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When the Charlatans emerged with "The Only One I Know" in 1991, there were countless bands similar to them, but they immediately catapulted to the forefront of the Madchester scene, standing alongside such icons as The Stone Roses and the Happy Mondays. They had such success because they not only could ride the groove, like so many Madchester bands, but they could also write great songs, drawing partially from the 60s-saturated Roses and the Rolling Stones. These were the gifts that made them among the greatest British survivors of their time, rolling through tragedy and stylistic changes to amass a terrific little body of work - one that was modern enough to play in clubs (they were the first rock band to embrace the Chemical Brothers, after all) but classicist enough to stand the test of time.

Following on the success of hit singles "The Only One I Know", and "Then", their debut album Some Friendly went to #1 in the UK charts. With it's Hammond driven songs underpinned by funky rhythms, the album set the template for The Charlatans early sound.

Press

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  A beginner's guide to The Charlatans with Tim Burgess

  The Charlatans frontman talks Digital Spy through their greatest ever songs.