The Charlatans
Tellin' Stories

THE REVIEW

Times change, damn they change. Acid house, rock n roll, and Europe change their skin, transforming into something new.

It also happens that the keyboardist of the Charlatans Rob Collins dies—right while the new album is being recorded—due to a car crash.

He was a bit crazy; one of those Tarantino-style characters who at the beginning of his career was also arrested for illegal possession of firearms. But he was also the force that launched into orbit the devilish sound that the band emanated.

It’s his Hammond that, after the very big beat introduction of One To Another, pushes the track ever higher with its sneaky progression. One To Another is the essence of rock n roll.

It says to you: "I hope to never see your face again" only to serenade you with "I love to see you smile." The paradox, or rather the flame in the black ocean.

And in this atmosphere of mourning, it happens that Tellin' Stories becomes the biggest commercial success for the English charlatans. They, who (I quote the fitting definition) have been an ideal artistic bridge between Britpop and the Stone Roses and the Madchester Sound; and allow me, between the verve of the Rolling Stones and the venomous Primal Scream their contemporaries and friends.

The energy is easily found here and there especially in the fast How High, but after all, we’re talking about an album that begins with the sound of a wah-wah pedal for guitar with With No Shoes without too many flourishes and mincing words.

If you happen to be among those unfamiliar with the band led by the sprite Tim Burgess, start from here and you’ll have many interesting points to absorb besides good gut-driven rock.