Review of The Charlatans's CD "Forever. The Singles"

The Charlatans: Forever. The Singles

Releasing an album that spans a career can be a hit and miss affair. The sound and songwriting styles change and great songs can be lost in a sea of meritocracy. Luckily with The Charlatans their high songwriting standards means their 'career to date' compilation doesn't suffer. They have a very distinctive sound, and while they have matured as a unit they still stand out from the rest.

Sole survivors of the Madchester scene, The Charlatans have not only survived the changing UK music scene, but also personal loss. In 1992 keyboardist Rob Collins, pivotal to the band's sound, was sentenced to eight months imprisonment and then in 1996 was killed in a drink driving accident while on the way to the studio.

'Forever - The Singles' is in chronological order starting with 1990's debut 'Indian Rope'. Their most well known track 'The Only One I Know' still sounds fresh while 'One to Another' and 'North Country Boy' still have the same impact as they did in the mid-90's. The album finishes off with current single 'Blackened Blue Eyes' and the popular 'You're So Pretty, We're So Pretty'.

'Forever - The Singles' is an excellent compilation and like any good greatest hits album, it's worth buying if your collection needs some The Charlatans adding to it.

• www.thecharlatans.net

Find related articles: uk music scene, indian rope, sole survivors, distinctive sound, charlatans.