Their style was originally loud pop-art, similar to The Kinks and The Who, but developed into a more typically mid-60s psychedelic/prog sound. The most popular Creation tune up to this day remains probably "Painter Man", which made the U.K. Top 40 late 1966 and hit even #8 in the German charts in April 1967. The song also featured, in the second half, lead guitarist Phillips's trademark of playing his instrument with a violin bow.
At the end of 1966, Bob Garner left and was replaced by Kim Gardner and, in March 1968, Pickett left and was replaced by Ron Wood (both of these new members had been in The Birds), but Pickett soon returned, replacing both Phillips and Gardner.
Only The Who were creating such venomous guitar pop at this time and (it is reputed) that Pete Townshend of The Who was so impressed with the innovate guitar style of Eddie Phillips he asked him to join the Who as a second guitarist but he turned the Who down (!) presumably because he felt confident and did not want to play second fiddle.
Shortly afterwards, however, The Creation disbanded; Pickett continued as songwriter for their American producer, Shel Talmy, and also became American road manager for Led Zeppelin; Ron Wood joined The Faces; Gardner co-formed Ashton, Gardner & Dyke and was later a member of Badger; Jones became a cabaret singer. Pickett and Phillips later wrote the single "Teacher Teacher" for Rockpile.
The Creation reformed in the mid 1980s with Phillips, Pickett, Dalton, and Mick Avory (drums, ex-Kinks). Pickett died of a heart attack on January 10, 1997. The reformed band continued to tour, with various lineup changes. They performed in the United States for the first time at the final edition of Cavestomp in November, 2001.
The famous independent record label Creation Records was named after them. The founder of Creation Records, Alan McGee, also had a band named Biff Bang Pow!, named after one of their songs.
The 1990s band Ride then recorded the song "How Does It Feel to Feel?" on their album, Carnival of Light. Some years earlier The Godfathers, another UK alternative rock band of the time, had also included a cover of the song on their 1991 album Unreal world, so that the tune "How Does It Feel to Feel?" became quite popular in the 1990s in the UK indie scene.
In 2004, Cherry Red Records released Psychedelic Rose, made up of nine songs from the group's abandoned 1987/88 sessions including the tracks previously issued on the 1987 single, augmented by two spoken-word recollections of The Creation's history; the few reviews of the album were almost uniformly negative.
Garner and Jones both exited the band sometime in the early 2000s; Garner died on July 16, 2016. The only original member left in the current line-up is Phillips. The most recent Creation touring line-up consists of Eddie Phillips (lead guitar, vocals), Simon Tourle (lead vocals), Tony Barber (bass), and Kevin Mann (drums).
Members
Present members
Eddie Phillips (born Edwin Michael Phillips, 15 August 1942, Leytonstone, east London) – lead guitar, backing and occasional lead vocals (May 1966–November 1967, mid-1980s-present)
Tony Barber – bass guitar, backing and occasional lead vocals (early 2000s-present)
Kevin Mann – drums (early 2000s-present)
Simon Tourle – lead vocals (early 2000s-present)
Earlier members
Bob Garner (born Robert Anthony Garner, 15 May 1946, Warrington, Lancashire; died 16 July 2016) – bass guitar, backing vocals (May 1966-February 1967, 1994-January 1997); lead vocals (February 1967–February 1968, January 1997-early 2000s)
Kenny Pickett (born Kenneth George Pickett, 3 September 1942, Ware, Hertfordshire; died 10 January 1997) – lead vocals (May 1966–February 1967, April–June 1968, mid-1980s–1997)
Jack Jones (born Jack Llewleyn Jones, 8 November 1944, Northampton, Northamptonshire) – drums, backing vocals (May–November 1966, December 1966–June 1968, 1994-early 2000s)
Dave Preston – drums (November–December 1966)
Kim Gardner – bass, backing vocals (February 1967–June 1968; died 2001)
Tony Ollard – lead guitar, backing vocals (November 1967–February 1968)
Ronnie Wood – lead guitar (April–June 1968)
John Dalton – bass guitar (mid-1980s–1994)
Mick Avory – drums (mid-1980s–1994)
There is another band with the same name:
2. There was a U.S 1960s garage rock band also called The Creation
painter man
The Creation Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
to be an artist. make a start
studied hard, gained my degree
but no one seemed to notice me
Painter Man
Painter Man
Who would be a Painter Man
Painter Man
Who would be a Painter Man
Tried cartoons and comic books
dirty postcards, woman's books
here was where the money lay
classic art has had its day
Painter Man
Painter Man ............
Do adverts for TV
household soap and brands of tea
labels all around the cans
who would be a Painter Man
Painter Man
Painter Man . . .
La la la, la la la
La la la la la la
Painter Man
Painter Man
Who would be a Painter Man
The Creation's song "Painter Man" is a commentary about the difficulty of making a living as an artist, and the cynical compromises an artist may make to sell their work. The lyrics describe the singer's experiences as a student of art, who studied hard and earned their degree, but found that their talents were overlooked by the public. Frustrated by the lack of appreciation, the singer tries their hand at various forms of art, from cartoons to postcards, but finds that the real money is in advertising. The artist's sensibilities are reflected in the final stanza of the song, which is a cynical look at the commercial world, where the value of art is reduced to the labels on cans of tea and soap.
Line by Line Meaning
Went to college, studied art
I pursued higher education to become an artist.
to be an artist. make a start
My ultimate goal was to become an artist and began working towards it.
studied hard, gained my degree
I worked diligently and earned my degree in the field of art.
but no one seemed to notice me
Despite my achievements, it felt like I wasn't receiving the recognition I deserved.
Painter Man
I refer to myself as a Painter Man.
Who would be a Painter Man
I question whether anyone would choose to pursue a career as an artist.
Tried cartoons and comic books
I attempted to produce cartoons and comic books to earn money from my art.
dirty postcards, woman's books
I even produced vulgar postcards and risqué books to make a living.
here was where the money lay
I discovered that this niche of art could bring in more money than traditional art forms.
classic art has had its day
Traditional, classic art forms are not as popular as they once were.
Do adverts for TV
I resorted to creating artwork for commercials on TV.
household soap and brands of tea
I created art for advertisements for household items, including soap and tea.
labels all around the cans
My artwork was featured prominently on product labels.
la la la, la la la
I hum a tune to express my frustration.
Painter Man
I continue to refer to myself as a Painter Man.
Who would be a Painter Man
I continue to question whether anyone would choose to pursue a career as an artist.
Contributed by Evan Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
비정한세상
Went to college, studied arts
To be an artist, make a start
Studied hard, gettin' my degree
But no-one seemed to notice me
Painter man, painter man
Who wanna be a painter man?
Tried cartoons and comic books
Dirty postcards could have done
Here was where the money laid
Classic art has had its day
Did adverts for T.V
Household shops and brands of tea
Labels all around the cans
Who wanna be a painter man?
Marc Fedak
Thanks god for the archivists at Beat Club in Bremen Germany, who captured great live footage of many obscure, semi-obscure and famous bands in their early stages, from garage rock, Mod, psychedelia and prog rock, classic rock, funk, and Krautrock. The painting scene during the violin guitar solo was pretty clever.
Lester Johnston
The whole thing would be a great loss for us ravers well good music 🎶
J.W.
One of the most under-rated bands in the world by far. "Painter Man" is a meaningful song. The lyrics are so beautiful.
Jeff M.
Story of my life as dishwasher
Slymel22
Always respected original versions of a song. Gotta say though that Boney M's version is better though.
Alpha Sigma Sezón
@Slymel22 -> no!
Works
Not underrated at all.
Roger Temple
@Slymel22 no they ain't.
Sandra Oyns-Wilson
Timeless and brilliant,this was the backdrop to my youth.Kenny Pickett is ace.
VirreFriberg
This song got everything you could want in a pop record