These guys were part of the Manchester scene in the early 1990's that resonated with my soul, fitting perfectly into my catalog along with other wonderful bands such as Ride, Inspiral Carpets, Manic Street Preachers, and the Stone Roses. Swirling psychedelia straight out of the 60's featuring a heavy dose of organ in the mix... danceable, too. I lost interest after that as the output of the first decade of the 21st century did not move me like before. Maybe I was just getting older. Anyway, when I saw this release a few months ago, I sprung for the double disc with alternative takes, early versions and outtakes, hoping for a revelation somewhere within the 23 tracks. And I found it all over the record. This is an outstanding album for any band, much less one in it's third decade of existence. Here is the
first video and lead track, and oddly enough, it's one of the two which I substituted the alternate version for the original. I read one reviewer essentially peeing his knickers for this song, and here I am including the "softer" version instead for my one-disc edited tracking. One of the outtakes that did not make the regular release could have been INXS in their heyday covering some obscure 60's song. These are just two examples of why I enjoy the Charlatans (UK, for those of us in the States), one is never quite sure what to expect when it comes to their sound and style. Buy an Oasis album and you
know you are going to get an Oasis album.
I found the extended version for sale domestically on Napster and did not see either version on iTunes. Go figure. But I will say that even though this was released in September, 2010, it is an early candidate for best album in 2011, an actual
R-O-C-K n' R-O-L-L record!
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