Melting Pot

by The Charlatans

Overview

When the Charlatans emerged with "The Only One I Know" in 1991, there were countless bands similar to them, but they immediately catapulted to the forefront of the Madchester scene, standing alongside such icons as the Stone Roses and the Happy Mondays. They had such success because they not only could ride the groove, like so many Madchester bands, but they could also write great songs, drawing partially from the '60s-saturated Roses and the Rolling Stones. These were the gifts that made them among the greatest British survivors of their time, rolling through tragedy and stylistic changes to amass a terrific little body of work -- one that was modern enough to play in clubs (they were the first rock band to embrace the Chemical Brothers, after all) but classicist enough to stand the test of time. Occasionally, they could pull all this together throughout the course of a proper album -- particularly on 1995's The Charlatans and 1997's masterpiece Tellin' Stories -- but usually they shined their brightest on singles. And this means that the 1998 singles compilation Melting Pot shines bright among their catalog, making a strong argument for their talents. Over the course of 17 songs (including such nominal rarities as the U.S. version of "Sproston Green" and the Chemical's mix of "Patrol"), the singles unfurl at an intoxicating pace; some get by only on texture, but there are more than enough where the sound and song merge brilliant, highlighted by the lazy Jaggerisms of "Can't Get Out of Bed," the raucous "Jesus Hairdo," "Just Lookin'," the hard dark funk of "One to Another," the blissful "North Country Boy" and, of course, "The Only One I Know," a record that transcends its baggy times to stand as a pop classic. And if this doesn't necessarily prove that they shine like geniuses, Melting Pot does prove they were a damn fine band, whose best moments hold their own alongside bigger stars from either side of the ocean. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	06/09/1998
Label:	Beggars Banquet
UPC:	0607618019822

Tracks

1. The Only One I Know
2. Then
3. Opportunity Three
4. Over Rising
5. Sproston Green
6. Weirdo
7. Theme From the Wish
8. Patrol
9. Can't Get Out of Bed
10. I Never Want an Easy Life If Me and He Were Ever to Get There
11. Jesus Hairdo
12. Crashin' In
13. Just Lookin'
14. Here Comes a Soul Saver
15. Just When You're Thinkin' Things Over
16. One to Another
17. North Country Boy

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Charlatans   Primary Artist
Tom Rowlands   Loops

Technical Credits

Tom Sheehan   Photography
The Charlatans   Producer
Chris Nagle   Producer
Flood   Mixing,Producer
Mark "Spike" Stent   Mixing
Tim Burgess   Composer
Jon Brookes   Composer
Martin Blunt   Composer
Mark Collins   Composer
Jon Baker   Composer
Rob Collins   Composer
Steve Hillage   Producer
The Chemical Brothers   Mixing