The Body of Color

Donald Gordon

The Charlatans
"There's only one kind of mind who truly satisfies"

The Charlatans (UK) were always best when they were a organ propelled band, the keyboard cousins of fellow Manchester residents Happy Moondays and Stone Roses. Celebrating that history they broke early into their classics "The Only One I Know" from Some Friendly and Weirdo from the follow up Between Tenth and Eleventh.The organs are still there although the band lost its original keyboardist Rob Collins in a car accident. The band throws out romps of jangly guitar skronk and crisp cymbal. Tim Burgess sings out in a sharp drone that matches the electric dance beat well.
 

After "Love is the Key" Burgess says to the guitarist "We're having an argument every day", before pausing, "Aww Fuck It" and launching into "If I Fall". It's a Dylanesque rocker with the rebellion intact; their music always was defiant about overcoming and here the Charlatans show they are survivors.
 
Laying out dancy rock trances The Charlatans explode sometimes in the fierce booms that make their songs exciting and worth the boogie. "White Shirt" is a perfect example, starting with harmonica as the tempo builds exactly into one of those out-of-control revelations of acceleration: "Faster, faster!"
And in the end the crowd is delivered the height of it "She Comes and Goes", raising the crowd for a last bounce. Burgess' appearance with the Chemical Brothers later is only the just recognition that the best dance today owes a debt to The Charlatans '90s organ-driven, wild-rambling marches.


Reported 2004.08.01 / 00:42

 

 

 

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