The
Revolving Paint Dream was not only the most mysterious band on Creation Records'
original roster back in 1984, but also one of the most inventive.
After a memorable psychedelia-tinged single, Flowers In The Sky/In The Afternoon, in February, the band disappeared for three years before a strange collection of
what seemed like out-takes, OFF TO HEAVEN, reached the shelves in June 1987.
'60s-influenced psych-pop sat alongside weird, distorted soundscapes to create
an album that lacked any overall identity but was stacked full with ideas.
It
transpired that the band comprised Primal Scream's second guitarist Andrew
Innes, Nico-like vocalist Christine Wanless (both present on several Biff Bang
Pow! recordings) and Luke Hayes, with some involvement from label organizers
Alan McGee and Richard Green , among other members from Creation Records' bands.
(like Dave Musker - keyboard player with The Jasmine Minks & Television Personalities)
January
1989's MOTHER WATCH ME BURN was even more experimental and the listener was hard
pushed to believe that it was the same band performing the fragrant pop tune,
Sun, Sea, Sand (issued as a single) and the ferocious instrumentals.
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RELEASES
:
* "Flowers In The Sky / In the Afternoon" (7 inch single) (Creation
Records 2nd record release) (CRE 002) 2/25/1984
* "Off To Heaven" (LP)
(CRE-LP 018 ) June 1987
A:
Sun, Sea, Sand (2:00)
Flowers in the Sky (6:17)
Stop The World (4:03)
My My, Hey Hey (2:50)
B:
7 Seconds (6:25)
The Judges (2:47)
Walter Valentine's Dead (4:10)
Yellow Ball (Take Me Away) (3:03)
* "Green Sea Blue / Sun Sea Sand" (7 inch
single) (CRE 062) 1988
* "Mother Watch Me Burn" (LP,CD) (CRE-LP/CD 039 )
January
1989
The Dune Buggy Attack Battalion, Green Sea Blue, Fever Mountain, (Burn This
House) Down To The
Ground,
Mother Wash My Tears Away, Garbagebrain, Electra's Crying Loaded In The
Basement, Mandra
Mandra,
Untitled (love song), 300 (coda) , Reprise: (Mandro Mandro), Sun Sea
Sand, Flowers In The Sky,
Stop The World, 7
Seconds.
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Singles released on several Creation Compilations including :
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"All
For Art And Art For All" - Various Artists (LP) "In The Afternoon" (early
version with Alan McGee on vocals)
CRELP/CD 002 - "Wild Summer, Wow!" -
Various Artists. (LP,CD) "In the Afternoon" + 7 others
"Creation Soup
Volume One" - Various Artists ."In The Afternoon" + "Flowers In The Sky" + 19
others (4 Biff Bang Pow!)
"Creation : Flowers in the Sky 87-89" - Various
Artists. "In the Afternoon" + 19
others
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Throughout
the lifespans of The Revolving Paint Dream & Biff Bang Pow! members of both
bands contributed to each other's live performances & recording sessions.
David Musker (The Televison Personalities / Jasmine Minks / Slaughter Joe)
also played on a fair share of Revolving Paint Dream recordings.
After Revolving Paint Dream disolved , Andrew Innes & Christine Wanless were
briefly members of Biff Bang Pow, although not mentioned in the lp liner notes
as listed below.
BIFF BANG POW ! :
'Pass The
Paintbrush ,Honey' (1985) (dedicated to J.C. Brouchard)
'The Girl
Who Runs The Beat Hotel' (1987) (CRE LP/CD 015)
The first 2 cds
[above] do not have a line up in the liner notes. They include various creation
members including :
Alan McGee - Vocal/Guitar , Organ
Richard [Dick] Green -
Guitar
Dave Evans -
Bass
Ken Popple - Drums,
Percussion
Andrew Innes -
Guitar
Christine Wanless - Vocals
J.C. Brouchard - Vocals
Oblivion LP (87):
(Creation-Relativity)
Alan McGee - Vocal/Guitar ,
Organ
Richard [Dick] Green -
Guitar
Dave Evans -
Bass
Ken Popple - Drums,
Percussion
[Revolving Paint Dream members not listed but definetly of some of lp]
(This was the live line-up, though in 1986 in Reims, Andrew Innes and
Christine Wanless were also on stage)
with help from Andrew on organ and
guitar. Joe Foster produced & played mouth organ and guitar
& played feedback guitar on "It's make you scared" .
Love Is
Forever (88): (Creation-Relativity) (CRE LP/CD
029)
Alan -
Vocal/Guitar
Dick -
Guitar
Ken -
Percussion
Philip King -
Bass
Ed Ball - Backing
Vocal
Joss Cope -Organ
Andrew Blake - Harmonica
Songs For the Sad Eyed Girl (90): (CRE
LP/CD
058)
Alan
-Voice/Guitar
Dick -
Guitar
Ken -
Perc.
Ed - Organ, Voice
Songs for the Sad Eyed Girl includes a cover of TV Personalities' "Someone To Share My Life With".
Me (91): Alan -
Vocal/Guitar
Dick -
Guitar
Ken - Percussion
Joss Cope -
DX7
Robert Young -
Guitar
Paul Mulreany -
Voice
Ed - Organ,
Voice
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There
have been at least three Biff Bang Pow greatest hits compilation albums
:
The Acid House Album (CRE LP/CD 046)
Bertula Pop (1994 -
Sony)
L'amour, Demure, Stenhousemuir: A Compilation 1984 - 1991
(1991-Creation-CRECD 099-CD)
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Where did the names "Creation Records", "Biff Bang Pow!"
& "The Revolving Paint Dream" come from ?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I've often wondered about the influences on Alan McGee & his mates in those early years as the whole Creation scene was forming.
Judging by the references I'd say they were fans of the little known 60's psychedelic distortion band "CREATION" who formed in 1966 , Middlesex, England & disbanded in 1968.
No other band came closer to emulating the feedback-ridden auto-destruction of the early Who than the Creation, who had a couple minor British hit singles in 1966 with "Making Time" and "Painter Man."
The sonic resemblance is hardly surprising; the Creation were produced by Shel Talmy, who also produced the Who's earliest records, and lead guitarist Eddie Phillips was even asked by Pete Townshend to join the Who as second guitarist.
Phillips' feedback freakouts were grounded by solid mod power chords and British Invasion harmonies.
The Creation produced several interesting singles between 1966 and 1968, and although they achieved brief stardom in Germany, they never made it big.
Ronnie Wood was briefly a member before the group disbanded in 1968.
Two of their songs were called "Biff! Bang! Pow!" & "Revolving Paint Dream Flower".
Which happens to be two of the first bands to release on Creation Records.
In the dawning days of Creation Records, Television Personalities were becoming something of a cult band.
They were heavily inspired by 60's psychedelic bands like Strawberry Alarm Clock & The Creation.
Television Personalities even covered 3 of The Creation's songs (Painter Man, Makin Time, & Biff Bang Pow!).
(1982)
TV personalities played at Alan McGee's "Communication Club" twice.
Alan's fanzine "The Communication Blur" began & issue # 2 included a Television Personalities' 7-inch flexi cover of The Creation's "Biff Bang Pow!" & b-side live recording of "A Picture of Dorian Gray".
(1983)
Creation Records founder Alan McGee named his new band "Biff Bang Pow!" and contributed heavily [as mentioned earlier] to his mates of The Revolving Paint Dream.
Perhaps there were copies of those 60's records by "The Creation" being listened to as they sat around trying to decide on names for their label & bands.
The Revolving Paint Dream was to be as little known , quickly fading & fleeting from stardom and equally talented as it's 60's namesake.
If your still reading this your probably a fan of Creation Records & may want to check out one of the bands that influenced them.
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HISTORY
from
www.creationrecords.org.uk/history.htm :
Alan McGee met Bobby Gillespie in 1976; both shared a similar taste in
music and the two would go to gigs together in and around their native Glasgow.
In 1977 McGee introduced Gillespie to Andrew Innes, a talented 15-year old
guitarist.
The three of them would mess around at Innes' house, playing cover
versions of their favourite punk songs.
No-one seemed to take the idea of
being in a band too seriously at that point.
Alan McGee was working as
a British Rail clerk.
By 1978 McGee and Innes had formed a band called
"Newspeak" but the project was short-lived and disintegrated almost as soon as
the pair moved down to London in June 1980.
(McGee was 19 at the
time.)
Soon after they moved to London they recruited a young
punk called Mark Jardim on drums and formed The Laughing Apple. Over the next
three years the band put out three independently-released singles and toured in
small London venues, being mostly ignored.
McGee & Innes at least
co-wrote "Participate" and "Wouldn't You?" on the band's second 7".
(The latter was redone by Biff Bang Pow! on their first LP, which was
dedicated to J.C. Brouchard.)
(1982)
Alan McGee started promoting gigs at a
musician's collective/club called The "Communication Club".
The one real
Apple fan, Jerry Thackray, [later an NME journalist] struck up a friendship with
McGee and the two of them started up the "Communication Blur" fanzine.
TV Personalities' played at the "Communication Club" twice.
Issue # 002 of The "Communication Blur" included a TV Personalities' 7-inch flexi :
A: "Biff Bang Pow!"(cover of The Creation song written by Pickett/Phillips.)
B: "A Picture of Dorian Gray" (live)
By
1983 McGee was running the fanzine. He and Dick Green, who met McGee
through Ken Popple, the Apple drummer at the time, started a club called "The
Living Room".
They booked various rising indie bands and McGee met Joe Foster
after booking the Television Personalities.
The Living Room started doing
good business, particularly when the Television Personalities played
there.
In the summer of 1983 McGee, Foster and Green started the Creation
Records label with the intention of releasing new Laughing Apple material and a
single by Jerry Thackray, who had recorded under the pseudonym of The
Legend!
By the time The Legend!'s "73 in 83" was released as the first
Creation single, The Laughing Apple were no more.
It was an inauspicious
start. It's truly one of the worst records of all time, in spite of the presence
of the estimable Patrik Fitzgerald.
Andrew Innes and his girlfriend,
Christine Wanless, had formed The Revolving Paint Dream.
(sitting in
was Alan McGee, Ken Popple, and Dave Musker - keyboard player with The
Jasmine Minks)
Their "Flowers In The Sky / In the Afternoon" , 7 inch single
was the second Creation release on 2/25/1984. [CRE 002]
McGee had a new
band, Biff Bang Pow!, which was mostly himself and Creation partner Dick
Green.[and Ken Popple]
Their first single, "Fifty Years of Fun" was the third
Creation release. [CRE 003]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alan
McGee appears on the vocals of an early version of Revolving Paint Dream's
"In The Afternoon" featured on the "All For Art And Art For All" compilation
album.
The Revolving Paint Dream performed on 11/23/1984 at Ambulance
Station,
Old Kent Road, London with The Jesus and Mary Chain, The
Ringing & The June Brides.
The liner notes for "Off To Heaven" debut
album by The Revolving Paint Dream are rumored to state:
"The skillfully
harnessed bitter sweetness which gave The Flowers In The Sky [debut 7"]
it's
cutting edge soon overspilled into deep bitterness and resentment when
the
single failed to gain the respect it clearly reserved. The last story
I
heard was that label boss Alan McGee had tried to organise a
come-back
concert, in a last desperate attempt at giving the band back
some
confidence. After hearing about the plans, however, the band had gone
over
to their studio and burned all the tapes they had ever recorded,
then
demolished every musical instrument in sight along with half the
studio
itself. By the time McGee got there the studio was a smouldering ruin.
After that .... silence."
Following this first phase of The Revolving
Paint Dream both Andrew Innes and
Christine Wanless briefly became
members of Biff Bang Pow !
Which is said to have paved the way to make
Biff Bang Pow's
"The Girl Who Runs The Beat Hotel" album (Creation LP
015)
the classic masterpiece that it is.
They are credited on the
sleeve of the second Biff Bang Pow! LP, "The Girl That Runs
The Beat Hotel".
In fact, "Someone Stole My Wheels",
"The Happiest Girl In The World" , "If I
Die" , "There you go again." and "Sunnydays" are basically Revolving
Paint
Dream songs. In fact, the cancelled second Revolving Paint Dream 7"
scheduled
for September '84 was supposed to feature both "Wheels On My
Scooter"
(= "Someone Stole My Wheels") and "Sunny Days" in exactly the same
versions
that appeared a couple of years later on the "Someone Stole My
Wheels" 7"/12"
under the name of J.C. Brouchard With Biff Bang Pow!
This fact is documented
on the excellent "A Tribute To Trick Ricky"
compilation-tape ... the line-up
for those two recordings was Andrew,
Christine and a bass-player named
"Puke".
Issueing old Revolving Paint Dream material under said name
also leads to the
assumption that J.C. Brouchard, who is indeed male, only
contributed his name and
possibly the photograph on the vinyl of the "Someone
Stole My Wheels"
7"/12", save any form of spiritual guidance at the
time.
However, J.C. Brouchard contributed the spoken word parts on "If I Die"
and
"Five Minutes In The Life Of Greenwood Goulding" on "The Girl Who Runs
The Beat Hotel"
album by Biff Bang Pow (Creation LP 015).
Shortly
afterwards the previously mentioned "lost" _Off To Heaven_ album by The
Revolving Paint Dream
(Creation LP 018) was finally released featuring a
collection of tunes from
the first phase, while the absolutely brilliant
"Mother Watch Me Burn" album
consisted of new material from the second and,
unfortunately, final phase.
Supposedly a band named "The Formica Tops"
featuring Christine Wanless recorded demos around 1984.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bobby
Gillespie & Jim Beattie had started PRIMAL SCREAM in 1981.
The new band was no more than at the ideas stage at that point. By the time they
were ready to start playing and recording for real, they came down to London to
join McGee and Creation.
By September 1984, The Jesus and Mary Chain had
sacked their drummer, Murray Dalglish, and Gillespie took over, having already
struck up a friendship with the Reid brothers. However, when the Mary Chain
parted company with Creation, Gillespie quit the band to concentrate full-time
on Primal Scream.
Their debut single, "All Fall Down" [CRE 017] ,
had
Gillespie on vocals, Beattie on guitar, Robert Young on bass and a drummer named
Thomas McGurk.
Because of a general lack of funds, together with McGee's
ongoing input with the Mary Chain, Primal Scream did not get around to recording
a second single until 1986. By this time they had recruited Paul Harte on rhythm
guitar.
Alan McGee set his sights high for Primal Scream, signing the band to
his first major label collaboration.
In an attempt to continue to finance
Creation, Alan McGee had successfully negotiated a major label deal with Rob
Dickins of WEA. The label was named Elevation and Primal Scream were taken on
board along with The Weather Prophets and Edwyn Collins.
Primal Scream
went into Rockfield studios with producer Stephen Street (who had worked with
The Smiths) to record their debut album in late 1986. Things did not go well.
Drummer Thomas McGurk was sacked due to his inability to play, as was guitarist
Stuart May (who had only recently replaced Paul Harte). May was replaced by
Andrew Innes,[from Revolving Paint Dream] which, while appearing to be a shrewd
move - Innes is an accomplished player - it did not improve the poor relations
between the band and their producer. Eventually, Street left the studio and took
the master tapes with him.
The Primals went back into the studio in
January 1987, this time at Abbey Road with producer Clive Langer. The "Imperial"
single was recorded. They didn't get around to re-recording their album until
June, this time at Greenhouse studios with Mayo Thompson at the controls. The
line-up now comprised of just Gillespie, Innes, Beattie and Young.
The album
was entitled "Sonic Flower Groove". On its release in October, it only reached
number 62 on the charts. The two singles released from the album, "Gentle
Tuesday" and "Imperial" failed to chart. When Edwyn Collins' and The Weather
Prophets' recordings also failed to find an audience, the WEA / Elevation deal
fell through. The Primals returned to Creation, bruised but unbowed.
By
1988 Beattie quit the band and Young moved from bass to guitar duties. The trio
started to indulge in a rockier sound, influenced by the MC5 and the Stooges.
Depending on whose version of events you hear, it was either Laurence,
Creation's PR girl and press officer, or Jeff Barratt, the label's A&R man,
who loaned a copy of the second Primal Scream album to the writer of "Boy's Own"
magazine-turned DJ, Andrew Weatherall. He particularly liked "I'm Losing More
Than I'll Ever Have" but didn't really care for any other tracks on the album.
Weatherall met up with Innes and they worked together on a dance remix of
"I'm Losing More..", originally as an idea for a b-side of the song to be
released as a single. "Ivy Ivy Ivy" had previously been released as a single but
had failed to chart.
The resulting remix, entitled "Loaded", bore little
resemblance to its original source. With samples borrowed from an old Peter
Fonda film, The Wild Angels, there was no trace of Gillespie's vocal from "I'm
Losing More.." except for a few "Oh yeah's". However, promo copies of "Loaded"
were played in clubs and audience reaction was phenomenal.
The track
was released as a single in March 1990 and gave Primal Scream and Creation
Records - after seven years in business - their first Top 20 hit, reaching
number 16. This put the Primals firmly on the map. From this point onwards
the band were to become market leaders in the indie/dance crossover scene.
Follow-up rhythm-heavy tracks "Come Together", "Higher Than the Sun" and "Don't
Fight It, Feel It", all hit or very narrowly missed the Top 40.
The
resulting album, 1991's "Screamadelica" became one of the year's best sellers
and topped several polls in the music press.
Primal Scream had finally hit.
Notes on The Revolving Paint Dream
More On Television Personalities & Teenage Filmstars
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