Artist bio

The Charlatans UK are often tagged "survivors," which really suits them well. The group has never been a groundbreaking outfit, but it has consistently defied expectations to continue making albums with stylistic progressions throughout the '90s and beyond. The group was spawned by the Madchester scene of the late '80s, which brought indie rock and dance music together in the form of such Britpop progenitors as the Stone Roses and the Happy Mondays.

Yet, the Charlatans outgrew their peers, turning in such legacy-breaking albums as 1994's Up To Our Hips and 1995's The Charlatans UK, which documented their evolution into a Stonesy throwback rock band who still worshipped and incorporated the dance rhythms and textures they assimilated in their early years. They became more reliant on the syncopated organ riffs of keyboardist Rob Collins, and their interplay with Mark Collins' (no relation) spider-fingered guitar work provided for a furious symbiotic bed over which singer Tim Burgess could exercise his melodic sensibilities.

The group made its biggest strides with 1997's Tellin' Stories, while dealing with tragedy -- a drunk Rob Collins wrecked his car heading to the studio one night during the album's sessions and died instantly, throwing a shadow over the group's bubbly creative resurgence. But over time, Collins' death lended weight to the "survivors" label, as the group closed ranks and Tellin' Stories triumphantly debuted atop the U.K. charts.

By 1999, new keyboardist Tony Rogers had gotten stuck in, and the group went old-school rock for Us And Us Only. Burgess' Dylan influence rose to the forefront, as the group seemed to be settling into middle age with dignity and great songs. Yet another right turn led to 2001's Wonderland, an electronically structured cocaine-and-ecstasy-fuelled party album, that just lent more credence to the group's ability to keep on truckin'; cranking out hit singles and tightly packed albums until they can't no more.

Albums by this artist

Wonderland (2001)

Us And Us Only (1999)

The Charlatans UK (1995)

Up To Our Hips (1994)

Between 10th And 11th (1992)

Concerts

August 1, 2001
Bowery Ballroom, New York

The Charlatans UK

Up To Our Hips

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» TROY CARPENTER | CO-DIRECTOR

The Charlatans UK Up To Our Hips Beggars' Banquet, 1994 RiYL: The Stone Roses, Deep Purple, The Beastie Boys' Check Your Head

Up To Our Hips is the Charlatans' third album, and it is the coolest, most cohesive musical statement to come out of the Madchester graduates' catalog.

Hips and the band's self-titled follow-up are the most representative of what makes the Charlatans who they are. Coming out of the dance/shoegazer/'60s revival scene of the early '90s (think Happy Mondays, Stone Roses, Leisure-era Blur), the band kept refining its sound and growing into better songwriters and musicians throughout the decade, ultimately outlasting most of their contemporaries. But while The Charlatans UK was their biggest commercial success since debut Some Friendly, Up To Our Hips provides a more focused cross section of what the band's all about and holds up as a more rewarding listen six years down the road.

The album holds a delicious sampling of the Charlatans's best work: pure, Hammond-driven pop songs ("Can't Get Out Of Bed"), lengthy distorted jams ("Feel Flows"), and Stones-y drawl-rock ("Autograph"). Though the band had shown verve before, they really flex their instrumental muscles on Hips. The rhythm section of bassist Martin Blunt and drummer Jon Brookes has become more rootsy, holding the songs down in a rock and roll sense. The interplay between guitarist Mark Collins and keyboardist Rob Collins (Mark joined the band after the tour for its 1990 debut Some Friendly and Rob would die in a car accident two years later) is at its most fluid peak. Singer Tim Burgess has consistently turned in great pop hooks, but on Hips he also allows the band a lot of space to indulge its sense of experimentation.

The best of the bunch are the songs that utilize all the band's talents, combining rhythmic dexterity, catchy melodies and a groove mentality into patient but powerful rockers: opener "Come In Number 21," "Patrol," the title track and "Another Rider Up In Flames," the latter being possibly the quintessential mid-period Charlatans song.

Yes, the Charlatans are survivors. They are the crucial link between bossy britpop like Oasis, Blur, and Suede, and avant-garde English groovers like Happy Mondays, Stone Roses, and the Chemical Brothers. They've been compared to all these bands in some way or another, but these guys stand alone, and Up To Our Hips is probably the strongest argument as to why. Immerse yourself.

TROY CARPENTER | Troy Carpenter founded NATN from a Chicago apartment during the ambitious winter of 1998 with co-conspirators Ben French and Jonathan Cohen. After a five-year stint in New York, he and wife Lourdes have recently relocated to Indianapolis, where he spends days listening to music and nights in the kitchen at Elements restaurant. Musical heroes: Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Super Furry Animals. What else makes life worth living: Sushi, Phucty, runs in the park, and the Atlanta Braves.