As the festive season thunders towards us with ever-increasing ferocity, the inevitable shower of best-of's, compilations, box sets and live albums starts to pelt down with furious power. There’s no better time of year to drop a ‘career retrospective’ than this – and when you’re a band with a catch-all appeal and loose-limbed charm like the Charlatans, you can expect those stocking-filler sales to start racking up. The ‘universal appeal’ of the band has always bugged me. For nigh on 20 years it seems there’s been a Charlatans song lounging around the charts somewhere, an ever-present representation of a peculiarly trend-free (but persistent) brand of indie rock. They’re high up on festival bills year in, year out. They’ve also been on various major labels for a f**king long time, which is more than most bands manage. What all this means essentially is that these guys have staying power and a very large and loyal fanbase. To me the omnipresence of the Charlatans is a peculiar thing; they’re sometimes great, sometimes forgettable, but always there – so fair play to them, I’m just jealous.
What I forgot to mention was that they also have a great portfolio of singles and presented in this format, with the pedestrian numbers from their various albums trimmed off, ‘Forever…’ delivers some undeniably classic moments. Listening to this collection, I was truly surprised by the quality on offer. It’s in their early days where the Charlatans appear to really shine, their groovy Mad-chester-esque beats and psychedelic keyboard swirls evoking a kind of excitement and pride felt when a truly great British band starts to break big. Indie club staple and bonafide classic, ‘The Only One I Know’ still gets the toes tapping all these years on. ‘One to Another’ still packs a tasty punch, as does first single ‘Indian Rope’. There are some more contemporary highlights too, with ‘North Country Boy’ and ‘Love is the Key’ delivering hooks and choruses aplenty and the dizzy charm of ‘Telling Stories’ washing over like a summer romance. Of course, there are weaker moments including ‘Forever’ and ‘My Beautiful Friend’ – a by-numbers rock track devoid of any real spark. As a casual listener, it was the Charlatans more contemporary material that disappointed me and this collection bears testament to that, with later singles bobbing along pleasantly enough, but largely lacking the conviction of earlier hits.
Quiet guys they may be, but the Charlatans are a British treasure, their everlasting appeal lying in their cute and laid-back charm and their ability to let the music do the talking. The songs on ‘Forever…’ are a legacy to be proud of so join the hoards and pick it up this Christmas.
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The Charlatans - Forever. The Singles
