Tellin' Stories is the fifth studio album by the British rock band the Charlatans, released on 21 April 1997 through Beggars Banquet Records. After wrapping up touring in support of their 1995 self-titled fourth album in early 1996, vocalist Tim Burgess and guitarist Mark Collins went to a cottage near Lake Windermere to write material. Shortly after this, they did a test recording session at Rockfield in Rockfield, Monmouthshire, before main sessions were underway from Easter 1996 at the nearby Monnow Valley Studio with the band, engineer Dave Charles, and engineer Ric Peet acting as producers. Partway through recording, keyboardist Rob Collins was killed in a car crash. The band drafted in Martin Duffy of Primal Scream to help finish the album, concluding in early 1997. Tellin' Stories is a Britpop, hip hop soul, and rock album that has been compared to the work of Patti Smith and Neil Young.
Following a support slot for Oasis at Knebworth, "One to Another" was released as the lead single from Tellin' Stories in August 1996. Prior to a tour of the United Kingdom, which saw the introduction of keyboardist Tony Rogers, "North Country Boy" was released as the album's second single in March 1997. The Charlatans went on a tour of the United States, coinciding with the release of the album's third single, "How High", in June 1997. After returning to the UK, they played two festivals, T in the Park and Phoenix, and then some shows in Japan. Another US tour followed; "Tellin' Stories" was released as the album's fourth single in October 1997, which was promoted with a UK tour to end the year.
Tellin' Stories received generally favourable reviews from music critics, some of whom highlighted the mix of genres and many highlighting Collins' death over the band's maturity. It topped the album charts in both Scotland and the UK, in addition to charting in Norway and Sweden. All four of the album's singles peaked within the top 40 in both Scotland and the UK, with "One to Another" charting the highest at numbers one and three, respectively. "North Country Boy" was also number one in Scotland. Melody Maker, NME, and Vox included the album on their lists of the year's best releases, while Q included it on their list of the 100 best albums from the 1990s. It was certified platinum in the UK; both "One to Another" and "North Country Boy" have since been certified silver in the same country.
Background and writing The Charlatans released their self-titled fourth studio album in August 1995 through Beggars Banquet Records. It topped the album charts in both Scotland and the United Kingdom; out of its three singles, "Just When You're Thinkin' Things Over" was the most successful, reaching number five in Scotland and number 12 in the UK. It was promoted with a tour of the United States, a trek across mainland Europe, and two UK stints, leading into early 1996.Wills; Sheehan 1999, pp. 117, 118, 124 Following this, they spent time at home writing material for their next album.Wills; Sheehan 1999, p. 124 Guitarist Mark Collins asked the band's management to locate a remote part of the Lake District where he and vocalist Tim Burgess could work on ideas.
Burgess and Collins subsequently stayed at a cottage close to Lake Windermere, where they wrote songs over two weeks. They had taken with them an acoustic guitar, a drum machine, a bass, an eight-track recorder, a record player, and various albums. Burgess listened to the various works of Bob Dylan and Wu-Tang Clan, analysing their use of vocal rhythms. Upon returning home, the pair learned that bassist Martin Blunt, drummer Jon Brookes, and keyboardist Rob Collins had completed three songs. "North Country Boy", "One to Another", "How High" and "Only Teethin" were partly recorded at Rockfield Studios, located in Rockfield, Monmouthshire, as a test session.
Production and Collins' death Around Easter 1996, the Charlatans travelled to Monnow Valley Studio, also located in Rockfield, Monmouthshire, where they would record their next release. The sessions initially progressed slowly until they started working on "One to Another", which was quickly earmarked as a single. All of the tracks were produced by the band and Dave Charles, except "Area 51" by the band, Charles, and Ric Peet of Candy Flip, and "Rob's Theme" by the band and Peet. Charles also engineered the sessions with assistant Phil Ault. Peet was employed as Collins' personal engineer as he worked on a different schedule from the rest of the band, which resulted in him recording whenever he was in the mood.Burgess 2013, pp. 122–3 Burgess said songs that they worked on during the daytime would begin to "get butchered in the early hours" by Collins. He would intentionally ruin tracks that he did not like and songs he did like due to being intoxicated. Burgess had an argument with Rob Collins and confided to Mark Collins that he wished to kick Rob Collins out of the band.Burgess 2013, p. 123
On 22 July 1996, Rob Collins was killed in a car crash.Wilson 1997, p. 51 Brookes had spoken to Collins earlier in the day, noting that he sounded out of character, "like he was in a semi-coma or something." The pair discussed ideas that Collins had, while Brookes mentioned to him that some of his parts recorded up to that point were "wishy-washy", which annoyed Collins.Wilson 1997, p. 53 They had visited a pub that evening, where Burgess thought Collins acted quieter than usual. Burgess returned to the studio to record vocals.Wilson 1997, pp. 53, 54 The other members left the pub an hour later, with Mark Collins leaving in one car with a friend, while Peet and Rob Collins left in the latter's car.Wilson 1997, p. 54 Mark Collins and his friend had noticed Rob Collins' car following behind them before the headlights disappeared.Wilson 1997, pp. 54, 55 Unbeknownst to them, Rob Collins had lost control of his car after hitting a kerb, causing his car to slide across the road, go through a hedge, and roll over a bank. As he was not wearing a seatbelt, Collins was ejected from the car; he managed to stand up prior to collapsing.Wilson 1997, p. 55 He subsequently died in an ambulance travelling to the hospital in Abergavenny, while Peet had minor injuries.Wilson 1997, p. 57 The coroner said Collins had more than double the blood alcohol level in his system.
Manager Steve Harrison informed Brookes of the situation over a phone call in the early hours of the morning, while Burgess and Mark Collins had gone to the studio unaware of it.Wilson 1997, p. 58 A friend of the pair had told them that Rob Collins had been in an accident; they were visited by the police shortly afterwards, who had informed them that Collins was in the hospital.Wilson 1997, p. 59 Mark Collins had been told by a nurse of what had happened and told Burgess, leaving them both distraught. At the urging of Rob Collins' father, the band decided to continue after a meeting at Harrison's place, enlisting Martin Duffy of Primal Scream to fill Collins' role.Wilson 1997, p. 60 Duffy was available as Primal Scream was going through a hiatus. Duffy had been suggested by their frontman, Bobby Gillespie, while Burgess had been a fan of him since his work with Felt and had met him previously at a Charlatans gig.Burgess 2013, pp. 117, 118 MTV reported that the album was 75% complete, while Wills estimated it to be 50%. After two weeks of working with the Charlatans, Duffy offered to help complete it.Perry 2023, event occurs at 30:20–30:35 Aware that progress on the album had stalled, the band re-focused themselves to finish it, with sessions wrapping in early 1997.Wills; Sheehan 1999, p. 130Wilson 1997, p. 63
Aside from what was already completed, Collins recorded various parts, some of which they used and others that were left unused. Burgess explained that Collins had left "bagpipes all over ['You're a Big Girl Now'] or French harmonium or something" as he did not like the track and had "ruined the track 'Tellin' Stories', though he left us with a good riff. Duffy and the band worked well together, with him adding parts to various tracks." He would playback Collins' parts and then perform his own parts, letting the band choose whichever they preferred.Wills; Sheehan 1999, p. 141 Burgess said the liner notes did not mention which songs Collins or Duffy had individually played on out of respect for Collins, but asserted that Duffy added parts to several songs that Collins had already contributed to.Robb 1998, pp. 268–9 In a series of tweets surrounding a listening party for the album, Burgess and Mark Collins revealed that Duffy played on "With No Shoes", "Tellin' Stories", "You're a Big Girl Now", and "Get On It".Duffy's keyboard parts:
"With No Shoes": "Tellin' Stories": "You're a Big Girl Now": "Get On It":
Loops on "With No Shoes" were supplied by Tom Rowlands of the Chemical Brothers, Richard March of Bentley Rhythm Ace, and Collins. The Charlatans had first worked with the Chemical Brothers when they remixed "Patrol", a song originally from their third studio album Up to Our Hips (1994). Rowlands visited the Quadrangle room at Rockfield Studios, using a sampler, sequencer, and synthesiser to add his parts, altering the sound of "Tellin' Stories", "Only Teethin", and "One to Another". For "With No Shoes", Burgess said Rowlands felt that the song's rhythm was not right, ultimately correcting it by adding its opening beats.Perry 2023, event occurs at 10:13–10:28 "Tellin' Stories" also featured a string loop by Martin Reilly. Burgess said they felt the string part did not work within the track, and Rowlands was brought in to rework itRobb 1998, p. 264 at Monnow Valley Studio.Perry 2023, event occurs at 17:25–17:33 In addition to this, Charles provided percussion throughout the album's songs. The album was mixed at Monnow Valley Studio, bar Rowlands' work on "One to Another", which was mixed in London by Ed Simons of the Chemical Brothers and Steve "Dub" Walton.
Composition and lyrics
Overview Musically, the sound of Tellin' Stories has been described as Britpop,hip hop soul and rock. Blunt described it as a mix between Searching for the Young Soul Rebels (1980) by Dexys Midnight Runners and Let It Bleed (1969) by the Rolling Stones.Wilson 1997, p. 68 Critics compared it to Let It Bleed, as well as Tonight's the Night (1975) by Neil Young and Gone Again (1996) by Patti Smith. MTV's Mitch Myers said the band avoided the "overt Beatle pop-isms" of their contemporaries Blur and Oasis, instead opting to do a "bluesier, more sultry take on the British Invasion." Journalist John Robb, in his biography of the Charlatans The Charlatans: We Are Rock (1998) referred to it as "Mark Collins' album" as the music was "getting guitar orientated, built around class roc & roll riffs." Burgess shared a similar sentiment, saying that Rob Collins' death gave them the "progression to go with the guitar" as the main instrument; Myers also noted more of an emphasis on guitars.Robb 1998, p. 262 Discussing the title, Burgess said they were "going through an unexplained phase of dropping 'g's".Burgess 2013, pp. 120