With the 50th anniversary of the legendary Charlatans’ debut occurring this summer, Big Beat are celebrating with this carefully conceived deluxe vinyl edition of the original line-up’s best recordings, “The Limit Of The Marvelous”. The iconic quintet are widely acknowledged with kickstarting the entire San Francisco 1960s renaissance. The Charlatans presented themselves with an iconic blend of Americana-infused popular styles, encompassing olde-English folk, country, swing, bluegrass and 50s rock’n’roll. And the band’s conceptual image radiated a class that few of their hirsute, tie-dyed peers could hope to match. “The Limit Of The Marvelous” distils the best cuts from Big Beat’s essential “Amazing Charlatans” CD to approximate the long-player the group should have issued at their peak in 1966. It juxtaposes idiosyncratic folk-rock such as ‘Codine Blues’ and ‘Alabama Bound’ with dustbowl-dry originals from the pen of guitarist/drummer Dan Hicks, including the first recording of his signature ‘How Can I Miss You When You Won’t Go Away.’ Housed in a Globe Propaganda-approved sleeve complete with copious illustrations of this most photogenic of outfits, “The Limit Of The Marvelous” is a fitting reminder in their anniversary year of the continuing magic of the Charlatans. A 180g coloured vinyl release.
