Flowers In the Sky - The Enigma of the Revolving Paint Dream

The enigma of the Revolving Paint Dream isn't just the question of who all was playing on their two albums and two singles — singers Andrew Innes (also of Primal Scream) and Christine Wanless were the only permanent members, and it's assumed that members of other bands in the Creation circle, including label head and occasional songwriter Alan McGee, were helping out — but why they remain one of the least known of the original crop of Creation bands. The title track was the label's second single and first classic 45, a three-minute slice of neo-psychedelia that still sounds fresh over 20 years after its release. The six-minute extended version included later in the disc is a complete re-recording with a druggy vibe akin to early Primal Scream. The rest of this 22-track collection neatly encapsulates the Revolving Paint Dream's brief career, from a batch of shimmery-jangly twee pop tunes sung by Wanless to grinding noise rock excursions like "The Dune Buggy Attack Battalion" and heavy neo-psych freak-outs like the seven-minute "Mandra Mandra" and the whirling "Yellow Ball (Take Me Away)." Of course, as with most of the early Creation Records material, the Revolving Paint Dream now sound charmingly dated, a time capsule of the first flowering of a U.K. indie scene that would soon outpace these sweetly derivative gems. Still, this is a long overdue showcase for a band that ranks with the Loft, the Pastels and McGee's own Biff Bang Pow! as one of Creation's most important early signings.