The Charlatans UK - Some Friendly (1990) PROPER w/2 CD Singles

Emerging out of semi-nowhere – well, Northwich – the Charlatans UK were saddled with a name that lent itself to jibes about their quality, perceived bandwagon jumping and the burden of being a one-hit wonder with "The Only One I Know." Then Some Friendly, the group's debut, planted itself at the top of the UK charts; while the rest of the '90s were up-and-down for the band, this album set the band on its way. Drawing on Blunt's background in mod and psych outfits, Collins' outrageously funky keyboards and Burgess' unexpected star quality – even if his voice wasn't the strongest – Some Friendly is just that, a friendly and fun vibe. Some of the lyrics betray Burgess' sharp-tongued punk background – "You're Not Very Well," the opener, expresses anything but sunny sentiments – but otherwise Some Friendly delivers everything from '60s beat groove to Madchester bagginess with verve. True, the group was still following in the Roses/Mondays slipstream – "Fool's Gold" was the blueprint for much of the album – but the individual delights of the slow trance "Opportunity," "Polar Bear"'s upfront rhythms and "Flower"'s slightly ominous funk all show the band's abilities well. "The Only One I Know" remains the best-known cut, Blunt's crisp bass and Collins' Deep Purple-inspired keyboards providing its charge. But Some Friendly's hidden masterpiece comes at the very end – "Sproston Green," a monster jam based on Collins' supreme keyboard work, with Burgess' soaring lyric matching the massive surge of the music. It remains the concluding number of the band's sets to this day for good reason.
~ Ned Raggett, allmusic.com

The highlight track is the title cut, a huge smash hit in the summer of 1990 in the UK and still a deserved classic from the high watermark of the Madchester/baggy scene. With Collins' keyboards freely and gleefully borrowing from Jon Lord's classic arrangement of "Hush" for Deep Purple, the band created a pumping garage/beat classic, with just enough polite funk to make things right. "Imperial 109," presented in an edit and later reprised on Some Friendly as "109 pt. 2," is a quieter but still atmospheric instrumental, building up the rhythm towards the middle while Baker and Collins interweave guitar and keyboard work in a trippy enough way. "Everything Changed" lets the group indulge in a more straightforward garage/psych way, reminiscent of Indian Rope's "Who Wants to Know" but with more prominent Collins Hammond. A Peel session take of "You Can Talk to Me" provides the finale.
~ Ned Raggett, allmusic.com

As a follow-up to The Only One I Know, Then saw the Charlatans retreating a touch to the realms of Indian Rope. While pleasant, it wasn't very distinct, a low-key number more interested in shyly calling attention to itself rather than grabbing listeners by the ears. The EP concluded with an alternate version of the song possessed with a rather surprising drum machine/synth bass rhythm at its heart. It increases the energy level a touch, but makes the song more anonymous. Two versions of "Taurus Moaner," instrumental and vocal, filled out the release. It's arguably a stronger song than the title number, a brief but strong surge that's a good showcase for the band as a whole, from Burgess to the rhythm section (Blunt and Brookes both get in the pocket pretty well from the start). The ever-grooving Collins on his Hammond gets his moments of glory, especially noticeable on theinstrumental take.
~ Ned Raggett, allmusic.com