13. Tellin' Stories - The Charlatans 1997
The Charlatans are a charming band, always seemingly the bridesmaid and never the bride, they were perenially Indie Rock fans' second favorite band, until they got to album number 5. 'Tellin Stories' was released at the peak time for the Britpop/Britrock movement, but it is undeniably made by a band that had no reason to jump on the Oasis bandwagon, that so many did. Yes, it has more attitude and swagger than their earlier output, but faking it, they weren't. They had always been cocksure but never really explored that element to its fullest, instead staying mainly in the more dreamy, almost shoegaze territory. This time they expanded on the Rolling Stones side of their psyche that had been approached more with each album. Sounding a lot more soulful and proudly northern, the band seemed to be effortlessly turning into a British Rock band, genuinely capable of taking over the world. Always more versatile than most of their peers, singer Tim Burgess' kind of cute, playful vocals are still present, but with a bit more bite and less vagueness than before. Backing off on the delay also brought a rather very impressive vocal range to the fore. The rest of the band still possess the funky touches that had always made them compelling, with the bass and drums of Martin Blunt and Jon Brookes respectively, being water tight, weaving groovy and hugely inventive tapestries. Their work on the instrumental 'Area 51' is a perfect example of what they can do when "in the zone". Mark Collins' has to be one of the most underrated guitar players in Rock, his chops are in fine fettle here and his guitar tone is loud and demands your attention without being ebullient. This album also has a
very sad story behind it, as the real jewel in the bands crown, Hammond player Rob Collins, was killed in a car accident. The band were recording at Monnow Valley Studios, near Monmouth in Wales, where they had recorded all but one of their previous records. Collins had been at a nearby country pub, and driving back to the studio, he lost control of his BMW and wasn't wearing a seat belt. He was subsequently thrown through the windscreen and died on the roadside, from head injuries. An inquest into the crash, found that Collins had twice the legal limit of alcohol in his blood. 'Tellin Stories' engineer, Ric Peet was a passenger and had minor injuries. The band released the albums best track, 'One to Another', as a single, in tribute to Collins. 'One to Another' found the band in fine form and remains their highest charting single, reaching number 3 in the U.K. charts. Starting with a didgeridoo loop which gives way to a big, swaggering beat with Collins' low piano chords over the top as the icing. That the band hit back with such a big, tough and triumphant sounding song was remarkable, choosing to out attitude Oasis, instead of wallowing in grief. The band then brought in a replacement, Tony Rogers, who remains with the band up to the present day. Not a million miles away from Collins, in look and musical style, he is perfect fit. This track also features some goose-bump inducing licks from guitarist, Mark Collins. Burgess' one-of-a-kind, slightly off the wall lyrical approach is still present, with lines like - "Be my spiderwoman, I'll be your spiderman!" Seven months later the band released second single, 'North Country Boy', that went to number 4, then three months later, the upbeat and raucous, 'How High', which also went top ten. Finally in October of 1997, the title track became the 4th single and went to number 16. An impressive run of singles from Britain's best Indie-Rock underdogs. Now they were truly, Rock royalty, and deserved it more than most. Other album highlights include the albums opening and closing tracks. 'With No Shoes', is by the book, Charlatans, sounding like a mix of the last two albums. 'Rob's Theme' is the result of a late night jam with Collins and engineer, Peet, messing about with different sounds, samples, and of course the Hammond. If you want a perfect snapshot of how good 90's Britrock was, whilst steering clear of the ubiquitous Oasis records, then this should be at the top of the list.