The Creation - Our music is red, with purple flashes CD
Label: Demon Records; Year: 1998: Format: CD
It’s finally time I start adding content to Hits From The Past, now at home here under one umbrella being Barstool Revolution. Not too long ago I have finally bought a CD player again because not only do I have some three hundred odd CDs that I want to listen to again and review, but also because quite frankly Vinyl prices for us vinyl lovers with a limited budget have just skyrocketed over the past few years. That’s something that can’t be said for CDs as they have gone the other direction and are now to be found dirt cheap, hence I thought it might be a good idea to start getting more CDs on a regular basis. Well, here is one I bought for a few bucks not long ago in the form of a collection of ‘60s band The Creation, a band I was familiar with to a degree, quite possibly through one of the ‘60s Compilation LPs on my shelves. The Creation came out of the ashes of the Mark Four, who released several singles in the early to Mid-Sixties in the UK as well as Germany. After they signed a management deal with Tony Stratton-Smith it was suggested they change their name, and so they did.
“Our music is red with purple flashes, so said Eddie Phillips, guitarist with the quintessential 60s Swinging London band the Creation, who crystallised an era in which British beat was transforming itself into psychedelia. The process led to records rooted in pop but recorded with wide-eyed aggression, cranked-up amps and excessive use of guitar pedals - creating a style now known as freakbeat. In a nutshell, pop was giving birth to rock”
In his liner notes John Reed further notes “that the Creation are still THE cult British bans of the 1960s, essentially because their recorded output easily outstrips their peers”. It’s a firm statement, but I can see where he is coming from as the twenty-four songs collected on this Disc really don’t disappoint at all. From their hit “Painter Man” (later covered by a certain group called Boney M) to “Cool Jerk” or “Tom Tom” the list is long when it comes to quality tracks. It’s sad that the band did not get the recognition they deserved at the time, especially in the UK. The Creation were more popular on the European continent, mainly in Germany, where “Painter Man” actually entered the Top 10. After several singles and one album things came to an end in 1968, that is at least until a new incarnation was born in the ‘80s. At one point the Creation had a certain Ron Wood in their line-up, later recording with the Jeff Beck Group, Small Faces and of course the Rolling Stones. I think John Reed’s words sum up well what could have been for the band:
“The Creation story is that apocryphal rock’n’roll tale of bust-ups, missed opportunities, dashed dreams and the bitter-sweet taste of all-too-brief success. But it’s also about some timeless music.”
It shouldn’t come as a surprise then that the Creation’s music has over the decades gained new fans and admirers, like myself or a certain Scot named Alan McGeek who named his label Creation Records in praise of the band, extending his admiration to calling his band Biff Bang Pow” after one of the Creation’s B-Sides. I have no doubt that the Creation story will live on, and the most recent reissues are proof of that. Do yourself a favor and seek out their music, you won’t regret it.
