The Charlatans - Lips That Would Kiss (2017)

Two years after the release of 2004's 'Up At The Lake', The Charlatans reconvened to write and record their ninth studio album at Hook End Manor Studios in London, laying down the songs between August and December 2005, and then releasing 'Simpatico' in April 2006 on new label Creole Records. The album was met with mixed reviews from critics, with one commenting that the overall vibe seems more important than the individual songs. Despite that it works well on its own terms, and was proof that the now-veteran Charlatans were building a reliably entertaining body of work. Six months later Island Records issued the 'Forever: The Singles' album to cash in on the band after they left the label, and many fans feared that this was the end of the group, signing off with a record that could be seen as lacking direction and focus. A new year and a new label saw 'You Cross My Path' appear on the Cooking Vinyl label in March 2008, with CD and vinyl versions being released two months later in May. Not only was the album itself a surprise appearance, but the March release was offered as a free download in conjunction with the XFM Radio station, and it was received as their best album in a decade, and even one of the best albums of the year, ditching the soul and reggae dabbling of the past and pushing Tony Rogers' Hammond organ back out front, where it should be. For this release the band tried producing it themselves, with assistance from James Spencer, and most of the tracks were mixed by Alan Moulder, with the cover being drawn by Faris Badwan of The Horrors. In 2010 the band marked the 20th anniversary of the release of 'Some Friendly' by performing the album in full at Barcelona's Primavera Sound Festival. Their 11th studio album, 'Who We Touch', was slated for release in September of 2010, but during the supporting tour for the album, drummer Jon Brookes was diagnosed with a brain tumour, and Peter Salisbury was drafted in to help finish off the tour, although Brookes did show up at year-end gigs with the band. Tim Burgess and Mark Collins did a brief acoustic tour on their own in 2011 before Burgess began work on a solo album, returning to the Charlatans in 2012. The regrouped band started work on a new album, as well as playing their 1997 album 'Tellin' Stories' in its entirety at two separate shows that summer, with the 8 June show at HMV Hammersmith Apollo being released as a live album that August. However, after several operations and ongoing treatment for his brain tumour, Brookes died in hospital on August 13, 2013 at the age of 44. The Charlatans reconvened in 2014 to record their twelfth studio album, entitled 'Modern Nature', which was released on the BMG Records label in January 2015, debuting at number seven in the U.K., making it the band's highest-charting album since 2006's 'Simpatico'. Two years later, they followed up with 2017's 'Different Days', a record sporting cameos from Paul Weller and Johnny Marr, and although they continued to gift un-released recordings to their fans, they were releasing fewer singles in their later years, and so this final post in the series contains all the non-album b-sides from the last decade of their recording career, from 2006 to 2017. In 2012 Tim Burgess made his biggest non-musical statement, when he dyed his hair blonde, and despite many people thinking it was just a phase, he still sports this look today, so that's how he's portrayed on the cover.    

Track listing

01 Don't You Worry (b-side of 'Blackened Blue Eyes' 2006)
02 Hard To Be You (Song For Carl) (b-side of 'NYC (There's No Need To Stop)' 2006)
03 It Is What It Is (b-side of 'Mis-Takes' 2008)
04 Blank Heart, Blank Mind (b-side of 'The Misbegotten' 2008)
05 Set Me Free (b-side of 'The Misbegotten' 2008)
06 Complete Control (b-side of 'Oh! Vanity' 2008)
07 Lips That Would Kiss (b-side of 'My Foolish Pride' 2010)
08 Tonal Nagual Fur Star Liner Aquatic Ape Mix (b-side of 'Talking In Tones' 2014)
09 Joy.Izzy (Simon Fisher Turner Remix) (b-side of 'Come Home Baby' 2015)
10 We Sleep On Borrowed Time (b-side of 'Trouble Understanding' 2016)
11 I Like You (b-side of 'Over Again' 2017)

The Charlatans - Give Me A Reason (2004)

Following the release of the 'Forever' single, 'My Beautiful Friend' was originally scheduled for 29 November 1999, but was eventually released as the album's second single on 6 December 1999, with two new songs on one of the CD editions. Sometime after this, Tim Burgess moved to Los Angeles and got married to his long-time girlfriend, and in March and April 2000 the band embarked on a two-week tour of North America with Stereophonics, followed by a UK tour, dubbed Chewing Gum Weekend Tour, and ending with a gig in Ireland with support from Gomez and JJ72. 'Impossible' was released as the third single from 'Us And Us Only' on 15 May 2000, with two editions released on CD, each with a new song on it. The album was met with generally favourable reviews from music critics, with one commenting that it was merely a step below their previous high point of 'Tellin' Stories'. When the band were ready to start thinking about recording a new album, Burgess invited Mark Collins, Martin Blunt, and Jon Brookes to join him in L.A. for a three-week stint, just long enough to sort out the songs that would become 2001's Curtis Mayfield-influenced 'Wonderland'. Although the band admit that they had been obsessed with Manchester music up until this point, the California vibe influenced their new music, with Gram Parsons and The Beach Boys becoming heroes to Burgess. Daniel Lanois added some pedal steel guitar, and legendary session musician Jim Keltner played some drums, and the album was written and recorded by June 2001. 'Love Is The Key' was released as a taster single in August, with the album following in September, and a second single, 'A Man Needs To Be Told', was released in November. 'You're So Pretty, We're So Pretty' was initially due for release as the third and final single from album, but it was withdrawn at the last minute at the mutual agreement of the band and the record company, even though pressings had been made for a full retail release. Despite their new melodic-funk direction, 'Wonderland' was well-received by the music press, but the band kept a low profile over the next few years, supporting Oasis at Finsbury Park in July 2002, but generally just chilling out. In 2004 the band reconvened to write and record their eighth studio album, but after a string of Top Two albums in their native UK, 'Up At The Lake' didn’t even crack the Top Ten. This could be down to their last album deviating significantly from the band's rollicking, Stones-and-Dylan-influenced rock, replacing them with drum machines, soul-sister backing vocals and Curtis Mayfield arrangements, which was just enough of a departure to make lots of hardcore fans scratch their heads. It didn't help that the band lost their American record deal around this time, meaning that 'Up At The Lake' is the band's only album never to have received a US release. With the glitzy LA soul fixation out of their system, 'Up At The Lake' found the band as laid back as ever, stripping back their sound to a point that most recalls 1997's 'Tellin' Stories', which was seen by many as their peak. The title track and 'Try Again Today' were released as singles, while 'Loving You Is Easy' was issued as a radio only promo, and once again these singles all included exclusive tracks on the flips, which are gathered together here for a collection which covers 1999 to 2004.  

Track listing

01 Scorched (b-side of 'My Beautiful Friend' 1999)
02 Your Precious Love (b-side of 'My Beautiful Friend' 1999)
03 You Got It, I Want It (b-side of 'Impossible' 2000)
04 Don't Go Giving It Up (b-side of 'Impossible' 2000)
05 Viva La Sociale (b-side of 'Love Is The Key' 2001)
06 It's About Time (b-side of 'Love Is The Key' 2001)
07 All I Desire (b-side of 'A Man Needs To Be Told' 2001)
08 Shotgun (b-side of 'A Man Needs To Be Told' 2001)
09 Room 518 (b-side of 'You're So Pretty, We're So Pretty' withdrawn single 2001)
10 For Where There Is Love, There Will Always Be Miracles (b-side of 'Up At The Lake' 2004)
11 M.I.A. (b-side of 'Try Again Today' 2004)
12 Give Me A Reason (b-side of 'Try Again Today' 2004)

The Charlatans - Down With The Mook (1999)

In early 1996 The Charlatans spent time at home writing material for their next album, and guitarist Mark Collins arranged for him and vocalist Tim Burgess to have use of a remote cottage in the Lake District where they could work on ideas. Upon returning home, the pair learned that bassist Martin Blunt, drummer Jon Brookes and keyboardist Rob Collins had completed three songs, and so at Easter 1996 the band travelled to Monnow Valley Studio in Monmouthshire to start recording. 'One To Another' was quickly earmarked as a single, but the progress was generally slow, and Burgess felt that it was being hindered by Rob Collins, who would intentionally ruin tracks that he did not like, and ruined songs he did like due to being intoxicated. Burgess had an argument with Collins, and confided to Mark Collins that he wished to kick Rob out of the band, but before that could happen, Collins was killed in a car crash on 22 July 1996. Returning home from the pub, he lost control of his car after hitting a kerb, causing it to slide across the road, go through a hedge and roll over a bank. As he was not wearing a seatbelt, Collins was ejected from the car, and although he managed to stand up prior to collapsing, he subsequently died in the ambulance taking him to hospital. After being told about the accident the rest of the band were distraught, and considering ending the group, but at the urging of Rob Collins' father, they agreed to continue, and enlisted the help of Martin Duffy of Primal Scream to fill Collins' role. Aware that progress on the album had stalled, the band re-focused themselves on finishing it, with Duffy playing back Collins' parts and then performing his own, and letting the band choose whichever they preferred. Burgess later said that the liner notes did not mention which songs Collins or Duffy had individually played on out of respect for Collins. As they were nearing completion of recording process, the band signed a deal with MCA Records and its parent company Universal Music Group in the US for £1 million, though they remained with Beggars Banquet for the UK. Their first US single on MCA was 'One To Another', which was released in August 1996, followed by 'North Country Boy' in March 1997, and both of these releases included a couple of otherwise unheard tracks on the b-sides. 

'Tellin' Stories' itself appeared in April 1997, with the US edition following in June with an amended track listing. The band embarked on a tour of the UK that ran into May 1997, and the London show saw the debut of Tony Rogers, who was now the band's full-time keyboardist. 'How High' and the title track were released as singles, each with extra tracks on the flip, and they finished 1997 with another tour of the UK. The critical reception of 'Tellin' Stories' was even better then that for 'The Charlatans', with the general feeling being that while 'The Charlatans' was an acceptable comeback album, 'Tellin' Stories' was the real deal, with no discernible dip in the quality of the material, and it appeared high on the albums of the year charts, alongside 'OK Computer' and 'Urban Hymns'. By late 1998, the band decided to build their own residential recording studio, which they hoped would help save on the costs of recording at other studios. While this was being constructed the various members spent time with friends and family, before reconvening at the start of 1999, only to find that their studio was still being built. They had planned to start recording in late January, but had to postpone until March when the studio was finally completed. On the same day that the band christened their studio Big Mushroom, they learned that their accountant Trevor Williams had stolen £300,000 from their funds, which should have been used for paying taxes dating back five years. Sessions for the new album were held at Big Mushroom in Middlewich, and at Great Linford Manor in Buckinghamshire, with the band self-producing, and by late April 1999 recording had almost wrapped up. 'Forever' was released as the lead single on 4 October 1999, and the album 'Us And Us Only' followed on 18 October 1999 through Universal in the UK, as the band's contact with Beggars Banquet had expired. This third collection of b-sides starts with one final one from 1995, then includes all the flips from the 'Tellin' Stories' singles from 1996 and 1997, and all three b-sides from 'Forever' from 1999.  

Track listing

01 Floor Nine (b-side of 'Bullet Comes' 1995)
02 Two Of Us (b-side of 'One To Another' 1996)
03 Reputation (b-side of 'One To Another' 1996)
04 Don't Need A Gun (b-side of 'North Country Boy' 1997)
05 Title Fight (b-side of 'How High' 1997)
06 Down With The Mook (b-side of 'How High' 1997)
07 Keep It To Yourself (b-side of 'Tellin' Stories' 1997)
08 Clean Up Kid (b-side of 'Tellin' Stories' 1997)
09 Great Place To Leave (b-side of 'Forever' 1999)
10 When Your Ship Comes In (b-side of 'Forever' 1999)
11 Sleepy Little Sunshine Boy (b-side of 'Forever' 1999) 

The Charlatans - Back Room Window (1995)

In early 1992 The Charlatans released their second album 'Between 10th and 11th' (named after the address of the New York Marquee, the site of the group's first US concert), but it was critically lambasted on its release, and showed a drop in album sales due to the public backlash to towards the Madchester scene. Despite that, the lead single 'Weirdo' was a top 20 hit, and a double weekend of gigs in Blackpool and Brighton kept the band in the public eye. While the band were riding high on the success of their 'Weirdo' single, they suffered a major setback when Rob Collins was charged with armed robbery after a friend had robbed an off licence while he was waiting in the car outside. Collins claimed to have no foreknowledge of the robbery until he heard a gunshot inside the shop and his friend exited, although he later admitted that he should not have picked up his friend after he had realised what he had done. In court he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of "assisting an offender after an offence" and served four months in prison. Following the disappointing sales of their last album the band r]tried a differnet way of writing material, with members writing songs either indivually or in pairs, and all the other b=members of the group having the right to veto songs they didn't like. This method of working allowed them to have a pool of material to choose from when it came time to record their next album, and while Burgess and guitarist Mark Collins wrote traditionally structured songs, bassist Martin Blunt and drummer Jon Brookes opted for material that mixed dance, funk and heavy rock. Although Flood was considered to produce the band's next album, he was unable to schedule time, and so the band set about finding a new producer and engineer, eventually meeting up with Dave Charles, a long-time engineer who had previously worked with Elvis Costello, the La's and Edwin Starr, who suggested Steve Hillage as a possible producer. 

Recording commenced while Collins was in prison, with organ parts being added by Mark Collins' brother John, along with samples of earlier recordings by Rob Collins before he was incarcerated. 'Up To Our Hips' was released in March 1994, and has been variously described as funk-rock, baggy, and even part of the early Britpop scene, but the critical reception was not much better than that of their last album, but most reciewers being disappointed in the record. Three singles were released from the album, with 'Can't Get Out Of Bed' being the first, followed by 'I Never Want An Easy Life If Me And He Were Ever To Get There' and 'Jesus Hairdo' later on, and despite the critical mauling the album cracked the UK Top Ten and was certified silver in July 2013. Following a holiday, vocalist Tim Burgess and guitarist Mark Collins wrote material for their next album at Burgess' place in Chalk Farm, and then recorded the tracks at Monnow Valley Studio in Rockfield, Monmouthshire, with producer Steve Hillage, but after rejecting several mixes of the album, the band fired Hillage and engineer Dave Charles was brought in to take over. Further recording was then done at the nearby Rockfield Studios, with the finished album being released in August 1995. 'The Charlatans' is seen as something of a return to form for the group, and recieved generally favourable reviews from the music press, with the record topping the UK Album Charts. 'Crashin' In' was released as the lead single in December 1994, followed in May 1995 by 'Just Lookin'' and 'Bullet Comes' as a double A-side. The final single was 'Just When You're Thinkin' Things Over' in August, and the band spent the rest of 1995 and early 1996 touring the United States, mainland Europe, and the UK. These four years were very productive for the band, even if their music was not fully appreciated at the time, but despite the critical downturn they still looked after their fans by including exclusive songs on their singles, and so this second volume includes the flips from all their singles from 1992 to 1995. 

Track listing

01 Theme From "The Wish" (b-side of 'Weirdo' 1992)
02 Normality Swing (b-side of 'Tremelo Song' 1992)
03 Out (b-side of 'Can't Get Out Of Bed' 1994)
04 Withdrawn (b-side of 'Can't Get Out Of Bed' 1994)
05 Only A Boho (b-side of 'I Never Want An Easy Life If Me & He Were Ever to Get There' 1994)
06 Subterranean (b-side of 'I Never Want An Easy Life If Me & He Were Ever to Get There' 1994)
07 Stir It Up (b-side of 'Jesus Hairdo' 1994)
08 Back Room Window (b-side of 'Crashin' In' 1994)
09 Green Flashing Eyes (b-side of 'Crashin' In' 1994)
10 Chemical Risk (b-side of 'Just When You're Thinkin' Things Over' 1995)
11 Frinck (b-side of 'Just When You're Thinkin' Things Over' 1995)
12 Your Skies Are Mine (b-side of 'Just When You're Thinkin' Things Over' 1995)

The Charlatans - Taurus Moaner (1991)

The Charlatans were formed in the West Midlands by bassist Martin Blunt, who recruited fellow West Midlanders Rob Collins on keyboards, Jon Brookes on drums, Jon Day (aka Jonathan Baker) on guitar, and singer-guitarist Baz Ketley. Ketley left the band and was replaced by singer Tim Burgess, who had supported the Charlatans with his previous band, the Electric Crayons. Although the Charlatans would later become popularly associated with the Madchester scene, the band's early demos were recorded in 1988 in Birmingham and Dudley, and their signature sound was already established, dominated by Collins's Hammond organ, but underpinned by the driving rhythm section of Blunt's powerful running bass and Brookes's drumming. Their sound fused 1960's soul, R&B and garage rock, and the band saw themselves firmly in the West Midlands tradition of hard-edged soul and R&B that included Birmingham bands such as The Spencer Davis Group and early Dexys Midnight Runners. Their debut single 'Indian Rope' was released on their own Dead Dead Good Records label, proving to be a huge indie hit, and the group soon found themselves signed to a major label in Beggars Banquet offshoot Situation Two, just in time for the release of 'The Only One I Know', which reached the Top 10 in the UK Singles Chart. One more single 'Then' preceded their debut album 'Some Friendly' later that year, and it was around this time that the band were forced to add UK to their name for an American tour, due to the US band of the same name claiming ownership of it. Day left the band after 1991's 'Over Rising' single, to be replaced by Mark Collins, and they brought in producer Flood for the recording of their second album. Right from the start of their career the band have treated their fans well, and have added new compositions to the flips of their singles, and so in the first of a series of posts of non-album tracks, here are all the songs from their singles from 1990 and 1991. 

Track listing

01 Indian Rope (from the 'Indian Rope' 12" single 1990)
02 You Can Talk To Me (from the 'Indian Rope' 12" single 1990)
03 Who Wants To Know (from the 'Indian Rope' 12" single 1990) 
04 Everything Changed (b-side of 'The Only One I Know' 1990)
05 Taurus Moaner (b-side of 'Then' 1990)
06 Opportunity Three (b-side of 'Sproston Green' 1991)
07 Happen To Die (promo only single 1991)
08 Over Rising (single 1991)
09 Way Up There (b-side of 'Over Rising')
10 Me. In Time (single 1991)
11 Occupation H. Monster (b-side of 'Me. In Time')

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The Charlatans - Sidetracks (1968)

The Charlatans were one of the earliest bands to have an album shelved by their record company, way back in 1966. The band were an American folk-rock and psychedelic rock group that played a role in the development of the San Francisco Haight-Ashbury music scene during the 1960's, often being cited as being the first group to play in the distinctive San Francisco Sound. Exhibiting a more pronounced jug band, country and blues influenced sound than many bands from the same scene, the Charlatans' rebellious attitude and distinctive late 19th-century fashions exerted a strong influence on the Summer of Love in San Francisco. They were formed in mid-1964 by amateur avant-garde musician George Hunter on autoharp and music major Richard Olsen on bass, along with Mike Wilhelm on lead guitar, Mike Ferguson on piano/keyboards, and Sam Linde on drums, later replaced by Dan Hicks, who went on to form Dan Hicks And His Hot Licks after he left the group. One of the most striking things about the band was their penchant for dressing themselves in late 19th-century attire, as if they were Victorian dandies or Wild West gunslingers. This unconventional choice of clothing was influential on the emerging hippie counter-culture, with many young San Franciscans dressing in similarly late Victorian and early Edwardian era clothing, including The Beatles in their 'Sgt. Pepper' period. In the summer of 1965 they were given the chance to audition for Autumn Records, but weren't signed by them, partly due to conflicts between the group and Donahue over suitable material, and partly due to lack of money, as the label was on the verge of bankruptcy. The failed Autumn Records audition proved to be only a minor setback, with the Charlatans signing with Kama Sutra Records in early 1966, home of the Lovin' Spoonful, one of the earliest folk rock bands to find international success. 
The band had recorded a number of songs for the label, and chose to issue 'Codine' as their debut single, but the record company vetoed the release, citing the song's drug connotations. In fact the song was written by folk artist Buffy Sainte-Marie as a warning of the dangers of drugs, rather than promoting their use, but Kama Sutra was adamant and refused to release the single. Instead, two other songs from the Kama Sutra sessions, 'The Shadow Knows'/'32-20', were released by Kapp Records in 1966 as the band's first single, but had little success due to Kapp Records' failure to adequately promote the release. The remaining songs recorded during the Kama Sutra sessions for the Charlatans' debut album, including a couple with lead vocals by Lynne Hughes, remained unreleased until they were officially issued for the first time by Big Beat Records in 1996. Following major upheavals with the line-up, with nearly everyone getting fired and replaced, a new line-up of the band secured a recording contract with Philips Records and released their one and only self-titled album in 1969. The Big Beat issue of the shelved album included everything that they had recorded between 1966 and 1968, which to my ears included a lot of sub-standard material, novelty songs, and music that just didn't sit well with their reputation as one of the first and finest West Coast bands, so I've selected only the very best songs for this post, making a 40-minute album that would have cemented their standing in the history of West Coast music had it been released at the time. 

Track listing

01 Codine Blues
02 By Hook Or By Crook
03 Sidetrack
04 Jack Of Diamonds
05 East Virginia
06 I Saw Her
07 We're Not On The Same Trip
08 Number One
09 Devil Got My Man
10 Walkin'
11 Baby Won't You Tell Me
12 Alabama Bound