Creation Records

Noel always had a knack for a tune and some well put-together lines.

But, the majority of Oasis albums had their fair share of filler, they were called 'verses'

Well, the 'death of indie' would have happened anyway, and it (be here now) did not 'hasten' it or anything like it.

― Mark G, Friday, October 28, 2011 10:20 PM (9 seconds ago) Bookmark

Of course it would have done, and of course 'Be Here Now' didn't hasten it... but it was one of the first moments that I remember thinking "McGee, you could have said 'no'." - but at the same time I get the impression he would have never had it in him to do that, not to mention Sony would have wanted that album no matter what it was.

I guess we're not getting "Hairstyle of the devil" then.

mm, just thought it needed clarification. obviously it was a piece of shit and everyone who heard it knew that but it sold 8 mill units worldwide by the end of 1997 according to wiki so, you know, not a flop.

― henri grenouille (Frogman Henry), Friday, October 28, 2011 10:21 PM (1 minute ago) Bookmark

There's different kinds of flops. Obviously 'Be Here Now' wasn't a commercial flop, but it was much more than a flop on so many other levels.

xpost well, all those years of punk bands (and bands before and after, to be fair), being all "We want to make records free of Record Company Interference", and yet because the peopple running this label were a 'bit cooler', it's OK for AlMug to 'step in'?

Noel always had a knack for a tune and some well put-together lines.

But, the majority of Oasis albums had their fair share of filler, they were called 'verses'

― Mark G, Friday, October 28, 2011 10:22 PM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark

I liked those first two Oasis albums. This track playing now pretty much defines the word 'filler'. All seven fucking useless minutes of it.

xxp
blowing my mind tbh

See, Noel could not write a 1min59 song to save his bacon!

3 Colours Red got onto totp? Who Knew!

If they jumped around a bit more, they could have been Busted!

(That's a compliment, btw)

well, all those years of punk bands (and bands before and after, to be fair), being all "We want to make records free of Record Company Interference", and yet because the peopple running this label were a 'bit cooler', it's OK for AlMug to 'step in'?

― Mark G, Friday, October 28, 2011 10:25 PM (17 seconds ago) Bookmark

Well, Bobby G did say during the documentary that he found McGee invaluable as an adviser, and the impression that I got from reading McGee's thoughts on 'Be Here Now' is that he wasn't particularly keen on what they were doing. As it turned out, neither was anyone else - including Noel Gallagher himself about a year after the album came out!

Apparently half of 3 Colours Red became these guys:

http://www.myspace.com/bassknives

Ugh ugh ugh @ 3CR

See, Noel could not write a 1min59 song to save his bacon!

― Mark G, Friday, October 28, 2011 10:25 PM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark

Ah, now that I can agree with. Even on the first couple of albums the tracks go on maybe a bit longer than they should... but he took it to an extreme on 'Be Here Now', with songs that were nowhere near as good!

AlanM didn't "like" Loveless or "Wake Up"

So, that's the influential album, and Creation's first number one hit sorted then.

Nice to see Shields and McGee acknowledging their internal flaws at the time of Loveless. Otherwise I just hate all these Friday night ads for good honest music.

Be here Now got written out of history, that ws good.

But he did 'like' Oasis.

(Actually, just checked, Oasis got Creation's first number one. Then again, they were 'leased' to Cre, so maybe not)

In the case of "Wake Up", apparently Boo Radleys made it as a joke. Still by far their best work though (but might have been disappointing to those who were used to them being more of a shoegazing act)

I still think the entirety of their 'Giant Steps' album is their best work. There are moments on that that one could call a bit shoegaze-y, like 'Run My Way Runway' (which is awesome, IMO), but I don't consider it a shoegaze album at all.

I adore their noisy buzzy, early single "Kaleidoscope" - my favourite Boos song.

I've quite fond of early Boos as well, some great stuff on 'Ichabod & I' and 'Everything's Alright Forever'.

*I'm

oh god, yeah. I've not even seen this programme and the memories are flooding back. I have so much love for this Creation stuff I grew up with. I have very fond memories of seeing the MBV, Ride & Slowdive cardboard CD covers in a strange little plastic temporary shop in the Quiggins centre in Liverpool. That place was awesome.

They're definitely one of two record labels which helped to shape my tastes. The other was Mute!

I still think the entirety of their 'Giant Steps' album is their best work. There are moments on that that one could call a bit shoegaze-y, like 'Run My Way Runway' (which is awesome, IMO), but I don't consider it a shoegaze album at all.

I would say "Everything's Alright Forever" was a shoegazing album. "Giant Steps" was sorta transitional towards the rest of their output. "Giant Steps" was.... hard to categorize..... while the last one I guess had a bit of the Britpop feel of "Wake Up" to it against.

again

"C'mon kids" was hard to categorize, I mean.

Yeah, 'C'mon Kids' is a bit of a weird one. There were some interesting tracks on 'Wake Up!' to go alongside the chirpy Britpoppiness of the singles, I thought. 'C'mon Kids' is strange because sometimes it does come across as a bit of a reaction against the previous record, yet sometimes it seems like Martin Carr/Sice wants to be in Oasis (as on the title track and parts of 'Ride The Tiger'). It's like this crazy mixed bag of shoegaze elements, psychedelic elements, a tiny bit of dub... all mashed together with elements of Oasis.

Ultimately it's one of those records that I admire rather than love - I'm pleased that the band made it and made an attempt to try some new things (for them) out, and I listen to parts of it and think 'wow, that's a bit of a neat idea, I like that' - but I'd never dig it out to listen to for enjoyment.

may i ask to what extent MBV is talked of? i just sorta imagine them getting a brief "they thought they were the irish reaction to husker du... TEHY WERE WRONG" and then cue creation's demise

My Bloody Valentine are talked about quite favourably, actually. McGee acknowledges he didn't know what he had when he signed them, and he also mentions that even though 'Loveless' cost a great deal of money to make, it was far more likelier that a combination of amount of drugs that were being done at the label and the general carelessness of McGee/Dick Green/Creation was far more likely a factor in the labels financial problems than My Bloody Valentine making 'Loveless'.

such a shame lawrence was ill during the filming of this

i still thing that the Boo Radleys are the best band ever, EVER.

most say that Giants Steps is the best album but i still (until my death bed) will say Kingsize is their very best. C'mon Kids is absolutely brilliant, loud, fucked up and simmering with life. "Fortunate Sons" still might be their best song.

"Fortunate Sons" "Four Saints"

i still want to add The Boo Radleys to the ILM ballot poll but haven't got the nerve to add it. plus i have my hands full with New Order.

"To be honest I am now seriously thinking about restarting Creation, or maybe Re-Creation if I can find the right people at a label to work with. Music needs a kick in the balls, and I have got the music buzz back.

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

http://www.flysoftware.com/images/products/html_plug-ins/html_radio_button.png God
http://www.globalintake.com/images/radio_button_off.pngAlan McGee
http://www.globalintake.com/images/radio_button_off.pngMorrissey

i reckon he just heard that flats record

Yeah, I have mixed feelings about that. Of course, the reputation of a label is only as good as the acts they sign, and what chances does McGee have these days of finding bands of the same calibre as what he signed during Creation's glory days? If he's able to pull it off, then fair play, but I'm extremely skeptical. Especially since he was talking about being bored of, and wanting to have nothing to do with music in recent years.

"I'm so bored with music, I want nothing to do with it."

(checks bank balance)

"I have the music buzz back! Time to kickstart the ol' label."

To be fair, you can totally go through a phase of being bored by music and then regain your passion. I wouldn't necessarily think that he was lying. It's just... the shit he signed during Creation's late period, man, what greater depths will he sink to next? I don't believe that with restored passion will come a restoration of taste.

Oh, yeah, I was just being a little snarky about the process.

the shit he signed during Creation's late period, man, what greater depths will he sink to next?

answer : poptones.

It feels like McGee's acumen at discovering bands is a bit overstated. How many of the successful Creation acts would you say McGee actually "discovered"? There's Primal Scream, JAMC (who were both friends from way back), Ride and Oasis. The other acts with significant success or influence on the label had previously been involved with other labels and would likely have had a career with or without him. I'm thinking SFA, Boo Radleys, Teenage Fanclub, MBV, The Pastels, Felt, and so on. The real value of Creation is not that they released Oasis records but that they helped provide a platform for dozens of other bands who went nowhere but made some cool records and maybe played some good gigs for a year or two.

There must have been a lot of luck involved. Sure, he got in there early with mates: Primal Scream and J&MC. But until Ride started having hits the label was no more successful than some of the other UK Indies. I guess he lucked upon Ride - and some other label WOULD have found them if he hadn't first. That led to the Creation I loved: Slowdive, TFC, Boos, Swervedriver arguably all signed because of what he did with Ride, getting them in the charts. Oasis was a different era as far as I'm concerned and again - some other label would have signed them - he discovered them only in as much as he was there at the time. Liam was a big Ride fan from what I remember. Did he gain his reputation from hearing Drive Blind before anyone else? (kinda LOL - reaching a little here maybe).

I guess maybe House Of Love was the one thing I'm not sure of - they signed how? They had chart hits, didn't they?

Just watched this documentary last night. The thing that really struck me was what a year Creation/McGee had in '91. Loveless, Screamadelica and Bandwagonesque all out at the same time, that's a heck of a hat trick. And the backstory on Screamadelica seemed about what I'd always figured -- band + drugs + Weatherall = months of seemingly useless hedonism suddenly producing this thing nobody expected.

I think McGee said something like, "Just when you'd completely given up on them, suddenly they'd show up in the office with 'Higher Than the Sun.'"

that Screamadelica tour, changed my life and wrote about it somewhere on here...

How did I miss this documentary?

Thanks for posting this, it prompted me to watch it. Wasn't bad! Would have liked more on Loveless, the gestation of which I don't feel has ever been described in enough detail.