Pop & Jazz : Tim Burgess: Change of Pace

What a party pooper that Tim Burgess is. Just when the happy-go-lucky rave scene that emanated from his hometown of Manchester, England, has taken over the dance world, the Charlatans UK singer has the gall to wonder if there might not be a little more to life than endless grooves.

More power to him. When he led the five-man Charlatans at the Hollywood Palladium on Saturday, Burgess was a welcome change of pace. His pensive demeanor and such doubting songs as “I Don’t Want to See the Sights” were more in the tradition of earlier, introspective Manchester pop acts (Joy Division, the Smiths) than of today’s party-minded Happy Mondays and Inspiral Carpets.

He’s not exactly unique--the Stone Roses and Primal Scream leader Bobby Gillespie have also brought elements of contemplation to the rave scene. And he isn’t asking people to stop dancing--the music, centered on Rob Collins’ Steve Winwood- and Young Rascals-derived organ, kept the Palladium floor throbbing, if not exactly churning. Burgess just wants them to think while they dance--although, unfortunately, his lyrics and between-song talk were largely lost between his accent and the so-so sound at the Palladium.

Still, it’s nice to know that not all Manchester mind-expansion is of a chemical nature.