Charlatans

The Charlatans demonstrated signs of a revival on Up to Our Hips, yet that record in no way suggested the full-fledged return to form of The Charlatans UK, the group's most ambitious, focused, and successful album. The group hasn't changed its sonic approach, yet its music has deepened, incorporating heavy dance elements without losing its core sound. Occasionally, the album relies too heavily on trippy dance instrumentals, but those are funkier and wilder than ever before, and they fit neatly next to the group's Stonesy pop, which is consistently catchy this time around. The Charlatans UK illustrates how a working rock & roll band can balance traditional rock and modern post-acid house music, and the results are frequently glorious.

The Charlatans - Melting Pot
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Label/Cat#: Beggars Banquet # BBQCD 198 | Country/Year: UK 1998
Genre: Rock, Electronic | Style: Brit Pop

When the Charlatans emerged with "The Only One I Know" in 1991, there were countless bands similar to them, but they immediately catapulted to the forefront of the Madchester scene, standing alongside such icons as the Stone Roses and the Happy Mondays. They had such success because they not only could ride the groove, like so many Madchester bands, but they could also write great songs, drawing partially from the '60s-saturated Roses and the Rolling Stones….

After almost 30 years, there's finally a definitive document of one of the first San Francisco psychedelic groups - or, at least, as definitive a document as surviving tapes allow. This compilation assembles 23 tracks from their demos for the Kama Sutra and Autumn labels, as well as a couple of later sessions recorded at San Francisco area studios. Much of this material has been bootlegged previously, on both vinyl and tape, but here it appears in its best fidelity to date by far. Those expecting psychedelic fireworks will be surprised. There's some acid-soaked folk-rock here (most notably "We're Not on the Same Trip" and "I Saw Her," the two best cuts), but on the whole, it's much more of a travelog of roots music, with white blues, jug band, folk, country, and music hall influences much more to the fore…

Emerging out of semi-nowhere – well, Northwich – the Charlatans UK were saddled with a name that lent itself to jibes about their quality, perceived bandwagon jumping and the burden of being a one-hit wonder with "The Only One I Know." Then Some Friendly, the group's debut, planted itself at the top of the UK charts; while the rest of the '90s were up-and-down for the band, this album set the band on its way.

The Charlatans - Then
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Label/Cat#: Situation Two # SIT 74 CD | Country/Year: UK 1990
Genre: Rock, Electronic | Style: Brit Pop

…The ever-grooving Collins on his Hammond gets his moments of glory, especially noticeable on the instrumental take.

The Charlatans - Over Rising
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Label/Cat#: RCA # 2832-2-HS | Country/Year: US 1991
Genre: Rock, Electronic | Style: Brit Pop

The first of two stand-alone EPs released during 1991 by the Charlatans, Over Rising shows the unexpected hitmakers now comfortably settled into their established mood, unafraid to put a few tweaks in here and there. The title track is another tight psych groover, but with piano as noticeable as Hammond, while Baker throws in some twists and turns on guitar more strongly than before…

The Charlatans - Between 10th And 11th
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Label/Cat#: Beggars Banquet Germany # SPV 084-05092 | Country/Year: Germany 1992
Genre: Rock, Electronic | Style: Brit Pop

…In hindsight, though, Between is much stronger than its reputation, with many fans proclaiming it their favorite. It's partly due to Burgess' more up-front vocals – his singing is still some of the calmest one will ever hear at the front of such a band, but his performance maintains Some Friendly's loose flow while sounding more compelling…

The Charlatans‘ second album Between 10th and 11th will be reissued in July as a deluxe two-CD set and a double vinyl pressing. The 1992 album features UK top 20 single ‘Weirdo’ (which also did well in the US) and further 45s ‘Tremolo Song’ and ‘I Don’t Want To See The Sights’. The bonus content on the reissue is remastered tracks from the live show from Chicago in 1991, known as Isolation 21.2.91.

The Charlatans were an influential psychedelic rock band that played a role in the development of the San Francisco music scene in the 1960s and are cited as being the first group to play in the style that became known as the San Francisco Sound. Exhibiting more pronounced jug band, country and blues influences than many bands from the same scene, the Charlatans’ rebellious attitude and distinctive, late 19th century fashions exerted a major influence on the Summer of Love in San Francisco. Their recorded output was small, with their first album, The Charlatans, not being released until 1969 (see 1969 in music), some years after the band's heyday. The band is also notable for featuring the first commercial appearance of Dan Hicks, later of Dan Hicks and his Hot Licks.