The Creation were charged mid-'60s mod rockers whose catchy, well-constructed songs echoed the most aggressive work of the Beatles, Small Faces, the Kinks, and the Who. The group recorded a handful of blistering songs that rate among rock's most visceral, melodic, blistering three-minute nirvanas. These ahead-of-the-curve numbers were dramatically enhanced by Eddie Philips's delicately controlled feedback-drenched guitar work (heightened by the use of a violin bow sawed across the guitar strings with incredible malice). "Making Time," this collection's opener, is such a revved-up, anthemic number that fans of garage grace will not mind at all that three different versions of it are included. Other highlights include the loud, druggy "How Does It Feel to Feel" (based on a line from Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone") and a surprisingly poignant cover of Otis Redding's "That's How Strong My Love Is." There is also a companion volume that's quite nearly as essential. --Mike McGonigal
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