Americanarama 2013: or The Night Bob Weir Hijacked My Rock 'N' Roll

So it's taken me a while to get around to writing about the last concert I went to, but it is still fresh in my memory. I saw the final night of the Americanarama Festival of Music tour at Shoreline Amphitheater in Sunnyvale, CA on August 4th, which featured Bob Dylan, Wilco, My Morning Jacket, and Ryan Bingham. One reason I haven't gone to shows much lately is they're too fucking expensive now! Seriously, $50 plus another $18 in fees to see the Pixies play nothing new?!?! The concert industry is pricing the working class out of seeing bands live. It costs at least $80 to see Springsteen playing for the working man. News flash Boss... the guys you're writing songs about can't afford to see you! The nice thing about the Americanarama tour was that lawn tickets were $25! It cost $50 to see Wilco the last time they toured, which was exactly why "The Whole Love" was the first Wilco album I hadn't seen the band tour for. Dylan, Wilco, and My Morning Jacket playing together for a price I could actually afford was a gift from rock 'n' roll heaven! We were running a bit late so we started heading from the car to the venue about the time My Morning Jacket took the stage. I hadn't caught MMJ before, but really became a fan through their amazing live album "Okonokos." Though it took us the first few songs to get in the venue, use the restroom, etc., my wife and I found a nice place near the front of the lawn section right about the time the band started into agentle version of "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" and Bob Weir joined them on stage. 

My Morning Jacket

First, let me be completely up front about this: I am not a Grateful Dead fan. I don't hate them, but very little of what I've heard of, or experienced, from them has caused that visceral excitement in my gut, or moved me on the deep emotional level that great rock music does. This isn't to say that I don't really like some of their music, "Friend Of The Devil" is absolutely beautiful, I've always enjoyed "I Know You Rider," and "Ripple" really hits me where it counts (though in the interest of full disclosure, that has a lot to do with its usage closing "Freaks And Geeks"). But in all honesty, I probably couldn't name 12 Dead songs off the top of my head. I saw them the last day that they played Las Vegas in 1995, a few months before Jerry Garcia died, but I wasn't impressed. Now, the few people who may be familiar with that story could try and argue that maybe my transmission going out put that concert in a bad light, but I would quickly point out that my transmission didn't go out until the drive home. My problems with the concert were this: 1. Who plays Vegas in the middle of the spring, when it's hotter than hell, and plays three plus hours in the daytime, ending when the sun goes down and if finally starts to cool off, setting hundreds of sunbaked, and chemically baked hippies loose on the strip? In the middle of the day there's no light show, just old dudes gently bobbing back in forth, for almost four hours. 2. They just don't rock. Period. How little did they rock? The opening band rocked waaay harder... and that was Dave Matthews Band! I mean, c'mon! If you're getting out rocked by Dave fucking Matthews, then brother, you are playing one puss-ass brand of rock 'n' roll. That said, again, I don't hate the band, they just don't cause any excitement in me at all.

So, now that you know my take on the Dead upfront, I'll continue. Weir comes out as My Morning Jacket start into "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" and I thought it was pretty cool at first. I'm usually down for rare pairings and special guests, so long as they deliver and don't use up too much valuable set time for bands with rich catalogues. They segued nicely from "Knockin'" into "I Know You Rider" and I got quite excited, singing along and whooping it up. I would rank that in my three all-time favorite Dead songs, so no objections. Then they did "Brown-Eyed Woman" which sounded vaguely familiar, and for the record, I'm also not one of those concert goers who only wants "The Hits" and opposes people trying new things live, so not being familiar with something won't put me off. Then Weir left and MMJ delivered epic versions of "Victory Dance" and "Wordless Chorus" before bringing Weir and Ryan Bingham out for a rollicking cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Glory Days," which was a total blast, but I will say this: seeing someone else perform that particular song really makes you realize that what really makes that song is the interplay between Bruce and Little Steven; the song suffers a little when you don't have those two unique personalities, but it was a fun cover all-in-all. Then MMJ did an amazing cover of The Band's version of the Marvin Gaye classic "Don't Do It," before closing with an absolutely amazing version of "Gideon". I was thoroughly impressed with My Morning Jacket's set and look forward to seeing their full show before too long. 

By this time I was ready for Wilco! I personally think that they are the most important American band of their generation, and continually develop and grow with every album, the one exception being Wilco (The Album), which is the only album of theirs whose songs sound like they could have come from the leftovers from their previous album. I'm a big fan and always enjoy them live. The opening number, "Via Chicago," is always one of my favorite songs of the night whenever I see them, and this night was no exception. "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart" segued perfectly into "Art Of Almost" off of their latest album "The Whole Love". Richard Bowden joined the band on fiddle for the early cuts "Passenger Side" and "Forget The Flowers" off Wilco's first two albums, then came the building power of "Born Alone". When you see a band with the back catalog of Wilco try get shoehorned into a slot on the bill that allows them to play a little under half the show you would catch if they were headlining, there's always a little frustration, and I was really hoping to see them play as much material off "The Whole Love" as possible, however, I am very glad that if I only got to see them play two songs off the album, they were the two that got played. 

Wilco

By this point in the show, Wilco was in full rock band mode, bringing out John Doe to join them on the X classic "New World," before launching into the chaotic bombast of "Heavy Metal Drummer," "I'm The Man Who Loves You," and "I Got You (At The End Of The Century)." And then they brought out Bob Weir, and the rocking stopped immediately. It started out promising enough, Weir came out and the band launched into a beautiful rendition of "Ripple," absolutely no complaints there, it is just such a beautiful song. Then they went into a meandering twenty minute version of "Dark Star," and all momentum ceased. Tweedy did what he could to salvage the meandering nature of the song, working the most subdued version of "California Stars" I've ever heard from the "Mermaid Avenue" project into the middle, but like a flameless, flacid phoenix climbing from the proverbial ashes, Weir rose again and brought the band back into "Dark Star for another ten minutes. 

Compulsive Noodler Bob Weir

"Stop encouraging this band's gentle noodling!," I yelled, as the Weir-led Wilco launched into "St. Stephen." Well, perhaps launched isn't the appropriate word, as that implies some sort of explosive or exciting nature, but they played the song none the less, while I prayed for Weir to get his filthy hippy hands off of my rock 'n' roll. This would not have seemed like such a trying experience had it used up the last portion of Wilco's usual two and a half hour set, but when it takes up one third of the set that I'm most looking forward to in the only rock show I've been able to afford to see in the last two years, it makes for one giant wasted opportunity. This is valuable set time, after all, and without Weir's interruption, maybe Wilco could have played a song or two off of "A Ghost Is Born," "Sky Blue Sky," or "Wilco (The Album)," but noooooo, we have to waste time paying tribute to the sexagenarians in the house tonight. It also would have been more tolerable if all rocking hadn't stopped completely the moment Weir took the stage. For the finale, Wilco kept Weir on stage, and brought out Ryan Bingham, John Doe, and members of My Morning Jacket for a faithful rendition of Dylan & The Band's "When I Paint My Masterpiece," and apparently Dylan wanted nothing to do with any of this. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed Wilco's set, I just wanted to hear more Wilco songs during the set.

Finally, Bob Dylan, arguably America's greatest songwriter took the stage. There are few artists more gifted with the combination of words and music than Dylan; you can count the American songwriters who could be in the conversation on a hand: Reed, Waits, Springsteen, maybe Petty & Byrne, but Dylan is the high water mark to which all other American songwriters are held to. Over recent years, Dylan's nasal drawl has become almost as gravelly as Waits, but without the fury of Heaven and Hell being forced out of his windpipe like Waits; Dylan's voice is thin and pained, and it makes the pain in his largely blues-based recent works very believable... to paraphrase, "These other guys are, I hate to say it, but they're a fad. When you've loved and lost the way that Bob has... you know what life's all about."

Bob Dylan

Dylan recognizes his current strengths and weaknesses and plans his show accordingly. It would sound sad, a legend painfully trying to hold on to past glories, if he came out trying to replicate his greatest hits, espially when he has been putting out albums of fairly high quality since 1997. He knows the state of his voice and what the band he's assembled excels at, and gives the audience a slick, powerful evening of late era Dylan, with a small dose of hits and classics filtered in. In fact nine of the fifteen songs were released in the '90's or later, counting "Blind Willie McTell," which was recorded in the '80's for "Shot Of Love," but not released until the first release in the "Bootleg Series" in 1993.

Throughout the night Dylan interspersed recent gems like "Things Have Changed," "Love Sick," and "Beyond Here Lies Nothin'" with the much loved classics "Tangled Up In Blue," Shelter From The Storm," an earth-shattering rendition of "Desolation Row," and a virtually unrecognizable "She Belongs To Me." The latter showed Dylan's intention to remain true to what he feels as an artist, by continuing to explore variations in classic songs rather than just play it the way it sounds every other time you hear it. This was also evident during a ghostly softness of the set closer "All Along The Watchtower," with the band not really reaching full crescendo until the final few bars of the song. Every other band plays it that way; Dylan has no interest in doing what every other band does, which is precisely what makes this era of Dylan so enthralling. Even the encore showed Dylan's need to not succumb to expectations, choosing to close with "Ballad Of A Thin Man," rather than the more crowd pleasing classics, i.e. "Like A Rolling Stone," "Blowin' In The Wind," or "Knockin' On Heaven's Door," to name just a few. I've heard Dylan can be hit or miss live, but all three times I've seen him, ('95, '07, and '13) he's been extraordinary. I really hope that there are more tours like this one, with several great bands playing for an affordable price, without the atmosphere of a full-blown multi-day festival. Americanarama was a goldmine of a show, despite the gentle noodling.

The Namesake Series Lives!!!

Despite the return of my much loved Arrested Development, Morrissey's creatively titled autobiography, "Autobiography," is shaping up to be the comedic event of the year. First came word that the Dudley Do-Right sound-alike pulled the book from its original publisher, and in seeking a new publisher, insisted that the book be put out by Penguin Classics, the branch of Penguin that publishes classic paperbacks like "Moby Dick." Then, upon release of the book, there was Buzzfeed's hilarious, and quite challenging, quiz asking "Who Said It: Morrissey or Alan Partridge." Now comes word that Moz has taken a page out of David St. Hubbins' "Namesake Series" of actors recording audio books by authors with the same last name. 

Reports are that actor David Morrissey, best know in the States for playing The Governor on The Walking Dead, will record the audio book for the ex-Smiths singer's "Autobiography." No word yet on if the actor will try and imitate the singer's melodramatic croon, or just how many times the phrase "Whoah, Nell!" appears in the book.

On the Passing of Jon Brookes

It's no secret that I'm a huge Charlatans fan. They're one of my all time favorite bands. The passing of Jon Brookes just hits me in the gut. Nobody made me dance harder at a gig than Jon Brookes... period. Following his passing, I went through the entire Charlatans catalogue, b-sides and all, and was constantly drawn into to his subtlety. The drum work on "Up To Our Hips" still blows me away. It's one of my favorite albums by the band, and the one of the big reasons why is there is a drum roll right as "Inside - Looking Out" starts fading out. Almost twenty years after its release, that drum roll still gives me the same feeling in the pit of my stomach that I get when I go through a quick, short dip on a roller coaster. You know that feeling? When it feels like the ground drops out beneath you and your stomach goes up into your throat, but then it evens out and your whole body jerks back up? That's what the drum roll at the end of "Inside - Looking Out" does to me. It's as though the whole song just hangs in the air for a moment, then crashes back down; it's an absolutely brilliant piece of music.

I've seen The Charlatans live 17 times live since the first time I saw them, (Hollywood Palladium, August 2, 1992 with very special guests Catherine Wheel, for those keeping score) and have had tickets to see them on three different tours whose shows were canceled. I met my wife at a Charlatans show. They always delivered live, the only complaint I've ever had with their live show is that it just wasn't long enough. Seriously, the epic songbook this band has compiled deserves much more than a 90 show, and much more song rotation as well! One thing is for certain, though, every time I saw The Charlatans, I danced my ass off, and that was largely because when Jon Brookes goes absolutely primal, like he does at the end of "Tellin' Stories," for example, it moved me unlike few other drummers. 

I'm glad to see that The Charlatans have already taken the stage again, and hope they are able to continue, being the only band of their time and place never to stop, and if it means a steady gig for Peter Sallisbury, then fantastic, he too is a phenominal drummer and I can't think of too many drummers I'd rather see play with the band, but like many, I will always miss the rhythmic bombast that Jon Brookes brought to every album and every stage he took. Thank you, Mr. Brookes, for being one of the biggest parts of the soundtrack of my life.

On the Passing of Lou Reed

The passing of Lou Reed reminded me of just how brilliant he was, and how little I actively listen to him.  Don't get me wrong, I had listened to all four Velvet Underground albums within the last year or so, but hadn't listened to anything other than the "NYC Man" compilation by him in years.  Truth be told, I really came to his music through covers, and then started exploring the Velvet's albums, and really only owned a couple of his solo albums.  However, when I would listen to anything by him, I would always wonder why I don't explore his catalog more thoroughly.

There were certain songs that I just heard growing up, not really knowing who Lou Reed or the Velvet Underground were.  The obvious songs like "Walk on the Wild Side," "Sweet Jane," and "Rock N' Roll."  I remember the video for "Dirty Blvd." playing regularly on Request Video, as well.  Then I became well acquainted with "Satellite of Love" through U2's version on the "One" single, and seeing them perform it on Zoo TV.  Aside from "Transformer" though, I didn't really get into The Velvet Underground until I saw Phish perform "Loaded" on Halloween in Las Vegas, 1998.  

From 1995 - 1999 I attended many Phish shows, and at that point had travelled out to see all of the shows they had played in Vegas.  The promise of a musical costume fills your head with so many possibilities of albums you would want to see the band perform.  I remember hoping for "Darkside of the Moon," or, if keeping with a Halloween theme, "Thriller," or (though extremely unlikely) "Dead Man's Party," by Oingo Boingo.  When I received the Phishbill, and saw the cover of "Loaded" on the front, I instantly recognized the album artwork, but still had to read the bill to learn about the album.  In hind site, it was a perfect introduction to the album, it had some songs I already knew and liked, and so much more to offer.  "Who Wants the Sun," "New Age," and "Oh! Sweet Nothin'" all took me to new emotional places, and I left knowing I would be delving into The Velvet Underground soon.  I bought "Loaded" on the drive home the next morning.

Lou's music was filled with such feeling, some call it dark, but I've always just seen a very full expanse of the depths of the human emotional experience in his work.  I am thankful for the chance to experience it, and the influence it has had on my life, and the music that I love.  Thanks Mr. Reed, you changed the world.

A Periodic Post

So it's been a bit since I've had time to sit down and commit the time to update this, then getting stuck in trying to figure out what I had to say... which leads to stagnation.  Then my wife and several co-workers pointed out that I often go on entertaining rants and tangents, and that these should be what I write about.  Basically, keep it simple stupid!  So I am re-dedicating myself to keeping this updated with "whatever eastern philosophy that drifts through my transom," as David St. Hubbins would say.  More on Spinal Tap later, but first, there are a couple of events that I regret addressing in a more timely fashion.  That said, if you happen to read this, thanks and I'll have more for you shortly.  Oh, and I will get back around to posting the rest of the articles I wrote for my senior project, but it may be a while, as I focus on posting more frequently.  Thanks again.

Senior Project Article #7: Chapterhouse

Hailing from Redding, England, Chapterhouse made a large impact on the underground with minimal output.  Much like The Stone Roses, Chapterhouse's output only consisted of two albums and a few singles.  The influence they would have on their peers and followers, however, was much more prominent. 

            

Formed in 1989, Chapterhouse consisted of Andrew Sherriff and Stephen Patman, who shared vocal and guitar duties, Simon Rowe on guitar, Jon Curtis on bass, and Ashley Bates on drums.  The band would release a pair of e.p.'s in late 1990 that blended the chaotic feedback blast of My Bloody Valentine and The Jesus & Mary Chain, with the dance rhythms of Happy Mondays and The Stone Roses.

            

Whirlpool, the band's debut album, was released on April 29, 1991 and quickly became one of the cornerstones of the shoegaze genre.  "Breather," the album's opener, starts with that feeling you have when you're falling in your sleep and you wake up just before you hit the ground.  From there there's a kaleidoscopic swirl of light and shimmering colors -  "On my own / tears and sorrow set me right / Taught me how to dream tonight," Sherriff and Patman harmonize gently over the quick, chaotic rush of the music. 

The album's second track, "Pearl" reached number 67 on the U.K. singles charts.  "Pearl," which features backing vocals from Rachel Goswell of fellow Redding shoegazers Slowdive, is early evidence of the electronic textures Chapterhouse would explore following their debut.  When the song breaks leaving only a backwards-looped drumbeat, the guitar cords that follow hit the listener like fresh ocean waves on a summer's day, as the band bursts into the songs final chorus, elevated by Goswell's gentle falsetto. 

            

The album switches modes from quiet and drifting, to loud, crashing and chaotic, all while mixing house-influenced dance grooves with thick, glistening guitar haze.  "Falling Down," which led off the band's debut e.p., features a swirl of dance grooves and wah-wah guitar funk drawn straight from the then-burgeoning Madchester acid-house scene, with Patman and Sherriff's breathy vocals buried deep in the mix.  "If You Want Me," the albums penultimate song, gently captures the yearning of the heart, before exploding in a climatic rush that is as exhilarating as the feelings its lyrics are drawn from, and all in under three minutes.  "Something More," the lead track from the band's second e.p., is a scintillating drifter that morphs from gentle drift to raging swells as the album closes.

            

The band followed Whirlpool with Mesmerise, a four-track e.p. which saw the band delve more into their electronic influences.  The title track, a gentle pop groove over a piano loop, would fit nicely alongside the work of electronic-rock pioneers New Order, while "Then We'll Rise" sways in its 3/4 waltz.  The single would be an indication of the musical styles the band would explore two years later on their anticipated follow-up album.

            

Chapterhouse would return in October 1993 with Blood Music, a dense array of electronic synthesizers, ringing guitars and drum loops, influenced by the electronic music of New Order and Kraftwerk, with the ecstasy-fuelled rave music of The Stone Roses and Happy Mondays.  Much of the album flows seamlessly from one song to the next, one dance beat giving way to the next; the stretches of chaos and noise are nearly non-existent, the band opting more for groove and gentle melody - think Dark Side of the Moon goes clubbing.  “We Are the Beautiful” and “She’s a Vision” the album's singles, mix driving guitar with club beats and soul-influenced backing vocals, while “Summer’s Gone” ripples like cool water touched by a summer’s breeze.

            

“Everytime” continues the indie-guitar riff over house music drum-and-bass groove aesthetic of the album, its pulsing synth-bass continuing into “Deli,” six-plus minutes of instrumental trance-groove shuffle, which then flows seamlessly into “On the Way to Fly,” an abstract meditation on mortality.  “You find it out / When you lose your life / You see the truth / When the world lets you down / I want peace / I want life / Pleasure / Never / Time sleeps / On the way to fly,” they sing softly, the vocal style being one of the few holdovers from the band’s debut album. 

            

In the album's final third, “She’s a Vision” gives way to the driving guitars on the quick-tempo “Greater Power,” which is the closest the band gets stylistically to the songs on Whirlpool.  This flows into the loping bass of “Confusion Trip,” which leads into the gentle groove and infectious chorus of the album's optimistic closer, “Love Forever,” the gentle vocals drifting away as the ringing guitars fade out.

            

Unfortunately, Blood Music, was not particularly well-received by the British music press, who by 1993 were turning on the genre they acclaimed two years earlier, and many fans initially weren’t on board with the Chapterhouse’s change in direction.  With time though, many of the band's fans came to appreciate the album as a groundbreaking effort that would have likely found favor with the music press had it come out in the latter ‘90’s, when acts ranging from David Bowie and David Byrne, to U2 and Smashing Pumpkins were experimenting with electronic textures and club-influenced dance rhythms.  If the listener can step away from listening for the album that he or she wants the band to make following Whirlpool; and listen for the album that the band wanted to make, the beauty of Blood Music reveals itself.

            

Following a US tour supporting The Wonder Stuff, Chapterhouse did a brief UK tour before calling it a day, claiming they had done what they wanted to do musically.  Fourteen years later, Patman and Sherriff joined German DJ Ulrich Strauss on stage at the Truck Festival in Oxfordshire, England, in July 2008, for a rendition of “Love Forever.”  This would result in the band reforming for a pair of UK shows that November.  In 2009, the band embarked on a brief string of shows in Japan and North America; popping up to say hello to their fans before calling it quits.  Despite their meager output, Chapterhouse left a large influence on the world of ethereal rock music, and their influence can be heard in the works of Ulrich Strauss and Sigur Ros.

Senior Project Article #6: Slowdive

Cool and tranquil, flowing with the speed of a glacial ice drift; Slowdive is the band that the British music press based their description of shoegazers on.  Their music is all about big, slow, lush, dreamlike walls of sound, vocals half-whispered, but guitars deafeningly loud.  Their music is meditative, and gentle, but has grandness in the spirit of Pink Floyd; Slowdive’s is music meant more for private moments alone than epic rock spectacle.  They lack the faster, more chaotic aspects of their contemporaries, like My Bloody Valentine, Chapterhouse, and Catherine Wheel. And, unlike Ride, their major style-shift wasn’t from experimental to more commercial, it was from experimental to quieter, sparser, and even less commercial.

Formed in Reading, England in 1989, Slowdive was fronted by singer/guitarist Neil Halstead, and singer/guitarist Rachel Goswell.  Christian Savill joined on guitar, along with Nick Chaplain on bass; Simon Scott eventually settled the lineup as they signed to Creation Records in 1990.  They released their self-titled debut e.p., featuring the songs “Slowdive,” “Avalyn I,” and the eight-minute instrumental “Avalyn II.”  The following year they released the Morningrise e.p., and the Holding Our Breath e.p., before releasing their debut album, Just for a Day, in September 1991. 

            

Full and lush, Just for a Day relies on heavier synthesizer usage than their early e.p.’s; it is an album meant to be experienced as a whole, and had little chance for any commercial breakthrough.  The British music press, who had been lauding accolades on the band’s first e.p.’s turned on Slowdive as the shoegazer backlash began in the press.  The arrival of American grunge bands began to have an erosive effect on the press’s short-lived love affair with the shoegazer genre, and though they had yet to turn completely on bands with faster, slightly more accessible songs, Slowdive’s dirges were quickly panned.  With gentle, hushed vocals from Halstead and Goswell, and crashing waves of guitar drone, “Spanish Air” opens the album; it's methodical rhythms and ambient keyboards sounding reminiscent of The Cure’s Faith album.  The album is full of echoes and rings, drifts and flows, never rushing anything for even a second, while emitting great sonic power; Just for a Day is pure headphone music, meant for eyes-closed meditation.  By the time “Primal,” the album’s closing number, reaches its soaring, epic climax, the listener has the feeling of having been lifted through the air, only to quickly be dropped when the guitars cut out, bringing the album to its close.

            

The band also faced difficulty with their U.S. record label, SBK Records, which set up a viral marketing campaign to make American audiences aware of the album's impending U.S. release, then pushing the release date back four months.  Following a U.S. tour in 1992 supporting Ride, Slowdive returned to the studio to begin working on their follow up, the negative press had begun taking it's toll, making Halstead feel insecure in his songwriting during the albums labored recording.  Plans to have legendary producer / musician Brian Eno produce the second album fell through, resulting in only a couple of session, but it sparked Halstead to compose the strongest material of the band’s catalog.

 

            

Souvlaki, is a grand epic, soaring and building through nearly every song; the album has slightly quicker tempos, meaning they get up the slower end of the mid-tempo range, but the guitar atmospherics raise the listener to new heights.  The band put together a collection that even contains multiple songs that could conceivably be put into some kind of radio rotation; maybe not on a major alternative station, like Los Angeles’ KROQ, but perhaps late at night on NPR or college radio (though the band did get heavy support from KROQ’s legendary D.J., Rodney Bingenheimer’s Rodney on the ROQ show).  The album, released in the UK in June 1993, bursts open with “Alison,” which had been released on the In Your Room e.p. in May.  The song builds and swirls, with rising guitar over Halstead and Goswell’s gentle harmonies.  The guitar sounds captured on Souvlaki aim for the heavens; sonic explorations of space and emotion, and are prevalent throughout the album.  “Sing,” from the sessions with Eno, the Velvet Undergroud-esque “Here She Comes,” and “Altogether” provide the quieter moments on the album, while “Souvlaki Space Station” and “When The Sun Hits” mark the strongest one-two punch on any Slowdive release - taking the listener through the stratosphere, with soaring ethereal guitars. "Souvlaki Space Station" opens with delayed guitars ringing, before taking off with more drive than anything in the band’s catalog.  Goswells floating voice is unintelligible, but this is really lyric based music; this is music to float along with and be carried away by.  "When The Sun Hits" begins light and unassuming, "Sweet thing, I watch you / Burn so fast it scares me / My game, please don't leave me / Come so far, don't lose me...," Halstead gently intones in the first verse, the band gently drifting behind his voice; then as he sings the first verse's final line, "...It matters where you are," the heavens open in a burst of sound that feels like sunlight breaking through the clouds.  The guitars ascend like jet engines and the song propels itself forward into a defining moment for the band; it is the creative peak for a young band whose sole intention was sonic exploration.

            

The band's difficulties with the American arm of their label continued, however, and following a brief U.S. tour supporting Catherine Wheel in 1993, the band was forced to pay for the subsequent North American tour themselves, through sales of a self-recorded and produced live cassette, after SBK pulled funding for the tour.  As the band entered the studio in 1994 to begin work on their third album, Halstead had a new experimental direction in mind, causing drummer Simon Scott to depart the group due to musical differences.  Ian McCutcheon replaced Scott as the band set off in a new musical direction.

            

The resulting album, Pygmalion was a drastic departure from the distortion-filled walls of sound the band had made their name with.  Heavily influenced by the experimental latter albums Spirit of Eden and Laughing Stock by Talk Talk, Pygmalion is sparse, leaving room for the listener's imagination to fill in the blanks.  The album is as adventurous as anything Slowdive had done, and stands as a direct challenge to listeners looking for the band who thought the band only had one sound in their repertoire; however, by 1995 the press had fully embraced the Britpop movement and Creation Records decided they would rather reap the benefits of the chart-topping Britpop group Oasis, rather than promote intentionally un-commercial groups, like Slowdive, who were dropped by the label following the release of Pygmalion.  Savil and Chaplain then departed the group, leaving Halstead, Goswell, and McCutcheon to form the group Mojave 3, who moved in a more acoustic direction. 

            

Despite their lack of commercial success, Slowdive has proven to be a highly influential group, helping to inform the sound of Secret Machines, Iceland's Sugur Ros, and Canada's God Speed You! Black Emporor.  With their thick, glacial sound, Slowdive embodied the sound and style of the shoegazer genre more than any other band of their time.

Senior Project Article #5: The Charlatans

If I were forced to sum up the 23-plus-year career of The Charlatans in four words it would be this: "the last band standing." Legal battles, member departures, arrests, death, distance, disease; these are things that lead to the demise of most bands… but not Northwich’s Charlatans.  Few bands in the annals of rock history have faced, and successfully stared down, the challenges that The Charlatans have, but then again, few bands have the tale to tell that they do either.  The band has risen like a phoenix from the ashes time and time again, always continuing to evolve and delight.  It seems no matter what has been thrown at The Charlatans; they have fought their way back, and maintained a steady workload along the way.  During the course of their ongoing career, the band has become one of the most loved and influential bands of their generation in their home country, and underrated cult-heroes abroad. 

Debuting in 1990, The Charlatans came up as contemporaries of The Stone Roses and Happy Mondays, taking flight during the ecstasy-fueled Mad-chester scene.  Hitting listeners with a Hammond organ driven, groove based dance music; the initial lineup consisted of Tim Burgess on vocals, Jon Baker on guitar, Martin Blunt on bass, Rob Collins on organ and keyboards, and John Brooks on drums and percussion.  The band hit early, their second single “The Only One I Know,” becoming a modern rock hit in 1990 on both sides of the Atlantic.  Shortly after the release, the band had to change their name in the U.S. territories to The Charlatans UK, to avoid a legal conflict with a San Francisco-based band from the late 60’s with the same name.  Despite this confusion “The Only One I Know” received airplay on MTV as well as alternative radio stateside, even ending up on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine's new faces issue in 1991.  Their debut album, Some Friendly was released in October of 1990 and helped build the growing rave culture rising in northern England.  The Charlatans energetic blend of house-based funk and Collins’ distinct C-3 organ attack would set them apart from their contemporaries, resulting in the only album from the Mad-chester scene to make it to number one on the UK album chart.  The album's closer, “Sproston Green,” has emerged as the bands’ anthem, closing nearly every concert they have played for the last 23 years. 

Jon Baker departed the band as they began recording the second album, quickly being replaced by guitarist Mark Collins (no relation to Rob Collins).  Released in March 1992, Between 10^th & 11^th featured the hit single “Weirdo,” but failed to achieve the success of its predecessor.  Produced by Flood, known for his work with U2, Depeche Mode, and Nine Inch Nails, he gave the album a sound that continues to stand as completely unique in the bands catalog.  Though the album was considered to be a disappointment by many critics at the time, it contains a subtlety that sets it apart from any other Charlatans album.  Much of the band's songbook that followed Between 10^th & 11^th is based on the conventions of rock and soul music, with vocal melodies following the instrumentation fairly closely; The Charlatans second album, however, stands today as some of the most melodically complex and musically experimental work of the band's career.  On the working-class anthem “The End Of Everything,” Burgess sings: “No education I want besides the one that I’ve got / Divorce me from the zeroes, what do they know? / Twentieth century cultureless stereotypes / Waving words worth nothing to me now,” continuing the theme of blue-collar resistance captured in much of the work of other North English bands.  Elsewhere, Burgess’ voice dances and skips gently over the music, weaving melodies that are almost contradictory to the musical melody: “When honesty is mine to ride / A gem dissolving, shadow-slide / Climb down, you better not drown / What are you gonna do when your sky falls out on this word,” his voice bobbing and weaving through the swirling, atmospherics of the band on the album's closer “(No One) Not Even the Rain.” 

As the band sought to shift musical direction going into the sessions for their third album, 1994’s Up To Our Hips, incorporating more melodic influences from The Beatles and Mick Taylor-era Rolling Stones, as well as influence from hip-hop pioneers De La Soul.  The sessions for the album got off to a rocky start when keyboardist Rob Collins, the band's primary songwriter, was arrested and served a four month sentence for being an accessory to armed robbery; however, his initial absence allowed the rhythm section of Blunt and Brooks to come to the forefront of The Charlatans' sound.  The band continued its earlier, groove-based explorations on the songs “Come In Number 21,” “Patrol,” “Inside – Looking Out,” the instrumental “Feel Flows,” and the album’s title track, while the album's singles, “Can’t Get Out Of Bed,” “Jesus Hairdo,” and “I Never Want an Easy Life if me and he Were Ever to Get There” - showed the band relying more on melodic hooks and choruses.  In what would be an important development for the band’s sound, “Autograph” featured the band's first song based on acoustic instrumentation, a sound they would further explore on subsequent albums.  The band also acquired the rights to the name The Charlatans in the United States, allowing for the U.S. release to be under the same band name as the international release (The Charlatans, as opposed to The Charlatans UK). When Rob Collins rejoined the band after completing his sentence, he returned to a band that was in a major musical transition from the club-based grooves of its early work, to the Stones-like swagger that would dominate its sound through the rest of the decade.

The band tried to regain their lost momentum, but faced difficulties in the American markets, from relating to an American audience during the popularity of the much more aggressive grunge movement, to being constantly asked during promotional interviews if they were “…the same Charlatans as The Charlatans UK.”  When the large portion of the North American tour for Up To Our Hips had to be cancelled due to illness, the band made the decision to regroup back home and focus on writing for their next album, rather than try to carrying on promoting their third album. The subsequent album, released in 1995, would return the band to their previous levels of both critical and commercial success, and help usher in the sound that would become known in the press as Britpop. The band sought to cut through any lingering confusion by self-titling the album, accepting the UK moniker for the American release, and including both the song titles and the band's photo on the front cover, having not been pictured on one of their albums sleeves since their debut album's digitally altered cover. The Charlatans found the band reveling in their love for The Rolling Stones, with the album drawing comparisons to Exile On Main Street. The singles "Crashin' In" and "Just Lookin'" found the band in full big organ rock mode, while songs like "Tell Everyone" and the album's third single, "Just When You're Thinking Things Over" continued the proliferation of the warmer, more acoustic vibe introduced on the previous record. Elsewhere, the band took their earlier groove-based song styling to heavier depths, incorporating influences of electronic dance music on "Toothache," and The Charlatans opening and closing tracks: "Nine Acre Court" and "Thank You."

Their fourth album had returned The Charlatans to the stature they gained on their debut and the band began sessions for the following album in early 1996.  The band had set up a series of shows that summer supporting Oasis, who were currently the darlings of the British music scene, culminating in the pair playing at Knebworth, England at what was the fastest selling concert ever at the legendary concert site, selling out two nights at 150,000 people per night.  The Charlatans had scheduled the release of the first single, “One To Another,” from their forthcoming album to be released just prior to the concerts.  The band was entering the final stages of recording for the new album when they were dealt another tragic blow.

On July 22, 1996, Rob Collins was killed in a car crash in Wales.  He lost control of his BMW and was ejected through the windshield, on the way to the recording studio after a night of drinking.  The band had arrived at a crossroads, and felt that “One To Another” should still be released as scheduled, standing as a tribute to Collins.  The band also decided to keep the Knebworth dates, recruiting Primal Scream keyboardist Martin Duffy for their first live performance on August 11, less than three weeks after Collins’ death.  Following one of the fiercest sets of their career, the band convened to complete the album, deciding that they would at least finish the record and find a touring keyboard player to promote the album upon its release.

Tellin’ Stories was released on April 21, 1997 to rave reviews; the album was simultaneously a lasting tribute to their fallen keyboard player, and defiant statement about the future of the band.  “With No Shoes” opens the album with confidence, with driving blues licks and punchy hooks; a trio of singles that would become staples of the band's live repertoire to this day follows, with “North Country Boy,” the title track “Tellin’ Stories,” and “One To Another” all being performed at nearly every concert since 1997, and would become some of the band's highest charting singles of their career.  The album shows the lasting glory of Rob Collins on the Hammond-driven instrumental “Area 51,” and the album's remaining single, “How High,” (also a live staple) achieved the rock-star sneer and attitude that so many of the band's contemporaries were shooting for.  The Bob Dylan inspired “Get On It” morphs from harmonica fueled rock song to classic Charlatans organ driven funk.

As preparations for the tour got under way, the band hired Tony Rogers to take over keyboard duties for the tour, saying at the time that they would continue as a quartet, with Rob Collins being irreplaceable.  By the end of the tour, however, Rogers' chemistry with the band had convinced them that there was a future for The Charlatans, and Rogers was brought on as a full member, as the band entered the studio in 1998 to work on their first album without their primary songwriter.

As sessions for Us and Us Only got under way, songwriting would become a more collaborative process for the group, and the result would be one of the strongest albums of the band's career.  Released in 1999, Us and Us Only would see the band develop every aspect of their previous styles, with fully matured takes on their early sound in “Forever,” to their Dylan-goes-Britpop song styling on “Impossible.”  “Senses,” the album's enigmatic centerpiece, slowly builds bass and piano lines with wailing harmonica, before exploding into one of Burgess’ most desperate sounding odes to love. 

As the band entered the next century, they would experiment with different influences from album to album, and they would continue to face bad luck and challenges along the way.  Burgess would move to the Los Angeles area, bringing the band out to record their next album, the Curtis Mayfield-inspired Wonderland.  In timing typical of the band’s luck, the album would be released in the United States on September 11, 2001, forcing the cancelation of the beginning portions of the albums promotion.

As The Charlatans' record contract expired, the next album, 2004’s Up at the Lake would fail to get a U.S. release, but the band would sign with Sanctuary Music Group to release their 2006 album, the dancehall reggae influenced Simpatico; however, the record company would file for bankruptcy before the band entered the studio to record 2008’s new-wave heavy You Cross My Path.  Fresh off the heels of Radiohead’s “pay what you like” internet release for their In Rainbows album, The Charlatans would release You Cross My Path for free download via the internet three months before the physical version would arrive in the shops.   In typical Charlatans fashion though, the U.S. tour dates would have to be cancelled due to drummer Jon Brooks needing surgery for a shoulder condition aggravated by drumming.

2010 found the band both looking back and moving forward, releasing an expanded and re-mastered 20^th anniversary edition of their debut, Some Friendly, as well a new album, Who We Touch, the strongest collection of songs the band had released since 1999’s Us and Us Only.  The band returned to the United States for the first time since 2006 in the fall of 2010 to promote the new record, and drummer Jon Brooks collapsed on stage halfway through the band's set in Philadelphia.  After being rushed to the hospital, Brooks was diagnosed with a brain tumor and flown home for emergency surgery, forcing the band to cancel yet another North American tour.  The Charlatans would regroup to promote the album in Europe with Peter Salisbury from The Verve filling in while Brooks recovered.  Brooks returned to the drummer’s throne for the encore of the band's New Year’s show that December. 

The Charlatans are currently readying their as-yet-untitled 12th studio album for release in late 2013, following a year of concerts celebrating the fifteenth anniversary of Tellin’ Stories.  The band is also set to release a documentary, Mountain Picnic Blues: the Making of Tellin’ Stories this spring.  Whatever direction the band pursues on their forthcoming effort, one thing is without question: after 23 years, The Charlatans stand as one of the most dependably consistent and strongest live acts of their generation, and deserve to be mentioned alongside the all-time greats of British rock.  They are the last band standing from Mad-chester, the last band standing from Britpop, and they show no signs of stopping anytime soon.