Melting Pot: The Best Of The Charlatans - The Charlatans

Does everyone with musical aspirations from Manchester go through an Ian Brown makeover? A band who've traded ups and downs like a couple of badly-wired elevators. The Charlatans, a group who would appear to deserve the down-to-earth salutary shout of 'Goodonyamates!' (rough translation: 'Well done, old chaps!') far more than any of their artier, tartier peers. See, believe it or not there is a Charlatans hairstyle: a curious affair whose slight scruffiness suggests - but hardly proves - a committed avoidance of the Wash And Go way of life, this half-floppy, half-cropped follicle growth is an indication that here we have a collection ...  Read the complete review

Part of the baggy Madchester scene, The Charlatans have a staunchly loyal UK fan base. The UK was where they had the biggest success and it is easy to see why. Formed in the West Midlands, in the late eighties, the group managed to forge a successful career with their indie guitar sound. This best of album gathers an impressive seventeen songs from their career. It kicks off with the gloriously hypnotic 'The Only one I Know.' It comes across as Stone Roses meeting The Beloved for a loved-up post apocalyptic get-together. Sun drenched vocals from lead vocalist Tim Burgess and a hazy melody which washes over you. A great and atmospheric start to the ...  Read the complete review

The English music scene in 1990 was really exciting with bands like The Stone Roses, Happy Mondays, Inspiral Carpets and The Charlatans releasing some wonderful records. It was classed as the Madchester sound because all of the bands came from Manchester or nearby towns. A lot of the music was based around a psychedelic sound and The Charlatans were no exception. The Only One I know with its swirling keyboards and Byrds lyrical references (it contained lines from The Byrds song Everybody's Been Burned) was a top ten hit in the UK in June 1990. This was quickly followed by the moody Then a few months later. Frontman Tim Burgess sported a basin like haircut ...  Read the complete review

This album is a kind of compilation of the best charlatans tracks up to 1998. I managed to pick this one up from HMV for a fiver so I got a particularly good deal. It starts with the absolutely excellent and arguably the best charlatans track to date 'The only one I know'. We then have 'then' which is absolutely fantastic and is to me what the charlatans are all about - great spacey vocals with loud guitars and the piano sounds in the background. The next few tracks continue in a similar vein with a slightly more dancy orientated feel. In fact I have heard 'sproston green', 'weirdo' 'theme from the wish' and ...  Read the complete review

There are three tracks on here that are perfect gems - the type of song that stops you dead when you first hear it, and will end up in your Desert Island Discs selection. I'm talking about a 6 star song, in dooyou terms. Usually you don't get more than 1 song like this on any album, even a 'best of' like this, so that's pretty good going. So, for example, there's "Sproston Green"- Sproston Green is apparently a real place in Manchester - the song features some gorgeous organ-playing, with added Rolling Stones-ey woo woos in the background, and has long been a highlight of the Charlatans' live show. Then there's ...  Read the complete review