Customer Reviews

The Amazing Charlatans

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If you have any affection for the Psychedelic sounds of the 60s and want to get an idea of how it started, this is the Record to listen to: The Charlatans started it all, before the Jefferson Airplane, before Moby Grape and yes, before Grateful Dead. The group did release a record in 1969, but most of the original band members were gone by then and it is a rather mediocre affair. This colloction however brings together for the first time the songs that made them famous in the Bay area during their 1965 and 1966 heydays. Some of these songs may sound strange and not "psychedelic" at all, more like old fashioned good time music. But try to imagine their outfit, place yourself in the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco around 1966 and the music will fit perfectly. Listen to "Alabama Bound", their version of "Codeine" and "How Can I Miss You, When You Won't Go Away". I just wish there would be some live recordings salvaged from that time. But this collection is the only thing left and therefore the best there is.

As the author of the Jefferson Airplane book "Take Me To A Circus Tent" and a former radio disc-jockey, I am often asked to write and or discuss various recordings from the 60's and 70's.

The Charlatans (Please do not confuse them with the 80's band Charlatans U.K.) unfortunately share a few things in common with the Great Society (Grace Slick). Both bands didn't get the respect they deserved at the time and that is a rock and roll disgrace. These groups were helping to carve the incredible sounds that would make the San Francisco music scene legendary.

By the time the Charlatans released a record there were too many years past and the line-up had shifted. That is why you'll find "The Amazing Charlatans" an essential archival release.

This collection puts together the 23 demos they had shopped in the creative period. The old story is now a broken record when a band can perform folk, blues, country, rock, jug band, and psych the suits don't have the knowledge or the patience to formulate a marketing strategy.

There is plenty of strong material to sink your teeth into. Please understand before the CD starts to play the Charlatans niche at this time did not involve an entry into the improvisational zone. Excluding the energy charged "Alabama Bound" that clocks in over 6 minutes, the rest of the tunes fall into standard range. They pack a lot of wallop with standouts such as "Codine" sometimes called "Codine Blues", "How Can I Miss You When You Won't Go Away", "Walkin", and "The Shadow Knows."

Herb Greene the legendary photographer from the San Francisco scene that supplied numerous pictures for my book (Jefferson Airplane and Great Society) had photographed the Charlatans. If Herb took your picture there was something in your music that yelled out "Timeless."

If you want some Hot Licks from Mr. Dan Hicks it is part of the package.

Enjoy the music and be well,
Craig Fenton
Author of the Jefferson Airplane book "Take Me To A Circus Tent"

The music contained in this album is superb and an extraordinary sample of what it could have been. An other great band of the Frisco scenario of the pyschedelic era. The music is fantastic. So is the sound of this cd. Their lyrics and the music reflect a solid point of view which is far form being light statements (verbal and musical), and the band (in spit of their name) is far very far away of being charlatans, as many bands of our days are.

This is the most complete collection of original Charlatans tunes ever released. This album was released only a few years ago and was produced with the permission of all the surviving members of The Charlatans. Big Beat records released the album in 2004 from original recordings that were done in the mid 1960's. The original masters were recovered from two studios; Coast Recordings and Golden State Recordings. Erick Jacobson from Coast Recordings (where Lovin Spoonful had their studio) still had the tapes So Richard Olson got em from Eric. The entire band (the Charlatans) took a train from Virginia City to San Francisco in 1965 to record the tapes on 3 track reel to reel (state of the art at the time). The rest of the tracks came from Golden State recorders on Howard and 3rd in 1966-67, the tapes were held ransom by Leo DeCarkulka for back rent on storage fees. The band finally got the tapes from Leo and released the album with Big Beat. This is a MUST HAVE!! if you don't have it get it, it may not be around forever. A veritable piece of history never to be repeated. This album is the foundation of some of best music ever made from bands like The Grateful Dead, The Lovin Spoonful, Jefferson Airplane, Big Brother and The Holding Company, and dozens more from that era, not to mention so many of the bands since that have adopted the Wild West, Rock, Folk, Blues, Country, blend of what has become known as Psychidellic Rock. Check out "Rockin at the Red Dog" to learn more about this amazing phenomenon called The Charlatans.

ESTA BIEN,ELLOS FUERON LOS PRIMEROS...PERO POR ALGO NO LLEGARON A NADA...COCTEL CONFUSO, EXTRAVAGANTE, ERRATICO Y SIMPATICO A LA VEZ, PLANTARON LAS SEMILLAS PARA QUE OTROS APROVECHEN LOS FRUTOS...ESTA EDICION DE BIG BEAT RECORDS ES REALMENTE MUY BUENA, BOOKLET MUY INFORMATIVO,PLAGADO DE FOTOS (ESTOS PISTOLEROS A QUIEN QUERIAN ASUSTAR???)BONUS TRACKS Y DEMAS..ADEMAS NO ES NADA MAS Y MENOS QUE MI HUMILDE OPINION...SI LOS ESCUCHAS, ES UN BUEN RECUERDO, SI NO LOS ESCUCHAS..NO TE PERDES DE NADA....SEGUI AFERRADO A MOBY,QUICKSILVER (QUIENES, PARA MI, HACEN LA VERSION DEFINITIVA DE CODINE BLUES), GRATEFUL,JEFFERSON QUE SEGURAMENTE VAS A LLEGAR UN POCO MAS LEJOS.......