[3] Between 1965 and 1967, the Charlatans were an influential, but commercially unsuccessful, folk rock and blues band that have been widely credited by critics as having started the Haight-Ashbury psychedelic scene in San Francisco.

The version of the band that recorded The Charlatans consisted of original members Mike Wilhelm (lead guitar, vocals) and Richard Olsen (bass), with Terry Wilson (drums) and Darrell DeVore (piano/keyboards, vocals) having been recruited in order to flesh out the band, prior to the recording of the album.

The Charlatans was recorded at Pacific High Studios in San Francisco, with production and engineering by Dan Healy and the band.

"[1] A single taken from the album, coupling the Van Dyke Parks-penned song, "High Coin", with "When I Go Sailin' By", was released by Philips Records in 1969, but this too was a commercial failure.

The third reissue of the album was released under the title San Francisco 1969 by Acadia Records in 2004 and was digitally remastered from the original master tapes.