Creation-04

Creation Records

Albums 031-040

Rating Key

••••••

CRE 031
The Pastels - Suck On The Pastels

1) Baby Honey
2) I Wonder Why
3) Something's Going On
4) Million Tears
5) Surprise Me
6) She Always Cries On Sunday
7) Baby Honey (BBC Session)
8) I'm Alright With You
9) Couldn't Care Less
10) What It's Worth

••••

As well as having numerous Various Artists compilations to their credit, Creation had moved into single band retrospectives with The Jasmine Minks' Sunset album and The Pastels' recent departure from the label now led to a new compilation featuring the band's output from 1983 to 1985. This featured all of The Pastels' a-sides and b-sides except for 'Stay With Me Till Morning' (single 5) for which there appears to be no good reason other than to force people to buy the Wild Summer Wow compilation, the only place it could then be found. There were, however, BBC session tracks included and the 'I Wonder Why' Rough Trade recording. In those early years the band usually wandered into the studio once a year where Stephen Pastel and Brian Taylor would piece together some songs recorded cheaply in poor facilities with generally disinterested engineers, yet somehow they kept emerging with a collection of gems loaded with charm, intelligence and a basic grasp of what sounded right. Despite the muddy sound, 'I'm Alright With You' remains a favourite, full of chugging guitars, a primitive jangle, a wondrous solo and a fabulous chorus. 'Something's Going On' is very fine with another great solo, and the epic 'Baby Honey' hits the heights with a darker sound and stronger vocals. The BBC version is even doomier and well worth checking out.

CRE 032
Various Artists - Purple

1) The Weather Prophets - Hollow Heart
2) Phil Wilson - Even Now
3) Primal Scream - Crystal Crescent
4) Felt - I Didn't Mean To Hurt You
5) The House Of Love - Christine
6) Biff Bang Pow! - She Haunts
7) Jasmine Minks - Where The Traffic Goes
8) Westlake - Rings On Her Fingers
9) Nikki Sudden & The Jacobites - Jangle Town
10) Primal Scream - It Happens
11) The Pastels - Something's Going On
12) Blow Up - Good For Me
13) Emily - Reflect On Rye

•••

14) Jasmine Minks - What's Happening?
15) Biff Bang Pow! - Someone Stole My Wheels
16) Momus - Closer To You
17) The House Of Love - Real Animal
18) Heidi Berry - Firefly
19) Apple Boutique - I Don't Even Believe In You
20) Phil Wilson - A Jingle

Another day, another Creation compilation. This was the label's second collection for CD only following on from Flowers In The Sky and again a very mixed lot was on offer. Fifteen a-sides, two b-sides and three album tracks were chosen, again ranging from the early days up to the latest releases and again including only artists from whom the label was still releasing records. Some of these had now seen the light of day many times before and there really was no need to hear the two Jasmine Minks tracks again, nor those from Biff Bang Pow! And why was the same Felt track picked yet again? There are plus points, though, with the inclusion of Emily's morose 'Reflect On Rye' (single 50) which has a grim appeal, and Apple Boutique's jazzy tale of negativity, 'I Don't Even Believe In You' (single 52). The two Phil Wilson tracks had not previously seen an album release and are worth a listen, while the Westlake track is a rarity on the CD format. Blow Up's 'Good For Me' (single 45) is a terrific number, full of wicked hooks and good ideas; the band was much touted and seemed to deliver on record but never achieved the stardom many had forecast for them. The Momus track is one of the better ones from his debut Creation album and even Nikki Sudden managed to get a track included (single 33), but again a better choice could have been made.

CRE 033
The Weather Prophets - Judges, Juries And Horsemen

1) Always The Light
2) Hollow Heart
3) Poison Mind
4) Well Done Sonny
5) Born Inbetween
6) Thursday Seems A Year Ago
7) Bury Them Deep
8) You Bring The Miracles
9) Never Been As Good
10) Ostrich Bed

••••

Extra tracks on CD release
11) Stepping Lightly On The Ancient Path
12) Sleeping When The Sun Comes Up
13) Joe Schmo And The Eskimo

Moving back to Creation following their unsuccessful stab at the big time with WEA's Elevation label, The Weather Prophets, now down to a three piece following the departure of Oisin Little, revealed a heavier side to their music on this release. Whether this was due to Pete Astor giving vent to his frustrations or not, it marked quite a change from their previous releases, though the songs remained as lyrically intricate as they had ever been. Nicely produced by Astor, who also shows far greater depth and ability in his singing, the album became the first on Creation to be released with a picture inner sleeve and, additionally, initial copies included a bonus two-track seven-inch single. Possibly McGee was pulling out the stops in the hope the record would make a big enough noise to put WEA's noses out of joint, but it ultimately made little national impact. It is in some ways a difficult record to love as it comes across as so carefully constructed and arranged it sounds a little contrived in comparison to The Loft's glittering, heartwarming output; indeed, the initial guitar solo on 'Poison Mind' could easily have come from David Gilmour. However, that track is a very fine one and there are plenty more points to admire. 'Never Been As Good' is a slow gem and 'Hollow Heart' (single 54) is rootsier and heavier than you would have expected. Ultimately, well worth a listen.

CRE 034
The House Of Love - The House Of Love

1) Christine
2) Hope
3) Road
4) Sulphur
5) Man To Child
6) Salome
7) Love In A Car
8) Happy
9) Fisherman's Tale
10) Touch Me

••••

When it was released in June 1988, The House Of Love was regarded as the record that would save Creation Records. It was not a secret the label was struggling financially and it was hoped this album would be the turning point after a series of worthy, but not particularly popular, releases had left the coffers bare. Two previous singles by the band, 'Shine On' (single 43) and 'Real Animal' (single 44), had met with favourable reviews in the music press though neither had achieved much sought-after national success, but so confident was boss Alan McGee with his new charges that he reportedly allowed the band three times the budget of the Weather Prophets to record their debut. The band's brand of angst-ridden rock was not a familiar offering from Creation, and many at the label were dubious about its appeal, but The House of Love crafted a sophisticated, contemporary sound built around the playing and effects-pedals of remarkable guitarist Terry Bickers who brought astonishing life to the compositions of singer Guy Chadwick. The songs themselves are full of contrasts. As could be expected from a band named after a book by eroticist Anaïs Nin, there is a deep underlying darkness to the songs, though the numerous references to Jesus show a longing for the light and the evident tensions are immaculately framed. It is more often than not Bickers' sensibility which manages to lift a song beyond the ordinary, the guitarist never seeking to impose his presence, but working so delicately it is hard not to be quietly thrilled with the results. The best moment is 'Christine' (single 53), brilliantly dragged along by droning guitars, but there are high points everywhere with the band as comfortable when rocking as in their more thoughtful moments. A bonus seven-inch single featuring demos was included with the initial pressings.

CRE 035
Felt - Train Above The City

1) Train Above The City
2) On Weegee's Sidewalk
3) Run Chico Run
4) Press Softly At The Brakes Holly
5) Spectral Morning
6) Teargardens
7) Book Of Swords
8) Seahorses On Broadway

••

Extra tracks on CD release
CRE 030
The Pictorial Jackson Review

CD Cover

Coming in at under twenty minutes, Felt's fifth contribution to the label did not even feature mainman Lawrence, but was solely put together by keyboardist Martin Duffy and drummer Gary Ainge. It is rumoured by David Cavanagh in his epic book about the label that this was solely released so Duffy could afford to buy a vibes piano from a former band member, and whether that is true or not, the instrument features heavily in Felt's second release with no words. The tunes are a mixed collection of jazz and ragtime numbers and at times it sounds like the background music in a middling American restaurant, with plenty of cliches thrown in for good measure. The opening track is probably the best, a jolly plinkalong that is long enough to have some substance. 'On Weegee's Sidewalk' begins as though the female speakeasy singer will start crooning at any moment, but develops into a number that shows real compositional talent, but after a while the plinking begins to grate and the plink-free 'Spectral Morning' brings relief, sounding as though it could have been taken from a particularly sentimental moment in a 1950s western. In general the tunes are short, but the concluding number 'Seahorses On Broadway' drags on for over six and half minutes, nearly a third of the entire album, and is pretty dreary. Again, a disappointment for the dwindling number of Felt fans.

CRE 036
Momus - Tender Pervert

1) The Angels Are Voyeurs
2) Love On Ice
3) I Was A Maoist Intellectual
4) The Homosexual
5) Bishonen
6) Right Hand Heart
7) A Complete History Of Sexual Jealousy (Parts 17-24)
8) Ice King
9) In The Sanatorium
10) The Charm Of Innocence
11) The Angels Are Voyeurs (Reprise)

•••

The second outing from Momus on Creation offered no surprises with Nick Currie consistent in his approach, relating clever, incisive and just a little worryingly obsessive tales of the darker side of life. As hinted by the title, the songs are sexually fixated, though musically the compositions are more rounded and fulfilling, wth plenty of neat sound effects added to enhance the narratives. The best moments are 'The Homosexual' where Currie appears to unburden himself from a lifetime of verbal abuse safe in the knowledge he is scoring in more meaningful ways, and 'A Complete History Of Sexual Jealousy (Parts 17-24)' which is nearly a proper song that intrigues despite namedropping Plato. 'Bishonen' is truly disturbing and 'Right Hand Heart' makes you think that Currie could do with having a beer and going to the football. On the other hand, 'I Was A Maoist Intellectual' is another high point, pleasingly unsexual, and containing the killer line, "My downfall came from being three things the working classes hated: agitated, organised and over educated." There is plenty of self awareness with Momus, but no Nirvana; this is not a record that will stir your soul and lift you into a spiritual reverie.

CRE 037
Various Artists - Doing It For The Kids

1) The Jasmine Minks - Cut Me Deep
2) Felt - Ballad Of The Band
3) The House Of Love - Christine
4) The Weather Prophets - Well Done Sonny
5) Primal Scream - All Fall Down
6) Biff Bang Pow! - She Paints
7) The Jazz Butcher - Lot 49
8) Heidi Berry - Northshore Train
9) Nikki Sudden - Death Is Hanging Over Me
10) My Bloody Valentine - Cigarette In My Bed
11) Pacific - Jetstream
12) The Times - Godevil
13) Momus - A Complete History of Sexual Jealousy

••••

14) Emily - Reflect On Rye
15) Razorcuts - Brighter Now

Doing It For The Kids was a promotional campaign aimed at introducing the label to a wider audience and hopefully shifting some of the large stocks of records left in the distributor's warehouse. A clever promotion with a nice touch of humour, the corresponding compilation album and CD were sold at bargain prices and on the whole contained tracks from the label's recent releases, though Primal Scream, who were still to follow up their debut Elevation album with a Creation release, were represented by old favourite 'All Fall Down' (single 17) which in no way resembled the sound the band had now adopted. Some of the tracks had been seen on other recent compilations, but as this one was aimed at the non-Creation afficionado, it did not really matter, and any Creation collector would not have to fork out a lot of cash to keep up with the releases. The choice of song is generally good: the numbers from The Jasmine Minks, Felt, The House Of Love, Biff Bang Pow!, Heidi Berry, Nikki Sudden, Momus, Pacific and Emily could not really have been bettered, and most of the others come pretty close. Certainly well worth the investment and the publicity the label gained made this a very suceessful venture indeed.

CRE 038
The Times - Beat Torture

1) Godevil
2) Heaven's Sent Me An Angel
3) I'll Be Your Volunteer
4) Department Store
5) Love Like Haze Or Rain
6) It Had To Happen
7) Chelsea Green
8) How To Start Your Own Country
9) On The Peace Line
10) Scarlet & Sapphire

•••

Extra tracks on CD release
11) Angel
12) Volunteer
13) Country
14) Love

Having been associated with the label since its formation, this was the debut release on Creation from former TV Personality Edward Ball, the first of a remarkable series of records, released under countless aliases, that ran on until the label finally folded. No such group as The Times existed, the band here including Alan McGee and Dick Green, thus making it almost a Biff Bang Pow! production. And with McGee and Ball producing jointly, that influence was bound to be strong; never more so than on 'It Had To Happen' and 'Scarlet And Sapphire', both reverbed up to produce the haunted Biff Bang Pow! trademark sound. In fact, the latter is one the album's better moments ending in a nice guitar fit. 'Love Like Haze Or Rain' is a decent ballad, though the best moment is 'Heaven's Sent Me An Angel', an atmospheric number sung with feeling. Most of the rest is unspectacular. 'I'll Be Your Volunteer' is uneccessarily shouty and 'Department Store' unconvincing despite some nice guitar work. 'Godevil' is an an effects-laden rocker which almost makes it, and the Glitter Band drums on 'How To Start Your Own Country' are a nice touch. Four demos of some of the better tracks were added to the CD release, though in line with the label's recent money-saving policies the album had no artwork and there was again no band name on the cheap, monochrome sleeve.

CRE 039
The Revolving Paint Dream - Mother Watch Me Burn

1) The Dunebuggy Attack Batallion
2) Green Sea Blue
3) Fever Mountain
4) (Burn This House) Down To The Ground
5) Mother Wash My Tears Away
6) Garbagebrain
7) Electra's Crying Loaded In The Basement
8) Mandra Mandra
9) Untitled (Love Song)
10) 300 (Coda)
11) Reprise: Mandra Mandra

••

Extra tracks on CD release
12) Sun, Sea, Sand
13) Flowers In The Sky
14) Stop The World
15) Seven Seconds

Following what was now becoming a tradition, the second outing from The Revolving Paint Dream featured no band name or title on the cover and this time the trick was taken further with no track listings or information on the band on the reverse. Those who remembered the Off To Heaven album may have expected more experimental soundscapes, but what was offered up was somewhat of a surprise, Mother Watch Me Burn sounding as if it had been dragged from out of Creation's past, being largely a collection of 1960s-leaning, straightforward pop songs. There are one or two exceptions and the opener 'The Dunebuggy Attack Batallion' is a messy guitar bash with plenty of screaming, and 'Garbagebrain' is a satisfying, rocky number with effects-laden vocals. 'Mandra Mandra' is a heavily dubbed and dislocated mixture of brass and guitars, briefly reprised at the end of the album. The straight numbers are generally unspectacular though 'Mother Wash My Tears Away' has pleasant Byrdsy guitars that should have been more prominent, and 'Electra's Crying Loaded In The Basement' is a nice version of Biff Bang Pow!'s 'It Happens All The Time'. 'Untitled (Love Song)' is decently simple, but there is nothing that is going to blow you away here, or even make you put the record back on. The CD additionally featured four tracks from Off To Heaven.

CRE 040
My Bloody Valentine - Isn't Anything

1) Soft As Snow (But Warm Inside)
2) Lose My Breath
3) Cupid Come
4) (When You Wake) You're Still In A Dream
5) No More Sorry
6) All I Need
7) Feed Me With Your Kiss
8) Sue Is Fine
9) Several Girls Galore
10) You Never Should
11) Nothing Much To Lose
12) I Can See It (But I Can't Feel It)

•••••

Having signed for Creation after an impressive stint at Lazy Records where their music had begun to evolve into a completely new form, My Bloody Valentine's first single for their new label, 'You Made Me Realise' (single 55) received ecstatic press reviews and their debut album was anticipated with immense eagerness. And despite sounding like nothing on earth, the finished article met with the same enthusiastic response. With the cover featuring an over-exposed photograph of the band that had had its detail burned out, the music mirrored this with a thundering rhythm section being swamped by mutated guitar effects and barely sentient backing vocals undermining Kevin Shields' obscure lyrical musings. The second single 'Feed Me With Your Kiss' (single 61) is a highlight with heavy, warping bass and a crescendo of drums burying struggling vocals, and there are good moments at each end of the scale with 'All I Need''s sculpted noise impressing every bit as much as 'Cupid Come', the most straightforward song, that ends in a sonic storm. 'You Never Should' is also a highlight, echoing the earlier Lazy recordings and being none the worse for doing so. As with the albums by The Weather Prophets and The House Of Love, Isn't Anything initially came with a bonus seven-inch single featuring instrumental tracks.

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