Every generation has at least one band where you can’t help scratching your head and thinking “How were these guys not huge?” and The Creation are undoubtedly one of those groups. Sure, you could argue that ‘Painter Man‘ was a minor hit, peaking at number 36 in 1966, and was taken into the top ten by Boney M twelve years later, but come on, the sheer breadth and calibre of their work ought to have made them household names, and this now expanded four-disc boxset, first released in 1998, is testament to that.
Fans of The Great Pottery Throwdown will be familiar with ‘Making Time‘, which is arguably the group’s best known song, but, great as that single was, they had so many better tunes that rather criminally went unrecognised. You can put that right, by buying this excellent, comprehensive set. Among the best tracks are ‘Biff Bang Pow‘, which is kind of a blueprint for the formative work that The Who would produce over the next ten years, and the heart-wrenching ‘If I Stay Too Long‘, a song which, incredibly, would give even The Band a run for their money, such is its emotive nature.
Most of the compositions on disc one were written by Kenny Pickett and Eddie Phillips, a partnership that ought to be talked of with the same sort of reverence that is reserved for the likes of Lennon and McCartney, Jagger and Richards or Morrissey and Marr. That said, there are several covers included, such as a pretty rousing version of Bob Dylan‘s classic ‘Like A Rolling Stone‘ and a faithful rendition of The Jimi Hendrix Experience‘s ‘Hey Joe‘, as well as a take on Larry Williams‘s ‘Bony Maronie‘ which is just a whole lot of fun.
As enjoyable as those covers are though, it is the self-penned numbers that shine the brightest, though tracks like the trippy ‘The Girls Are Naked‘ would perhaps be considered a little too sleazy for today’s current climate. Let’s not forget though that this was 1968 and very much a time of free love and promiscuity.
Disc two contains stereo versions of disc one’s mono counterparts and a great Link Wray like instrumental version of ‘How Does It Feel To Feel‘, before we come to the unexpected 1987 release of the band’s second studio album (actually only the first, in the UK), Psychedelic Rose, which makes up disc three. Gone is the garage rock sound which inspired so many luminaries thereafter, replaced by a cleaner, polished sheen, as was the done thing in the 1980s. The record wasn’t exactly greeted with a wave of enthusiasm from either press or public alike, but in all honesty, for all its production crimes, I personally don’t think it detracts from the tunes too much and ‘Radio Beautiful‘ in particular has an endearing charm reminiscent of the much-loved Aussie band The Triffids and their ‘Holy Water‘ from the same year. Is Psychedelic Rose as bad as the music press would have you believe? Nah. Is it a great album though? Good God no. This is definitely the disc you’ll be playing the least out of this lot. I can say that with no hesitation.
1996’s Power Surge restores parity somewhat, thankfully a lot noisier than Psychedelic Rose, and that polished production has been booted off a cliff, perhaps helped by the fact that the uncompromising Alan McGee – along with Dick Green – was the executive producer this time around (with fellow creation founder Joe Foster on desk duties). So now you hear a glam-rock style not unlike Slade on several tracks, which is actually quite refreshing, while ‘Shock Horror‘ harks back to their heady beginnings and is all the better for it.
‘Killing Song‘ rather wonderfully evokes memories of The Gun Club and the angsty playout of ‘O+N‘ thankfully proves that the band has lost none of that gritty fervour that made them such an appealing prospect in the first place. You’d have to say, however, thank fuck for Alan McGee, for re-establishing them as a force to be reckoned with, instead of letting them vanish with a whimper after that 1987 release.
All in all, this remains a cracking compilation but it’s impossible to rate it higher than eight out of ten, purely because of Psychedelic Rose. But don’t let that put you off, this is a must-have purchase, really.
Our Music Is Red – With Purple Flashes is released on 28th February through Demon Music Group.
