Back in the 1960s, America experienced the “British Invasion.” Bands like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds and The Who took over the American scene, returning the sounds they received from American blues and R&B artists and adding their own signature sounds. One of the bands that never made it into the upper echelon was a group called The Creation, which consisted of Kenny Pickett, Jack Jones, Eddie Phillips and Bob Garner. They sounded like a mix of the Yardbirds and The Who, with Jones’ drumming sounding like Keith Moon on “Making Time” and Phillips’ guitar creating some snappy riffs on “Try and Sto Me” and “Sylvette.” Picketts’ voice was rich and strong, but the real attraction was the adventurous ideas delivered by Phillips, as he experimented with using a bow on his guitar years before Jimmy Page made it into a popular device. The psychedelic sounds on “Through My Eyes” mixes blues and heavy metal to perfection, while the team gets real earthy on “Hey Joe” and quite manic on “Biff Bang Pow.”
The power pop of this 2 disc set covers their years 65-68 as well as their foray as The Mark Four.” There are stereo mixes as well as a collection of singles, and from the pop red of “Like a Rolling Stone” to a fun soul groove no “Cool Jerk” this limited edition set gives insight into a new hue of the nascent rock era, and will definitely stump your friends on a blindfold test. A must for Psych rock fans!