Forth

Sure, some of the songs are not their best work but after thinking I would never hear another new Verve song after the breakup I'm thrilled to have this CD! As is typically the case with the Verve, and after a few listenings to this CD free on AOL's beta music site, the songs grew on me and I couldn't wait to get the CD to listen to in the car. The more you listen to this collection of songs the more you will like them! Thank you Verve!Now....if only Zeppelin would reunite and put out a new album (Jason Bonham on drums of course).....

The Verve just dont fail, whatever they do they deliver it well, the songs are long their shortest one is 4 minutes. But this is very enjoyable listen for me , Ashcroft vocals and lyrics are at its best as usual. Too bad this band never got as much attention as OASIS,PULP,SUEDE etc but in my opinion The Verve is one of the greatest bands to ever exist and easily best band to come out of the UK

Simply put its no Urban Hymns but what is? Forth however has its many moments -some disappointments but it surpassed my initial low expectations of a band trying to recapture its former glory. The album starts off strong with Sit and wonder and Love is noise( which to my ear sounds like a Neil Diamond song on steroids) but i must also add the backing vocal sample wears off its welcome very quickly as its used almost nonstop through the song. The next two tracks are good not great but better than say Coldplay or any recent U2 track. Ashcrofts voice sounds strong and the songs seem to have a heavy reliance on bass and drums with the great guitar work somewhat mixed low. By track five im really suprised that there is no real acoustic guitar driven ballad ala The drugs dont work, Sonnet, or some of Richie's solo work. The remainder of the album sees longer songs less hooks and darker moods which harken back to the storm in heaven era. Then it happens the final track Appalachian Springs brings out the acoustic up front and Ashcroft shows his solo side. Backed by his old band the song just has a certain "verve that most of his solo stuff has been missing. By albums end i find myself htting the repeat button. For a reunion type album forth succeeds and actually adds a number of great songs to the verves storied history.

i must admit, this band changed my life back in 1997 (i was introduced to them by a friend. richard, peter, nick & simon R bad-azz........ if you are new(listening) to this band; check out "northern soul" and then you'll understand (on your own and history). 4 this LP, i rate it "a reunion of Britain's finest"PASS THE WORD "the boyz R back"check our Judas, (straight up, classic Verve, yet something NEW to feel!i am elated "Carstereo Ratliff"

I am a big, bif fan of Urban Hymns and was so excited to see a new release from the Verve. Just brilliant work again from these guys. If you are a Verve fan you must get this! Just love the mix of guitars, strings and piano on the songs. It is different from other Verve albums but I recommend it highly.

Suddenly I began to understand why the friend who'd been enormously disappointed by "Forth" was labeling it as perhaps one of Richard Ashcroft's finest releases; after my first listen- through I began to notice an absence of most of the unique reference points that made Verve's previous material universally recognizable and instantly identifiable, beginning particularly with Nick McCabe's heavily atmospheric, endlessly-inventive guitar phrasing occupying a noticeably reduced role after the first two tracks and a considerably more defined role reserved for Ashcroft's vocals being the most obvious tells. Do I necessarily agree with my friend's dismissive attitude toward this recording? Not enough to keep me from enjoying it on its own terms, though I wish that it was more reflective of Verve's progression as a recording entity, that's for sure."Sit And Wonder" and "Love Is Noise" , the tracks that open this recording, were not only the obvious choice for release as singles, but also stand out as the cuts most universally consistent with previously released material. It's due in no small part to Nick McCabe's inspired, aggressive riffing and the multiplicative animation brought to bear on his fretwork, and not coincidentally "Love Is Noise" is the most uptempo track as a result, with "Sit And Wonder" nearly as urgent. They are easily the standout cuts on "Forth", but not indicative of the direction the rest of the CD takes.Which is not to dismiss the rest of "Forth" as merely a Richard Ashcroft solo project on which the rest of Verve's original lineup are providing instrumental support. There are some truly inspired passages of guitar work interspersed through the rest of the songs, and, as ever, Simon Jones and Pete Salisbury play the typical instruments we universally associate with a rock band's rhythm section in a fashion that conjures some truly pronounced grooves, but "Rather Be", "Judas" , and " Numb" move at a tempo that, while not by any definition could be construed as glacial, is nevertheless slower than what I had been accustomed to hearing from the band, and my history as a highly appreciative listener rolls all the way back to the release of the captivating "A Storm In Heaven" back in '93. "Valium Skies" and "Appalachian Spring" both are interesting enough not to program over, but when compared to material unfolding at nearly the same pace from not only "Urban Hymns" but "A Northern Soul" as well, suffer in comparison...never mind the brilliance of " A Man Called Sun" or "Endless Life" from the astounding eponymous CD which showcases their earliest songs, and where they began to craft music that built patiently toward a kind of sustained explosiveness, or swung adeptly from quietude to crescendo, another reference point largely excised on "Forth".I would have to qualify listening to "Forth" by removing expectations brought to it by exposure to earlier releases by the band, and for those only familiar with its immediate predecessor, it most definitely is not a continuation of the guitar-and-groove alchemy through which Ashcroft's vocals glided. Yet while not living up to those expectations, there are several songs beyond the singles that are mildly compelling on their own terms. Recommended with the qualifications listed, and for those just coming to the band from a recommendation elsewhere, it might be helpful to purchase( and listen to) their recorded output in reverse order. And just as an aside, I'd rate it out as a 3.5, if Amazon actually allowed it.

I bougth the japanese version with 2 more songs ma ma soul and mahammad ali. All of the songs are very good...when you hear appalachian springs, put the volume high...lower the lights and drink a good glass of wine.enjoy it...is one of the best tunes I ve heard

Not as good as Urban Hymns but definitely worth the wait. This is an excellent album and easily the Verves second best effort to date.