The Charlatans were the city slickers in residency at The Red Dog Saloon in Nevada in the summer of 1965. They mixed jug-band folk and rock ‘n’ roll, partied, took copious amounts of drugs and, inevitably, got busted.
Such antics catapulted them into the burgeoning San Francisco scene.
They were past their prime though (and minus several key members) by the time they got round to releasing their long-overdue album in 1969.
It sank without making many ripples, and it’s easy to hear why: low-octane, lopsided stuff – some blues, some country, some jazz – with dull material, fussy arrangements and some wincingly ropy harmonies.
Drummer Terry Wilson was forced to leave the band to serve a prison sentence for marijuana possession, and while the original quintet of Hunter, Olsen, Wilhelm, Ferguson and Hicks reunited briefly during the summer of 1969, by the end of the year, The Charlatans had broken up.
Recording sessions from 1966 with Kama Sutra were finally released in 1996 as The Amazing Charlatans, containing witty, acid-drenched ditties like We’re Not On The Same Trip.
George Hunter
Vocals, autoharp Richard Olsen
Vocals, bass Mike Wilhelm
Guitar, vocals Mike Ferguson
Keyboards, vocals Dan Hicks
Drums, guitar, vocals Patrick Gogerty
Keyboards, vocals Terry Wilson
Drums Darrell DeVore
Keyboards, vocals Sam Linde
Drums
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