“Who needs parallels? We’ve got all the cynicism we need!” So says Everett True on The Legend!’s ‘Melt The Guns’, one of the earliest recordings put into this handsome and brilliantly packaged document charting the early days of Creation Records. For anyone interested in where music was just after the height of punk, this is an engaging listen, especially when you know what Creation was to go on and become with the likes of Primal Scream, My Bloody Valentine and The Jesus And Mary Chain. Their ‘Upside Down’ kicks off the brilliant ‘Singles’ disc, reminding us in the process just how good it still sounds. The same can be said for early Scream (‘All Fall Down’ and ‘It Happens’), and from the early days we get energetic, singalong highlights from The X-Men, ‘Do The Ghost’ and ‘Talk’ in particular, or the epic ‘Baby Honey’ from The Pastels. Not everything is amazing – The Legend! really are hard to warm to – but the discs of rarities, demos and BBC sessions (one each) are bolstered by an in depth booklet illustrating in words and pictures just how important a part Creation played in the pop and even dance music we know and love today. A great Christmas present!
5 out of 5
Reviewed by Ben Hogwood
