Biff Bang Pow! SD/CD

'Participate', like the other Laughing Apple records, has a *dreadful* sleeve (that pesky Gillespie), BBP! always managed better.

It's off the subject really, but I was listening again to that Emily ep on Creation the other day, and it sounds much better now than it did then. 'The Old Stone Bridge', in particular, is really quite special. But you most certainly don't want to get me onto the subject of Emily.

And finally - Emily... I prefer "Mad dogs" myself.... Oh, and my band the Cloud Minders used to do a cracking version of "She's got diamonds in her hair" too.

ummm. biff bang pow! is definitely in my top 10 of the 80s. anyone that disagrees that they didn't make and play some good pop and rock songs probably doesn't even deserve pop and rock music. shit. few songs do the same thing as "love's going out of fashion" better than this band did.

I'm occasionaly partial to their "cheap lush sound" as the original poster put it. "Recorded in an elevator shaft" is more like it, but the big problem for me (both now and back then) is that his voice is terrible - really awful. I realise that singing ability isn't necessarily a prerequisite for this genre but it's even more whiney and wimpy than Gilespie at his worst without projecting any of the personality/charm/whateveritis that other vocally challeged foghorns like Stephen Pastel or Dan Treacy manage to achieve. Then the whole thing is dressed up in the unfortunately stereotypical Creation Records production of the time - tons of reverb on everything, horrible drums with ye olde tamborine beat and more often than not, a blast of feedback to begin or end each song.

The songs are not bad - some of the lyrics are good - he's got a way with a catchy phrase and I think McGee's heart was in the right place. I doubt he thought they were brilliant recordings or anything, just wanting to have some fun along with his mates Bobby, Jim and co. Even so, as a vanity project for a label boss, I can't think of a more lacklustre example.

I was going to say that they were no better or worse than other Creation also-rans of the time, but on reflection I think overall they were much worse. The Bodines, Jasmine Minks, Slaughter, The Loft, Meat Whiplash, The Pastels all had a lot more going for them - some combination of good songs, adequate production and acceptably engaging personality/attitude. Biff Bang Pow belong in the same boat as the anonymous also-rans like Revolving Paint Dream and the X-Men, who they quite closely resemble in sound.

Caveat - haven't heard the albums since Thatcher was in charge although I've got most of the singles - a legacy of contracting a nast bout of Creation mania that was going around in the mid-late 80s. I have seen them live a couple of times back in the day. One time was a travesty but I can't remember why - I think the guitar amp or something broke down and it took place at 3:30am or something ridiculous. Anyway, it was shit. The other time has completely disapeared from my memory but I've got a flyer for it in a shoebox somewhere.

Gee. You're making way too big a deal out of this. Bump this later and remind me to refute that bullshit. Revolving Paint Dream and X-Men are quite better than C86-era Pastels or Primal Scream or whatever. It just depends on whether you're deeply into it or not. And, Jesus, what the fuck are you talking about, everyhing??? Biff Bang Pow! Never abused reverb, you fucking hipster.

Let me guess, Creation post-Slowdive is bullshit, except for Saint Etienne, right? You're an idiot.

St Et? On Creation? No.

Anyway, of all the singles released on Creation in the 80s these are the only ones that have stood the test of time for me, much as it would pain my younger self to see this list (no Bodines, BBP or Primal Scream).

CRE011 The Pastels - A Million Tears November 1984
CRE012 The Jesus and Mary Chain - Upside Down November 1984
CRE014 Les Zarjaz - One Charming Night April 1985
CRE015 The Loft - Up the Hill and Down the Slope May 1985
CRE019 Slaughter - I'll Follow You Down July 1985
CRE020 Meat Whiplash - Don't Slip Up September 1985
CRE027 Felt - Ballad Of The Band May 1986
CRE029 The Weather Prophets - Almost Prayed June 1986
CRE037 Momus - Murderers, The Hope Of Women October 1986
CRE039 Bill Drummond - The King Of Joy March 1987
CRE055 My Bloody Valentine - You Made Me Realise August 1988
CRE063 Momus - Hairstyle Of The Devil April 1989

If I was being more strict/honest I could happily ditch all of them except maybe the first Momus single and the Bill Drummond one.

After that the hit rate improves I think.

momus not required (love 'em, but creation and him certainly didn't mesh, here). thanks for remembering that bill drummond single, too, though. (loved that song before the klf).

besides the hipster/creation/post-punk junk and all, everything, are you even deeply into the more light-hearted side of post punk? i can only guess not, since we disagree so much here. are you deeply into ron johnson records at all? your taste kind of angers me.

My Ron Johnson love is documented elsewhere on ILM.

biff bang pow had their moments, someone stole my wheels is fun and the happiest girl in the world, they were frequently horrible and true much about them epitomises the worst elements of creations' mid 80s stuff but i think your list, everything, is unduly harsh and in places baffling. i still have houseroom for all felt, razorcuts, servants, pacific and i suppose house of love, whereas i'd say weather prophets/loft have aged badly and slaughter joe/m.whiplash/x-men were pretty woeful even at the time. and the pastels improved dreastically after leaving creation, but i suppose that's hardly contentious.

i actually still love the early primal scream on creation (cept the rubbish half of the 2nd album) although nothing on earth would induce me to listen to anything after ivyivyivy these days

wow... I have no memory of starting this thread.

i still have houseroom for all felt, razorcuts, servants, pacific and i suppose house of love, whereas i'd say weather prophets/loft have aged badly and slaughter joe/m.whiplash/x-men were pretty woeful even at the time.

The Razorcuts and Servants never released any singles on Creation and Felt have their moments but not amongst these Creation singles (except for Ballad of the Band) which is all I was looking at. Slaughter's "I'll Follow You Down" and Meat Whiplash's "Don't Slip Up" are both great singles - not great bands. Ditto for "Almost Prayed" and "Up The Hill And Down The Slope".

ahem. yes.i have my westlake and servants mixed up, i wasn't refering so much to single releases though. i heard you the first time was a joint creation/flying nun release though was it not? it was certainly licenced from creation. you wouldn't say kalediscope world was a creation records product would you?. i personally love all those felt singles. i have a feeling that if i were to watch that old creation records video compilation now i would still love 90% of it.

Notwithstanding great, classic songs like "I Will Die With My Head In Flames" and "Ballad of the Band", the only Felt album I enjoy now is "Train Above The City". ha-ha. What can you do? I just don't care for that kind of thing anymore. But they were great. I'd still cock an ear to the Razorcuts too. There were more than a one-shot wonder unlike quite a few of these bands (some of the one-shots were fabulous though).

Harvey Williams used to post here! Somehow I never listened to Biff Bang Pow! in high school and now I'm discovering them, along with House Of Love and Beaumont. I never knew he founded Creation. I'm thinking I should look into Revolving Paint Dream? I also just discovered I've never heard anything from Poptones records, anything worth checking out?

there are a lot of great records amongst the poptones releases from 2000-2003. 2004 onwards is a swift downward slide into total horseshit, unless you love the libertines, in which case go nuts and also eat my fuc

though i do have a soft spot for that soho dolls single, which is stupid but also doesn't sound like the libertines