The Charlatans release this singles collection with an accompanying DVD. The band rose to prominence as part of the Manchester scene along such bands as the Happy Mondays, the Stone Roses et al. But unlike many of these bands they have continued to thrive and survive personnal tragedies including the death of their keyboards player Rob Collins.

Their most famous track is 'The Only One I Know' which is a bit of a classic. They have always had a dance backing to their songs and their new single 'You're So Pretty We're So Pretty' sounds uncannily like the Rolling Stones in their 80's period.

Their later tunes verge into pop rock like 'Up At The Lake', although a few tunes do tend to merge into one another after repeated plays.

A good place to start if you are new to the band or really only know their big hit 'The Only One I Know'.

***½

Review by Jason Ritchie