Biography
During the 1960s, few British groups rivaled the Creation in power and innovation, as they merged mod aesthetics with a ferocious freakbeat approach that prefigured psychedelia while generating an intensity exceeded at the time only by the Who. Anchored by Eddie Phillips’s daring guitar techniques, which featured piercing feedback and a violin bow to forge an unmistakable tone, alongside Kenny Pickett’s fervent singing, the band wove pop-art sensibilities into their material and cultivated a devoted underground audience. Their European acclaim vastly exceeded recognition in Britain or America, and their sole original-era album, We Are Paintermen, surfaced exclusively in Germany and Denmark. After disbanding in 1968, they produced two credible reunion records in the 1990s: 1993’s Lay the Ghost and 1996’s Power Surge.
The story opened in 1963 when a Cheshunt, Hertfordshire ensemble called the Blue Jacks, located north of London, recruited Kenny Pickett, who had previously chauffeured Neil Christian & the Crusaders. Upon Eddie Phillips joining as lead guitarist, the group adopted the name the Mark Four. Mercury Records’ British arm signed them in 1964, yet the pair of singles that followed met with commercial indifference. While British crowds remained lukewarm, German listeners responded with fervent applause to their sets at Wilhelmshaven’s Big Ben Club. During a prolonged stay in Germany, the musicians encountered the local Roadrunners, whose guitar feedback effects left a strong impression on Phillips and prompted him to develop similar techniques.
A second recording opportunity arrived via Decca Records, yielding the single “Hurt Me (If You Will)” backed with “I’m Leaving.” Although sales remained modest, the release marked an emerging sonic identity, with Phillips introducing his distinctive feedback approach. Decca consigned the track to the B-side, deeming it overly unconventional, but the experiment proved promising. Around the same period, rhythm guitarist Mick Thompson and bassist John Dalton departed, the latter soon joining the Kinks in place of Peter Quaife. The Mark Four concluded their run with a short-lived configuration and a final single in early 1966. Pickett and Phillips, supported by drummer Jack Jones, maintained continuity while refining their visual and musical direction; Herbie Flowers briefly contributed on bass. By spring, the lineup stabilized as the Creation with ex-Merseybeats bassist Bob Garner, and ambitious young Australian manager Robert Stigwood, then closely tied to Brian Epstein, took the reins.
The Creation entered the British pop landscape that June via “Making Time,” a single boasting an arresting stop-and-go opening, an indelible chorus, and Eddie Phillips’s slashing, abrasive lead lines that extended the sonic territory the Who were already charting. Producer Shel Talmy, responsible for numerous early Who recordings, oversaw the session. True to their trajectory, “Making Time” reached number five in Germany yet managed only number 49 in England, even as critics praised the band’s live shows featuring on-stage painting and destruction. Phillips also began bowing his electric guitar in a manner that anticipated Jimmy Page’s later Yardbirds experiments. Modest domestic chart progress arrived in autumn 1966 with “Painter Man,” a buoyant, psychedelic-tinged pop anthem whose feedback-laden solo climbed into the Top 40; predictably, the record topped the German charts. Its B-side, “Biff Bang Pow,” launched with a “My Generation” guitar riff before shifting into a psychedelic-inflected pop-rock framework that merited separate attention.
Early 1967 brought upheaval when Kenny Pickett exited amid creative disagreements and exhaustion from relentless European touring. Kim Gardner, formerly of the Birds, stepped in as vocalist. With Phillips remaining on guitar, the group’s style initially held steady before veering toward blue-eyed soul on “If I Stay Too Long,” a vehicle for Gardner that restricted Phillips to emphatic chord work. The shift puzzled longtime supporters and bypassed mainstream listeners. Closer to their established sound were “Can I Join Your Band,” issued solely in France, and the U.K. single’s B-side “Nightmares.”
Despite strong live reputation, commercial traction in England stayed elusive, prompting their German label to issue the LP We Are Paintermen. The collection spotlighted the title hit, a vigorous, feedback-rich cover of “Like a Rolling Stone,” and a jagged “Hey Joe.” A spirited “Cool Jerk” also appeared, though other tracks either missed the mark or reflected the prior lineup. Another single, “Life Is Just Beginning” backed with “Through My Eyes,” arrived in autumn 1967; the A-side delivered psychedelic drive infused with Indian raga elements, a chant-like core, potent guitar, and orchestral strings. “Through My Eyes” proved equally substantial, combining taut guitar, lush choruses, and a concise yet expansive three-minute structure that dissolved into feedback.
In October 1967 Eddie Phillips left, followed by Kim Gardner’s departure to join Ron Wood, Jon Lord, and Twink in Santa Barbara Machinehead. The Creation lingered into spring 1968 when Polydor released “How Does It Feel” backed with “Tom Tom” on both sides of the Atlantic, the American edition augmented with psychedelic overdubs. Both tracks impressed yet failed to chart. Kenny Pickett’s unexpected return, however, reunited him with Gardner and Jones to rebuild the band. Additional personnel shifts occurred, including a brief stint with Ron Wood, before the ensemble dissolved. An album begun amid these changes remained unfinished and unreleased for thirty-six years. The later incarnation retained much of the classic sound yet lacked Phillips’s ability to skirt sonic chaos in his solos.
Four early sides, likely demos by the Pickett-Phillips configuration with Herbie Flowers on bass, surfaced in Germany in 1968. They encompassed a solid soul rendering of “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” and a potent “Bonie Maronie” styled similarly to “Hey Joe” or “Biff Bang Pow.” The breakup proved permanent. Phillips joined P.P. Arnold’s band, Gardner formed Ashton, Gardner & Dyke (later scoring a hit with “Resurrection Shuffle”) and later played in Tony Kaye’s Badger. Dalton and Thompson attempted a reunion as Passtime, while Pickett enjoyed songwriting success across varied projects before returning to road work, including tours with Led Zeppelin, eventually reviving the Creation in the mid-1990s.
Pickett’s reactivation responded to renewed interest sparked by earlier reissues: Eva Records’ French compilation of Mark Four and Creation singles, and Edsel’s definitive collection How Does It Feel to Feel? The group came to be viewed as a missing link of 1960s rock, England’s counterpart to Moby Grape in talent thwarted by circumstance. The revived lineup thrived for three years until Pickett’s fatal heart attack in 1996. Subsequent releases included Demon’s improved compilation Our Music Is Red — With Purple Flashes, Retroactive’s two-CD sets featuring outtakes, alternate mixes, and television performances, Numero Group’s 2017 double album Action Painting with new stereo mixes, and Edsel’s expansive 2017 four-CD Creation Theory and 2023 two-fer We Are Paintermen/How Does It Feel to Feel, the latter remastering all 1960s material.
The story opened in 1963 when a Cheshunt, Hertfordshire ensemble called the Blue Jacks, located north of London, recruited Kenny Pickett, who had previously chauffeured Neil Christian & the Crusaders. Upon Eddie Phillips joining as lead guitarist, the group adopted the name the Mark Four. Mercury Records’ British arm signed them in 1964, yet the pair of singles that followed met with commercial indifference. While British crowds remained lukewarm, German listeners responded with fervent applause to their sets at Wilhelmshaven’s Big Ben Club. During a prolonged stay in Germany, the musicians encountered the local Roadrunners, whose guitar feedback effects left a strong impression on Phillips and prompted him to develop similar techniques.
A second recording opportunity arrived via Decca Records, yielding the single “Hurt Me (If You Will)” backed with “I’m Leaving.” Although sales remained modest, the release marked an emerging sonic identity, with Phillips introducing his distinctive feedback approach. Decca consigned the track to the B-side, deeming it overly unconventional, but the experiment proved promising. Around the same period, rhythm guitarist Mick Thompson and bassist John Dalton departed, the latter soon joining the Kinks in place of Peter Quaife. The Mark Four concluded their run with a short-lived configuration and a final single in early 1966. Pickett and Phillips, supported by drummer Jack Jones, maintained continuity while refining their visual and musical direction; Herbie Flowers briefly contributed on bass. By spring, the lineup stabilized as the Creation with ex-Merseybeats bassist Bob Garner, and ambitious young Australian manager Robert Stigwood, then closely tied to Brian Epstein, took the reins.
The Creation entered the British pop landscape that June via “Making Time,” a single boasting an arresting stop-and-go opening, an indelible chorus, and Eddie Phillips’s slashing, abrasive lead lines that extended the sonic territory the Who were already charting. Producer Shel Talmy, responsible for numerous early Who recordings, oversaw the session. True to their trajectory, “Making Time” reached number five in Germany yet managed only number 49 in England, even as critics praised the band’s live shows featuring on-stage painting and destruction. Phillips also began bowing his electric guitar in a manner that anticipated Jimmy Page’s later Yardbirds experiments. Modest domestic chart progress arrived in autumn 1966 with “Painter Man,” a buoyant, psychedelic-tinged pop anthem whose feedback-laden solo climbed into the Top 40; predictably, the record topped the German charts. Its B-side, “Biff Bang Pow,” launched with a “My Generation” guitar riff before shifting into a psychedelic-inflected pop-rock framework that merited separate attention.
Early 1967 brought upheaval when Kenny Pickett exited amid creative disagreements and exhaustion from relentless European touring. Kim Gardner, formerly of the Birds, stepped in as vocalist. With Phillips remaining on guitar, the group’s style initially held steady before veering toward blue-eyed soul on “If I Stay Too Long,” a vehicle for Gardner that restricted Phillips to emphatic chord work. The shift puzzled longtime supporters and bypassed mainstream listeners. Closer to their established sound were “Can I Join Your Band,” issued solely in France, and the U.K. single’s B-side “Nightmares.”
Despite strong live reputation, commercial traction in England stayed elusive, prompting their German label to issue the LP We Are Paintermen. The collection spotlighted the title hit, a vigorous, feedback-rich cover of “Like a Rolling Stone,” and a jagged “Hey Joe.” A spirited “Cool Jerk” also appeared, though other tracks either missed the mark or reflected the prior lineup. Another single, “Life Is Just Beginning” backed with “Through My Eyes,” arrived in autumn 1967; the A-side delivered psychedelic drive infused with Indian raga elements, a chant-like core, potent guitar, and orchestral strings. “Through My Eyes” proved equally substantial, combining taut guitar, lush choruses, and a concise yet expansive three-minute structure that dissolved into feedback.
In October 1967 Eddie Phillips left, followed by Kim Gardner’s departure to join Ron Wood, Jon Lord, and Twink in Santa Barbara Machinehead. The Creation lingered into spring 1968 when Polydor released “How Does It Feel” backed with “Tom Tom” on both sides of the Atlantic, the American edition augmented with psychedelic overdubs. Both tracks impressed yet failed to chart. Kenny Pickett’s unexpected return, however, reunited him with Gardner and Jones to rebuild the band. Additional personnel shifts occurred, including a brief stint with Ron Wood, before the ensemble dissolved. An album begun amid these changes remained unfinished and unreleased for thirty-six years. The later incarnation retained much of the classic sound yet lacked Phillips’s ability to skirt sonic chaos in his solos.
Four early sides, likely demos by the Pickett-Phillips configuration with Herbie Flowers on bass, surfaced in Germany in 1968. They encompassed a solid soul rendering of “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” and a potent “Bonie Maronie” styled similarly to “Hey Joe” or “Biff Bang Pow.” The breakup proved permanent. Phillips joined P.P. Arnold’s band, Gardner formed Ashton, Gardner & Dyke (later scoring a hit with “Resurrection Shuffle”) and later played in Tony Kaye’s Badger. Dalton and Thompson attempted a reunion as Passtime, while Pickett enjoyed songwriting success across varied projects before returning to road work, including tours with Led Zeppelin, eventually reviving the Creation in the mid-1990s.
Pickett’s reactivation responded to renewed interest sparked by earlier reissues: Eva Records’ French compilation of Mark Four and Creation singles, and Edsel’s definitive collection How Does It Feel to Feel? The group came to be viewed as a missing link of 1960s rock, England’s counterpart to Moby Grape in talent thwarted by circumstance. The revived lineup thrived for three years until Pickett’s fatal heart attack in 1996. Subsequent releases included Demon’s improved compilation Our Music Is Red — With Purple Flashes, Retroactive’s two-CD sets featuring outtakes, alternate mixes, and television performances, Numero Group’s 2017 double album Action Painting with new stereo mixes, and Edsel’s expansive 2017 four-CD Creation Theory and 2023 two-fer We Are Paintermen/How Does It Feel to Feel, the latter remastering all 1960s material.
Albums
Making Time: The Best of the Creation
2022
Our Music Is Red - With Purple Flashes (Deluxe)
2017
Psychedelic Rose
2008
Red With Purple Flashes - The Creation Live
2004
Power Surge
1999
Our Music Is Red - With Purple Flashes
1998
Running On
1982
Creation
1975
No Silver Bird / The Warmth of Love
1968
Singles
Live