江湖郎中合唱团

The Charlatans (often referred to as the Charlatans UK in the United States) are an English rock band formed in the West Midlands in 1988.

All of the band's thirteen albums have charted in the Top 40 of the UK Albums Chart, with three reaching number 1. They have also achieved twenty-two Top 40 singles in the UK Singles Chart, including the hits "The Only One I Know" and "One to Another".

History

Formation (1988–1989)

The band were formed in the West Midlands by bassist Martin Blunt, who recruited fellow West Midlanders Rob Collins (keyboards), Jon Brookes (drums), Jon Day (Jonathan Baker) (guitar) and singer-guitarist Baz Ketley. Ketley left the band and was replaced by singer Tim Burgess, who had previously supported the Charlatans with his band, the Electric Crayons.

Although the Charlatans would later become popularly associated with the Madchester scene, the band's early demos recorded in 1988 in Birmingham and Dudley already showcased the sound that would later define their music, characterised by Collins's Hammond organ, underpinned by the driving rhythm section of Blunt's powerful bass and Brookes's drumming. With their sound – a fusion of 1960s soul, R&B and garage rock – inherited from Blunt's earlier 1982 band Makin' Time, the band saw themselves as part of the West Midlands tradition of hard-edged soul and R&B, which included Birmingham bands the Spencer Davis Group and early Dexys Midnight Runners. Blunt has characterised the band's early influences as including the Stranglers, Stax Records, Joy Division and the Doors, but has also credited the band's formation during the explosive growth of the acid house scene as contributing to their sound, explaining that they "suddenly sounded like the Spencer Davis Group on E".

The band relocated to Northwich, Cheshire, the hometown of their manager Steve Harrison and new lead singer Tim Burgess, before the 1990 release of their debut single "Indian Rope". One of the band's earliest known live performances was supporting the Stone Roses at the London School of Economics on 2 December 1988.

Early years (1990–1993)

The debut single "Indian Rope" proved to be an indie hit, and the group soon secured a major label in Beggars Banquet offshoot Situation Two, in time for the release of "The Only One I Know", which reached the Top 10 in the UK Singles Chart. A further single, "Then", and their debut album Some Friendly were released later that year. Around this time, the Charlatans were forced to add UK to their name for an American tour due to competing claims by an American rock band also known as the Charlatans.

Baker left the band after the 1991 release of the "Over Rising" single and was replaced by Mark Collins (unrelated to Rob Collins). The band enlisted producer Flood for their second album, Between 10th and 11th (named after the address of the New York Marquee, the venue of the group's first US concert). Released in early 1992, the album failed to reach the Top 20 of the UK Albums Chart, but the Top 20 success of lead single "Weirdo" and a double weekend of gigs ('Daytripper') in Blackpool and Brighton, alongside Ride, helped maintain their visibility in the public eye.

The band suffered a major setback later that year when Rob Collins was charged with armed robbery after a friend had robbed an off licence while Collins waited in the car outside. Collins claimed to have had no prior knowledge of the robbery until he heard a gunshot from inside the shop and saw his friend exit. However, he later admitted that he should not have picked up his friend after realising what he had done. In court, Collins pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of "assisting an offender after an offence" and served four months in prison.

Mid-nineties fame (1994–1997)

Their third album, Up To Our Hips (1994), reached number 8 on the UK Albums Chart.

In 1995, the release of the band's fourth album, The Charlatans, marked their return to prominence in the UK, topping the UK albums chart and spawning the Top 20 single "Just When You're Thinkin' Things Over".

Keyboard player Rob Collins was killed in a traffic accident on 22 July 1996, during the recording of the band's fifth album, Tellin' Stories. The Charlatans decided to continue, enlisting Primal Scream and former Felt keyboardist Martin Duffy until a permanent replacement for Collins could be found, particularly for their support slot at Oasis' Knebworth concerts, which were just weeks away, scheduled for 10 and 11 August. Tellin' Stories was released in 1997, featuring contributions from both Rob Collins and Duffy. The group achieved their biggest UK hits to date with the singles "One to Another", "North Country Boy" and "How High".