THE VERVE "Urban Hymns" 1997 ORIGINAL UK HUT 2 LP

	£		34
	$		45

  THE VERVE "Urban Hymns" 1997 ORIGINAL UK HUT 2 LP w/LIMITED BROWN MAILING ENVELOPE & TWO INNER SLEEVES
THE VERVE
Urban Hymns

ORIGINAL UK HUT RECORDS (HUTLP 45) VERY FIRST PRESSING (September 1997) OF THE VERVE'S SENSATIONAL SPRAWLING EPIC DOUBLE LP SET "Urban Hymns" - THIER MASSIVE COMMERCIAL BREAKTHROUGH
BOTH LPs ARE IN LIGHTLY PLAYED CONDITION (probably played just once or twice) AND DELIVER JUST ABOUT THE FINEST SOUND YOU ARE LIKELY TO FIND FOR THIS OFT TROUBLESOME LP (which never delivered Mint or even Near Mint audio in my experience, not even when brand new)

THIS COPY COMES COMPLETE WITH THE RARE, VERY LIMITED, OFFICIAL "The Verve URBAN HYMNS" BROWN MAILING ENVELOPE AND TWO (MINT) INNER SLEEVES
MATRICES:
SIDE ONE: HUTLP 45 A - 1 - 1 - 1
SIDE TWO: HUTLP 45 B - 1 - 1 - 1
SIDE THREE: HUTLP 45 C - 1 - 1 - 1
SIDE FOUR: HUTLP 45 D - 1 - 1 - 1

EXCELLENT ORIGINAL UK 2 LP PRESSING OF THE MASSIVE "URBAN HYMNS", A SCARCE ALBUM, ESPECIALLY AS ONE OF A LIMITED NUMBER THAT WERE RELEASED IN AN OFFICIAL VERVE BROWN MAILING SLEEVE

Not long after the release of A Northern Soul, the Verve imploded due to friction between vocalist Richard Ashcroft and guitarist Nick McCabe.
It looked like the band had ended before reaching its full potential, which is part of the reason why their third album, Urban Hymns — recorded after the pair patched things up in late 1996 — is so remarkable.
Much of the record consists of songs Ashcroft had intended for a solo project or a new group, yet Urban Hymns unmistakably sounds like the work of a full band, with its sweeping, grandiose soundscapes and sense of purpose.
The Verve have toned down their trancy, psychedelic excursions, yet haven't abandoned them — if anything, they sound more muscular than before, whether it's the trippy "Catching the Butterfly" or the pounding "Come On." These powerful, guitar-drenched rockers provide the context for Ashcroft's affecting, string-laden ballads, which give Urban Hymns its hurt.
The majestic "Bitter Sweet Symphony" and the heartbreaking, country-tinged "The Drugs Don't Work" are an astonishing pair, two anthemic ballads that make the personal universal, thereby sounding like instant classics.
They just are the tip of the iceberg — "Sonnet" is a lovely, surprisingly understated ballad, "The Rolling People" has a measured, electric power, and many others match their quality.
Although it may run a bit too long for some tastes, Urban Hymns is a rich album that revitalises rock traditions without ever seeming less than contemporary. It is the album the Verve have been striving to make since their formation, and it turns out to be worth all the wait.

Track Listing:
Side One: Bitter Sweet Symphony / Sonnet / The Rolling People
Side Two: The Drugs Don't Work / Catching The Butterfly / Neon Wilderness
Side Three: Space And Time / Weeping Willow / Lucky Man / One Day
Side Four: This Time / Velvet Morning / Come On

LABELS: CLEAN and BRIGHT with NO wear, NO writing and just one, maybe two max, spindle traces per label
VINYL Visual: The vinyl surfaces still retain their DEEP, GLOSSY SHEEN and shine LIKE-NEW. The unkind card inner sleeves have marked the surfaces with some (very) light hairlines but these are of NO real audio consequence (see detailed audio assessment below)
VINYL Audio: CRYSTAL CLEAR, RICH, WARM AND VERY STRONG EXPANSIVE SOUND. On playback at a LOUD volume there are NO scratches, NO jumps, NO sticks, NO loud clicks/pops, just some surface noise/crackle apparent on the quiet lead-ins and between the tracks. The sound quality here is simply OUTSTANDING with GRANDIOSE, SWEEPING SOUNDSCAPES and the LP plays up to a high standard with NO groove-wear and NO distortion (both records have seen very, very little play). All four sides are graded VERY GOOD++/ EXCELLENT - but I must stress that even when brand new this LP never delivered what I would describe as MINT or even NEAR MINT audio, so in my opinion they really don't come much better than this
SLEEVE: The cover is NEAR MINT as it has been kept inside its brown mailer so the surfaces are CLEAN and FRESH with NO rubbing and the spine displays all text CLEAR and BOLD
INNER SLEEVES: The 2 inners are MINT - CLEAN and UNMARKED with NO splits or any signs of wear (the LPs are now housed in new inners and will be posted in these to prevent any knifing damage to the originals during transit or any more marking to the vinyl surfaces)
BROWN OUTER MAILER: The mailer has suffered some storage rubbing to the central section of one of the side edges (please see close-up photo) but is otherwise, CLEAN and UNMARKED with NO structural damage - EXCELLENT

PLEASE HAVE A LOOK AT MY PICTURES - I USUALLY TAKE QUITE A FEW SO YOU CAN GET A CLEAR INDICATION OF EVERY DETAIL OF THE ITEM
I HAVE UPLOADED AS MANY PICTURES AS I CAN BUT I WOULD BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO SUPPLY ANY ADDITIONAL PHOTOS ON REQUEST
EXCELLENT ORIGINAL UK *COMPLETE* PRESSING OF A SENSATIONAL PIECE OF WORK AND ONE PRETTY HARD TO BEAT (even with the light crackle which in my experience is almost always present)
AS WITH ALL MY RECORDS THIS HAS A LOW START PRICE AND NO RESERVE
PLEASE CHECK OUT MY OTHER AUCTIONS FOR MORE RARE AND COLLECTABLE VINYL
AND PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO CONTACT ME WITH ANY QUERIES YOU MAY HAVE
THANKS FOR LOOKING, CHEERS

PLEASE REFER TO MY 'ABOUT ME' PAGE FOR MORE DETAILED INFO ON MY PLAY-GRADING, EQUIPMENT USED, P&P etc

POST & PACKING
UK: 1st Class: FREE or £1.00 (recorded delivery)
EUROPE: Airmail: £6.00 or £9.50 (International Signed For delivery with tracking)
INTERNATIONAL: Airmail: £10.00 or £13.50 (International Signed For delivery with tracking)
***Any record (or combination of records) which sells for more than £40 MUST be sent by a trackable method ie INTERNATIONAL SIGNED FOR or RECORDED (UK)

UK bidders: PayPal or Cheque
INTERNATIONAL bidders: PayPal ONLY

REDUCED POSTAGE FOR MULTIPLE ITEMS (EACH ADDITIONAL LP: EUROPE & INTERNATIONAL £2.00)
I will combine postage for items purchased within any 10 day period. However, at the end of each 10 day period, all outstanding items will need to be paid for in full and will be posted to you. Any items purchased after payment will be included in the next 10 period. I am continually adding new items which may be of interest to you and it is impractical for me to allow payment to be postponed indefinitely in the expectation that you might wish to bid on future items. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation
Guarantee: I endeavour to be as accurate and honest as possible when describing the condition of any LP but of course if you feel that I am mistaken and the description is inaccurate I will offer a complete, no quibble refund (through Paypal) upon return of the item.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Due to a recent spate of bidders with no feedback or limited history not paying for records I must insist that all bidders with NO feedback or limited history (less than 10 positives) contact me first before bidding to confirm their genuine intention to buy the record otherwise their bid will be cancelled and they will be blocked. Sorry to sound so authoritarian but non payers are a real waste of not only my time but genuine eBayers

ALL RECORDS ARE PROFESSIONALLY CLEANED BEFORE DISPATCH AND PACKAGED WITH THE VINYL OUTSIDE OF THE SLEEVE TO PREVENT ANY 'KNIFING' DURING TRANSIT.
A PROTECTIVE POLY SLEEVE, QUALITY WRAPRO MAILER AND STIFFENERS ARE ALWAYS USED TO ENSURE THAT YOUR RECORD ARRIVES SAFELY
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