The Charlatans released their debut studio album Some Friendly in October 1990,[1] and promoted it with a tour of the UK and mainland Europe with support from Intastella until the end of the year.

[3] The band members were surprised when "Sproston Green" started gaining traction in the US, causing them to worry the tour would be extended and delay recording sessions.

[6] Because Beggars Banquet wanted another single from the band for the UK market, the Extended Play (EP) Over Rising, which David M. Allen produced, was released on 25 February 1991.

[11] Writing sessions were held at Rich Bitch studios in Birmingham while the band were under pressure to deliver new material; they wanted their new album to be more electronic and experimental than their previous work.

[17] Harrison contacted Alison Martin, the band's former press agent, who was now working for radio promotion company Red Alert, about the situation.

Blunt felt Collins' initial writing contributions strayed from his vision of the band's future sound but coincided with what the other members' intentions.

[25] Manager Steve Harrison noted Blunt was undergoing personal issues, such as not easily accepting Baker's departure and loathing making the song "Me.

[28] During this time, the Madchester and baggy scenes had fallen out of popularity, and Nirvana had released Nevermind (1991), allowing for the success of grunge acts such as Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden.

[29][30] The Charlatans' contemporaries also faced problems; The Stone Roses were involved in a legal battle with their label and Happy Mondays experienced negative attention from press outlets.

[38] Flood's method of working saw the band perform live together, break recording into portions, and construct songs with different rhythm parts and effects while keeping intact the melodies.

[39] Flood preferred working intensely in short bursts of productivity; at one point, the band had completed eleven backing tracks in eight days.

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.

[32][46] Burgess said Anticlockwise was considered "too negative"; he felt a reference to New York in the album's final title would be appropriate because he was spending his free time between East Village, Manhattan; Chiswick, London; and his parents' home in Moulton, Northamptonshire.

[65] Discussing the title of "Chewing Gum Weekend", Blunt said there are two reasons for gum-chewing: "you're trying to pack in smoking or you're trying to stop yourself grinding your own teeth to dust".

[71] The president of RCA Records proposed the band could co-headline a six-week US tour with Peter Murphy, allowing them to play at 5,000-capacity venues instead of 2,000-capacity ones.

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.

[57] At the same time, Beggars Banquet felt another single was essential and planned formatting options, angering the band who, due to constant touring, had little to offer their fans in terms of new B-sides.

"Tremelo Song" was released as a single 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 B-sides.

[57][75] The music video for "Tremelo Song" has an arthouse aesthetic; it features actor Spencer Leigh walking into the sea and then entering a pub, where he finds the band drinking.

[73] In 2008, Beggars Banquet Records wanted to issue expansive box sets of Some Friendly and Between 10th and 11th but plans stalled with the band's management.

[35] Many reviewers said The Charlatans had employed Flood in the same manner U2 did: "to make themselves look like avant garde risk takers, and to disguise the fact that they had come up with no melodies".

[69] Melody Maker writer Steve Sutherland said Between 10th and 11th is too "ill-focused and lacking in any sort of energy", and criticized Burgess' lyric-writing as "freely associative bilge".

[89] Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writer Scott Mervis said the album shows the band could "stretch out" their sound but told listeners not to focus on the lyrics.

[94] The Blade's Doug Iverson noted the band offer "a bit more of a growl" on Between 10th and 11th, giving "more intriguing results" than the previous album.

[101] Wills called the album an "intriguing collection, disappointing in its lack of cheap thrills but impressive, especially rhythmically, in its struggle to rise above the norm".

[50] Punk Planet writer Julie Gerstein said the album was "by and large overlooked" upon its release due to the changing musical landscape.

[47] Author Dave Thompson, in his book Alternative Rock (2000), wrote 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 said the album is "much stronger than its reputation" that precedes it, and that Flood's production is "strengthening and creating excellent arrangements for everyone as a whole".

[69][103] According to Robb, the album's lack of commercial success was likely due to 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.