The Creation’s ‘Colorful’ ’60s Catalog Comes to Life on New Comp
The Creation should be no strangers to anyone who frequents the virtual pages of REBEAT. The colorful combo musically painted an impressive series of masterpieces on seven-inch canvases between 1966 and 1968 that belong in any 1960s music collector’s record gallery.
Maybe I’m overdoing it with the painting metaphors, but maybe I’m not. After all, between the song “Painter Man”; the title of this collection; guitarist Eddie Phillips’ oft-quoted summation of the band, “Our music is red with purple flashes”; and the stories of band members painting onstage during their shows becoming integral to their legend, it’s hard for my mind to not take it from there and have the word “colorful” at front-of-mind when thinking of or, better yet, listening to the Creation.
Then again, the music truly is colorful. From the start — even during the band’s days as the Mark Four (also represented on this disc by way of both sides of two Decca 45s) — these artists knew how to properly blend catchy hooks and thoughtful lyrics with a driving musical punch that was powerful and attractive. Their singles had something for every music fan, whether you liked melody, catchiness, or just wanted to rawk!
While the records weren’t your typical pop music — instead of treading familiar water and singing of boy/girl relationships, they were more likely to offer instead a lyrical glimpse inside Swinging London and pleasure-seeking individualism without sounding exploitative about it — they fell within the borders enough to fit in nicely on the pop charts.
Well, they would have fit in nicely on the pop charts had they gotten there. Sadly, and perhaps criminally, the Creation’s story of chart success is a very short one, with only their second single, the impossible-not-to-sing-along-with “Painter Man” with its peak position of #36 offering the Creation their only moment inside the hit lists.
But such is the legacy of the Creation that while record buyers during the group’s time together did not boost the band to stardom, music fans over the years have discovered the brilliance of the Mod anthem “Making Time” and the psychedelic crunch of “How Does It Feel to Feel” and all stops in between to elevate the once-overlooked band into cult heroes.
Consequently, their ’60s releases have been repackaged a few times over the years since. Edsel’s 1980s’ LP How Does It Feel to Feel, while not the very first, provided the first delicious taste for many a latter-day fan, providing the lion’s share of the band’s magic. Subsequent CD comps since have made just about every note they produced relatively easily accessible. Among the very latest is this new one-stop collection from Numero Group.
So what does this new double-disc set offer that a Creation fan might not already own? To be honest, not much in the way of audio content. Disc one offers their complete 1960s discography, including every A and B side of their run of singles, the remaining tracks from their one European album, and of course, the coveted feedback-heavy American version of “How Does It Feel to Feel,” all in their original mono mixes.
The second disc presents the top and flip of two Mark Four singles before showcasing a batch of newly created stereo mixes of many of Creation classics plus originally unreleased tracks that have since surfaced on previous collections. A few previously unheard backing tracks are thrown in for good measure, and some studio chatter pops up here and there.
The new stereo mixes are quite good if not mind-blowing. They do, however, allow us to hear the vocals more precisely, helping remind us that those painter men were no slouches in the vocal department, often constructing thick layers of harmonies. Backing tracks are always fun for hearing just what happened after the record faded, even if it was little more than a continuation of a vamp.
The real lures of this set are:
The fidelity. Thanks to some fresh remastering, the tracks sound fantastic, acquiring a new richness while respectfully retaining their original grit and dirt.
The beautiful packaging. The set comes with a mini-book including what must be the most extensive biography and assessment of the band ever written with interviews, full details on recording sessions and discography dates, and scores of promotional photographs and reproductions of record sleeves, contracts, tape boxes, and press releases. Seriously, I would not be surprised if some fans bought this set exclusively for the book. Dean Rudland and Alec Palao are to thank for that.
So, if you have yet to delve into the musical canvas of the Creation’s recordings, or if one of your previous Creation anthologies either doesn’t play anymore or has been lost to time (or to a friend who moved out of town — or out of your life) and you need a good replacement one-stop-shop compendium of all their 1960s artwork, this set more than satisfies.
However, if you truly need every Creation creation — meaning you’re not put off by years that don’t have a 6 in them — you might want to seek another recent collection from Edsel entitled Creation Theory, which, over four discs, presents everything on Action Painting along with twice as many Mark Four tracks, studio recordings from their 1980s and 1990s reunion LPs, plus Eddie Phillips’ solo material of the same vintage, and a DVD featuring 1960s TV clips, a 1995 reunion show, and a newly taped interview with Phillips.
But if you just want those original heyday purple flashes and a stellar companion book, Action Painting is perfect for making time. Play your previous Creation comps in the car, but leave this one by your home entertainment setup.
Get your copy of the Creation’s Action Painting from Numero Group’s online shop.
