2CD - The Charlatans - Up To Our Hips (30th)

Tim Burgess notes “Obviously this record is dedicated to both Rob and Jon and I hope the expanded edition allows the listener a never before sneak peek behind the curtain at a record being made by a band in crisis”

Released in 1994, Up To Our Hips was a new direction for the band. It leaned slightly away from the lighter pop songs of their previous two albums and is darker, heavier and organ led. At the time, they were listening to a lot of Small Faces, Beatles, and Dylan and watching David Lynch films. Time was also not on their side, as Rob Collins was awaiting prosecution for being the getaway driver in an armed robbery and nobody knew how long he was going to go to jail for. All the band knew, was that he was definitely going to jail. Rob really shines on these demos and extra tracks and many of the lyrics on the album reflect the stress of the band at the time.

“Can’t Get Out Of Bed,” was the first single from the album and is a classic - it was a “comeback” single of sorts for them and proved that they could absolutely write songs; it was the sonic equivalent of a deep sigh. Then there is the implausibly titled “I Never Want An Easy Life If Me And He Were Ever To Get There,” which pulses along astride a massive bass figure, as the band’s late, great keyboardist Rob Collins sings the title phrase with devil-may-care-glee. “Jesus Hairdo” was inspired by Douglas Coupland’s Shampoo Planet, and is an accelerated blues-shuffle shot through with Mark Collins’s slide guitar and wry lyrics decrying television’s omnipotence. Along with the stark, mostly acoustic “Autograph,” “Hairdo” found The Charlatans stripping down their trademark organ-soaked sound for a more raw, guitar-driven feel.

Up To Our Hips was recorded at Monnow Valley Studios in Monmouth, South Wales over the course of a year. "It was miles from anywhere," noted Burgess, “we had to make our own fires for heat.” To produce, The Charlatans pegged U.K, icon Steve Hillage, former avant/hippie rock pioneer (Gong)/ambient-house mogul (System 7). Working with engineer Dave Charles, Hillage and the band took pains to maintain a spontaneous vibe throughout the recording and mixing process.
The tracks that have been added to the release include two live session tracks recorded for the Steve Lamacq and Jo Whiley Show, plus B-sides, alternate mixes and outtakes.

The Charlatans - easily recognized by their hallmark sound of driving Hammond organs, northern UK soul and house-influenced rhythms, swaggering guitars and Tim Burgess’ sunny yet yearning vocals - are one of the most consistent British pop bands of the past 3 decades. The band has released an album every few years since 1989, each of which landed in the top half of the UK music charts, 3 of them hitting #1 and spawning 22 top 40 singles. The band has overcome obstacles from nervous breakdowns to addiction to near bankruptcy to the heartbreaking deaths of two founding members, all the while adapting, transforming and producing new music in spite of it all.