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 favourites to a genuine rock colossus. A certified classic, Urban Hymns is one of the 20 biggest-selling albums ever in the UK (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 UK 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, Virgin/UMC are releasing a remastered version of the album with a bounty of bonus material – all of the accompanying b-sides (and 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 has been undertaken by Urban Hymns’ original co-producer Chris Potter and Metropolis’ Tony Cousins – as it was for the two super deluxe 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 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 US 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 poster and 5 postcards. The Vinyl edition comes in a gatefold sleeve and includes a 20-page booklet plus download card which entitles purchaser to all audio from the super-deluxe CD box.

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

1) 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

2) 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
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)

3) Super Deluxe (Remastered) Version – 5CD/1DVD
CD1
Remastered album
1. Bitter Sweet Symphony
2. Sonnet
16. The Rolling People
17. The Drugs Don’t Work
18. Catching the Butterfly
19. Neon Wilderness
20. Space and Time
21. Weeping Willow
22. Lucky Man
23. One Day
24. This Time
25. Velvet Morning
26. 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
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
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

4) VINYL BOX SET
DOUBLE 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

DOUBLE 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*

DOUBLE 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
00602557562439 5756243
A – Bitter Sweet Symphony Alt. Version (limited promo-only in 1997)
B – The Drugs Don’t Work – Washington DC 9.30 Club (3/11/97) (unavailable elsewhere on vinyl)