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DVDs
The Creation
Laying The Ghost… Live ([Cherry Red; [All Region] DVD]
"Like now…Biff! Bang! Pow!..." .Lots of long awaited Creation goodies are finally being unleashed by those fine young folks at Cherry Red.
I can recall the very first day I was played the 45 'Makin' Time' way back in 1980 and my life would be forever changed. Pre-internet, the bands like The Creation were almost mythical legends long lost to the ages of time. I was immediately a fan and my Mod band quickly became devotees of these Mod demi-Gods. We had no clue what had become of the band, but we soon sought out all the original recordings. I never imagined that one day the band would reform and be as one again. I would have also never believed that the band would reform, re-record and be committed to video! Well, I was wrong and I am glad I
was (by the way, I was also off on Brian Wilson coming out of retirement and performing Pet Sounds and now SmiLE. Life has lots of tricks up its sleeve I suppose.)
"Let's face it, if people come and see a band from the sixties, they expect to see four decrepit old geezers, don't they? And that's what they're gonna get!"
-Eddie Phillips, 1993 interview from the new DVD.
The new, all-regions, Cherry Red DVD is video proof that the band could still live up to the legend and lay the ghost once and for all. Creation fans are treated to five chestnuts from the 1993 Mean Fiddler gig in London. This great reunion performance was released
 on audio CD ages ago (you should own this by now and if not – what are you waiting for???). The cinematography is certainly a little rough and not Spielberg, but it is a lasting video legacy of the band performing pretty much everything you could hope to see: 'Painter Man', 'Makin' Time', 'Life is Just Beginning', 'Tom Tom', 'Biff Bang Pow', 'How Does It Feel to Feel', to name a few classics. I am not sure why we only have the five tracks from the 1993 gig….wish there was more.
It's funny to hear Kenny Pickett's full introduction of 'Nightmares', relating the songs creation )mind the pun) as the after affects of a bad acid trip in '67! The CD release was edited and, until now, one never was aware (unless you were lucky enough to be there in person) of the preceding comments. “Fast” Eddie Phillips does not disappoint and fleshes out songs like 'Nightmares' with psychedelic flashes. Eddie pulls out the trademark violin bow and the E-Bow, but doesn't abuse the trick and wear out the novelty of his creation (see I did it once again).
The band reconvened again to the Mean Fiddler in 1995 and on this disc we are treated to another full Creation concert from start to finish. To me, this 1995 performance is a little rougher and Kenny Pickett looks like life had been taking a bit of a toll. The sound mix can be a bit spotty at time, but it is hard to really criticize this living time capsule. By now the band had been signed to Creation Records and recorded their reunion CD, Creation (a first attempt Psychedelic Rose, was an aborted attempt in 1985, but is being released by Cherry Red on CD in July [CDMRED 256] had been recorded). Two of the better songs from their reunion CD are performed live: 'Creation' and 'Power Surge'. I would have to wait until they toured the USA in 2002 to hear Eddie sing, 'Shock Horror'. By then, the song had a whole new meaning and dimension right after the 9/11 attacks on the USA. Talking to Eddie about it at the time, the irony was not lost on him either.
It would also be nice to have seen a lot more of the 1993 interview footage, and there is nothing revealed here that Creation fans wouldn't have already known, but it is really all about the music.
Fate can sometime be unkind. Just as the Creation were mending old wounds and “laying the ghost,” Kenny Pickett would sadly die suddenly from a massive coronary after a (non-Creation) gig the following year. The band that legendary producer Shel Talmy called, "Better than The Who", was always coming apart on the edge of greater success. Even today Bob Garner was not available for the recent Modstock concert. I guess timing was never a luxury afforded to The Creation.
For fans of The Creation and classic British psych., this DVD is a must and it is just the start of the fun. The summer will be heating up with the release of the unreleased 1985 “Psychedelic Rose” CD and Sean Egan's recently released biography of the band: Our Music Is Red With Purple Flashes [ISBN 1901447227].
www.cherryred.co.uk
Mark A. Johnston
The Moody Blues
The Lost Performance
Available to order signed from Mike Pinder's web site: https://mikepinder.securegw.com/cgi-bin/store/index.cgi The Lost Performance is an interesting recently discovered time capsule from a filmed 1970 performance at La Taverne
 de L'Olympia in Paris.This is the classic Moody's line up running though two sets, including such classics as, 'Nights In White Satin', 'Tuesday Afternoon', 'Ride My See-Saw', 'The Question', and eleven other favourites.
The only real down side to this "intimately" filmed affair is that only the lead vocals are performed live to Tony Clarke's assembled backing tracks. It was not unusual for a band to mime performances for film or TV appearances, but purists will miss the live band sound. The good news is that this film gives you a pretty good feel as to how the Moody's stage act was in a cosy club setting circa 1970. The viewer is magically transported back to what feels like a smoky Paris café setting. The camera weaves like a snake around the side of the small crowd to bring you right up to the stage to witness strong live vocals from Justin, Ray and John. There is some minimal in-between song chatter and song introductions by the band members.
Train spotters will also notice that Mike Pinder is sitting behind a Hammond B3 and not his trusty Mellotron, but what really matters is being able to see the band run though their 1970 set, filmed in full living color, in your living room or on your PC at 28,000 feet as I am.
Mark A. Johnston
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