Charlatans UK: no trickery here

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by Stephen Yang

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That was around 1989. Today, only the Charlatans, the Roses and a handful of others have remained as the new breed of Brit bands, such as Oasis and Elastica, have arrived. Now the Charlatans find themselves in the curious position of having to save their career or have the question "What ever happened to ..." asked about them.

With their fourth album, the Charlatans shouldn't have to worry about going obsolete. With the exception of the confusion surrounding the band's name, that is. While the band would like to be known as "The Charlatans," a court order required them to be identified, at least in offical label releases, as the Charlatans UK, since "The Charlatans" is the name of an obscure pre-existing American group.

As their last album, Up to Our Hips , indicated, this band was leaving the acid-house psychedelia of their earlier days in favor of an edgier rock-type sound. This latest release fulfills that promise. "Just Looking" and "Here Comes a Soul Savior" are two tracks that epitomize the theme of this album, which depends much more on Mark Collins' guitars than the previous efforts. With the heavier focus on guitar, the prominence of brother Rob Collins' keyboard has diminished somewhat.

This album is also heavily influenced by the easygoing sounds of classic rock groups like the Allman Brothers and less by the detached shoegazer sounds of their British colleagues.

The Charlatans UK represents quite a departure from the early days of the band. Instrumentally, they have become proficient, especially Jon Brookes' drumming and Rob Collins' keyboarding. My main criticism is that Tim Burgess' whispery vocals don't mesh as well with the band as in their earlier work.

Some of the soulful and catchy tracks on this album definitely represent the type of work that could establish them in the United States -- and point them in a new direction.

This item appeared in the Opinion section of the December 8, 1995 issue.

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