The Charlatans Short Biography
Mancunian indie rockers The Charlatans have overcome line-up changes and personal tragedy to become one of Britain's best loved bands.
Their breakthrough single The Only One I Know came out of the "Baggy" sound of the time, but as the "Madchester" scene faded, the band adapted their sound with a more rock backing.
Singles such as One to Another off the group's self-titled third album introduced the band to a different audience and were greeted with popular acclaim.
Recent albums Tellin Stories and Us and Us Only have maintained their standing within the UK Music scene, along with a strong live show that has won them many fans.
The Charlatans In-depth Biography
No relation to the British alternative rock band, the Charlatans, this San Francisco group has been widely credited as starting the Haight/Ashbury psychedelic scene. In retrospect, their contribution was more of a social one, planting seeds of a rock counterculture with their unconventional, at times outrageous dress and attitudes. While they occasionally delved into guitar distortion and fractured, stoned songwriting, the Charlatans' music was rooted in good-time jug-band blues, not psychedelic freakouts. That's not to say their records didn't have a low-key, easygoing charm, although they didn't match the innovations of the Jefferson Airplane and other peers. Cutting demos for a couple labels in 1966, most of the material they recorded at this time was unissued, and the commercial explosion of San Francisco rock passed them by. The band eventually did release a nationally distributed album in the late '60s, by which time personnel changes had diluted some of the crazy energy of the original lineup, although the LP has its engaging moments. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide
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