Reviews (page 5 of 8)
I bought this when it came out, wasn’t massively impressed but thought it was fine. Listened to it today for the first time in 25-ish years, wasn’t massively impressed but thought it was fine. I was surprised by how many songs were very familiar, though.
Decent Britpop album but probably nothing that stood out enough to make me want to come back. Area 51 is a pretty interesting track that brings something a bit different, kinda Primal Scream / trip hop like. Similar for the closer. Some good vocal melodies on the more Britpop like tracks but I don't recall much else that was notable
Will need to listen more but not bad
This wants what the first two Oasis albums have.
Oasis für Arme. Gehört, finde ich, nicht auf diese Liste.
90s music that desperately wants to be Oasis.
It was okay. Maybe I'm missing some context? Reminds me of the Smashing Pumpkins.
The funniest album listen I’ve had all year. Telling Stories plays like the result of someone hearing that Oasis were derivative of The Beatles and deciding to push the concept to absurd extremes: “You call that derivative? Hold my beer.” The vocals swagger like a Liam Gallagher AI model trained exclusively on pub fights, while the songs sound like they were composed for a made-for-TV Oasis biopic that couldn’t afford the rights to the real songs. It's britpop cosplay — confident, clueless, and kind of amazing in its commitment. Charlatans indeed!
It was OK. 2/5
I have had this album since it came out back in the day, and it’s hard to review this one without nostalgia. It’s a decent enough listen. A bit safe, but the Charlatans weaved some nice melodies. Better than a lot of their contemporaries , this album is a pleasant way to spend 40 odd minutes.
like blink 183. IDK. 2 or 3? Their sound is tinny and weak.
Very of-the period sounds; informed by the psychedelia of "baggy" and Madchester acts like Primal Scream, with the same admiration for the Beatles as Oasis. Most of the album plays boring, mid-tempo pop-rock songs in that vein. When they do stray from this formula, there are mixed results. From least to greats: there's a hilarious attempts at a Bob Dylan-esque song ("Get On It") that devolves into a jam and then cacophonous noise, the mostly acoustic and surprisingly affecting "You're a Big Girl Now", "One To Another" which finds the band adding more distortion and maybe doing a U2 homage, and finally, my favorite the slinky, funky instrumental track "Rob's Theme". The album is not without merit, but there are problems when most of the songs are bland and the best track is the only one without vocals
The whole genre of "Britpop" is something that I remember with certain amount of distaste (bordering on nausea) - images of Oasis toadying-up to Tony Blair and his "New Labor" cronies, who went in to instigate the deaths of 100,000 Iraqi civilians. This was , musically, a grim time for Britain and should forgotten about as much as possible. I heard nothing about it that remotely interested me, and the false cockney accent of the lead singer of Blur still haunts my worst nightmares! "Cool Britannia", indeed.
yes
Day477 - i liked them better when they were called oasis
i'm not sure i've ever had more neutral feelings about a rock album. it's like this music hits room tone and just blends into the background for me. a little bit Oasis, a hint of Steely Dan at times, it's just... fine. extremely plain 90s alt rock, you can hear the aughts rock radio hits being written in the background. i don't hate anything about it and i don't love anything about it. the only thing that really stood out was Rob's Theme, an odd but appreciated way to end the album. 3/5 sure, whatever
Is this what people who don’t care that much about fall out boy feel like when they hear panic at the disco? It’s the exact oasis formula over and over. This is like Dr Bob. To say, maybe if I understood oasis better I would understand this at a different level, interested to see what Liam says. Inoffensively a 3. “My melody will set you free” should get your record deal burned on the spot.
This album got better as it went along. I originally impression was that they are Oasis lite, but they have some cool stuff throughout the album. Strong 3
This was some good British 90s rock best played loud. Probably will keep listening to this album. I liked almost every song here, cept the closer. Rob didn’t need a theme. Straight 4/5
It's been 10 days since I've had the time to do a full album listen for this project and it was spent listening to the least important bit of britpop possible. It's fine, britpop in general is pretty good so its not like this is bad, but this is pretty high up there on the didn't have to hear list.
Can hear the Beatles influence. Kind of like a poor mans Oasis. They were very solid.
I have a vague memory of having listened to this before but it was apparently long ago and far away. So today I listened (again?) and, really dug it! Maybe in some alternate universe I'll get to listen to it for the first time again. I can only hope that I like it this much again..
Never heard of these guys but I liked it. Reminded me of Oasis at some points.
Boring.
Perfectly average
OK I GET IT. Britpop was a big deal in the late 90’s/Early 00’s. That doesn’t mean we need to give every single Oasis soundalike a spot on the list. Like this is fine, but I’ve already heard this before I even hit play. And after listening I’m still not sure I did. I assumed I was going to be gifted a Dylan cover, but was underwhelmed when it was just a shared title. Favorite song was North Country Boy.
I liked this even though they sound like Oasis rip-offs. Almost a 4.
teetering between a 2 and a 3. the best songs were the instrumentals so i’ll got with 2 overall
Felt a little folky at times which I really enjoyed. The rock parts were fine and beyond. It was outstanding actually
Pretty good. Didnt blow me away but I didn’t hate it
Good album to work to but otherwise I wouldn’t choose to listen to this.
Such an uninspired Britpop record.
An easy listen, however it is like cooking without spices. It’s fine but is a bit bland. 2.5
Completely fine, forgettable britpop.
Good britpop and an extra star for being from my home town
Звучит интересненько, много разных инструментов, элементы как гранжа, так и краут-рока с фанком. На вики вообще написано что это брит поп. Но честно говоря, не сказал бы что вы что-то упустите, если не послушаете этот альбом. Поначалу мне показалось прикольно, но к концу всё таки сдулся, скучноватые какие-то треки пошли.
Oasis?
fine, wasn't listening too hard 3/5
Britpop? For spring? Groundbreaking.
Oh boy, another 90s britpop album... I mean, once again, it was FINE. 90s britpop is listenable. But so many of these 90s britpop acts sound exactly the same. Was it really necessary to include ANOTHER one on this project? An unenthusiastic 3. Anyway, on to the next.
Generic, whining and boring. In other words: BritPop.
These guys sound like Oasis lite, and I'm not mad about it. Pretty solid Britpop/alt rock. Favorite songs: One to Another, Tellin' Stories, North Country Boy, With No Shoes, How High, Only Teethin', Get On It Least favorite songs: Rob's Theme 4/5
Meh
My bad, but bland, which some might say is worse.
I already knew the name of the band beforehand. However, I no longer had an active memory of their music. Nevertheless, the band had positive connotations. I also like the genres they cover. Unfortunately, the album is disappointing. I recognize approaches in the music that I like. Overall, however, it makes nothing of it and is pretty boring. 3/5
Favorite Track: Tellin Stories
Brit Pop - they peaked in with "The Only One I Know" on "Some Friendly."
There’s no way the author of this thing genuinely thinks all these random British bands from his hometown are making albums “we need to hear before we die”.
For a while, I’ve thought that The Charlatans were a spinoff of The Libertines. It didn’t take me long listening to this album for me to think that this sounds nothing at all like Peter Doherty, and that I’d mixed them up with the Bluetones. I did find myself thoroughly enjoying this album. Several songs from this are regularly played on the radio station I generally have on while working, so I felt very much in my element. This is great indie rock, and avoids being quite as annoying as some others despite the very northern accent (and I say this as someone with a very northern accent).
"Tellin' Stories" is the fifth studio album by British rock band the Charlatans. The music is described as a "Britpop, hip hop and rock album compared to works of Neil Young and Patti Smith." Keyboardist Rob Collins died in a car crash during the recording influencing the finishing of the album. Bandmembers included Tim Burgess (vocals), Jon Brooks (drums), Mark Collins (guitar, loops), Martin Blunt (bass) and Rob Collins (keyboards, backing vocals). Primal Scream's Martin Duffy finished the keyboards on the album after Collins' death. The album had mostly favorable reviews especially for its mix of genres. Commercially, it reached #1 in the UK. Reverbing edgy guitar and loops open the album in song "With No Shoes." A psychedelic vibe. Some scratching. Layered guitars. The band wanted a sound similar to Jon Martyn's "Solid Air." "North Country Boy" has more layered guitars which lead into drums. Clearer vocals by Burgess. The guitars remind me of "Let It Bleed" Stones. The lyrics describe a boy trying to cheer himself up. "Tellin' Stories" kicks up the pyschedelic level in the intro with various sounds, loops and guitar. The main song music is acoustic guitar, bass and percussion. Nice mix and here's your Britpop. A strings-led outro. The lead single "One to Another" begins with electric drums, wah-wah noises and piano. The song gets louder with guitar slashes. A boy is trying to stop his relationship from disintegrating. A hypnotic piano and distorted guitar outro. A R.E.M. "Document"-era guitar riff opens "How High." Loud vocals and a straightforward rock sound. It's about a pied piper-like persona influencing a young audience. There's an urgency to this song I like. I agree with the critic citing the albums' various genres as it's strengths. I heard Britpop, pyschedelic rock, hard rock, soul and blues. A bluesy Stones-esque guitar at times and elements of hip hop with the scratching and loops. There's various influences both heard and admitted by the band including Bob Dylan, Marvin Gaye, Jon Martyn and R.E.M. The band isn't afraid to just jam out including two instrumental songs. The album is well mixed and produced by Dave Charles, Ric Peel and the band. (I've been really lucky recently with albums regarding that.) There's a seriousness and professionalism about this about this album I really liked. Recommended!!!
This did not seem to be all that life-changing to a me. It felt like Ash with all the edges sanded off, and then put in a blender with Oasis...
It sorta just blends together after a while. I suspect they were probably good live. But I have no desire to listen to this ever again. 2/5
Pretty good, some good singing, guitar stuff and even some weird IDM flange effects (like the last one) (there's not that many though). However quite a few of the songs just feel like Noel Gallagher Oasis songs (especially the second one - I did like it though as that's not necessarily a bad thing). Favourite songs: with no shoes, north country boy, how can you leave us, area 51, get it on, rob's theme. Overall around 6/10
Brilliant
Ok reminded me of term days thanks !.
Ej. Šta je. E pa treba snimiti novi album a Stone roses nisu snimili album dugo i kad snime treba im sto godina. A ništa ajmo mi snimiti Stone roses album. Ajmo😃
I'm of the age where I could appreciate The Charlatans when they broke out, they're a tidy band, neither too flashy or underperforming, but there's no world where this album is in a list of albums you must listen too. You could give me the entire paper content of an office supply store and I still wouldn't get to this album on that list. Theres enjoyable stuff on here but its not even cracking any "best of 1997" top 10, it's not even their best album (that would be the following Us And Us Only album), it's not even their best "classic Rob Collins era" album (that would be the preceding eponymous The Charlatans album)... I can only assume it's here because it was their most commercially successful album (300,000 sold in the UK vs. their usual 100,000) and, honestly, a lot of that was attributed to the passing of Rob Collins the year prior and a hot set at Oasis' Knebworth shows. Can't blame them for riding that wave. Long way to say I do enjoy this album, its just not an all time album...
If Aerosmith grew up listening to Oasis and weren't as dedicated to their craft, this might be the junk they recorded. I swear a few of the songs were literally the same song.
Meh
Classy
It is not that it's bad per se, but in the context on 1001 albums I must listen to before I die? I'm questioning that level of praise. Quite generic.
4.4
Приятный на звук, лёгкий, брит поп рок, похож на bends, много похожих песен, Скучноват - все песни как будто бы похожи я мельком прослушала 1 диск Подпевать или под фон здорово 6/10
Проходной брит-поп альбом. На альбоме группы The Charlatans нет ничего примечательного, что можно найти в музыке 1997 года. Стандартная копирка Oasis со своим фирменным звучанием, которая не заслуживает попадания в этот список. Только из-за любви к этому жанру я готов поставить этому альбому что то выше единицы. Проходные 2/5.
This is pretty meh
Reading their Spotify page they seem like a huge success in Britain. But to me this album feels like a lot of the 1990's alt/pop/rock that we heard. Would I dance along and enjoy listening to them play it as a set at the I Love the 90's tour, sure, but it would just mesh into all of the other bands during the day. How High was probably my favorite, they really seemed to have all of the pieces to rock out and make a hit out of it. I also liked Get On It (I am a sucker for a harmonica) but it felt like it was on the wrong album (maybe Bob Dylan's). The rest started to just mesh together with his whiny vocals. I read some of the lyrics to see if that was where they made their mark, but those were just okay. They look like they were probably semi-cute bad boys, so people feel in lust with them and by proxy the album. Its a 3, I wouldn't seek them out but I wouldn't change the radio station if one of the songs came on.
It's got some good grooves. I don't dislike it but it doesn't especially grab me either.
Wow! Did Oasis make a secret good album in 1997 under the assumed name of The Charlatans? This kind of blows Be Here Now (still a major disappointment to me) out of the water. These Britpop songs are poppy, crunchy and shimmery. Everything Oasis’ album should’ve been but wasn’t. It does get a little samey in the second half, but that is forgivable. I love receiving albums by bands I’ve never heard of that capture the zeitgeist of a time period I kind of love. This is a nice addition to my life!
Is it a curse to be a musician? Another album, another tragic death story. These guys are very Oasis-y, even though they came before them, so I guess Oasis is very Charlatans-y. Which also makes them very Bri-ish, which I do have a soft spot for. Enjoyed the rockin' guitar vibes and overall sound, but there was nothing I found particularly special about this unfortunately.
Gear: Hifiman Arya Artwork: 🔳📸💩💩💩💩 Production: 👂🔪🩸 Music: 🎸🇬🇧💩 Rating: 👞/5
Very middle of the road British 90s alt. Nothing offensive here. Nothing really innovative. It's just pretty plain.
Oasis b-sides the world didn’t need
A boring, uninspiring British rock album that doesn't belong anywhere near this list. The Charlatans name check all kinds of key influences whose sound and vibe doesn't show up on the album at all. It was estimated that they sold a total of 344,000 albums in the UK by 2022. That tells you everything. A meaningful album in the U.S. will sell that much in one week. At this rate they'll crack one million in another 75 years from now!
אחלה של אלבום הפתיע לטובה
Meh
I love the music. And tbh, of the 90s British rock albums, this has been my favorite so far. But damn, dudes voice is whiney. It gets old sooo quickly.
Another decent album I'm lukewarm about.
This was a decent album for Britpop. “How High” was the track I immediately recognized, thanks to its inclusion on Liam Prodigy’s DJ mix album The Dirt Chamber Sessions. Beyond that, I really enjoyed the neo-psychedelia elements and the subtle breakbeats used in the beats and percussion. Some parts of the album even reminded me of The Chemical Brothers, with certain sounds feeling very similar to what they were doing during this same era.
All of the comparisons to Oasis were having me believe that I would hate this (I REALLY don't like Oasis), but I actually don't mind this. As far as britpop goes I would still much rather listen to Blur or Supergrass, but even though this album does have a lot of Oasis in its sound, there's just enough of a difference that it's actually decent.
This album would fit much better in a book titled 1001 albums to make you wish you could die
Not something I'm familiar with at all. The label britpop worries me however, not really a genre I'm too enamoured with. Can't really say I'm too fond of the album cover, the name of the album nor the name of the band, though the music could still surprise. Really curious as to what this sounds like. With No Shoes Whiny vocals. Compressed. Very late 90s. The electric guitar sounds okay. A bit toothless. Generic chorus. Did not like. 2/5 North Country Boy The verse vocal melody is fine. Cringeworthy lyrics. Sounds extremely dated, very much a product of its time. No thank you. 2/5 Tellin' Stories Flat and soulless bass. The most generic acoustic guitar in all of history. I guess the electric guitar sort of does a decent job. I just can't really find anything interesting to point out. The outro is good. Average. 2.5/5 One to Another Something with a bit of a kick to it. The opening riff has decent rhythm. The song just kills its own momentum halfway through. Shows some promise, but nothing too interesting. Average. 2.5/5 You're a Big Girl Now Decent guitar playing. Really not a fan of the vocals. Absolutely horrendous chorus, straight up parody tier. Hard to get through. 1.5/5 How Can You Leave Us The overall sound of this track is just not working for me. Garbled mess, the production does it no favours. Don't like the vocals, don't like the writing. I'm starting to think this band really isn't for me. Not good. 1.5/5 Area 51 Instruments are being played. The keys adds some different instrumentation to the track, it's a breath of fresh air. Why is this called Area 51? It's not exaclty the image that shows up in my head. Sounds like a vague commercial you're not really sure what's for. A bit pointless. 2/5 How High Nothing to say. Meh. 2/5 Only Teethin' A slightly different sound, hallelujah! Decent instrumental. The keys are good, theres a miniscule level of funk to the guitar and bass that is trying to escape through the monotony of everything else. The energy on the verses is just a mood killer. The whiny Gallagher-esque vocals are especially egregious on this one. The outro is the best part of the song. Average. 2.5/5 Get on it Why is the opening note like 2x as loud as the rest of the album. Hate the mix. If that's a harmonica I want it put down, it's obviously in a lot of pain. If that's a synth or a keyboard note why does it sound like that. There's a bit of attitude here which I appreciate. The interplay between the band members is solid, sometimes some decent synergy pokes through like in the final few minutes of this song. Still don't like it, but I still think they deserve some credit. Did not like. 2/5 Rob's Theme Their song for their band mate who died in a car crash shortly before this album. There's a few psychedelic elements that I quite like. The reverby keys and the repeating guitar. I wish it evolved a bit more. Fine. 3/5 Can't say I liked that much. I hate using the word boring to describe a work of art, but this is what it was to me. Really struggled to find anything to even comment on through most of it. The production was mind-numbing, the lyrics uninteresting or just bad and the performance did not do anything to salvage it. Not even memorable enough to be bad. Leads nowhere. At some points I glimpsed a bit of talent, but it's presented in such a way that by the time I see it I just want the song to be over already. Nothing here I'd want to revisit. Not even interesting enough to warrant 1 stars. Why is this even here? Fave track. Rob's Theme Least fave track. You're a Big Girl Now
This is not going to be objective as i saw these guys in this tour in 1996 when i was 14 and they rocked my teenage world. Shout out to Max Broady who came with me! The three track run from North Country to Tellin Stories, plus how high are god tier. The rest is damn good and they have such good hair. I bounced through this with a shit eating grin in my face.
I enjoyed this very consistent album, which must've been tough to make after the loss of bandmate Rob Collins, whose organ playing was very a distinctive part of The Charlatans" sound. Liked Songs Added: North Country Boy One To Another Only Teethin'
Pleasant but nothing really stood out
Very much of their time, with a bit of an Oasis vibe. Entertaining to listen to, but not all that memorable for me.
Generic sounding Brit pop but good
Excellent. Great instrumentals and vocal work. I enjoyed the overall vibe and loved that there were some tracks that were purely instrumental. 'One to Another' was my fave track.
I used to love the Charlatans - my favourite album being the "The Charlatans" which preceded Tellin' Stories. I recall at the time being a bit underwhelmed with Tellin' Stories as the follow up and have to say that remains the case today. The singles remain catchy slices of late 90's brit pop - but the album as a whole is a bit bland and generic - with not enough organ or differentiation from all the other sub oasis bands of the era.
Tellin’ Stories Ask me to rate this when it came out and it would have been a 5 and then some. I saw them on the Tellin’ Stories tour at Portsmouth Guildhall on the 5th of May 1997. I bought a hooky band t-shirt outside the gig which was too tight and the colours ran. Listening now it’s still good, particularly the front half; With No Shoes, North Country Boy, Tellin’ Stories and One to Another is a great run. It’s never not diverting but it definitely loses a bit of steam after How Can You Leave Us, despite picking up again with How High. The B-side to How High, Title Fight is great and it’s a shame it’s not on the album. I loved One to Another when it came out as a single, the piano riff and guitar riffs are excellent and its Stones meet The Chemical Brothers vibe is still great. The Stones and Dylan are the obvious touchstones throughout, their previous album was quite Exile but this feels very Beggars Banquet influenced, particularly With No Shoes, and there are lyrical and melodic nods to Bob all over it. I guess I can see the hip hop influence on something like How High, but I think the Hip Hop Soul moniker is a bit of a stretch. The piano and organ definitely give them textural distinctiveness, and they are definitely have an earthier bluesier than other 90s bands, and their dancey origins and the involvement of the Chemical Brothers obviously inform the bass and rhythms as there is also a lot more groove and swing to them than many of their contemporaries, even if the production does sound a little wooly in places, like a lot of mid 90s indie albums. Overall, some cracking songs, some perfectly fine if not always exciting tracks and a couple of meandering instrumentals, a bit of groove, some excellent organ and guitars and a lovely creamy dollop of nostalgia adds up to a solid 4 for me (Even though I would dispute whether anyone who doesn’t already like the Charlatans would need to hear this before they die) 📖📖📖📖 Playlist submission: Historically One to Another, but I’ll go Tellin’ Stories
This and Urban Hymns are my sounds of 1997. It's always a little worrying when you revisit these albums after having not listened for a while, knowing the Proustian rush it will undoubtedly give; but not knowing if the music holds up. But I needn't have feared - the album is simply wall to wall Britpop-era excellence. Where Oasis take their Beatles with a twist of Quo, and Blur take theirs with a twist of Weller or Kinks, this lot have added a big Stones mixer, and a twist of Dylan. And while they wear their influences openly on their baggy parka sleeves, the album is carried by the pure strength of every single melody. Their eponymous album was good - but this is their peak; I love it when a band is in this form and just hits riff after riff, hook after hook, melody after melody. And every break down, bridge or middle eight in every song, adds a new earworm melody or hook. It's really one of those albums I always did, and still do, find life affirming. I don't skip anything, I love everything, they nail the feel of the time, the vibe, they take Britpop and mash it with their soul and dance sensibilities to produce a classic. And that's it.
Classic
Boring
This seems like a group that was pushed off to the side amidst the whole Britpop craze of the 90's, never heard of 'em before today. After listening through, it's easy to understand why. Not terrible, but this group just doesn't have the "edge" that the more mainstream Britpop groups had. Nice lil homage to their fallen bandmate in the last track though.
Boring
I am just starting to understand British Pop. I had trouble getting into Definitely Maybe on this list as well as this album. I realized I was viewing them through the lens of Alternative or Indie Rock and while they fit somewhat in those genres, the currency they are really trading in is Pop. This album surprised me by using British Pop as a connective tissue for a blend of soul, psychedelic, and a little prog even. Very heady. I'm excited to explore the genre more.
Sounds like Diet Oasis. Nothing remarkable. 2 stars.
I knew of them but wasn’t too familiar with their music. I was impressed and found the variety of styles on the album a treat.
I just can't get over the nasal whiney annoying singing. The best song as area 51 as it lacked the horrid vocals, but it didn't make me feel anything.
hmm... not my usual sort of thing and maybe if i listened more closely i would get more out of it, but it's a little noisy for my taste? good tho, just not my cuppa
Incredibly generic music, with a mix that makes sure nothing stands out. It honestly sounds like the producer didn't trust any individual instrument or lyric to stand on it's own, so everything is just pushed into a strange carpet of sound. The result is a unpleasant mush. It's a mushy album.
Generic brit rock - Temu Oasis - why is this on here? 2* only because it didn't sound like garbage.
I feel like this was just fulfilling yearning from a missing stone roses reunion
Αγαπημένοι Charlatans
Are the Charlatans for real? Not quite. Catchy songs (“One to Another “ has a nice pop to it) but they don’t rise above the sound of better Britpop bands.
I remember enjoying listening to this, but writing this review the next day I literally can't remember anything else about this album. So I guess it can't be worth more than 3 stars
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Finally some good fucking music
Like the style but sounds more like the genre than a singular band
I used to love The Charlatans - one of my Big Four. Tipex’d on my backpack and everything. If we had one of the first 3 albums to review, it’s definitely a 4 or a 5. Now I really can’t tell if I grew up or The Charlatans got a bit shit, but I just can’t love this album. I feel like they use to be weird and funky and cool but then this album sounds like they got homogenised into some sort of standardised, post Brit pop slurry. But then maybe they we’re always pretty dull and I just went from being 14 and living at home to being 16 and living in a flat and getting a set of decks. Maybe a bit of both? I loved The Charlatans when I was 14.
It's good enough but I feel like I have heard this exact album about 30 times already on this list. Guess whoever made this list really liked 90s britpop
Kuulostaa rennommalta, ei ylimieliseltä Oasikselta. Hitit puuttuu mutta meininki on.
Soitto rullaa (klikkiin); biisit syntyvät (etukäteen omaksuttuina). En kuule erottelevia tekijöitä melkein missään. He olisivat pystyneet parempaan. 1,5
more like 1001 britpop albums ive never heard of in my life!!!!!!!!!! more like!!! fr even just taking a cursory glance in various places does make this seem like a p interesting band, originating from baggy/madchester but staying commercially viable by transitioning to britpop that retains its clear connections to those scenes. these r all geographically connected scenes so im sure they werent the only britpop band to have good grooves and dancey type beats (esp since as this list has made clear idk shit ab this genre lmao) but its a good combination!!! very satisfying to listen to, if tbh a bit inherently exhausting, 47 minutes is toeing righttt up to the line of how much ambiguously smarmy britishness i can take. its not all that tho, last track is a tribute to their keyboardist who died partway through recording. not one of my fave records or anything, but one of those lil pockets of art and history i enjoy learning about on even briefly on this project
inoffensive britpop
Oasis at home:
Could be me but this album just felt proper Meh, didn't have "the song" on it. Decent album still but just a bit flat, some decent tracks on there though so still getting a high 3.
Another Oasis, Verve, brit pop clone.
Even worse than Oasis.
Another poundland Oasis album Wasn't bad - I enjoyed it, but it all kind of sounded the same? So sadly none of the songs are that memorable 3 ⭐️
we're not doing this
Inoffensive
A very pleasant if ultimately forgettable album. Nothing unpleasant but also nothing really new or challenging. Safe music to put on if you don’t want to offend anyone!
Charlatans indeed
This album just sort of washed over me unnoticed. Seemed like pretty generic 90s music that just didn't stand out in any way. Eventually a song came on and I thought to myself "now we're getting somewhere" but it turned out the album was done and it was a Pulp song that was playing.
Generic Brit-Pop. The only interesting thing about it is that their guitarist got drunk af and killed himself. 4/10
Immediately wanted to dye my hair black and wanted to die in general
very much british, sounds like every other britpop band of that era, nothing new or exciting, idk its just kinda bland… 2.5/5
Milquetoast Oasis
2.2 Diet Oasis
nice 90s britpop album. nothing mindblowing here. i'm american so i was unfamiliar with this one but it sounds like they were at least pretty popular in the uk at the time. it's very reminiscent of a lot of what oasis and blur were doing at the time period, but i definitely felt it was a step down from what i've heard from those two groups. not bad! just not the pinnacle of music either.
poor mans oasis
Consistently good listen. 4 stars or B-.
Мне так понравилось, что я перестал слушать 1001, ибо это совершенно невозможно классифицировать. Я пытался выбрать хоть одну песню, которая мне запомнилась хотя бы чуть-чуть, используя все доступные мне методы, включая фол последней надежды против персонального мьюзик-крикетства - рейтинги rym. I feel so depressed I don't know what I am doing. Лучшая песня - One To Another.
Holy shit, noch so ein zu recht längst vergessenes Alternative-Brit-Pop-Band-Album aus den 90ern. Oasis und Blur reichen wohl nicht. Ist ja ok wenn der Ersteller dieser Liste seinen eigenen Musikgeschmack einfließen lässt. Aber so penetrant die Brit-Pop Bands hier breitzutreten nervt auch mal.
I liked this ok when it came out. Have always been more a fan of the darker (in places) and mysteriously much maligned at the time Up to Our Hips, which is a still a fantastic album. One to Another is truly a swaggering banger. Really helps to not have heard it in a while, as it was a mainstay in the clubs so lost something. Two other singles, North Country Boy and the title track are both excellent, warm songs. Area 51 feels the most Up to Our Hips style, heavily driven by Rob's Hammond. How High reminds me the most of Oasis and Ocean Colour Scene landfill indie that was everywhere and wasn't very inspiring. I feel very the same hearing it now, it basically began the process of me switching off from the Charlatans in general. There's quite a few tracks here that are just ok.
3.5
This album apparently gets a lot of hate for being generic late 90's Brit Pop. I guess I'm a fan of generic late 90's Brit Pop. This is the first time I've ever listened to this album and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
It is fine and enjoyable enough but I found myself agreeing with the comments that a lot of the album was generic.
A less whiny Oasis. This was actually far better than I would have expected. Have probably heard odd tracks from the group but I would listen again happily. 4 stars just about.
Will listen again! No misfires. A little bit of Bob Dylan vibe now and then. What a nice surprise
Just okay
This was a decent album for Britpop. “How High” was the track I immediately recognized, thanks to its inclusion on Liam Prodigy’s DJ mix album The Dirt Chamber Sessions. Beyond that, I really enjoyed the neo-psychedelia elements and the subtle breakbeats used in the beats and percussion. Some parts of the album even reminded me of The Chemical Brothers, with certain sounds feeling very similar to what they were doing during this same era.
It's fine, but to me this is just pure shrek soundtrack material. 1.5/5
Pretty generic late 90s rock
this was completely unmemorable.
## In-Depth Review of *Tellin’ Stories* by The Charlatans *Tellin' Stories*, released in 1997, marks a significant moment in the discography of The Charlatans, encapsulating themes of loss, resilience, and musical evolution. This review delves into the album's lyrics, music, production, themes, and influence while evaluating its pros and cons. ### ****Lyrics The lyrical content of *Tellin’ Stories* is deeply reflective and often poignant, shaped significantly by the tragic death of keyboardist Rob Collins during its production. Tim Burgess’s songwriting showcases a maturity that contrasts with earlier works, exploring complex emotions tied to love, loss, and existential musings. - **Emotional Depth**: Tracks like “How Can You Leave Us” poignantly express grief and confusion regarding Collins' passing. The lyrics convey a sense of desperation and longing: *“I don’t want to believe it, how can you leave us?”* This emotional resonance has allowed listeners to connect deeply with the song, making it a standout track. - **Introspection**: The title track “Tellin’ Stories” reflects on personal experiences and broader human conditions. Lines about finding guidance amid sorrow resonate with listeners who have faced similar struggles. - **Imagery and Themes**: The album employs vivid imagery to evoke feelings of nostalgia and introspection. Lyrics often juxtapose light and dark themes, such as hope against despair, which enhances the album's emotional complexity. ### ****Music Musically, *Tellin’ Stories* represents a blend of genres that showcases The Charlatans' evolution from their Madchester roots into a more diverse sound. - **Instrumentation**: The album features a rich tapestry of sounds. The opening track “With No Shoes” combines harmonica with echoing guitar reverb, setting an intriguing tone. The use of Rob Collins’ signature Hammond organ adds depth to many tracks, creating a lush sonic landscape. - **Song Structure**: Tracks like “North Country Boy” exemplify straightforward rock-pop structures infused with catchy riffs and infectious grooves. The rhythmic interplay between Martin Blunt’s bass and Jon Brookes’ drumming provides a solid foundation for Burgess’s melodic vocals. - **Production Quality**: Produced by the band alongside renowned producer Jim Lowe, the album exhibits high production values. The mixing allows each instrument to shine while maintaining a cohesive sound throughout the record. ### ****Themes Thematically, *Tellin’ Stories* navigates through personal loss, resilience in the face of adversity, and the pursuit of joy amidst sorrow. - **Grief and Loss**: Collins' death looms large over the album. Many songs reflect an undercurrent of mourning yet also celebrate life’s fleeting moments. This duality creates a compelling listening experience that resonates on multiple levels. - **Resilience**: Despite the tragedy surrounding its creation, the album embodies a spirit of perseverance. Songs like “How High” channel an energetic lust for life, encouraging listeners to embrace existence fully despite challenges. - **Nostalgia and Reflection**: The lyrics often evoke nostalgia for simpler times while reflecting on personal growth. This theme resonates with listeners navigating their own life transitions. ### ****Influence *Tellin’ Stories* has had a lasting impact on both fans and musicians alike. Its exploration of complex emotions set against a backdrop of engaging melodies has influenced various artists across genres. - **Cultural Context**: Released during the Britpop era, it stands apart from contemporaries by delving deeper into emotional territory rather than adhering strictly to the genre's typical themes of youth and rebellion. - **Legacy**: Over the years, *Tellin’ Stories* has been recognized as one of The Charlatans' defining works. It continues to be celebrated for its artistic integrity and emotional depth, influencing new generations of musicians who seek to blend introspective lyrics with diverse musical styles. ### ****Pros and Cons #### Pros: - **Emotional Resonance**: The album's exploration of grief is both heartfelt and relatable. - **Musical Diversity**: A successful blend of genres keeps the sound fresh throughout. - **High Production Quality**: Professional production enhances the listening experience. #### Cons: - **Niche Appeal**: Some listeners may find its introspective nature less accessible compared to more upbeat Britpop offerings. - **Tragic Context**: The circumstances surrounding its creation may overshadow some tracks for listeners unfamiliar with the band's history. - **Pacing Issues**: Certain songs might feel slower or less engaging compared to more energetic tracks on other albums from that era. ### Conclusion In conclusion, *Tellin’ Stories* by The Charlatans stands as a remarkable achievement in the band's career. Its poignant lyrics, diverse musicality, and thematic richness offer listeners an immersive experience that transcends time. While it may not appeal universally due to its introspective nature or tragic context, its influence on music remains undeniable. As fans continue to connect with its emotional depth, *Tellin' Stories* solidifies its place as a timeless classic in British rock history.
I was a big fan of Britpop at the time and used to listen to their previous album a lot. Didn't know this one that well, however. Like all scenes, not everything from it stands the test of time. This album was pleasant enough, a couple of decent tunes but not sure what it's done to earn it's place on this list.
Yeah, it may seem a bit generic or give off an Oasis vibe. I think that happened with almost every band of the time (or probably all) influenced by Britpop. But there's something about this band (and this album in particular) that makes me not give up on the album after the first song. I don't know if it's the vocalist's voice that leaves me melting or if it's the catchy and well-produced melody. Tellin' Stories made me curious about what stories could be told and it kept my attention.
Really good for Brit pop! Unfortunately I don’t usually like Brit pop
Good but I’d call it poor man’s oasis!
Oasis-like 90's indie rock/Britpop akbum.
If you wanted to listen to Oasis but didn’t want your friends to know you were listening to Oasis you could play this and hope they didn’t notice.
A couple of interesting songs, starting with 51.
Picked up a bit in the second half with Area 51 but overall a mostly bland 90s album.
Strong Stone Roses vibes. Not bad, but not oustanding, either. I liked their two instrumentals the best.
Another band I'd not really caught up with at the time. I rather enjoyed this album, which I suppose reflects a less derivative Britpop. This'll go on my Qobuz favourites and I'll listen to further Charlatans albums.
в целом очень понравилось особенно начало но шарлатанчики чето недотянули но заинтересовали поэтому сохранила себе парочку других альбомов заценю
необъяснимо теплые чувства к этой работе, что-то напоминает, но не могу вспомнить, ахуенчик
Never heard this album before. This reminds me of Jesus & Mary Chain, although the vocals sometimes are more Oasis-like. All in all, I really like it.
It’s gonna sound kind of like a negative critique, but the Charlatans sound somewhere between and a lot like early Stone Temple Pilots and the Verve. They are pretty good overall, with some key tracks like Tellin’ Stories and One to Another, but I feel like I’ve heard it before. I likes the jam-band feel when they fell in the pocket. I could listen to this again.
Jangly guitar pop rock from a British band. Wonder where I've heard this before? I'm not sure I've ever listened to The Charlatans before. Not a ton to say here. I'm sure with multiple listenings or this reaching me at a different place and time I would have really gotten in deep. I don't think I have anymore room or space for this kind of music to enter my regular rotation. I did enjoy listening though.
This is not bad, but I'd probably just listen to Oasis if I was in the mood for this kind of thing.
Not just wonderful because it meant so much to me as a young teenager. Still wonderful now. I had to hit repeat on the title track because it was so good to have it in my ears.
Great production and performances. A couple of bangers on here, too.
Pretty OK listening on a rainy December day. I don't really need or want more Oasis in my life but I didn't hate it. 2.5
I was ready to apologize for accusing the Charlatans of being junior varsity Oasis based solely on the album cover but then they turned in the most junior varsity Oasis album they possibly could have. It was fine throughout.
never heard this before, this is 90s as hell. pretty sure my doctor's office uses rob's theme as hold music. inoffensive. 2.5
two possibilities: - I heard this album at some point because a bunch of people I thought were cool on livejournal were really into british bands that sound like this - I have never heard this album but I've heard other british bands that sound like this
Fun britpop album. Since I've never heard of this band, this came as a nice surprise.
Left zero impression
Not terrible, but not particularly moved either
OH GOOD MORE BRITPOP
Surprisingly good
Somehow missed them back in the 90's and it was probably a good thing.
5/10 Britpop, Indie
I would really need to hear this more as it did not make a dent with me, but I liked the overall sound of the band.
Generically 90s energetic. Nice. Not super. I wouldn't skip it if it came up on shuffle, but I'm not going to seek this out again. Better than Oasis.
Only know one song by this band, and it’s not on this album. That said, this is disappointing. Whiny and ordinary, like Oasis. There’s nothing special. It’s aggressively mediocre and totally unnecessary.
Nice album. Close your eyes it's Oasis! Who came first though?
“Hey ChatGPT, make me an Oasis album.”
britpop that does the job well. nothing mindblowing but i don’t have any super negative thoughts about it
Really enjoyed this one. I can see where they would have been lost in the shuffle during the Oasis/Blur era -- but they felt like the best parts of the Stone Roses and Oasis with a more grounded lyricism. If you like British guitar rock, this will be a warm blanket for you. Unexpected bangers: With No Shoes, Tellin' Stories, How High
I found it exceedingly difficult not to constantly compare this to Oasis. If this is what Oasis would have sounded like without the brotherly animosity, I am thankful the Gallagher brothers hate(d) each other... This is like the vegan version of Oasis. It's pretty close to the real deal, but not quite. If you got used to never hearing Oasis and then you heard this, it would be totally fine and you'd maybe even start to forget the differences. I say this as a person who eats a lot of vegan alternatives.
Not great, but not terrible. Gave me some historical context for other bands, so I'm glad I listened.
I was not overly excited about the vocals. At first they started to sound a little like Oasis, but whinier if that's even possible. There wasn't really anything that stood out for me for it: the guitars, vocals, etc. It just seemed like a substandard version of other Britpop. Next.
They have a decent sound but I can't help but think they sound like an Oasis knockoff. And if not them, a Stone Roses knockoff. This album is a little late to the Britpop movement, and even later to the baggy movement (which thankfully they abandoned here) so I'm not sure what its significance is. It's their sixth album as well, so it's not even as if they burst on the scene with something novel; I guess they finally landed on a good sound, but that's just as much from emulating other British artists as it is defining themselves. Still, I enjoyed the sound, particularly on North Country Boy, One to Another, and How High. So I won't go lower than a 3, but not sure why I should go higher.
Wow, these guys are right out of Britpop central casting. While there's nothing outright bad about the album, I'm having a hard time seeing anything distinctive about the band, particularly the typically whiny Britpop vocals. I did some digging and saw they were early members of the scene, so maybe this isn't fair, but it doesn't change the fact that I couldn't pick them out of a Britpop police line-up. Even worse, I liked it better as background music than during my close listen, which is never a good sign. Favorite tracks: How High, Only Teethin', Get On It (mix of Britpop and Bob Dylan? Good instrumental parts helped the album end strong).
Oasis tribute band
1. zhoez - 1.5 2. boy - 1 3. ztoriez - 1 4. another - 1 5. girl - 1 6. leave - 1 7. area 51 - 1 8. high - 1 9. teething - 1 10. get - 1 11. robz theme - 1
2 - kinda same at sounding not my style bored me a but
bra grejer. första låten är faktiskt ganska dålig. sjunger väldigt mycket om skor eller att vara barfota. men resten är gött sound. någon låt för långt men det kan jag ha överseende med i det här fallet.
Vocals lack luster Instrumental track is best This one just falls flat
Downvoted by Americans whose taste in anything is always questionable. Go figure.
Smart, melodic, enjoyable, and a welcome entry to the Madchester experience. That being, said, certain tracks and definitely stronger than others, and, on the whole, there simply isn’t much to separate it from a glut of similar fare from the time period.
In a nutshell: it's a British thing. The Charlatans are one of those bands that were big in the UK but had limited success elsewhere. Think Oasis meets Blur meets Dexy's. It's different from Britpop but for me it is inessential when we have the aforementioned, Pulp and Suede. Overall: 2/10
There's too many britpop albums on this list. This one is alright but definitely not an essential listen.
Decent Britpop but I felt the singer's voice was a bit whiny sounding for my tastes
This brings me solidly back, not to the 1990s, but instead to the early 2000s. In halls at Manchester University, one of my chums, a guy called "Joe. Joe. Jay Oh Ee, Joe" (for that was how he always introduced himself) was mad keen on The Charlatans. Nice guy, really passionate about class, music and being Northern, and listening to this album for the first time in more than 20 years brings me back right away to those grim rooms, shared showers and communal khazis. Anyway - despite being from Birmingham, the Charlatans are pretty closely associated with the Madchester music scene and there's a lot of acts that are kind of interchangeable. This album is a pretty good example of it the sound of the scene, but you could easily drop in any one of half a dozen bands around at the same time who were doing the same sorts of things, in the same sorts of ways. Yes - it is absolutely a foible of Robert Dimery that this is included, because these guys were what the cool kids listened to back in the 90s and clearly Dimery was of an age in the 90s when being seen to be cool was cool. Just because it's part of an over-represented genre doesn't mean it's bad - the album is, as an example of the genre, pretty solid. Standout track - North Country Boy.
This didn't feel great but it was fine. The last song at least did a cool build up at the end. Didn't really grab me. Felt a bit generic in ways. Could be replaced on the list.
The mixing is terrible. The vocals are getting trampled on. A bunch of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band sound here. Really suffers from that 1990s, early 2000s compression and lack of dynamic sound. Makes it bland.
Yep, that's some interchangeable britpop right there. Better than Oasis, but for me that's not a high bar.
Looking at the album cover: Wow, these guys really want to be Oasis. Two tracks in: Wow, these guys REALLLLY want to be Oasis. I'm honestly not sure why this deeply mediocre album of middling Brit-pap is considered one we "Have to listen to", because my overriding emotion through the whole thing was "...ehhhhh". Sorry Charlatans, but not worth the listen.
Totally bland and forgettable. Yesterday’s “Hangman’s Daughter” may have been nutty, but at least it was interesting - give me something like that over this just about any day.
Bro's trying really hard to be Liam Gallagher
Never heard it before. I quite liked it. It is unique, well mastered, and every song gave me something different. It truly showed their talent as musicians.
The Oasis comparisons are not unwarranted. I liked it better as it went on. Really dug the instrumentals.
While these guys really sound like wanna-be Oasis, they are quite good. I enjoyed this album.
Kinda lame tbh. If oasis is your thing then I’m sure you’d be happy.
This is just Oasis. Like, this — that's all this is. It's just Oasis. And I feel like normally I wouldn't have a problem with that sorta thing; if I like a sound, I'm generally not gonna complain about it. But this time around, I'unno. Maybe it just caught me in a bad mood, but I had a lot less tolerance for this album. Like, we already have an Oasis album on here, and it's MORNING GLORY. "Wonderwall", "Don't Look Back In Anger", "Some Might Say", "Champagne Supernova"... After including an album with as many classics as that, what in the world could this one possibly add? And not to mention, I'm pretty sure DEFINITELY MAYBE is also on here, so we already have a second Oasis album anyway. I'm probably missing some context here in the relationship between this band and Oasis. I mean, The Charlatans actually pre-dated Oasis by, like, four years. It's entirely possible possible I should be getting on Oasis's shit for ripping off **these guys** — not that there seems to have been any bad blood, given that The Charlatans played the support slot for Oasis at Knebworth. Like, consider: the biggest show in Oasis's career, and these guys were right there with them. Crazy. And the thing is, I don't even think this album's that. Sure, it sounds like "Oasis at home," but The Charlatans don't do a bad job at it. It's just, living in the shadow of MORNING GLORY, I find it hard to really think of any of this as that special. Now, sure, there's a few songs here where they break away from that, and I think those songs are much better, but I know that's not what I'm gonna remember this thing for. It's a "me problem," for sure, but it's still a problem for me, so... I'unno. After listening to this, I think all of the people giving this a 2 or lower are being a bit harsh, although I wouldn't rank it much higher. I'm giving this a 3. Like, I was thinking about giving this a 2 — for the fact that it's "hip hop soul," if nothing else — but ultimately, I'm not actually that offended by this. At worst, I'd return to Oasis a million times before I'd ever come back to this, if at all.
I mean, it's Fine enough, but nothing too special. Just kinda feels like your standard britpop album. 3.5 bumped down to 3.
Kinda wish I could hang this one right at a 4.5; solely because I think this is higher than a 4, I’m gonna begrudgingly bump this up to a 5, even if it’s not quite there for me. I do have a lot of positive things to say about this album though; maybe my expectations were set a little low for a mid-90s Britpop album by a band not named Blur or Oasis, and certainly lowered even more because of Wikipedia labeling this as a partial “hip hop soul” album comparable to Neil Young, but like… damn, I really fucking enjoyed this. I truly don’t know where “hip hop soul” comes from at all when describing this album; if we’re calling the faster paced, almost rap-esque verses on here “hip hop soul”, then you may as well just call Blues Traveler a rap group at that point. This is Britpop through and through, and honestly, a really strong merging of the more distinct aspects of both Blur and Oasis at the time, namely in the more grungy production with the guitar work, reminiscent of Blur’s self-titled, and the slower, more deliberate vocal style of “What’s the Story, Morning Glory?”. Don’t get me wrong, this certainly isn’t big bombastic stadium rock, and there’s no Wonderwall here, but it feels like it could at least play pretty well in an arena. There’s some seriously good tracks here; the big standouts are the singles, all of which have at least a million plays on Spotify apiece, but even the supplementary tracks have a few gems: With No Shoes is a pretty good opener, and “Only Teething” immediately comes to mind (even if the percussion there is pretty much from Freedom! ‘90). Really, the only reason I’m not quite at an actual 5 is because some of the supplementary tracks do fall a little short in the execution or the mix – the last 2 tracks in particular really dampen the momentum of the album. Get on It feels like a Bob Dylan track in the worst way; not that it’s a bad track, but that it clicks on all of the habits from Dylan’s work that sacrifice melodic content for slightly more verbose storytelling and a bit of repetition. However, the instrumental and the extended solo throughout really salvage that track from being too boring. Rob’s Theme, on the other hand, simply plays itself too safe, and doesn’t really lean enough into the buildup and execution of the more psychedelic style attempted in the guitars; the drum pattern in that track just kills the mood for me. It’s a sort of flat instrumental to end the album. But, hey, I said I had a lot of positive things, and those positive things more than outweigh a flat ending – this is just damn good Britpop. It’s energetic, it’s catchy, and it just feels good for 1997. The only thing I can truly knock are the lyrics, for not feeling super coherent or memorable throughout, but when the melodies hit like this, and the overall tracks have such good mixing and instrumentation, it lifts the overall experience in a pretty coherent and fun way. I don’t think this is low enough to call a 4, nor do I think it’s quite at a 5. It really is at a 4.5 for me, but it’s a highly recommended one, so much so that I’ll give it a 5 on the website. If nothing else, listen to One to Another – that shit’s a banger.
For a band called The Charlatans, tellin' stories would seem a tad bit tedious and weary; skeptical, even. It might have been if it were not a blast of consistently enjoyable dance-infused Britpop that manages to do a great deal of pressing forward from the tragedy that came before the album's release (founding member Rob Collins died before the making of the record) while not being completely overwhelmed by it. Whether or not one is familiar with that backstory, Tellin' Stories is The Charlatans turning into the real deal and making believers out of us all. Favorites: With No Shoes, North Country Boy, Tellin' Stories, One to Another, You're a Big Girl Now, How Can You Leave Us, Area 51, Get On It.
Britpop. Some bops though
Great. I always thought it would be.
I’m not surprised there’s a more talented Oasis out there, however I am surprised that there’s a more boring one.
This sounds like basic 90’s pop music. It is fine but there is nothing that jumps out at me as special. Could be confused for several other bands. Not a must listen in my book but not a bad listen either.
was alright
Uma sonoridade bem típica dos anos 90. Não achei nada muito relevante, mas não é ruim. 2,5/5
I was pleasantly surprised by this one. It reminded me of Collective Soul who my dad used to listen to when I was a kid
Definitely getting Oasis type vibes from these guys. Not hearing any of the Neil Young stated on the Wiki page. Not bad, pretty chill Brit pop-rock.
I feel like I'm always giving 3s... Decent album. Had an Oasis feel to it. Felt very 90s. Had heard maybe one or two of the songs before.
He es isch sehr sehr guet. Leider würkli nöd so mini musig aber ich ha s gfühl ich sött es 4i geh wel i cha würkli nüt dra ussetze
mega oasis irgendwie. er singt chli wie de liam. seeehr cool. north country boy slappt gad au. guuete alt-rock. drums sind suuupergeil. titletrack het seeehr geile bass. one to another slappt jo heeeert. huere hässig. youre a big girl now gfallt mer meeega. so die unperfekt gitarre wo z zweite mengmol zeme mengmol gegenand spieled. how can you leave us au nice, piano sehr cool. area 51 isch chli 90s led zeppelin. aber halt nur instrumental und nöd sooo guet. how high isch definitiv schwächer als d songs vorher. only teethin isch chli smooth jazz? weisaunöd, aber nöd so cool wie vorher. refrain isch echt chli oasis avklatsch. get on it breakdown isch suuuper cool. ooooyeah. rob's theme isch halt ihren verstorbene pianist de rob. isch etz nöd viel aber cute. album isch fiiix e vieri.
hahaha wnl gseht chli nach öppisem uus wo mier chönnt gfalle find sie hend chli so en emo ihfluss? aso v.a. sini stimm oder vlt han ich das au nur wegem albumcover s gfühl finds sehr en geile ahfang! north country boy gfalltmer au sehr, au wenn ichd musig iwo durre schwierig find zum griffe? hä ich finds extrem geil AA er tönt halt auchli wie de sänger vo blink 182, es isch so ähnlich nasal wtf you're a big girl now erinneret mich ad beatles??? ich glaub de wechsel bi 1:57? idk finds bis jz sehrsehr es geils album hä au area 51 erinneret mich mengisch so hert ah so 60er oder so? mite hammond orgle und allem ich verstah jedi person wo das nöd gern het mich fesslet die weirdi mischig us modernerem sound mit iwie altem? das isch under anderem hip hop soul?? hee jaa geg de schluss ziehts sich nachli und rob's theme isch jz nöd so unglaublich gsi, au wenns e cooli hommage ah ihre verstorbene keyboard spieler isch ich bin seehr nöch amene 5i, musses mier nachli überlege
This list really does love a good old average brit-pop album. It's fine.
Looks and sounds a bit like Oasis did
Uninteresting
This band brings me back to an era. The sound is so distinct to that time that it floods me with memories. Never heard this specific album before, but will look to listen to more of them in the future.
Its not possible for me to like this album any less. 1/5
sounds soso much like oasis but i do like it better than oasis
Would have gone for Some Friendly or else Between 10th &11th, simply because these albums made more of an impression on me at the time. However, I agree that Tellin' Stories is overall their most consistent effort. I like the album a lot, but not sure if I would have included it on the list. Side note: the 2012 autobiography of Tim Burgess is also called Tellin Stories and is strongly recommended.
Decent Britpop album, but once again the vocals are too annoying to give this anything higher than three stars. Less annoying and less boring than Oasis, though.
Sounds a lot like Oasis, well ok it's Britpop, but operating in a lower league. With the sympathy factor I get to 4 stars.
The 1001 has a number of semi irrelevant UK records on it. This isn't one of them. It's actually pretty good.
Soulless generic trash
5.5/10. It's alright. It's not impressive. It's generic Britpop. Oasis did it better. I have a problem with the fact that this album is considered a must-listen. I'm sorry, but has this album ever changed anybody's life? Has anybody ever recalled this album on their death bed? I doubt it. Also, what the hell is up with the band members' hairstyles? They look really weird.
C’était cool, I guess? Encore là, j’ai vraiment de la misères à me souvenir de quoi que ce soit
Surprisingly good Britpop album. Some song tend to be similar to Oasis, but i was happy with this album
There were a couple songs I really liked on this record but mostly it is just overbearingly generic 90s British alt-pop. If you had told me this was an early album from Oasis or Blur before they really found their individual sound, I wouldn't have any reason to doubt it. I feel like they were trying so hard to appeal to everyone that they made an incredibly bland album. Bland though it is, it isn't bad. It's well played and recorded and I would think that it might show some promise of growth afterwards if they just stopped trying to appeal to everybody. I would be more hopeful had this been their first or second record instead of their fifth though. 2.5/5 rounding up because I didn’t dislike any of it.
Well named. Pretty generic band copying a bunch of other acts.
An enjoyable listen. Very Oasis sounding. Not sure who developed the sound first or if it that they came out of the same music scene.
pleasant
Minus the last song everything was enjoyable enough. An inferior version of Oasis.
Idc
Oasis vibes. Not bad, but it was all pretty similar sounding.
This list is vindictive. I'm being punished. Actually, it was ok, but it's discount Oasis and I'll never come across it again.
I was never a huge fan. A bit like ever other band of this genre. Not quite sure why they stood out more than others.
Surprised I really never heard this before. It was OK maybe it could grow on me but as of right now. It isn't anything special
Oasis if they listened to Dylan instead of The Beatles. And actually still pretty good.
Repetitivo
Shite
As britpop goes its pretty good. Got somewhat less interesting the more I listened but definitely good, and while I can't see me ever sticking it on myself, I don't think I'd turn it off if someone else put it on
I've listened to this album before, and I'm listening to it again, and I'll probably listen to this album again before I did for some God forsaken reason, and I don't know why. This is the kind of music that makes you think you'll never find a song you like again, an album that lacks a soul so much that you question if the forty-five minutes you sat there listening were even real. The music here is so generic, so void of life, that it has affected my very being for the worse. It isn't even necessarily bad! It is just such a homogenized glob of an album that I fail to see how this does anything for anyone. Vocals are like a dull blade, the guitars are just power chords for forty minutes, and if this album dares try anything "new," it does it in such a way where it just sounds like they took a genre and baked it into their own bland sound. There is nothing here worth listening to, and its complete lack of identity makes it more offensive to the ears than most terrible albums, because at least I have something to say about those. A waste of time, at least they had the decency to keep it under an hour.
Not a clone band so much as a mashup of several bands. Not so much like any one band that would make it unoriginal.
Fairly standard Brit pop for the most part. Like listening to Oasis, but without having to hear Liam Gallagher, which is a bonus.
Just a lovely bit of Britpop. Almost getting a 4 from me, but perhaps lacked a few standouts. Simpsons: No
An Oasis album without the bangers. It was fine.
there is nothing really here that's worth coming back for.
It was pretty good
An album that capitalizes on the combination of britpop influence and that stereotypically wandering shoegaze of the later 90's. Stands out amongst its' peers as something less known with a wider range of genres built upon tragedy. A great combo worth returning to
It's another Britpop band I've never heard before. It's better than most, but still somehow boring. The music itself is okay, but standard—nothing fancy. The vocals are mediocre at best.
fun and enjoyable, but doesn't stand out it's standing on the edge between punk and surf and it's really comfortable there. I would listen to this in a drop top by the shore. 6/10
If The Beatles from the 'A Hard Day's Night' made a rock 'n' roll album. Throw in some modern production techniques and you have an album that's quite nice! 7/10.
3,6. Not great, not terrible.
juj Oasis meets Dylan prozódia:D meg még rengeteg mindennel amúgy, nekem ez volt a legérdekesebb benne, hogy milyen veszettül sok hatást lehetett felismerni, és mégis valami koherens lett belőle.
It was pretty good. Has that britpop sound, but seems more sincere and artistic than Oasis.
not much pizzaz but isn’t a bad album, just not good
This album was OK to listen to; better than expected. It is an example of something that, to.me, was good in its time, but won't necessarily stand the test.of time.
Good record. Probably one of my favourites from the Brit scene at the time.
decent band, but nothing separating them from other brit pop
Great!
This has a great sound, although maybe it is nostalgia for this kind of music since it was everywhere when I was a kid. Fave track: "One To Another."
I said it before and I'll say it again, I don't like Britpop. There are some artists like Suede who can actually make something good with the genre but most popular Britpop artists are just stale and often times even bad. I hate Blur, I don't like Oasis, I cringe to Supergrass and now the Charlatans come as well to give me a new feeling: annoyed. The songs are all the same in terms of songwriting and much more than Oasis was but they are all so wannabe humorous. Not a good album. The atrocity starts with 'With No Shoes' which right off the bat is a terrible song title. But the song itself might be worse. It is a bad mix of harmonica and synths in the intro that turns into an annoying mix of Neo-Psychedelia and and Britpop with vocals that feel like the disabled son of The Verve and Oasis. It's just wannabe Britpop without any of the qualites that would make actual Britpop a tad bit interesting. There is nothing new here, it's just Oasis all over again but with worse songwriting and a worse vocalist. 'North Country Boy' does the exact same thing again but is even worse. The opening track is really bad and often just unbearable but THIS, this is just unlistenable, one of the worst songs ever. Terrible vocals, songwriting that does not work or fit the song and even worse backing vocals that feel like they appear a beat to late. This feels more like a improv Demo than an actual and finished track. Terrible, straight up terrible. The title track 'Tellin' Stories' isn't much better either. It tries itself on Baggy which will the album do later on more often but here, where it starts, it doesn't work to begin with. The different aspects of Baggy that they try to do on the track are just dissonant with the rest. It genuinely sounds terrible. If this was some wacky Experimental shit it would be good but this is Britpop and not The Velvet Underground or Robert Wyatt. Terrible, again. And if that wasn't enough, they now try to do Breakbeat inspired Britpop. That not only sounds like a terrible idea but it actually is. This feels like if the Prodigy just collabed with Oasis but neither of them bringing own stuff to the project. It does not work, sounds bad and didn't even have potential to begin with. The only fact that it's not completely terrible and just very bad is that there are moments without vocals and they are just bad or boring which is actually the highest in terms of quality you can get out of here: boring. 'You're a Big Girl Now' would've been better if it actually covered 'You're a Big Girl Now' by Bob Dylan but no, they wrote own lyrics. The song feels way too overproduced to work as a pleasent Folk tune. It sets its focus on lyrics that are not good. And it also has the terrible vocals the album had so far. Terrible. The second half of the album starts with 'How Can You Leave Us' which returns to the Baggy influences and they are implemented and executed much better here than they were before. I still think that it's a bad song but the songwriting is actually quite passable at points. It's mainly the vocals and some guitar parts that really throw me off here. 'Area 51' brings in more trippy synths which do actually kind of work and are not too far away from being Trip Hop which would actually work with their sound as long as someone else was doing the vocals. Luckily, this song is without vocals and is purely instrumental. The songwriting has some nice ideas and the production isn't too bad. I wouldn't say that I like it but this song gives a little bit of hope that there might be another song lurking here that isn't totally unlistenable. This is still bad but it's much more okay-bad. The more energetic approach at the start of 'How High' made me hope that they might go into a Punk direction but no, just Britpop. Terrible songwriting, bad delivery, annoying performance. The main problem of 'Only Teethin'' is that it is streched to over 5 minutes. The song is bad, not terrible and has some redeeming qualities like the drums but the sheer length just annoys most of the track. If it was half of the length, it'd be bad and that's it but with the way that they streched it more and more and more is just annoying. The result is really, really bad but not as bad as most the songs served so far. And if that wasn't streched enough, 'Get on It' feels like the worst that Country Rock could've influenced. The harmonica sounds bad, the different instruments sound terrible together and I'm not even going to talk about lyrics and songwriting. And on top of that it is streched to nearly 6 minutes of playtime. Nothing here works... Terrible. The album, luckily, ends with 'Rob's Theme' which is the biggest genre change on the album. It's not even really Britpop anymore as it's a straight-up Trip Hop tune with some psychedelic and Ambient elements added. It's one of the better tracks that the album has to offer although I still think that it's a mildly bad track mainly because the structuring of the track feels unfocused and not fully fleshed out but I think that even though it's bad, it's the albums "strongest" track. favourites: none least favourites: most Rating: strong 1 to light 2 https://rateyourmusic.com/~Emil_ph for more ratings, reviews and takes
Meh
Good lord, another British alternative band from the 90s. The writer seems to heavily biased in favor of this stuff, which at a certain point just sounds like dudes who thought they could also be the Stone Roses.
Very nostalgic.
You had to be there to enjoy this. And if you were there, I'm sorry to hear that.
October 3, 2024 HL: "North Country Boy", "How Can You Leave Us", "Get On It", title track I don't know if I'm just saying this because their keyboardist died during recording, but the keyboard is the best thing about this album. Again, maybe a therapist is the only way to find out what my aversion to 90's rock trends is, but the hip-hop lite: kind of tacky. The Jagger-lite sneering: kind of tacky. I guess the songwriting & performances are enough to make this an album I decently enjoyed, but ranks pretty low on albums I personally consider essential.
Levyllä on oikein hyviä biisejä ja ei niin hyviä. Kokonaisuus ihan OK ja niukka kolmonen kohdillaan.
Oasis-osastoa, melko hyvä.
Oasis Lite
Honestly, why is this on this list?
They sound super British but I really liked them!!
Me: Mum, can we listen to Oasis? Mum: We already have Oasis at home Oasis at home:
Poor man's Oasis. Would probably give Oasis a 3 and this is notably worse.
More Mid Brit-Pop that would soundtrack a direct-to-tv teen movie.
Was never on my radar, but should have been. And they should be bigger in the US. Oasisish.
In today's entry of what should be title 501 UK BritPop albums you should listen too and 500 others, we have what could easily be forgiven as Oasis on a blind listen. Nothing against the band that I always thought was The Charlatans UK, but this album was mostly background music because it sounds like everything else from the UK in this time period. However, they really do shine on their instrumental pieces. 3/5
Boring, unoriginal, obsolete. Sounds like worst bits from Oasis and Blur mashed together. I'm exaggerating of course, but it just wasn't a pleasant listetning session.
3+
Pretty generic and unremarkable. The instrumental tracks were at least interesting and explored some neat musical ideas, but they're very hidden in an album that doesn't have much else to say with it's songs. About what I expected. Top tracks: Area 51, Rob's Theme
The Charlatans fifth(!) record sounds exactly like how you would imagine a warm-up act for Oasis circa 1997 sounded like.
The Charlatans sound as if they’re dedicated to only playing Oasis b-sides. That’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Solid, textbook Britpop. They sound a lot like Oasis on most of these songs, with a little of the dance rock of Happy Mondays on a few tracks. The songwriting is strong enough for the album to stand on its own two feet though, even if the band’s style is cut and paste from other artists. I’d probably quibble with its inclusion on this list but it’s enjoyable music. The Dylanesque rocker “Get On It” was a highlight. Epic finale on that song.
Nice sound, very Oasis-y (even though it appears they had albums coming out right around the same time as them so it's hard to credit who really came first). I liked the songs but after listening once through and then coming back the next morning to complete my review, I can't think of many moments that stand out. One moment that does stand out is the start of "One To Another", it is cinematic and dark and when the vocals arrive it feels like you are watching a big climactic moment of a good movie. It's a 2.8 rounded to a 3.
Not bad, but not great. Decent pop rock. NOT an album I needed to hear before I die. 3 stars.
While there wasn't anything particularly special about this album in my eyes, it was a pretty fun listen. While there are some British influences at play here from bands like Led Zeppelin and Oasis, I particularly enjoyed the tracks that sounded like they took a page out of some Southern rock playbooks from the U.S. I don't think I'll likely revisit this band, but it was a pleasant experience regardless. Notable Tracks: - With No Shoes - North Country Boy - fun American Southern rock vibe - Tellin' Stories - Get On It 6/10
Its just a very nice album
More mediocre Brit-pop. Why? This is not new, interesting or as good as other Brit-pop that dominates the list. It doest hurt the ears so gets a 2nd star for being completed
Look at the album cover. Complete apathy coming from all those lads, you can tell they didnae put their heart into it at all.
yet another three. when will this guy stop liking mid british rock. please. make it stop.