The Charlatans: Live It Like You Love It

By RUSSELL BAILLIE

(Herald rating: * * * )

The Charlatans seem one of those rare English groups that get better with age — last year's seventh album Wonderland is among the best of their career since emerging back in the days of all things "Madchester" and "baggy".

They released a best-of two years ago, and here's yet another career overview. As the cover says, this is "the best of the Charlatans live", meaning 14 tracks from hometown gig recorded late last year. And while the sounds can be iffy — singer Tim Burgess is occasionally wobbly — it still manages to be a solid and spirited compilation rounding up the Charlatans' best-loved moments. That includes Hammond organ blasters of The Only One I Know and Weirdo (with a guest turn from Johnny Marr), the Dylan-ish Tellin' Stories, the flag-waving North Country Boy with a few Wonderland highlights like the lovely A Man Needs to Be Told. A fans only collection perhaps, but when it's swirling through the epic near-finale Forever, the temptation is to turn it up, lie back and think of Glastonbury.

Label: Universal