The Charlatans (CD - 1995)

The Charlatans U.K.: Tim Burgess (vocals); Mark Collins (guitar); Rob Collins (Clavinet, Hammond B-3 organ, Wurlitzer, piano, background vocals); Martin Blunt (bass); Jon Brookes (drums).

Additional personnel: Dave Charles (percussion); Steve Hillage (programming).

Producers: The Charlatans U.K., Dave Charles, Steve Hillage.

Personnel: Mike Wilhelm (vocals, guitar, percussion); Richard Olsen (vocals, woodwinds, percussion); Darryl Devore (vocals, keyboards, percussion); Terry Wilson (drums, percussion).

Recording information: Pacific High Recording, San Francisco, CA.

Arranger: The Charlatans.

The Charlatans album San Francisco 1969 (originally known simply as The Charlatans) has had all kinds of incarnations -- the ultrarare original Philips Records LP from 1969, the illegal Groucho Records LP from Italy in the late '70s, the equally dubious French reissue on the Eva label from the 1980s, and a CD mastered off of vinyl, from the early '90s. And then there's this CD, from England's Acadia label, licensed from Universal Music and mastered from the original tapes. One can hear the difference in the closer singing and playing on "High Coin," and even better on "Folsom Prison Blues," where you can almost hear the action on the lead guitar, or on "The Blues Ain't Nothin'," where Mike Wilhelm's voice seems like it's in the room with you, and it's possible to hear the woodwinds all spread out instead of compressed and muted, and the lead guitar without any distortion in the playback (the sound on the older CD tended to crack and rumble on the louder passages), and the ethereal harmonizing and flute accompaniment on "Time To Get Straight," now in smooth, elegant textures. The notes by San Francisco music scholar Gene Sculatti give the clearest picture yet of the band's rather complex history. The makers have included one bonus track, a one-minute radio commercial for the LP that, as a marketing piece, takes a little too long to get where it's going, but is pretty funny. In all, heard properly for the first time in decades, this is a rather gorgeous and gently challenging piece of San Francisco rock, incorporating elements of blues and big-band swing, as well as '50s rock & roll and elegant '60s pop. It might not be as quite as overpowering creatively as the best records by the Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver, or the Grateful Dead, but it is one of the prettiest and most subtly beguiling albums to come out of the '60s San Francisco scene, and is also essential listening, as well as being just plain delightful. ~ Bruce Eder

The word is that this album failed to capture the group's essence, but it has its share of good stuff. Their good-timey sound is balanced by an engaging sincerity and folky, melodic compositions reminiscent of very early Jefferson Airplane, although there are a couple ho-hum jug-band tunes. But the production and performances are too complacent and tame, lacking the spaced-out recklessness of the San Francisco scene that groups like the Airplane captured so well on record. ~ Richie Unterberger

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 their music has deepened, incorporating heavy dance elements without losing their 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 between traditional rock and modern, post-acid house music, and the results are frequently glorious. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

The Charlatans' star rose quickly and then stalled; they never really fit comfortably into the same mold that gave us the Happy Mondays, The Stone Roses, or The Smiths. Dogged by misfortune, self inflicted and otherwise, they ultimately just didn't possess the cachet of a late '80s 'Manchester band.'

However, their eponymously titled fourth album brought them to a hitherto unachieved level of prominence--almost, but not quite, turning them into international stars. The Charlatans are at their most Stones-like here, evoking Primal Scream and other rockier British dance-influenced acts. Highlights include the great "Just When You're Thinkin' Things Over," "Just Lookin'," and "Toothache." Full of great hooks and lyrically persuasive, this album is recommended to anyone with an interest in the best of '90s British pop.

The word is that this album failed to capture the group's essence, but it has its share of good stuff. Their good-timey sound is balanced by an engaging sincerity and folky, melodic compositions reminiscent of very early Jefferson Airplane, although there are a couple ho-hum jug-band tunes. But the production and performances are too complacent and tame, lacking the spaced-out recklessness of the San Francisco scene that groups like the Airplane captured so well on record. ~ Richie Unterberger minimize