Excellent budget compilation by The Charlatans. (Melting Pot: The Best Of The Charlatans - The Charlatans)

Member Name: DUKE41

Product:	Melting Pot: The Best Of The Charlatans - The Charlatans
Date:	26/08/09 (43 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great songs like The Only One I Know and One To Another.

Disadvantages: None.

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 with a baggy jacket and an Ian McCulloch vocal style. I have to be honest when I saw the band live in Cambridge in October 1990 I didn't expect them to still be around eighteen years later.

Melting Pot is a compilation of The Charlatans' recordings on Beggars Banquet between 1990 and 1997. I bought it for only £3 from Woolies about a year ago and in hindsight it was an absolute bargain.

There are seventeen tracks in all and most of them are really good. The two songs I mentioned earlier, The Only One I Know and Then, get Melting Pot off to a cracking start. Opportunity Three, an extended version of a track from the band's debut album (Some Friendly) is next and stands out because of Martin Blunt's bass-line which burrows into your head and won't go away.

Over Rising has the best intro to any Charlatans track in my opinion. It fades in until Mark Collins' magnificent guitar riff makes you want to grab your pretend guitar and copy him note for note. It's easily one of their best ever songs.

The version of Sproston Green that follows Over Rising is the "US Version" which isn't really much different to the version on Some Friendly. It's still quite brilliant, mainly because of another catchy riff by Mark Collins.

The instrumental Theme From The Wish surely must have been used in a film by now and if it hasn't there's something wrong. Similarly the Chemical Brothers' mix of Patrol would be a good choice for a soundtrack album. It is totally different to the version that first appeared on the Up To Our Hips album. I believe that The Charlatans were one of the first indie acts to collaborate with Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons. Liam Gallagher got in on the act a few years later.

Can't Get Out Of Bed and the wonderfully titled I Never Want An Easy Life If Me And He Were Ever To Get There demonstrate the band's impressive songwriting skills and the latter may one of the longest titles ever but it's really, really catchy.

The same can be said for the likes of Crashin' In and Just Lookin', both little gems. However The Charlatans reach their peak for me with Just When You're Thinkin' Things Over, an amazing song which includes the line "I'm coming home. You look good when your heart is on fire. It's a matter of taste, yeah".

One To Another is the penultimate song on the album and their biggest hit (reaching number 3 in the UK singles chart, September 1996 ). I've heard it described as "hard dark funk", whatever that is supposed to mean. One To Another is possibly the late great Rob Collins' finest moment as his piano score on this track is simply memorable.

North Country Boy is the final track on Melting Pot and is another fine song with an uplifting chorus. I'll be good to you if I could I'd make you happy if I had a son I'd be good to my daddy. Who loves you though I bet it's not the same as your North Country Boy, sings Tim Burgess.

Melting Pot is an excellent compilation of a much under-rated band's finest moments. Forever: The Singles released in November 2006 brings the story up to date.

Summary: Brilliant collection of songs by an under-rated band.