Up to Our Hips is the third studio album by British rock band the Charlatans, released on 21 March 1994 through Beggars Banquet Records. They released their second studio album Between 10th and 11th in early 1992; by the year's end, they were working on material for its follow-up. Keyboardist Rob Collins was arrested for participating in an attempted armed robbery. After being bailed out, the band continued writing, splitting into pairs or working alone on songs.
Steve Hillage was drafted in to produce their next album at Monnow Valley Studio in Monmouth. During the sessions, Collins went to trial before being subsequently imprisoned in September 1993. The band finished recording sometime after, with overdubs at The Mill in Cookham, Berkshire. Up to Our Hips is a funk rock album that has retroactively been referred to as Britpop; Collins' bout in prison acted as lyric inspiration for frontman Tim Burgess, alongside Their Satanic Majesties Request (1967) by the Rolling Stones.
"Can't Get Out of Bed" was released as the album's lead single in January 1994; the band promoted it with an appearance on Top of the Pops, the same day that Collins was released from prison. It was followed by a tour of mainland Europe and the second single, "I Never Want an Easy Life If Me and He Were Ever to Get There", in March 1994. The band went on a tour of the United States, which ended early when Collins grew tired of touring. "Jesus Hairdo" was released as the album's third single in June 1994.
Up to Our Hips received mixed reviews from music critics, some complaining about the album's sound while others found it to be an underrated release. It peaked at number eight in the UK and number ten in Scotland. "Can't Get Out of Bed" and "I Never Want an Easy Life If Me and He Were Ever to Get There" reached the top 40 in the UK, while "Jesus Hairdo" sat outside this range. "I Never Want an Easy Life If Me and He Were Ever to Get There" and "Jesus Hairdo" fared better in Scotland, with the former reaching the top 30 in that territory.
Background and Collins' arrest The Charlatans released their second studio album Between 10th and 11th in March 1992 through Situation Two, a Beggars Banquet Records subsidiary.Wills; Sheehan 1999, p. 83 It was critically lambasted upon its release and showed a drop in album sales due to the public backlash towards the Madchester scene.Wills; Sheehan 1999, p. 80Robb 1998, p. 168 It peaked at number 21 on the UK Albums Chart; out of its two singles, "Weirdo" reached the highest, charting at number 19 on the UK Singles Chart. The band promoted the album with two tours of the United States, a stint in mainland Europe, and a short trek to Japan, running into September 1992.Wills; Sheehan 1999, p. 84, 88Robb 1998, p. 177 They then spent the following months writing material, wanting to move away from the electronic nature of Between 10th and 11th, and relaxing.Burgess 2013, p. 89
The Charlatans rehearsed at the Greenhouse in Heaton Norris, Stockport, where they recorded ideas with a four-track cassette recorder. In December 1992, keyboardist Rob Collins was arrested, along with his friend Michael Whitehouse, for participating in an attempted armed robbery. The pair had been out drinking, and Collins drove them to an off-licence. He heard a gunshot and saw Whitehouse, who had a prop gun, fleeing the shop.Wills; Sheehan 1999, p. 89 Collins managed to get Whitehouse into the car and drove them to Wednesbury, where they were arrested. After five days in custody, Collins was charged with being the getaway driver. His bail was set at £25,000, which was paid for by his father. The incident saw him lose his passport, which angered the rest of the Charlatans, as if Collins was found guilty, he could face five years in prison.Wills; Sheehan 1999, p. 90
Writing In March 1993, the Charlatans co-headlined the Daytripper festival with Ride at Brighton Centre in Brighton and Empress Ballroom in Blackpool. The idea for these events came from Burgess having discussions with Ride's Mark Gardener at the Reading Festival the previous year. The shows were intended to bring the Charlatans' name back into mainstream consciousness.Robb 1998, p. 186 As the band wanted to avoid a situation similar to the making of Between 10th and 11th, where they felt forced to write and record tracks, any of the members were allowed to veto any suggestions for new material.Wills; Sheehan 1999, p. 92 The members would write songs either individually or in pairs to show to the rest of the band when they would work on them as a unit.Wills; Sheehan 1999, pp. 92–93
This method of working allowed them to have a pool of material to choose from when it came time to record their next album. Burgess and guitarist Mark Collins wrote traditionally structured songs, while bassist Martin Blunt and drummer Jon Brookes opted for material that mixed dance, funk, and heavy rock.Wills; Sheehan 1999, p. 93 Burgess and Blunt spent some time writing at Rob Collins' house. As Blunt was withdrawn during the making of Between 10th and 11th, he wanted to have more creative control with its follow-up.Wilson 1997, p. 21 His ideas for that album were overshadowed by Collins' contributions.Wills; Sheehan 1999, p. 70 Demos were then recorded at Jacobs Studios in Farnham, Surrey; early versions of "Can't Get Out of Bed", "Feel Flows", and "I Never Want an Easy Life If Me and He Were Ever to Get There" were worked on here.Burgess 2013, p. 97
Recording and Collins' prison sentence
Though Flood was considered to produce the band's next album, he was unable to schedule time for the band. With what they learned working with him, the band set about finding a new producer and engineer. In April 1993, they met up with Dave Charles, a long-time engineer who had previously worked with Elvis Costello, the La's, and Edwin Starr. The Charlatans toyed with the idea of enlisting Hugo Nicolson and DJ Andrew Weatherall from Junior Boy's Own as producers, both of whom had worked with Primal Scream. Steve Hillage's name was then suggested as a potential producer by a friend of the band, Johnny Male of Airstream. Hillage had been a member of Gong and had previously worked with Charles in the 1980s. The Charlatans, meanwhile, knew of him from his other band, System 7, as well as his writing on "Blue Room" (1992) by the Orb. Hillage's solo album L (1976) was a favourite of Burgess and Collins'. Hillage had been repeatedly asking Harrison for a chance to record the band. He was adamant about being able to accurately capture their live sound in recordings.
Recording was held at Monnow Valley Studio in Monmouth, Wales. They spent some time demoing material with Charles and another engineer, Simon Dawson, until Hillage arrived at the studio two weeks later. They played back the 20 demos they had to Hillage, who opined that the band was losing the original feeling for the songs and set about recording their live energy. Rob Collins proposed that the band should "stop trying so hard and loosen up again", which Hillage claimed he could help them achieve. Collins took charge during the recording process; Brookes explained that Collins would "throw himself into his playing or his [backing] singing, let himself become really open". Collins' trial started on 23 August 1993 at the Stafford Crown Court. A charge of possessing a firearm was dropped, and Collins altered his plea, claiming that Whitehouse had not planned to go through with it until he had heard a noise.
His legal team tried persuading the judge with a variety of pressing clips about the band, trying to argue that since the band reached number one previously, Collins would have no reason to help rob an off licence for a small sum of money. Character witnesses and a psychiatrist's evaluation of Collins' mental state followed. The charges were then reduced to "assisting an offender after a crime", and the trial was adjourned for further consideration. Upon hearing that the trial was on pause, Burgess remarked, "Brilliant, let's get back in the studio".Robb 1998, p. 187 The rest of the band thought Collins would face a severe reprimand, such as a suspended sentence and at least a hundred hours of community service. The trial recommenced on 20 September 1993, with the judge giving Whitehouse and Collins a custodial sentence; the former received four years while the latter got eight months and was sent to Shrewsbury Prison.Wills; Sheehan 1999, p. 94 Burgess said the rest of the band got a call from Harrison, "and he's going, 'All right Tim, it's over.' So we're like 'What time are you getting back?' and he replied, 'We're not, it's over. Rob's in prison.Robb 1998, pp. 187–188
With Collins incarcerated, Blunt took charge of recording. Mark Collins' brother John contributed some keyboard parts during the process.Wills; Sheehan 1999, p. 99 After six weeks, Rob Collins was relocated to an open prison in Redditch; here, he was able to have a Walkman, which allowed him to listen to the material the band was working on. Hillage's knowledge of sampling allowed the band to use some of Collins' keyboard parts that he had recorded prior. Burgess said that John Collins had played on "Inside Looking-Out" and did overdubs for "Jesus Hairdo" and "Patrol". Blunt had a keyboardist, known only as Nigel, contribute to "Feel Flows"; Burgess estimated that the remaining six songs had keyboard parts from Rob Collins. At one point, Hillage went on a break from recording to return to London, leaving Charles in the role.Burgess 2019, p. 47 Recording wrapped up while Collins was still in prison, with Burgess finishing vocals for "Patrol" and "Inside Looking-Out" at The Mill in Cookham, Berkshire.Burgess 2013, p. 98 All of the songs were produced by Hillage, bar "Jesus Hairdo", which was produced by Charles and the band. The recordings were then mixed at The Mill. Author Dominic Wills in The Charlatans: The Authorised History (1999) said Blunt had doubts about the album's sound during this process, noting the use of drugs taking place, "believ[ing] this had [...] reduced its sense of urgency".
Composition and lyrics Music and themes
Musically, the sound of Up to Our Hips has been described as funk rock; it has retroactively been referred to as Britpop. Click on the right arrow until Up to Our Hips appears. Writing in 2012, Burgess said the band were "as much a part of Britpop as we were of Baggy – we didn't ask to be included, but it certainly helped."Burgess 2013, p. 102 Wills said the band was only retroactively being categorised as such "by virtue of being a British band", with Burgess nowadays being "accused of ripping off Liam Gallagher" from Oasis, a band who would not find success until later in 1994. Steve Taylor, in his book The A to X of Alternative Music (2006), invoked this comparison in regards to Up to Our Hips, saying Burgess' vocals sat between the likes of Bob Dylan and Gallagher.Taylor 2006, p. 62 Brookes explained that each member was widening their music tastes, consuming the works of the Beach Boys, Can, Faces, and Funkadelic.Wilson 1997, p. 25Robb 1998, p. 216
Robb, meanwhile, heard influences from the works of the Beatles, Dylan, and Jimi Hendrix.Robb 1998, p. 207 Under the direction of Blunt, the album had more of an emphasis on bass. The album places more of an emphasis on organic acoustic instrumentation, as keyboards are relegated to a background role. Journalist John Robb, in his biography of the Charlatans, The Charlatans: We Are Rock (1998), highlighted "Can't Get Out of Bed" and said Burgess "sneered the vocal line in a far more confident drawl" than the " vocal outings" heard on the previous two albums. He added that Mark Collins' guitarwork signalled a change in the band's sound as they "moved into the business of writing 6-string pop [...] and into the world of being a great rock & roll band", as they explored with the rest of the album.Robb 1998, p. 196