Performer Notes

The Charlatans U.K.: Tim Burgess (vocals); Jon Baker (guitar); Rob Collins (organ); Martin Blunt (bass); Jon Brookes (drums).
Personnel: Tim Burgess (vocals); Jon Baker (guitar); Rob Collins (keyboards); Martin Blunt (bass guitar); Jon Brookes (drums).
Liner Note Author: John Donald Robb.
Recording information: The Winding Studios, Wrexham, Wales.
Photographers: Steve Double; Peter Walsh ; Derek Ridgers; Ian Lawton; Nick Provan.
The Charlatans formed in the late '80s in a remote Northern England town, one of hundreds of groups profoundly influenced by that chart-topping indie-rock band from neighboring Manchester, the Stone Roses. SOME FRIENDLY, the Charlatans' 1990 debut, is certainly brimming with Roses references. Almost all of the album's 11 songs feature the shuffling "Manchester" drum beat popularized by the Roses, and Charlatans singer Tim Burgess' laid-back, confident voice sounds quite similar to that of the Roses' Ian Brown.
Unlike most Roses-inspired bands, the Charlatans were willing and able to take their music beyond the narrow confines of the "Manchester sound." Their most distinctive element was Rob Collins' surging Hammond organ. Although the catchy keyboard hook on the single "The Only One I Know" was lifted from Deep Purple's 1968 hit "Hush," the Charlatans' swirling, psychedelic sound gave the classic English rock sound of the '60s a distinctly modern twist. Several other songs - notably the majestic "Sproston Green" and "Polar Bear" - capture a similarly dreamy pop mood. Burgess' limited voice and the lack of compelling, Roses-styled melodies make SOME FRIENDLY an acquired taste, but this promising debut provided a foundation from which the Charlatans worked themselves into one of England's top rock bands.

Professional Reviews

Spin (p.98) - "[S]oaring Hammond organ, rubbery bass, sing-at-the-ceiling choruses -- were never better than on 'The Only One I Know.'"

Uncut (magazine) (p.103) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "Two decades after riding the wave of Manc mania straight to No 1, The Charlatans' debut feels like a period piece, dated, but not without charm"

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