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/USM are releasing a remastered version of the album with a bounty of bonus material – all of the accompanying bsides 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.

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 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.

SUPER DELUXE VINYL BOX SET (6 DISCS)
3 x double LPs
Discs 1+2 – Original album (remastered)
Discs 3+4 – All the b-sides (and more)
Discs 5-6 – Live at Haigh Hall 24.5.98 (previously unreleased)
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 (below).

5CD+DVD SUPER DELUXE BOX SET
Audio includes: Original album (remastered) / All the b-sides /
Live at Haigh Hall 24.5.98 (previously unreleased) / Plus further
(unreleased) live material from 1997/1998, BBC evening
session (27.8.97) and more
DVD includes: Full Haigh Hall concert / 1999 documentary ‘The
Video 96-98’ / Later with Jools Holland 1.11.97 / and the promo
videos
Plus: 56-page hard cover book / 24pp Poster / 5 post cards