The Creation was a relatively short-lived UK garage rock band from the 1960s, with their initial run being from 1966 to 1968, which came back together in the mid 1980s to tour and create more music. Though only one member of the original line-up is still alive, he still tours with other musicians as The Creation, from what I can tell from a quick glance online at least. This was a somewhat “lost” album, as it was recorded in the mid 1980s but didn’t get released until 2004, due to some issues with the record company. This seems like it ought to be an interesting listen, so with that said I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Lay the Ghost” starts out with some super soft fuzzy distortion with synth that starts out somewhat ominous until it breaks through into a massive 80s rock jam with some psychedelic flavors to it – this is sweet. The ominous guitar line has such a cheesy distortion layer to it – I really dig it. I really dig those massive 80s sounding drums, with a bunch of flavorful distorted layers between the synth and guitars. Oh wow, this really gets into a super 80s nearly Bon Jovi-like breakdown for a moment. Really sweet intro tune that makes me excited for the upcoming tunes.
“Psychedelic Rose” starts out with a ton of tin-like psychedelic swishing from some sort of guitar or stringed instrument, with some heavily distorted guitar soon joined the mix that nearly grounds the tune in a pretty sweet way. Those drums are absolutely huge. Oh wow – this is sweet – those synths really squeal out some tasty notes. Though I don’t have a ton of experience with 80s rock, this sounds like some strange mixture of XTC and Van Halen – super sweet. I really dig the distortion from the guitars. The vocals really reverberate through the soundscape and make it seem nearly endless at times. The bass line really gurgles up really nicely from the background, and seemingly swirls the song around from underneath. Great tune.
“Radio Beautiful” starts out with a really familiar melody from the keys and guitar – it almost sounds like “You Can Call Me Al” by Paul Simon. I really dig the jangling acoustic guitars percussively strumming and making the snare hits from the drums that much larger in sound. Oh wow, it almost sounds like they use a talk-box with the bass or right alongside the bass for a moment, and it sounds sweet. Those synths nearly howl into the soundscape and I really dig it. This is one groovy track.
“United” starts out with some stuttering drums before dropping into a really massive and slick sounding track with really interesting chorus vocals and some groovy guitar riffs that sound like some sort of hard rock riff sent through an 80s-ifier machine – really sweet. I really dig the tone of the guitars on this one again – it really serves the song well and complements the vocals as they shout into the soundscape. The drums have a great snap to them in this one too, with the bass rolling along underneath everything really nicely. Really nice tune.
“Doing It My Way” starts out with some massive sounding guitar that’s almost grittier than earlier in the album. I really dig this one – it sort of has an interesting hair metal feel with a really groovy drum track that sort of keeps the tune snared into place. The synths and guitar sort of complement each other really nicely on opposite sides of the drums, really creating a nice waviness to the whole track. Really groovy track.
“Making Time (New Version)” starts out with some really tasty drums that almost crash like glass and have an almost rhythmic clapping to them, with some soft yet crunchy distorted guitar going back and forth on the outside of the soundscape. Just inside the distorted guitar is some percussive acoustic guitar strumming that really accentuates those drums well. Oh wow, this is a groovy tune. The bass guitar really bops the tune along from underneath while the synths sort of meld everything together between the bass and the guitars. The vocals really shine nicely with all the instruments creating a great platform for them to stand on. Really tasty tune.
Oh wow, “Far from Paradise” has a somewhat of ominous, caressing vaporwave sort of sound. It’s kind of got a bit of an “In the Air Tonight” by Phil Collins sort of vibe. The saxophone really brings an interesting flavor to the mix. All the instruments seem to be on their own little island that reverberates throughout the soundscape, while the vaporwave-esque synths and steady drums and bass and melting vocals all seem to progress the tune forward. Oh wow, the little guitar lick is awesome. Great tune.
“White Knight” starts out with a low, massive bass synth that slowly evolves as the rest of the instruments come into the mix for a really groovy 80s psychedelia-inflected rock anthem. This is pretty sweet – it’s sort of like that Van Halen meets XTC vibe again. These guitar riffs are pretty sweet, and they have some super strong drums as the driving force propelling them forward, all with some strong vocals that shout into the soundscape with great force. Really sweet tune.
“Spirit Called Love” has another massive 80s rock anthem sound in this one to wrap the album with some stirringly fast guitar lines, and some synths that come in and add some great flavor to the mix. The drums have a really sweet 80s feel with the snappy, clean and hollow sounding snare. There’s some really tasty notes from the vocals in this one. This tune is a really groovy way to end the album. Really tasty tune.
Wow, this is a really sweet album. I don’t listen to a whole lot of rock from the 80s, but this one had a lot of great flavors with a bit of a psychedelic flavor throughout a lot of the album. If you enjoy new wave, vaporwave, or 80s anthem rock at all, you might enjoy this one. I definitely want to check out their earlier garage rock work from the 60s, but I’m glad I checked out this album by The Creation tonight. If you do decide to give this one a listen, I do sincerely hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A