Between 10th and 11th

Discussing the overall lyrical theme, Burgess said it was "weird. It was like 'Please get me out of this place.'"[33] Topics, such as introspection and self-doubting, can be found throughout the songs, taking influence from E. E. Cummings and Bob Dylan. Author Dominic Wills in The Charlatans: The Authorised History (1999) said Burgess admired Cummings' "abrasive belligerence and the abandon of his uninhibited Bohemianism".[32] PopMatters' John Bergstrom said drummer Jon Brookes toned down the "jaunty shuffle rhythm that permeated every track on the debut," in favour of a "more subtle yet evocative" playing style.[43] Burgess felt his time spent in New York City influenced the album's song titles and electronic textures;[40] he attributed the electronic elements to Flood's work on Achtung Baby and Violator (1990) by Depeche Mode, the latter giving Between 10th and 11th a sense of darkness.[44] During the making of the album, Burgess consumed the music of Dylan, being enthralled with his albums Bringing It All Back Home (1965), Highway 61 Revisited (1965) and Blonde on Blonde (1966). Despite the influx of inspiration, Burgess found songwriting during this time difficult, with Blunt criticizing Burgess' lyrics, which Burgess later attributed to his mental state.[45]

The album's name, Between 10th and 11th, alluded to the Marquis Theatre in New York City, where the band played their first show in the US. The title had previously given to a song they performed for a John Peel session in early 1991 that was ultimately scrapped.[32] Prefabs and Riches and Anticlockwise had been suggested as working titles, with the latter ending up on some promotional copies of the album.[32][46] Burgess said it was considered "too negative"; as he was spending his downtime between East Village in New York City, Chiswick in London and his parents' home in Moulton, Northamptonshire, he felt a reference to New York with its final title would be appropriate.[46]

Musically, the album's sound has been described as Madchester and experimental.[47][48] Journalist John Robb in his biography of the Charlatans, The Charlatans: We Are Rock (1998), said "on one level there is a rasping rawness and a great drum sound, on the other some of the song arrangements sound a tad empty", bordering on the sound of Talk Talk.[49] Wills said Flood was "true to his word in retaining the band's [...] melodic flourishes. But the beat was clearly at the front of his mind, and the industrial idiosyncrasies that had made his name" could be found, such as the sound of Collins dropping his guitar amplifier.[32] Robb said Collins' guitarwork throughout the album sounds like him "warming up [...] His guitar, when it cuts in, is razer-sharp like taut wire. A rasping and great sound, devilish licks lash across the tracks".[50] Though Baker claimed to have worked on three songs from the album, including "Weirdo" and "(No One) Not Even the Rain", he is not credited on any of the tracks.[38][51] The other six were credited to the new line-up of Blunt–Brookes–Burgess–Mark Collins–Rob Collins.[38] Two of these had been finished prior to Mark Collins' arrival, with him only adding supplemental guitar parts. He helped with the creation of the other four, having only been in the band for two months at that point.[52]

The opening track to Between 10th and 11th, "I Don't Want to See the Sights", includes brushes interacting with piano strings.[32] This was overdubbed with the strings being picked, altered by reverse reverb.[53] "Ignition" was originally called "Anticlockwise", referring to things out of the band's control going wrong.[32] "Page One" was originally named "Vulture" after its opening lyric; its rhythmic sound was reminiscent of the work of New Order.[32][54] For the song, Collins would layer acoustic and electric guitars and use different tunings.[55] Burgess said it talks about "spoiling someone’s fun" as he was "very [un]happy with how trapped I felt".[56] "Tremelo Song" mixed 1970s disco with 1990s dance, accompanied by a reoccurring piano part in the style of "We Love You" (1967) by the Rolling Stones.[57] The song feature two different choruses as they could not decide which to use, so they used both.[58] The first chorus is sung by Rob Collins while the other is sung by Burgess. The lyrics for these sections refer to being an independent individual, without being under the control of The Man.[59] "The End of Everything" is a war song that Burgess based on "Love Vigilantes" (1985) by New Order; he explained that his friend faked having an illness in order to leave the army.[60][61]

"Subtitle" was the result of Burgess attempting scratch vocals for an idea based on two phrases and ended up writing a fully completed song instead. The guitars recalled the work of the Who, accompanied by new-age keyboard parts.[32] The guitarwork in "Can't Even Be Bothered", enhanced by tremolo effect, recall the ones heard in "Flying" (1967) by the Beatles.[50] Blunt's bass part evoked "Under My Thumb" (1966) by the Rolling Stones.[62] The chorus sections had the most similarity to the songs on Some Friendly.[32] "Weirdo" is an introspective song; Burgess said the title phrase is used as a form of endearment, as in being proud to be an outsider.[63] He noted that Nevermind was "quite direct" and thought if they were just as direct, the song would be "quite suitable to the [musical] surroundings".[64] The song was originally going to start with guitar, bass and drums, until Flood added the outro Hammond section to the beginning.[65] Discussing the title of "Chewing Gum Weekend", Blunt said there was only two reasons for chewing gum: "you're trying to pack in smoking or you're trying to stop yourself grinding your own teeth to dust".[35] One of the lines in "(No One) Not Even the Rain" is directly taken from the final line in Cummings' poem Somewhere I Have Never Traveled.[32] The outro portion alludes to the material on 20 Jazz Funk Greats (1979) Throbbing Gristle.[40]

"Weirdo" was released as the lead single from the album on 28 February 1992, with the instrumental "Theme From 'The Wish'", an alternative version of "Weirdo" and Flood's remix of "Sproston Green" as the B-sides.[35][66] The song's music video, which was filmed in London, sees the band, a Dalmatian dog and a dancer sitting on a couch.[67][16] The band's US label, RCA Records, flew the band to Los Angeles, California to film back-to-back videos for "I Don't Want to See the Sights" and "Weirdo" with Samuel Bayer, who had directed the video for Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (1991). The video for "I Don't Want to See the Sights" was shot in a mental institution, starring a man spinning in a wheelchair. The band played two shows at King Tut's Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow on 29 February and 1 March 1992 as a warm-up for Collins and to test the new songs in a live setting.[67][68]

Between 10th and 11th was released on 23 March 1992 through Beggars Banquet imprint Situation Two; its artwork features a photo of bananas taken by Steve Majors.[38][69] Little time had been afforded for the artwork for the artwork, with the final chosen one picked from a variety of other shots. Burgess said the bananas looked Andy Warhol-esque, though Wills said it was not an intentional homage to The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967) by the Velvet Underground.[69] The band promoted the album with two shows in Greece, prior to a tour of the UK with support from the Milltown Brothers.[69][70] Two Hammond organs belong to Rob Collins had broken during the tour, and a fight broke out after one of the shows, resulting in him leaving the venue and threatening to quit the band. With the album's sales teetering out, Beggars Banquet wanted another single from the album, which annoyed the band. They also asked if the band could embrace formatting, meaning releasing singles with multiple sleeves and different accompanying songs. The band saw this as a form of exploiting their fans, and going against their working-class principals.[69]

By this point, Some Friendly had sold 350,000 copies in the US and the band were figuring out the best way to promote the new album there. They thought with the right amount of exposure, they could do their own headlining tour in that market, an idea that Beggars Banquet resisted. [71] It was proposed by the president of RCA Records that they could do a co-headlining tour there with Peter Murphy for six weeks, allowing them to play 5,000-capacity venues instead of 2,000-capacity locations.[71][72] Harrison said Murphy's a "goth and fucking crap" and the rest of the band were uncomfortable with the suggestion. This answer annoyed RCA Records, who wanted to plan everything out in the advance, unlike the band and Harrison, who preferred perseverance. In the past, Beggars Banquet would help to smooth over situations like this, but RCA stopped returning the band's calls and redirected them to different offices in the company.[71]

The band eventually embarked on a US tour in April 1992, starting with an appearance at Edgefest in Dallas, Texas.[71] They were supported by Catherine Wheel and the Wolfgang Press.[73] While some of the shows were bigger than their previous US tour, reception to the album seem muted. Upon returning to the UK, they noticed that even though album sales were down, their live crowds were growing in size.[71] Following this, they embarked on a month-long trek through mainland Europe in May 1992.[71][16] From June 1992, the band went on what was to be an expansive tour of the US.[57] However, following the birth of Blunt's child and a negative back-stage interaction with Madonna, the band opted to return home early in August 1992.[74] Mark Collins said they had to pick between "another 20,000 sales or keeping your sanity. We chose sanity".[57]

In the midst of this, Beggars Banquet felt another single was essential and planned out different formatting options, much to the anger of the band. Due to the constant touring, they had little to offer their fans in terms of new B-sides. "Tremelo Song" was selected as the single, released on 6 July 1992, and was accompanied by "Happen to Die", a demo titled "Normality Swing" and live versions of "Then" and "Chewing Gum Weekend" as the B-sides.[57][75] The music video for "Tremelo Song" has an arthouse aesthetic; it features Spencer Leigh walking into the sea, before it cuts to him entering a pub, where he finds the band drinking.[73][76] Burgess said they tried to "make sure it was always something new, not just dodgy live versions". Harrison, meanwhile, was more sympathetic to the label: "Eventually, though, you do have to consider the record company's needs, and one of their main needs is to compete in the market-place".[77] Later in August 1992, the band sub-headlined Reading Festival and went on a short tour of Japan the following month.[73]

In 2008, Beggars Banquet Records had wanted to do expansive box sets for Some Friendly and Between 10th and 11th, but plans stalled with the band's management.[78] It was subsequently reissued as a two-CD set in 2020, packaged with the live album Isolation 21.2.91 Live at Chicago Metro, which was originally released in 1991, though lacked any contemporary B-sides or alternative mixes.[79][80] The Reading Festival appearance was released as the live album Live at Reading Festival :: 1992 in 2022.[81]

In early 2023, the Charlatans went on a US tour with Ride; the former played Between 10th and 11th in its entirety, while the latter did the same for their album Nowhere (1990).[82] The two acts had history together, playing shows together as early as 1993. Burgess said the Charlatans were asked to play either Some Friendly or Between 10th and 11th, ultimately selecting the latter for its connection to American audiences. Another factor was how little they had played material from it in the ensuing years, outside of "Weirdo".[44]

"Weirdo" was included on the band's first, third and fifth compilation albums, Melting Pot (1998), Forever: The Singles (2006) and A Head Full of Ideas (2021), respectively.[83][84][85] As part of the 2019 Record Store Day event, "Weirdo" and "Tremelo Song" were released as part of the seven-inch vinyl box set Everything Changed (2019).[86]

Wills said the music critics lambasted Between 10th and 11th upon its release, receiving an appraisal in the ensuring years.[35] Many reviewers felt that the Charlatans had employed Flood in the same manner that U2 did: "to make themselves look like avant garde risk takers, and to disguise the fact that they had come up with no melodies". Flood avoided disdain while the band were criticized, especially Burgess, for being lazy. His lyrics were also berated, as was the album's cover artwork.[69]

Melody Maker writer Steve Sutherland was dismayed with the album for being too "ill-focused and lacking in any sort of energy", and balking Burgess' lyrical writing for being "freely associative bilge".[89] Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writer Scott Mervis said the album showed that the band could "stretch out" their sound, but told the listeners not to focus on the lyrics.[90] Select writer Adam Higginbotham felt the album continued the issues that the last one had: "[Burgess] was making everything up as he went along, murmuring away over a groovy backdrop in the hope of stubmling across a vocal line".[92] Bill Wyman of Entertainment Weekly similarly dismissed the lyrics as "blather", but complimented the band's "swirling rhythms and distinctive instrumentation".[94]

The Blade's Doug Iverson noted that the band offered "a bit more of a growl" with the new album, giving "more intriguing results" than the previous album.[95] The staff at NME said that while it may not be "stuffed with great singles", it showed a band "strech[ing] out and mak[ing] some great interesting music", which was something that should be praised "in the gaping post-baggy vacuum".[89] Mark Caro of Chicago Tribune noted that Collins' guitar parts were "pushed to the forefront and the density and urgency somewhat dissipated" as a result.[87] Rolling Stone reviewer Rob O'Connor said the album "works on a subtler level" as the "mix is more densely layered".[91] Higginbotham said that "[d]espite a new sound" and Flood's production, the "fundamental problem lingers".[92]

Retrospective reviews

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[96]
Alternative Rock	7/10[97]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[98]
The New Rolling Stone Album Guide	[99]
Under the Radar	[100]
PopMatters	8/10[80]

John Harris saw it as a "very underrated album", though slighted the "pretty crap" packaging and artwork choice, negatively comparing it to Northside.[101] Wills called it an "intriguing collection, disappointing in its lack of cheap thrills but impressive, especially rhythmically, in its struggle to rise above the norm".[32] Robb felt that they were trying "too hard to break away from their pop roots and prove themselves as a band with 'depth'".[50] Punk Planet writer Julie Gerstein felt the album was "by and large overlooked" upon its release due to the changing musical landscape. She referred to the face the Charlatans made an album as "lush" as this one "without the use of samplers is remarkable and makes them something of an anomaly of the period".[47] Author Dave Thompson, in his book Alternative Rock (2000), wrote that the band "spin this album out of the subtlest of melodies, hanging on to the slightest of hooks," praising the interplay of the guitar and keyboard parts.[97] AllMusic reviewer Ned Raggett found it to be "much stronger than its reputation" precedes it, saying that Flood's production was "strengthening and creating excellent arrangements for everyone as a whole".[96]

Bergstrom found it to be a "surprisingly calm, introspective, almost mournful album", even though what the band were mourning seemed to be vague. He called it a "quantum leap in musical maturity and sophistication" from their debut, and highlighted Flood's "crisp, clean sound".[43] The staff at The New Rolling Stone Album Guide felt that even though it lacked any memorable moments and did not have a "hook in sight," it was far superior to Some Friendly.[99] Describing the album in 2021, Burgess it was "pretty extreme for some people. We completely dismantled everything that we had, we changed a band member, and Rob felt that he’d done everything, really, on the first album".[102] Ian King of Under the Radar added to this, saying Flood's production was a "significant part of what distinguishes this record in The Charlatans’ discography".[100] When reviewing the 2020 reissue, Bergstrom thought the inclusion of the live show added "no historical context" as it contained zero songs from Between 10th and 11th.[80]

Though Between 10th and 11th entered the midweek chart at number four, it eventually landed at number 21 on the UK Albums Chart.[69][103] Robb suggested that the lack of commercial success was likely down to the general public a "backlash amongst record buyers who were growing tired of what they perceived as the Manchester [and baggy] thing than the band not delivering" something of quality.[16] A week after the final date of their April 1992 US tour, the album peaked at number 173 on the Billboard 200, while in the Netherlands it reached number 73.[71][104] By February 1994, the album had sold 92,000 copies in the US.[105] "Weirdo" charted at number 19 in the UK, number 22 in Ireland and number 67 in the Netherlands.[103][106][107] "Tremelo Song" charted at number 44 in the UK.[103]