Us and Us Only

by

The Charlatans

Edit

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.

I was 17 when I first heard the Charlatans semi-big debut hit "the only one i know", and man, I was hooked--on the Charlatans, the Stone Roses and the rest of the whole Madchester thing. I thought the Charlatans and their peers represented a vital, fresh approach to a then bloated, big-hair-dominated music scene (things are still bloated today, only the hairstyles have changed). These days, though, the Charlatans seem to be just punching the clock, however earnestly they happen to do it. They really don't matter anymore. "Us And Us Only" is pleasant enough, but wholly unimportant. To me, they now sound like a slightly rougher-edged version of the Wallflowers, which isn't surprising when one hears the obvious Bob Dylan-isms scattered all over the record. The Stones are also an obvious influence on this album. Some of the tracks, however derivative, are still quite fun to hear: "Impossible," "A House is Not a Home," "Senses", "My Beautiful Friend". But a couple are really bad and the rest just aren't very distinguished. This album isn't bad, and the band seems very committed. But unfortunately, their inspiration may not be shared by the listener. The Charlatans' time has passed.