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Painter Man

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"Painter Man"
German picture sleeve (on "Hit-ton")
Single by The Creation
from the album We Are Paintermen
B-side"Biff, Bang, Pow"
Released7 October 1966
Recorded23 August 1966
StudioIBC Studios, London
Genre
Length2:53
LabelPlanet
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Shel Talmy
The Creation singles chronology
"Making Time"
(1966) 		"Painter Man"
(1966) 		"If I Stay too Long"
(1967)

"Painter Man" is a song written by British singer Kenny Pickett and guitarist Eddie Phillips, and first recorded by their group the Creation. It was released as a single in October 1966. Written as a response to their avant-garde stage show, the single was their only top-forty hit on the UK Singles Chart, reaching number 36. It fared better in West Germany, where it reached number eight. It was later issued on their album We Are Paintermen.

One of the Creation's most well-known and popular compositions, the song has been covered by several artists. The first cover was that of the New Zealand band Larry's Rebels, who in 1967 took the song to number six on Kent Music Report. A later version by Boney M. reached the top-ten worldwide, including in the UK.

Background and composition

[edit]

A few weeks after the group released "Making Time", the first major line-up change occurred when drummer Jack Jones was terminated, being replaced by Dave Preston, a friend of bassist Bob Garner who Pickett believed to be phenomenal.[1][2] His first scheduled gig with the Creation was on a tour with the Walker Brothers, after which it was revealed after only a few select weeks that his drumming wasn't to the standard Pickett had hoped for.[1] Although Preston had time to partake in a photoshoot with the band,[3] he was swiftly replaced by Jones once again, who stayed with the band until their demise towards early 1968.[4][5] Jones would hold a grudge against Pickett for this decision until the latter left the band in early 1967.[1][4]

"Ken [Pickett] loved the cynical side of life. Went to college, studied art, be an artist, make a start. He had a vision of somebody who tried to do it the right way but found themselves doing adverts on TV and labels round cans. It was great for the song.”[6]

Eddie Phillips, Record Collector interview

According to the pop magazine Beat Instrumental, "Painter Man" was written by the duo as a response to their stage act, which involved Pickett painting a canvas during song numbers,[7][8] occasionally burning it.[8][9] According to their manager Tony Stratton Smith, they did this because "they felt like it",[10] with Phillips adding that "their music was visual" as much as it was musical.[10] Lyrically, the song revolves around a "suppressed" artist,[11] through lines that indicates that he went through a college education that only led him to obscurity.[11][12] It also revolves around the endless debate of art in commercialism which is referred to through lines such as "adverts on TV."[12][13] It ends with the note that classical art is dead.[14] Musically, the song has a less raunchy sound than "Making Time" and is softer, but still features Phillips in one of the earliest recorded bowed guitar parts, which prevails throughout the entire composition.[15][16]

Shortly after Jones was reinstated into the group, they returned to IBC Studios on Portland Place in London on 23 August 1966.[17] Together with producer Shel Talmy who had signed and recorded them, they cut two songs that day, "Painter Man" and what would eventually become its B-side, "Biff, Bang, Pow".[17] The session marked the first time the group were assisted by studio musician Nicky Hopkins who played keyboards on both songs,[18] further strengthening their connection with the Who as Hopkins had played on several of their recordings.[19] "Painter Man" was recorded in ten takes, out of which only two, takes three and seven, were complete.[19] Take 7 was chosen as the master, which was compiled and mixed on 25 August by Talmy.[19]

Release and reception

[edit]

Released on 7 October 1966,[20] the single managed to enter the UK Singles Chart, entering on 9 November 1966 at a position of 38.[21] The following week, it peaked at number 36 before exiting the chart altogether, becoming their only top-forty hit.[21] In West Germany, the single managed to peak at number eight on 4 January 1967, and became their sole top-ten hit in the country.[22] The single received mostly positive reviews from critics, with Record Mirror critics Norman Jopling and Peter Jones writing it that it has an "avant-garde pop group sound", noting the droning of the bowed guitar.[20] Writing for Disc & Music Echo, Penny Valentine states that she thought the song had a great "looning-about atmosphere" and drew parallels to records by both the Beatles and the Who.[11] Regarding the song, Phillips has later stated that "We see our music as colours – it’s purple with red flashes."[10][23]

In retrospective assessments of the song, many critics have noted the fact that Phillips used a bow prior to Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin.[12][15][16] David Luhrssen and Michael Larson called the song "humorous",[12] while Owen Bailey wrote that the song had a "superb riff" and compared it with the guitar playing of Pete Townshend, also noting the violin-bowed solo.[15] Doug Collette of Glide Magazine writes that song is instantly recognizable due to the vocal harmonies and energetic rhythm section.[24] Kieron Tyler thought that "Painter Man" ranked among the best and most innovative recordings of the 1960s.[23] Jerome Estèbe of TDG stated that "Painter Man" was one of the best things that could happen to English rock.[25] Ian Canty considered it an "art-pop nugget,"[26] while Beverly Paterson similarly stated that it a "brash and bouncy nugget."[27] AllMusic critic Bruce Eder called the track a "cheerfully trippy pop anthem",[28] while Richie Unterberger wrote that the song was elevated because of its musical arrangement,[29] noting its similarity with records by the Who,[29] while also suggesting that Phillips attempted to play his guitar "like it's a classical violin".[29]

Nonetheless, "Painter Man" became one of the Creation's best known songs, and was often used as their stage finale.[30] A young citizen, Günther Zettl,[31] from East Germany recognized the song in 1969 during a contest by the West German AM station Europawelle Saar, where the listeners were requested to send a card with the song title and band to win the single.[31][32] He sent off a postcard, which was intercepted by the Stasi and resulted in permanent surveillance until 1989.[31][32] In 2013, after he got his Stasi reports, he sent the card again and, during the celebration of "50 years Europawelle" in 2014, he finally received his prize.[31][32]

Personnel

[edit]

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for "Painter Man"
Chart (1966–67) Peak position
UK Singles (Record Retailer)[21] 36
Disc & Music Echo Top 50[33] 20
West German Media Control Singles Chart[22] 8
New Musical Express Top 30[34] 22

Boney M. version

[edit]
"Painter Man"
Single by Boney M.
from the album Nightflight to Venus
A-side"Rasputin" (Europe)
B-side"He Was a Steppenwolf" (UK)
Released23 February 1979[35]
Recorded1978
Genre
Length3:10
LabelAtlantic
Songwriter(s)
  • Pickett
  • Phillips
Producer(s)Frank Farian
Boney M. singles chronology
"Mary's Boy Child - Oh My Lord"
(1978) 		"Painter Man"
(1979) 		"Hooray! Hooray! It's a Holi-Holiday"
(1979)
Audio video
"Painter Man" on YouTube

"Painter Man" was later covered in 1978 by German-Caribbean pop group Boney M., in a cover which became successful throughout Europe.[36] The group's producer, Frank Farian was active on the German music scene during most of the 1960s and 1970s, leading to him influencing the choice of songs for the group to record, including both "Painter Man" and "My Friend Jack" by the Smoke,[37] a band that suffered a similar fate to that of the Creation.[28][38] The song was initially released on their third studio album Nightflight to Venus released on 28 July 1978, but was not issued as a single at the time.[39] However, shortly after the release, "Rasputin" and "Painter Man" were released as a double A-Side in most of mainland Europe. However, in the UK, along with some other European countries, "Rasputin" and "Painter Man" were released separately, with "He Was a Steppenwolf" added to the UK release, which was issued on 23 February 1979.

The single was a success in the UK, entering the chart on 3 March 1979 at a position of 26.[40] The following week, it had reached its peak of number ten,[40] and the single was last seen on 7 April at a position of 59,[40] when it had spent six weeks on the chart.[40] Although it became the first Creation song to enter the top-ten in any form, it was not successful by Boney M.'s standards, as both "Mary's Boy Child – Oh My Lord", which had been released before, and "Hooray! Hooray! It's a Holi-Holiday", both had reached the top-three of the chart (number one and three respectively).[40]AllMusic critic Donald A. Guarisco wrote that Boney M.'s rendition of "Painter Man" had "distorted hard rock guitar riffs" that contrasted to the beat of the song.[39]

Eddie Phillips was apparently completely unaware of Boney M's cover of the song.[30] In an interview for Guitarist magazine, Phillips acknowledged that he first knew about the song's existence after watching them perform the song on an episode of the Seaside Special!.[30] Of the incident, Phillips commented "“Strange, really exciting. 'Cos although they gave it a completely different treatment to what we did – I mean it was a disco song all of a sudden! But it was good, it was quite exciting really.”[30] In an interview with Creation Records, Phillips claimed he has been able to live comfortably with the royalties from Boney M.'s version of the song, stating that it sold seven million copies.[41]

Charts

[edit]
Chart (1978–79) Peak

position

Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[42] 1
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[43] 7
France (French Singles & Airplay Chart Reviews)[36] 3
Ireland (IRMA)[44] 5
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[45] 8
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[46] 5
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[40] 10

Other covers

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Action Painting (liner notes pg. 15). Alec Palao. The Creation. Numero group. 2013.
  2. ^ Egan, Sean (2004). Our Music is Red with Purple Flashes: The Story of The Creation. Cherry Red Books. p. 18. ISBN 1-901447-22-7.
  3. ^ Egan, Sean (2004). Our Music is Red with Purple Flashes: The Story of The Creation. Cherry Red Books. p. 19. ISBN 1-901447-22-7.
  4. ^ a b Action Painting (liner notes pg. 16–17). Alec Palao. The Creation. Numero group. 2013.
  5. ^ Action Painting (liner notes pg. 21). Alec Palao. The Creation. Numero group. 2013.
  6. ^ Egan, Sean (4 September 2011). "Phillips: Simply". Record Collector. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
  7. ^ G, P. "Song-writer's column" (PDF). Beat Instrumental (December 1966): 32.
  8. ^ a b Rathbone, Oregano (2020-06-05). "What Is Art Rock? A History Of Music's Most Progressive Minds". uDiscover Music. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  9. ^ Margasak, Peter (25 April 2017). "The Numero Group applies its reissue savvy to underrated 60s British rockers the Creation". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  10. ^ a b c Drummond, Norrie. "Creation Paint As They Play". New Musical Express (4 November 1966).
  11. ^ a b c Valentine, Penny. "Penny spins the discs" (PDF). Disc and Music Echo (8 October 1966).
  12. ^ a b c d Luhrssen, David; Larson, Michael (2017-02-24). Encyclopedia of Classic Rock. ABC-CLIO. p. 82. ISBN 978-1-4408-3514-8.
  13. ^ Cooper, Neil (2020-09-09). "KAPROW! KAPROW!". Bella Caledonia. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  14. ^ Rios, Daniela (2016-08-01). "Ten Songs All Art Lovers Should Know". artnet News. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  15. ^ a b c Bailey, Owen (2020-10-27). "The Genius Of... We Are Paintermen By The Creation". Guitar.com. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  16. ^ a b Fanelli, Damiam (2017-03-21). "No, Jimmy Page Was Not the First to Play Bowed Guitar". guitarworld. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  17. ^ a b Action Painting (liner notes pg. 35). Alec Palao. The Creation. Numero group. 2013.
  18. ^ Action Painting (liner notes pg. 35, 37). Alec Palao. The Creation. Numero group. 2013.
  19. ^ a b c Action Painting (liner notes pg. 37). Alec Palao. The Creation. Numero group. 2013.
  20. ^ a b Jopling, Norman; Jones, Peter. "Plenty of new big discs from Elvis, Cliff, Adam, the Hollies, Four Tops, Nancy, the Tempations, Tony Bennett, plus a load of good outsiders" (PDF). Record Mirror (8 October 1966): 9.
  21. ^ a b c "CREATION | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  22. ^ a b "Offizielle Deutsche Charts - Offizielle Deutsche Charts". www.offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  23. ^ a b "Reissue CDs Weekly: The Creation". theartsdesk.com. 2017-05-14. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  24. ^ Collette, Doug (2017-04-05). "The Creation's 'Action Painting' 2 CD Box Set Serves Just As A Testimonial". glidemagazine.com. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  25. ^ "1966: l'année où la pop anglaise est devenue dingue". Tribune de Genève (in French). ISSN 1010-2248. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  26. ^ Canty, Ian (2020-01-25). "Various - A Slight Disturbance In My Mind - album review". Louder Than War. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  27. ^ Paterson, Beverly (2013-04-05). "One Track Mind: The Creation, "How Does It Feel To Feel/Life Is Just Beginning" (1967)". somethingelsereviews.com. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  28. ^ a b Eder, Bruce. "The Creation - Artist Biography by Bruce Eder". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  29. ^ a b c Unterberger, Richie. "Painter Man - The Creation - Review By Ritchie Unterberger". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  30. ^ a b c d Hunt, Chris. "Painter Man: Eddie Phillips of the Creation interview". Guitarist (March 1988).
  31. ^ a b c d Zeitung, Süddeutsche (2014-01-12). "DDR-Postkarte kommt nach 44 Jahren an". Süddeutsche.de (in German). Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  32. ^ a b c Rundfunk, Saarländischer (2016-11-18). "Happy End nach 44 Jahren". SR.de (in German). Retrieved 2018-09-19.
  33. ^ "Top 50 Charts" (PDF). Disc and Music Echo (12 November 1966): 3.
  34. ^ "NME Top Thirty - First Ever Chart In Britain - And Still The First Today" (PDF). New Musical Express (November 11, 1966): 9.
  35. ^ "Music Week" (PDF). p. 32.
  36. ^ a b "Song artist 61 - Boney M". tsort.info. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  37. ^ Binnie, Steve (2016-01-06). Feeling Like a Number One. Lulu Press, Inc. ISBN 978-1-326-52522-4.
  38. ^ Unterberger, Richie. "The Smoke - Artist Biography by Richie Unterberger". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  39. ^ a b Guarisco, Donald A. "Boney M. - Nightflight to Venus - AllMusic Review by Donald A. Guarisco". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  40. ^ a b c d e f "Boney M | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  41. ^ Nash, Stewart (27 February 2010). "The Creation – Eddie Phillips Interview". Creation Records. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
  42. ^ "Boney M. – Rasputin / Painter Man" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  43. ^ Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
  44. ^ "The Irish Charts - All there is to know". www.irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  45. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 39, 1978" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  46. ^ "Boney M. – Rasputin / Painter Man" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  47. ^ "Painter Man - Larry's Rebels - Listener". www.flavourofnz.co.nz. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  48. ^ "Larry's Rebels". www.sergent.com.au. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  49. ^ Mason, Stewart. "Television Personalities - They Could Have Been Bigger Than the Beatles - AllMusic Review by Stewart Mason". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
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