In the mid-'80s, Eddie Phillips and Kenny Pickett of the Creation decided the time was right for them to resurrect the band, and they went back in the studio to record an album. The record never saw the light of day due to problems with the record company, but in 2004 Cherry Red unearthed the album sessions and released them as Psychedelic Rose: The Great Lost Creation Album. The album certainly was lost, but great is another matter entirely. Band biographer Sean Egan makes the case in the liner notes that the album contains songs that are "in the same bracket of quality" as "Making Time," "Painter Man," and "Biff Bang Pow," but for the most part the tunes wouldn't sound out of place on a Great White or Damn Yankees record. The lyrics are cliché-filled, the playing is nondescript, and the production is slick and boring. A list of things you would never want to hear on a record by the Creation would have to include fretless bass, cheap synthesizers, computer drums, cod-soul ballads (the unfortunate "Far from Paradise"), and -- worst of all -- a remake of "Making Time" that sounds like it was co-produced with Jive Bunny. They are all here. It would be wrong to expect the Creation to sound as good as they did in their heyday in the mid-'60s, but would it be too much to expect them to be better than a Bon Jovi-esque bar band? Apparently so. It is easy to understand why Cherry Red would want to release this disc; they might make a few pounds and the Creation might get some overdue attention. This kind of attention they don't need, nor does this terrible record do their legacy any good. Some things are better left buried; put Psychedelic Rose near the top of the list. [The disc also contains readings from Egan's book Our Music is Red -- With Purple Flashes: The Story of the Creation and a fuzzy video of the re-formed band playing "Painter Man" live at the Mean Fiddler in the mid-'90s.]
© Tim Sendra /TiVo