The Charlatans
Tellin’ Stories (Beggar’s Banquet) ****
The Charlatans had undergone more trauma than most when their last eponymous album was released. Line-up changes, mental breakdown and imprisonment failed to break their stride and, amazingly, despite the death of keyboard wiz Rob Collins during recording last summer, their fifth album Tellin’ Stories also refuses to buckle. It’s fittineg dedicated to their Hammond-thumping friend, and Primal Scream‘s Martin Duffy has stepped into the breach to finish off the huge organ riffs which stamp all over this latest collection of songs.
Drawing parallels with the Manics' majestic resurrection-following-tragedy may be a temptation for some, but if The Charlatans go from strength to strength with this album, it won't be through any radical change of direction. ‘One To Another’, their most epic and arguably best single to date is only matched by instrumental 'Area 51' in its sweep. The current 'North Country Boy’ is closer to the prevailing sound, although one encouraging development is the influence of the simple, affecting strains of psychedelic folk, nodding to late 605 artists like Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young without sounding dated.
All-round steady darts, as they say. (Fiona Shepherd)
Coast
Big Jet Rising (Su ar) til
Once, when ace by an audience whose demeanour was more inertia- riddled than into it, Coast’s frontman declared ’come on, make a fuckin’ statement.’ OK. Here's one. Coast are heart-st0ppingly, barn-stormingly, arm- flailingly . . . average. Sure, there are the odd moments of toe-tappin' pleasure in ’Now That You Know Me' and ’Sister We Sung’, whose chorus should bring to mind Weezer’s ’Buddy Holly', but in the main it's too much of a heard-it-all-befOre-athon. Though any band who put their name to a tune called 'Shag Wild' can’t be all bad, can they? (BD)
Primal Scream
Kowalski (Creation) at 'k ‘k a:
After all that hard rockin’ on Gil/G Out But Don’t Give Up, Bobby Gillespie and his gang of leather-clad reprobates had to sit down and get their breath back in order for a fresh assault. Fortunately, all the back-to- basics nonsense is out the Window in favour of further flirtations with dance culture which, in its own way, can be the ultimate rock 'n' roll experience. 'Kowalski' is snake-hipped as the King and seductive as Bardot. Hallelujah! (FS)
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* 1...? s' “8% \x 5
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Coast: barn-stormineg average
Suckle
Harmonal Secretions (Detox Artifacts) ****
Crivvens! Frances McKee, the woman who, as one half of The Vaselines, once sang about monster pussies, is now intoning about ‘guilt and shame inflicted by holy rnen' With the same cool monotone as Stereolah's Laetitia. The arrangements on the EP's four tracks are sparingly foiky and the whole sounds like a cross between The Pastels and Dead Can Dance. Witchery is afoot. (FS)
Various
Club Beatroot (Flotsam & letsam)
* 1k 1?
Collect parts two and three in a series of thirteen splzt 7in live recordings from The 13th Note’s monthly showcase of favourite bands. Part two features local heroes The Primevals getting down 'n' dirty and Swelling Meg for once pulling off the Kate Bush folky spookfest in their heads. Part three features those caterwauling loony chicks The Space Kittens and the merciful breVIty of the rabble-rousing Trout. (FS)
Solomon Flynn
Cover Me at it
A three-track CD from a too familiar to long-term followers of the lo<al gig Circuit, which sounds very current in that it appropriates old influences in much the same way as Cast and Ocean Colour Scene. A great future of
StUC=
l
record reviews MUSIC
commercial success and terminal slagging could await. Available from Tower and Fopp in Glasgow or from PO Box 521 1, East Kilbride, Glasgow G75 8XR. (FS)
Soundman
i Shatterproof (Image) taut
Adolescent garage Janglings from a Glaswegian quartet who have
, captured the support of new,
improved Radio 1 and their new music-loving jocks. Not that that means this is particularly revelatory, Just that it’s untaxrng concise pop with
an indie bent. (FS) The Wannadies
Hit (lndolent) * * *
Those perky, pesky Swedes — the gift
of prophecy is theirs. Another simple, infectious tearaway pop song to run riot in your heads. 3 Colours Red do a remix which, bless 'em, sounds like it consisted of heading down the pub because the original didn’t require any further knob—twiddling. (FS)
REVIEWERS THIS ISSUE:
Jim Byers, Norman Chalmers, Brian Donaldson, Alastair Mabbott, Kenny lvlathieson, Fiona Shepherd, Jonathan Trew
STAR RATINGS
a * t a t Outstanding
* * tr + Recommended 1' iii it Worth a try
it * 50-50
a Poor
BT/fl
@LALZA
@omeeirtl
sir RICKY ROSS sir ELAINE C SMITH at RIKKI HILTON at SIIlANNE BONNAR it DEAN PARK if? FIONA KNOWLES
’ ’ on it BARBARA nAmm i9? VIOLET LEIGHT it? JACK mmov SHEENA wuunarou
SUNDAY 20 ARRJL, 7.30.?M THEATRE. ROYAL, HOPE STREE‘ , 9L;\.-390‘;’/ 'rJ sisters: 37. 09 (all. 0 0')
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rat. out
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Al? proceeds to James Milne Memorial Trust
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l8 Apr—l May 1997 THE “ST”