....you're a weirdo.And a song title that I always spell wrongly as it breaks the 'i before the e, except after c' rule that was drummed into me as a kid at primary school 40 years ago.
The Charlatans, contrary to what many folk think, are not from Manchester - they just happened to emerge at the same time as the likes of The Stone Roses and Happy Mondays and were lumped into the Madchester scene. The majority of the original band were originally from the West Midlands, and lead singer Tim Burgess was from Northwich in Cheshire.
They have become one of the most enduring of UK bands to emerge from the late 80s - its now 11 studio albums, 5 compilations, 3 live releases and an astonishing 35 singles. They had a huge hit with The Only One I Know which was just their second single and went Top 10 in July 1990. It would be another six years before they reached such dizzying heights again, but arguably, some of their best material was released in the period before they became mega-popular.
Weirdo was the band's seventh single and the first lifted from the 1992 LP Between 10th and 11th. Opening with a keyboard sound that sounds as if a car is having trouble starting up on a cold winter's morning, it is easily my favourite track they've ever recorded. Great groove that pulls you up onto the dance-floor the moment it kicks off:-
mp3 : The Charlatans - Weirdo
Here's yer 3 other tracks on the CD single:-
mp3 : The Charlatans - Theme From 'The Wish'
mp3 : The Charlatans - Weirdo (alternate take)
mp3 : The Charlatans - Sproston Green (U.S. version)
And looking around youtube, I found this :-
I know not everyone likes mash-ups. But it's an excellent example of the genre.
Happy Listening.
3 comments:
great tune, as is Sproston Green on the b-side.
From the next album Jesus Hairdo is also one of many corkers...all be it with less B3 & more fender rhodes.
Tedloaf.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ET-Bo3gmV9o
"I before e, except after c - though / This needn't apply if you're weighing a weirdo" was how we got taught it, appropriately enough. Apparently the sentence "Let neither financier inveigle the sheikh into seizing either species of weird leisure" can be memorised to help remind one of the notable exceptions to the rule, but why you'd bother learning such a load of bollocks, I don't know. It's even worse that Jon Pertwee's SPLINK! Green Cross Code ads back in the 70s.
My favourite single of theirs, too. Unsung belter of a tune.
yrs aye
DMcA
Post a Comment