Tellin' Stories (1996)

Tellin' Stories is the fifth studio album by the British rock band the Charlatans, released on 21 April 1997 through Beggars Banquet Records. After wrapping up touring in support of their 1995 self-titled fourth album in early 1996, vocalist Tim Burgess and guitarist Mark Collins went to a cottage near Lake Windermere to write material. Shortly after this, they did a test recording session at Rockfield in Rockfield, Monmouthshire, before main sessions were underway from Easter 1996 at the nearby Monnow Valley Studio with the band, engineer Dave Charles, and engineer Ric Peet acting as producers. Partway through recording, keyboardist Rob Collins was killed in a car crash. The band drafted in Martin Duffy of Primal Scream to help finish the album, concluding in early 1997. Tellin' Stories is a Britpop, hip hop soul, and rock album that has been compared to the work of Patti Smith and Neil Young.

Following a support slot for Oasis at Knebworth, "One to Another" was released as the lead single from Tellin' Stories in August 1996. Prior to a tour of the United Kingdom, which saw the introduction of keyboardist Tony Rogers, "North Country Boy" was released as the album's second single in March 1997. The Charlatans went on a tour of the United States, coinciding with the release of the album's third single, "How High", in June 1997. After returning to the UK, they played two festivals, T in the Park and Phoenix, and then some shows in Japan. Another US tour followed; "Tellin' Stories" was released as the album's fourth single in October 1997, which was promoted with a UK tour to end the year.

Tellin' Stories received generally favourable reviews from music critics, some of whom highlighted the mix of genres and many highlighting Collins' death over the band's maturity. It topped the album charts in both Scotland and the UK, in addition to charting in Norway and Sweden. All four of the album's singles peaked within the top 40 in both Scotland and the UK, with "One to Another" charting the highest at numbers one and three, respectively. "North Country Boy" was also number one in Scotland. Melody Maker, NME, and Vox included the album on their lists of the year's best releases, while Q included it on their list of the 100 best albums from the 1990s. It was certified platinum in the UK; both "One to Another" and "North Country Boy" have since been certified silver in the same country.

Background and writing

The Charlatans released their self-titled fourth studio album in August 1995 through Beggars Banquet Records. It topped the album charts in both Scotland and the United Kingdom; out of its three singles, "Just When You're Thinkin' Things Over" was the most successful, reaching number five in Scotland and number 12 in the UK. It was promoted with a tour of the United States, a trek across mainland Europe, and two UK stints, leading into early 1996. Following this, they spent time at home writing material for their next album. Guitarist Mark Collins asked the band's management to locate a remote part of the Lake District where he and vocalist Tim Burgess could work on ideas.

Burgess and Collins subsequently stayed at a cottage close to Lake Windermere, where they wrote songs over two weeks. They had taken with them an acoustic guitar, a drum machine, a bass, an eight-track recorder, a record player, and various albums. Burgess listened to the various works of Bob Dylan and Wu-Tang Clan, analysing their use of vocal rhythms. Upon returning home, the pair learned that bassist Martin Blunt, drummer Jon Brookes, and keyboardist Rob Collins had completed three songs. "North Country Boy", "One to Another", "How High" and "Only Teethin'" were partly recorded at Rockfield Studios, located in Rockfield, Monmouthshire, as a test session.

Production and Collins' death

Around Easter 1996, the Charlatans travelled to Monnow Valley Studio, also located in Rockfield, Monmouthshire, where they would record their next release. The sessions initially progressed slowly until they started working on "One to Another", which was quickly earmarked as a single. All of the tracks were produced by the band and Dave Charles, except "Area 51" by the band, Charles, and Ric Peet of Candy Flip, and "Rob's Theme" by the band and Peet. Charles also engineered the sessions with assistant Phil Ault. Peet was employed as Collins' personal engineer as he worked on a different schedule from the rest of the band, which resulted in him recording whenever he was in the mood. Burgess said songs that they worked on during the daytime would begin to "get butchered in the early hours" by Collins. He would intentionally ruin tracks that he did not like and songs he did like due to being intoxicated. Burgess had an argument with Rob Collins and confided to Mark Collins that he wished to kick Rob Collins out of the band.