Thursday, June 29, 2006

The story of Creation (part 7)

Time to dip into the Creation Records vault once again . . . .

In 1983, Alan McGee and Dick Green founded The Living Room, a club located in a cozy room (once used for hosting folk acts) above London's Adams Arms pub. There, in the tiny section of Fitzrovia and in the shadow of the Post Office Tower, McGee and Green showcased a number of then unknown guitar bands: The Jasmine Minks, June Brides, The Pastels, The Loft.

These acts –- along with luminaries such as Television Personalities -- were later featured on the now extremely hard-to-find Alive In The Living Room, which was Creation's first-ever album (it was also initially on cassette only). The LP's sound was primitive at best, having been culled from several live performances at the club, and was widely panned by critics. (Quick bit of trivia: London police raided The Living Room in February of 1984 on account of it being overcrowded; the raid can allegedly be heard during one of the songs on the album's second side.)

Alive In The Living Room remains the only Creation release featuring June Brides (strangely, McGee passed on them). However, after the band split in 1986, McGee did ink singer/songwriter Phil Wilson to a record deal. Wilson went on to release a pair of singles for the label: "Waiting For Change" and "10 Miles."

Hear them for yourself. Download:

CRE 036: Phil Wilson - "Waiting For A Change," (7"+D7"+12"), March, 1987

CRE 046: Phil Wilson - "Ten Miles," (7"+12"), June, 1987