Customer Reviews

Us And Us Only

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'll start by saying that this is my first review ever, of anything. What inspired it is the poor reviews some other people have given the album and one reviewers remark that the band misses the deceased "organ player", Mark Collins. I do not know if he Mark Collins has died but he is actually a guitar player for the band, not a keyboard man. This may give some readers insight into the quality of that review. "Us and Us Only" is perhaps the finest offering the Charlatans have given. Certainly it is more guitar driven than than the earlier albums "some freindly" and "betweem the 10th and 11th" and "sound-wise" is similar to "up to our hips" and "tellin stories". Anyway, this album is a treasure. It grooves like early Happy Mondays and is combined with pop and mature lyrics that should reveal to the recent "stereophonics" and "gomez" fans who the masters are (and I enjoy both of those bands). Buy and enjoy it as you groove around whatever town you live in. Thanks for your time.

'Forever' opens this album. And does so experimentally. Once the long song has reached its lyrical part after the long intro's crescendo, the album sounds like The Charlatans do.

It is tempting to describe the style as a mixture of Bob Dylan and Oasis...

The highlights are 'Senses (Angel On My Shoulder)' and 'My Beautiful Friend'. The former starts with a Dylanish harmonica, supported by silent and concentrated piano play, and later explodes in a feast of vocals, violins, guitars... and still the harmonica. The latter has its brilliant lyrics and vocals, and a very charlaming beat and makes an uncomplicated but irresistible composition.

Both songs are The Charlatans at their best: Outstanding!
Also the silent guitar semi-ballad 'The Blonde Waltz' is a very typical Charlatans song which it is hard not to fall for.

A worthwile album from The Charlatans.

The Charlatans have always dabbled in psychedelia, right from their debut album in 1991. This album brings it to the fore aswell as treating us to great production, meaningful lyrics and some of the most interesting tunes they have written.

The opening epic 'Forever' shows how far the band have come, building up using keyboards, bass guitar, backwards loops and improved Burgess' vocals to help create a true masterpiece.

'Impossible' hears Burgess go into Dylan territory for the first time (complete with harmonica), but the song fails to do enough to be anything special. 'The Blonde Waltz' shows the new direction the band have taken with the album, with meaningful harmonies, travelling bass lines but as ever with trippy organ backing. The songs builds up into a good psychedelic love song.

'A House Is Not A Home' hears Burgess in full Dylan carnation, but this lame song goes nowhere and is not worthy of the typically experimental album. 'Senses' again slowly builds from harmonica and bass, before exploding into a moody, sixties blues mellotron-filled rocker.

The next two tracks are two of the highlights on this landmark album. Firstly the emotional 'My Beautiful Friend', using backward guitars, violins, Beatlesque harmonies and a post-BritPop tune to full effect. Next comes 'I Don't Care Where You Live' - the song of the album, expressing sensitivity not heard in a Charlatans Number before. A beautiful tune, classical piano, delicate harmonies, sympethetic guitars and clever time-change drumming makes this one of the songs of the year.

'The Blind Stagger' includes a John Squire-like guitar riff but the Dylanesque melody does not do enough to warrant inclusion. The dark 'Good Witch, Bad Witch 2' shows the bands willingness to experiment with backward keyboard, vocal effects, double-bass and eerie xylophone passages, before turning into a twisted look at the seedier side of life.

The album ends with the epic 'Watching You', with mid-sixties harmonies adding to the clever chord shift and necessary backward guitar loops. A fine conclusion.

The Charlatans end the decade on a high and have grown as a band despite numerous personal set-backs. Though some may prefer the straight forward melodic pop-rock of 'Tellin' Stories' (see my review), this album should give the band the acknowledgement that they have warranted after 10 years at the top of British music.

Contrary to some other reviewers here, I think the material is well conceived, inspired, and shows their evolution and experience as songwriters. The Charlatans seem to have outgrown much of their audience. It's too bad that the experience of beautifully crafted songs are ruined for some people as soon as they can trace a band's influences- and they make no attempt to disguise them on this album, but they definitely make it their own. The melodic structures are the most interesting yet. It has one weak track, in my opinion (Good Witch, Bad Witch 3); the rest is both poignant and heartfelt. "Forever" reminds me of the concept of the Eternal Return of the Same. Condemning this album because it doesn't attempt to constantly re-invent dancable X-pop is throwing out the baby with the bathwater. If you want 10 years of the same music- go buy a box set of the Ramones.

The Charlatans, once deemed as the Northern chancers when they followed in the shadows of the Stone Roses and the Happy Mondays back in the baggy days. They have come a long way since The Only One I know, along an uncertain, tragic path but still they are here with us nourishing our souls with their music.

The album starts off with the monstrous single Forever, a psychidelic, organ driven, tempo changing epic. Tony Rodgers - we welcome you with all our hearts. The Blonde Waltz is one of my particular favourites on the album, featuring some of the strongest lyrics Tim Burgess has ever put down '...Ive been run on, been walked on, been spat upon, been whispered to...' shows why I see him as the best frontman around.

My Beautiful Friend and Watching You are my other favourites, especially the closing song Watching You. Tim and Tony sing in beautiful harmony all the way through, until the outro, which is probably the best musical moments I have ever heard. You know, those moments when all your hairs stand on end and you just want to cry, not because your upset, but because your are just overwhelmed by the sheer euphoria of what is coming out of your CD player, then its over, you want to put the album on again.

This album made me see a different side to the Charlatans. I was more into the swaggerish side of them before (e.g Weirdo - off Between 10th & 11th, Crashin' In and Toothache - off The Charlatans, One to Another - off Tellin' Stories), but Us & Us Only shows there more mature characteristics. The Charlatans are one of the few bands that still have proper soul to their music. I just cannot wait for the next album....

Thanks Tim, Martin, Mark, Tony & John

For this, their sixth album and their first under a major label (Universal), The Charlatans have produced their most mature work to date. They've taken all the elements that worked on Tellin' Stories, their eponymous 1996 release and Up To Our Hips and combined them with fresh ideas and some of the most hopeful lyrics I have heard in a long time - even more outstanding considering the hard times the band has been through. The first track, Forever, opens with a catchy bassline and infectious chorus. Other stand out tracks include Senses, where Tim Burgess's harmonica draws us into the tune before he cries out the lyrics. I Don't Care Where You Live is full of romance - 'I will follow you...'. Brilliant. The Blind Stagger starts out like a soundcheck and elevates into dub Lennon. This is the best Charlatans album yet and deserves to be their mainstream breakthrough.

Stand out tracks - 'Forever', 'Senses' and 'Beautiful Friend'- Three of the best songs they have ever written. Buy this cd!

The Charlatan's U.K. new album rocks like the late 60's 'Stone's, swing's like Dylan with the Band covering the Zombies songbook. The beautiful part about this entire album is the fact that it manages to float in a cloud of modern pop atmosphere somewhere between here there and forever. The Charlatan's have outdone themselves again. How come they seem to sound like the best parts of every great rock n roll band but manage to sound only like themselves? Mr. Gallagher's, take note, please.

After their stellar 1997 release of 'Tellin Stories' it was easy to doubt that the follow-up could be as good. That might be true. 'Us And Only Us' is quiet possibly better. Don't expect to fall in love with this album the minute you pop it in. It takes one listen through to find out what Tim Burgess and co. wanted to do with this album. The second or third time through will have you rockin and rollin with a huge smile on your face. The song "The Blind Stagger" is one of the best songs I have heard in a very long time. Lyrically this album bests anything to date that the Charlatans have put out. While other "conventional" bands have attempted to throw in electronic whims and what not to discover new horizons, the Charlatans stick to their ruits and progress while they're at it. If you need water- you need this album.

Us and Us Only was the Charlatans first album with new and current keyboard player Tony Rogers (replacing the late Rob Collins). As far as Charlatans' albums go, it's fairly experimental and quite unlike the rest of the their albums. However, the trademark songwriting, vocals, instrumentation, and catchiness are all still there. This album took a while to grow on me, but once it did, I realized it's s GREAT album and vastly underrated in their catalog. Standout cuts for me would be the 8 minute long opener Forever, which builds up a slow, burning groove before exploding with the vocals, The Blond Waltz, The Blind Stagger, Senses, which again builds up before Tim Burgess' soaring vocals come in, the Dylan-esque A House Is Not a Home, and I Don't Care Where You Live and album closer Watching You. Also on this disc are a couple of quirky atmospheric pieces, Good Witch Bad Witchs, parts 1 and 2.

Overall, an excellent, experimental album from the Charlatans that's still great, and as I said, an overlook gem in their catalog. Check this one out!