*** The Charlatans UK

TELLIN' STORIES

(MCA)

Tellin' Stories, the fifth album from this English band, isn't quite as solid as their 1995 Charlatans UK release. But it amounts to a major success in the face of tragedy, namely the death of Charlatans keyboardist Rob Collins in a car accident last summer. Collins's crafty organ and piano work survives in the dense guitar/keyboard assault of "One to Another" and the anthem "North Country Boy." His ghost haunts "Get on It," where Tim Burgess remembers him ("No matter how you're feeling, you know you're never on your own"), and song titles like "How Can You Leave Us." The disc winds down with "Rob's Theme," a haunting instrumental work-in-progress from Collins's last days, which offers a parting taste of his talents and a fitting tribute to a crucial member of one of England's top bands.

(The Charlatans UK headline Axis, with the Dandy Warhols opening, this Monday, September 29. Call 262-2437.)

-- Ben Heller