Simpatico is the ninth studio album by British rock band the Charlatans, released on 17 April 2006 through Creole and Sanctuary Records. After signing to the latter label in early 2005, frontman Tim Burgess and guitarist Mark Collins went to Palm Springs, California, to write new material. With Jim Lowe and the band producing, recording was held at Hook End Manor in Oxfordshire, with overdubs later being done at Townhouse Studios in London. Simpatico is a dub reggae and rock album that draws comparisons to the work of the Dead 60s, Hard-Fi, and UB40. Bassist Martin Blunt and Burgess attributed the sound shift to them listening to Ken Boothe, Gregory Isaacs, and Studio One.
Simpatico received mixed reviews from music critics, who were split on the overall songwriting, while others lambasted the reggae direction. It peaked at number 5 in Scotland, number 10 in the United Kingdom, and number 83 in Ireland. "Blackened Blue Eyes" reached the top 30 in Scotland and the UK, while "NYC (There's No Need to Stop)" charted outside the top 50 in the UK. Before the album was released, the Charlatans performed at the South by Southwest music conference in Austin, Texas, and "Blackened Blue Eyes" was released as its lead single in April 2006. Burgess, who had become accustomed to alcohol and drugs, went through a detox programme before promotion commenced in earnest. They toured across the United States until June 2006; "NYC (There's No Need to Stop)" was released as the album's second single the following month.
Background and recording The Charlatans released their eighth studio album, Up at the Lake, in May 2004. It peaked at number 13 on the UK Albums Chart, while two of its singles – "Up at the Lake" and "Try Again Today" – charted within the top 30 of the UK Singles Chart. They promoted it with two tours of the UK. On 4 January 2005, new song, "Alles Klar", was posted on the band's website. Two days later, it was announced that the band had signed to Sanctuary Records. Bassist Martin Blunt said the band consumed various artists while on their touring bus while promoting Up at the Lake. He mentioned that Sanctuary had a "whole plethora of old dub and reggae stuff", which would be on the members' minds when going into their next album. In April 2005, when promoting the United States release of his solo album I Believe (2003), vocalist Tim Burgess said he was in the process of working on material for the band's next studio album. Burgess and guitarist Mark Collins spent some time in Palm Springs, California, writing and planning things out. The latter wrote a demo of "City of the Dead" and used this as a blueprint.
According to Burgess, the band was offered the choice of recording in a "really posh" studio for five weeks. It would have cost them the same amount of money if they had recorded in their studio, Big Mushroom, for a year; they ultimately agreed to it. Recording sessions were held at Hook End Manor in Oxfordshire in July 2005, with the idea of tracking 14 songs. Jim Lowe, known for his work with Stereophonics, and the band produced the proceedings; they were assisted by Tariq Mattar. Before work began, Burgess had become accustomed to alcohol and drugs; when at the studio, he said he "couldn't sing any more". Additionally, he wanted Adrian Sherwood as the producer, but Burgess "couldn't fight the battle because [he] was incapacitated." Collins said it reached a point where the members would tell Burgess to come back the following day. Though Rogers said sessions lasted two weeks, the proceedings continued into August 2005. By November 2005, three weeks had been spent mixing the recordings with Lowe at Townhouse Studios in London with assistance from Dan Porter. Burgess said they would also do overdubbing here; during this time, they heard rumours that Sanctuary Records, who owned Townhouse, would be shuttering.Burgess 2013, p. 190 Tim Debney then mastered the album at the same studio.
Composition and lyrics Musically, Simpatico is a dub reggae and rock album that places emphasis on its grooves, replicating disco and reggae rhythms, earning a comparison to Emotional Rescue (1980) by the Rolling Stones, as well as to the work of the Dead 60s, Hard-Fi, and UB40. Blunt said they were listening to Studio One and LCD Soundsystem, while Burgess mentioned Ken Boothe and Gregory Isaacs. When an interviewer asked about a comparison with the Clash, Blunt attributed it to Burgess' love of the band. AllMusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine found that the "relaxed, natural rhythmic interplay" throughout the album makes it work as a "party record, or stylish background music." Cokemachineglow writer David M. Goldstein said that its "dub-influenced riddims aren't such a significant departure from the baggy dance-pop that the Charlies originally made their name on". Discussing the album's title, Simpatico, Blunt said that partway through recording, Burgess wrote the word on their planning board. Blunt looked up the word to discover it has its origins in Italian and Spanish, roughly translating to "with the same interests". Burgess said he came across the word while reading a book in which Keith Richards describes the relationship of his band, the Rolling Stones, with their producer, Jimmy Miller.Burgess 2013, p. 208
Burgess said he rewrote the words to the opening track, "Blackened Blue Eyes", shortly after it was picked to be released as a single, as he thought the original lyrics were not as good as he hoped they could be.Burgess 2019, p. 145 He went on to say it had a "dark theme and was largely influenced by a couple of my friends" who were living in Los Angeles, California. Goldstein said it started with a "sinister piano riff exploding into seedy wah-wah guitar stabs and a driving back beat". The track evolved out of separate piano and bass parts that Rogers and Blunt, respectively, had written; the former came up with the title phrase, which Burgess wrote his lyrics around. It is an outlier to the album's reggae sound, coming closer to the groove-enhanced nature of their seventh studio album, Wonderland (2001). The art punk track "NYC (There's No Need to Stop)" recalled LCD Soundsystem and "Undercover of the Night" (1983) by the Rolling Stones, though Burgess said it hinted towards "This Is Radio Clash" (1981) by the Clash. Burgess and Collins wrote this with Kenn Richards, whom Burgess dubbed "New York Kenn", in a hotel room that they did not wish to leave. As Richards laughed at every word that Burgess said, he took this as encouragement to keep going with it.
"For Your Entertainment" is a ska-influenced track that was written in Palm Springs. Discussing the song, Burgess said he felt as if he was "there for someone else's entertainment"; he explained that his drug use had increased his sense of self-pity, making him think that.Burgess 2019, pp. 148, 149 "Dead Man's Eye" is a Cajun death rock song; the title was adapted from the phrase "there'll always be a clue in a dead man's eye" that Burgess read in a lift. "Muddy Ground" is a mid-tempo track that was reminiscent of "Waiting on a Friend" (1981) by the Rolling Stones, which was musically written by Blunt and Rogers, while Burgess worked on the lyrics with Rogers. "City of the Dead" is a dancehall reggae track done in the vein of the Specials. Burgess wrote on a hill in his neighbourhood, which gave him "one of the best views" of Los Angeles. "Road to Paradise" was initially titled "Crackhouse" and was written by Blunt and Rogers, who wanted a "film noir feel." Burgess remarked that it was "about Paradise and its definition.. and the path(s) we take to get there and the decisions that we make." "When the Lights Go Out in London", which was originally named "The World Is a Hound", evokes the band's older style and recounts the July 2005 bombings in London.
The title of "The Architect" is a reference to the film series The Matrix, though Burgess said the titular architect was his friend Dean Fragile, who "really helped me through some dark times before during and after the making of this album". He added that many of the lyrics in it were aimed at an associate of the band and were taken from a recording of him, Fragile and former Libertines member Carl Barât. Goldstein said it had a haunting theremin part, "icy electric piano, and a lithe bassline containing more pop than those which precede it, but its still more Matisyahu than Lee Perry." Discussing "Glory Glory", Burgess said Collins went to Palm Springs, and from there, the pair went to Joshua Tree, California, where they had a "Gram Parsons trip". The album concludes with "Sunset & Vine", an instrumental, synthesiser-centred track in the vein of Giorgio Moroder. Burgess took its title from a signpost that he saw.
Release Shortly before the Charlatans had presented the final version of the album to Sanctuary Records, A&R representative John Williams, who had signed the band to the label, quit his role. Burgess said Williams' "parting gift" was the resuscitation of defunct reggae label Creole Records solely for them. On 12 January 2006, Simpatico was announced for release in three months' time. By the end of the month, the album's track listing was posted online; demos of "Dead Man's Eye" and "Road to Paradise", as well as videos from the sessions, were made available on the band's website. In March 2006, the band appeared at the South by Southwest music conference in Austin, Texas, where they met former Creation Records owner Alan McGee.Burgess 2013, p. 189 "Blackened Blue Eyes" was released as the album's lead single on 3 April 2006. Two versions were released on CD: the first with "Arise Arise", while the second featured "Cry Cry Cry" and "Don't You Worry" as its B-sides, alongside the music video for "Blackened Blue Eyes". The video was filmed by Charles Mehling, whom Burgess had previously met when he was the bassist in the Brian Jonestown Massacre. It was released to American modern rock radio stations the following day.
That same month, Burgess decided to give up drinking and doing drugs; he booked a hotel room where he entered into a self-imposed detox period. He lasted nine days before touring for the album commenced.Burgess 2013, p. 175 Touring manager Curly Jobson and press officer Tony Linkin became increasingly worried about Burgess' state. Sometime later, at the suggestion of Jobson, Burgess visited doctor Nish Joshi in London, who put him through a 21-day detox programme. Subsequent shows after the conclusion of the 21 days had a noticeable improvement in Burgess' performances.Burgess 2013, p. 187 Simpatico was released in the UK on 17 April 2006 through Creole and Sanctuary Records. The album was released in Mexico on 1 May 2006 through the label Noiselab, which had increased activity after a meeting between its owner Hector Mijangos and McGee.Furniss 2006, p. 12 The US edition came out a day later, under the band's moniker, Charlatans UK, through Sanctuary and Creole Records. On the same day, it was reported that the band left their long-serving manager Steve Harrison in favour of Stephen King and McGee, both of Creation Management.