The Charlatans fourth single, released in February 1991 and a shining example of the 90s indie CD single as old-fashioned 60s-style EP - none of the tracks here had appeared on the previous autumn's Some Friendly album (which I had bought with a limited edition white pvc outer sleeve - oo-er) and none of them were duds.
They were good The Charlatans - they certainly got some surfing in on the swell that first 'baggy' and then Britpop sent onto these shores, but they always seemed slightly apart from the Select Magazine hype; a bit less obvious, a bit more arty/funky, and all the better for that. And they're still around too.
RIP keyboard player Rob Collins, who contributed so much to the band's early sound - killed in a car crash in 1996 aged just 31.
The Charlatans - 'Over Rising' (1991)
The Charlatans - 'Way Up There' (1991)
The Charlatans - 'Happen To Die' (1991)
The Charlatans - 'Opportunity Three' (1991)
[Do I play it now? Occasionally - and it always sounds good]
The Charlatans should never have been lumped in with the baggy/Madchester movement. They delivered so much more than that over a long period of time.
ReplyDeleteRob Collins. A bit like John McGeouch. You never really knew how good he was until he was no longer around and you listened that bit more closely to his playing on records.
I loved The Charlatans.
ReplyDeleteI use to get into arguments for suggesting that Baggy was just another Mod revival.
Personally (and a little smugly!) I think I was right. Blur are an obvious example. But The Charlatans were for me proof of it. In the first place, Martin Blunt had been in mid 80s mod band Makin' Time (if you've never heard of them search them out - there are a couple of blogs around with their best of in rar form).
Makin' Time had toured with - and their singer Fay Hallam had married into - The Prisoners (mid 80s mod/punk/garage featuring James Taylor later of the James Taylor Quarted on organ) and Only One I Know sounded suspiciously like The Prisoner's version of Hush.
And then there was the taking drugs and dancing all night to imported dance music. But I wouldn't know about that..... ;)
Loving the rummaging, Dave. Also allowing me access to all that stuff sitting on vinyl - ta! Kinda fitting with the mood in the kitchen tonight - with prawn cuzzney, natch.
ReplyDeleteMx