The Charlatans

The Charlatans is the fourth album by the British rock band the Charlatans, released on 28 August 1995 through Beggars Banquet Records. Following a holiday, vocalist Tim Burgess and guitarist Mark Collins wrote material for their next album at Burgess' place in Chalk Farm. The band then absconded to Monnow Valley Studio in Rockfield, Monmouthshire, Wales with producer Steve Hillage. After preparing several mixes of the album, none of which they liked, Hillage was fired and engineer Dave Charles was brought in. Further recording was then done at the nearby Rockfield Studios. "Crashin' In" was released as the album's lead single in December 1994. Following a tour of the United Kingdom in April 1995, "Just Lookin" and "Bullet Comes" were released as a double A-side single in May 1995. Over the next few months, the band played at various festivals in Spain, Stockholm and the UK, including Glastonbury and T in the Park. "Just When You're Thinkin' Things Over" was released as the album's third single in August 1995, which was followed by a tour of the United States. They then toured mainland Europe, prior to a UK tour at the end of the year; they went on another UK trek in early 1996, playing lesser-known locations around the country. The Charlatans received generally favourable reviews from music critics, some of whom praised the musicianship; retrospective comments by journalists said it helped prolong the band's career. It topped the album charts in both Scotland and UK, in addition to charting in Sweden. All three of the album's singles peaked within the top 40 in both Scotland and the UK, with "Just When You're Thinkin' Things Over" charting the highest at number five and 12, respectively. Melody Maker, NME and Select included the album on their lists of the year's best releases, with Melody Maker going as far to include it on their list of the best 100 albums of all-time. Background and writing The Charlatans released their third studio album Up to Our Hips in March 1994 through Beggars Banquet Records. It came out around the time that the Britpop and lad culture scenes began emerging. Up to Our Hips charted within the top 10 album charts in both Scotland and the United Kingdom. Two of its singles, namely "Can't Get Out of Bed" and "I Never Want an Easy Life If Me and He Were Ever to Get There" reached the top in the UK Singles Chart.