Don’t Work”
9. “Lucky Man”

Side 3

10. “Life’s an Ocean”
11. “Velvet Morning”
12. “Bitter Sweet Symphony”

Side 4

13. “One Day”
14. “History”
15. “Come On”

D2C 12” SINGLE

Side A:

“Bitter Sweet Symphony” Alt. Version (limited promo-only in 1997)

Side B:

“The Drugs Don’t Work” – Washington DC 9.30 Club (3/11/97) (unavailable elsewhere on vinyl)