The Charlatans - Some Friendly
"Has it really been twenty years since The Charlatans cast their spell on flare wearing indie lovers everywhere?", my thirty-something year old friends have no doubt been thinking recently. Well, quite possibly.
Sadly for them, it has, but whilst many other bands of their era have since disbanded after petty squabbles, or simply faded into insignificance, The Charlatans remain as iconic as ever. Upon listening to Some Friendly again, it becomes immediately apparent why this is.
‘You’re Not Very Well’ opens with the sunny disposition you would expect from the album’s title, albeit with lyrics which express a contradictory sentiment. From hereon in it continues with a reduced version of the Madchester frivolity that the Happy Mondays’ paved the way for, with a hint of The Stone Roses’ dreamy psychedelic inspiration.
Despite these inevitable influences on the record, however, Some Friendly unquestionably established The Charlatans as a band with a distinguished sound in their own right. The slow trance of ‘Opportunity’, the organ driven pop of ‘Then’ and the ominous funk of ‘Flower’ all point to a band who had emerged from within a vibrant and ground breaking music scene with something fresh yet comfortingly familiar.
It ends with the hidden masterpiece that is ‘Sproston Green’; a fan favourite and frequent set closer which perfectly highlights the winning combination of Tim Burgess’s signature vocals and the late Rob Collins’s distinctive keyboard abilities.
In the twenty years that have passed since its release, The Charlatans have released many individual sounding albums which have moved with the times, but the elements that have produced them have remained true to formula responsible for their initial success.
To my friends who were there when it all happened, Some Friendly will no doubt sound as good today as it did in 1990. With its additional CD of B-sides and John Peel session tracks, this is certainly one just for existing fans, but fortunately for The Charlatans there are plenty of them, and no doubt they remain faithful for a long time to come.
Sadly for them, it has, but whilst many other bands of their era have since disbanded after petty squabbles, or simply faded into insignificance, The Charlatans remain as iconic as ever. Upon listening to Some Friendly again, it becomes immediately apparent why this is.
‘You’re Not Very Well’ opens with the sunny disposition you would expect from the album’s title, albeit with lyrics which express a contradictory sentiment. From hereon in it continues with a reduced version of the Madchester frivolity that the Happy Mondays’ paved the way for, with a hint of The Stone Roses’ dreamy psychedelic inspiration.
Despite these inevitable influences on the record, however, Some Friendly unquestionably established The Charlatans as a band with a distinguished sound in their own right. The slow trance of ‘Opportunity’, the organ driven pop of ‘Then’ and the ominous funk of ‘Flower’ all point to a band who had emerged from within a vibrant and ground breaking music scene with something fresh yet comfortingly familiar.
It ends with the hidden masterpiece that is ‘Sproston Green’; a fan favourite and frequent set closer which perfectly highlights the winning combination of Tim Burgess’s signature vocals and the late Rob Collins’s distinctive keyboard abilities.
In the twenty years that have passed since its release, The Charlatans have released many individual sounding albums which have moved with the times, but the elements that have produced them have remained true to formula responsible for their initial success.
To my friends who were there when it all happened, Some Friendly will no doubt sound as good today as it did in 1990. With its additional CD of B-sides and John Peel session tracks, this is certainly one just for existing fans, but fortunately for The Charlatans there are plenty of them, and no doubt they remain faithful for a long time to come.
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