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Creation Stories: Riots, Raves and Running a Label
Alan McGee's role in shaping British musical culture over the past thirty years is hard to overstate. As the founder of Creation Records he brought us the bands that defined an era. A charismatic Glaswegian who partied just as hard as any of the acts on his notoriously hedonistic label, he became an infamous character in the world of music.
In Creation Stories he tells his story in depth for the first time, from leaving school at sixteen to setting up the Living Room club in London which showcased many emerging indie bands, from managing the Jesus and Mary Chain to co-founding Creation when he was only twenty-three. His label brought us acts like My Bloody Valentine, House of Love, Ride and, of course, Primal Scream. Embracing acid house, Alan decamped to Manchester and hung out at the Hacienda, and took Creation into the big time with Screamadelica. His drug-induced breakdown, when it came was dramatic. But as he climbed back to sobriety, he oversaw Oasis's rise to become one of the biggest bands in the world. Alan himself becoming one of the figureheads of Britpop. Having sold the label to Sony to stave off bankruptcy, he became disenchanted with the increasingly corporate ethos and left in 1999. Since then he's continued to be an influential figure in the music industry, managing the Libertines and most recently setting up a new label, 359 Music, with Cherry Red.
In Creation Stories he tells his story in depth for the first time, from leaving school at sixteen to setting up the Living Room club in London which showcased many emerging indie bands, from managing the Jesus and Mary Chain to co-founding Creation when he was only twenty-three. His label brought us acts like My Bloody Valentine, House of Love, Ride and, of course, Primal Scream. Embracing acid house, Alan decamped to Manchester and hung out at the Hacienda, and took Creation into the big time with Screamadelica. His drug-induced breakdown, when it came was dramatic. But as he climbed back to sobriety, he oversaw Oasis's rise to become one of the biggest bands in the world. Alan himself becoming one of the figureheads of Britpop. Having sold the label to Sony to stave off bankruptcy, he became disenchanted with the increasingly corporate ethos and left in 1999. Since then he's continued to be an influential figure in the music industry, managing the Libertines and most recently setting up a new label, 359 Music, with Cherry Red.
325 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
March 15, 2015
As I read Alan McGee's autobiography I realised just how much I really loved so much of the music released by Creation Records: the Jesus and Mary Chain, Ride, Primal Scream, Super Furry Animals, My Bloody Valentine, Oasis, Ed Ball, Kevin Rowland, and so on. A lot of these artists owe whatever they achieved to the vision and passion of Alan McGee. He has quite a tale to tell too. Complete self reinvention that starts with an ordinary, tough Glaswegian 60s/70s upbringing complete with a violent and abusive father to hanging out with Tony Blair at 10 Downing Street.
This being a rock 'n' roll tome, it has an extraordinary amount of debauchery, drugs, madness, and for most of the participants - including Alan McGee - a breakdown or rehab. Alan's was more spectacular than most and it ultimately resulted in a drink and drugs free recovery. Some books of this type pull their punches but not this one. There are some great stories of Creation's outlaw heyday.
Alan's post-Creation life is also covered, however this is less compelling, but still interesting, in particular his short-lived tenure managing The Libertines (the dysfunctional relationship between Carl Barat and Pete Doherty puts the battling Gallagher brothers completely into the shade).
If you like the music, and you're interesting in the post-punk independent UK music scene, then you will find much to enjoy in Creation Stories: Riots, Raves and Running a Label.
This being a rock 'n' roll tome, it has an extraordinary amount of debauchery, drugs, madness, and for most of the participants - including Alan McGee - a breakdown or rehab. Alan's was more spectacular than most and it ultimately resulted in a drink and drugs free recovery. Some books of this type pull their punches but not this one. There are some great stories of Creation's outlaw heyday.
Alan's post-Creation life is also covered, however this is less compelling, but still interesting, in particular his short-lived tenure managing The Libertines (the dysfunctional relationship between Carl Barat and Pete Doherty puts the battling Gallagher brothers completely into the shade).
If you like the music, and you're interesting in the post-punk independent UK music scene, then you will find much to enjoy in Creation Stories: Riots, Raves and Running a Label.
March 4, 2015
Like most rock 'n' roll memoirs, Alan McGee's Creation Stories should not be reviewed on it's literary merits but rather on the tall tales and amusing anecdotes that are a plenty.
There is nothing wrong per se with the way McGee writes but he would have benefitted from an editor. For example, McGee spends way too much space to reference his drug abuse. The reader gets the message first time but when he keeps coming back to it time and again it gets embarrassing. Taking lot of drugs and drinking heavily is not very difficult.
That aside, it was a pleasure to read about the Jesus and Mary Chain and the way McGee manipulated the British press to make the Reid brothers notorious during the mid 80's. I would have liked to read more about the Television Personalities and McGee's relationship with Dan Treacy but enjoyed the vignettes about Felt's Lawrence.
All in all a pleasurable read but certainly leaves room for more 1980's indie memoirs.
There is nothing wrong per se with the way McGee writes but he would have benefitted from an editor. For example, McGee spends way too much space to reference his drug abuse. The reader gets the message first time but when he keeps coming back to it time and again it gets embarrassing. Taking lot of drugs and drinking heavily is not very difficult.
That aside, it was a pleasure to read about the Jesus and Mary Chain and the way McGee manipulated the British press to make the Reid brothers notorious during the mid 80's. I would have liked to read more about the Television Personalities and McGee's relationship with Dan Treacy but enjoyed the vignettes about Felt's Lawrence.
All in all a pleasurable read but certainly leaves room for more 1980's indie memoirs.
January 20, 2025
There’s no way I can objectively rate anything that centers around a label and its bands that formed so enormous a part of my life both in real time and now.
Put another way: in Japan this month, I was STOKED to find a missing Teenage Filmstars record (Rocket Charms) to round out my TF collection. Nerdom? Meh, that would be the Biff Bang Pow LP I found too.
In my defense, I did put the House of Love back.
Put another way: in Japan this month, I was STOKED to find a missing Teenage Filmstars record (Rocket Charms) to round out my TF collection. Nerdom? Meh, that would be the Biff Bang Pow LP I found too.
In my defense, I did put the House of Love back.
December 25, 2025
Das freudigste Leseerlebnis dieses Jahres! Sehr sprunghaft und anekdotenreich, aber das schönste war, dass ich viele der bands für mich (wieder)entdecken durfte :)
November 23, 2013
Creation Records ha formado parte mi vida y de mi formación cultural desde antes incluso de que supiera que existía Creation Records ni de que tuviera una formación cultural de la que preocuparme. Por eso me lancé como loco a comprar en Amazon este libro en cuanto vi las primeras reseñas en la prensa británica, tan dada a exagerarlo todo con tanta pasión, con la idea de empaparme y conocer mejor los detalles de una época, un sello y unos discos a través de los cuales, en serio, puedo trazar una línea autobiográfica y hacerlos míos. El título del libro, como siempre, esconde mucho más de lo que parece: es difícil no fijarse en esa gigantesca leyenda que ocupa toda la portada y que dice ‘Alan McGee. Creation Stories. Riots, raves and running a label’. Marca una jerarquía clarísima en los asuntos que trata:
1)"Alan McGee". El capo que se ponía hasta las cejas en fiestas, con algunos de los grupos más “peligrosos” de la época, se va convirtiendo a medida que pasan las páginas en una diva calva con claros síntomas de 'attentionwhorismo'. Y, en serio, sus batallitas son lo peor entre mucha, mucha paja de líos familiares, amorosos, sus problemas con las drogas, sus viajes transatlánticos, sus salidas de tono con personalidades y medios de comunicación, alguna pelea, la preocupación por la imagen que cree que todos tienen de él como escocés de acento y modales poco delicados. Poco a poco, McGee aparece dibujado como un tipo que va perdiendo interés en la música y de pertenecer al mundo de rock’n’roll en el papel que sea (con su propia banda, con su propio sello, ejerciendo de manager) e incluso va perdiendo el interés en sus propios grupos: para cuando pilla a Super Furry Animals, que él considera la última gran banda de Creation, allá por 1996, ya reconoce que apenas tiene nada que ver en los asuntos del sello. Lo que vendría después sería cuesta abajo.
2)"Creation Stories". Aquí debería estar lo bueno. En el backstage, en las negociaciones, en las relaciones que cualquier sello establece con sus grupos. La mirada de McGee hacia ellos suele ser terriblemente condescendiente, del tipo yo-lo-sabía-pero-no-me-escuchasteis, o bien del todo triunfalista (del tipo sois-lo-que-sois-gracias-a-mí), aunque durante esos años la cosa bascula entre una dictadura y la complicidad mutua, como un Tony Soprano que sabe cuidar de los suyos y sabe cuándo tiene que atar en corto o soltar las riendas para que los grupos no terminen frustrados. Depende de quién seas, claro: no es lo mismo ser Primal Scream, un grupo con el que en todo momento se establece una relación de igual a igual (McGee y Bobby Gillespie fueron juntos al cole), que Ride (creo que es de ellos de los que llega a decir algo así como que “es raro que tuvieran éxito cuando todos sus miembros eran tan feos”) o incluso My Bloody Valentine, a los que parece que tiene que soportar como se soporta a un familiar loco. El libro es abundante en lo que quiere, en anécdotas con las bandas grandes, aunque casi siempre centradas en los escándalos, las drogas y en resaltar que, por sus orígenes, McGee se ha sentido siempre mejor entre macarras que entre “genios” como Kevin Shields. Por cierto, aunque personaje cretinesco, McGee fue un genio en muchos aspectos, uno de ellos fue manejando a la prensa, a la que sabía contar buenas historias (aunque no fueran del todo ciertas) y con la que ha terminado ganándose una imagen bien merecida como cretino. Con todo, se aprecia que de vez en cuando reconozca sus propios errores.
3) "Riots, raves and running a label". Bueno: “riots” hay aquí pocas, quizá más en la época de J&MC, cuando el grupo conseguía que su público destrozara los locales y todo el mundo terminara en el hospital con algo roto. Eso mola. Las “raves” de aquí son las que se pegó McGee durante su época más flipada, en la que viajaba a menudo a Manchester, carentes de interés musical, más allá del yo-fui-quien-abrí-la-mente-de-Primal-Scream-a-las-raves y de lo que supuso en ese contexto un disco como ‘Screamadelica’, que supo conjugar rock y música de baile. El resto, el “running a label”, se resume, en los primeros años, en los sucesivos amagos de quiebra y de posterior recuperación económica, casi siempre debido a golpes de suerte (ya se sabe: grupos que venden mucho ayudan a que los que no venden tanto puedan editar sus trabajos) y, en los últimos tiempos, en un intento desesperado por llegar a un acuerdo con una major a la que vender Creation. A veces, como lector, dudo de si no fue esa la intención inicial de McGee: especular con la música, con las bandas (como lo hizo a la hora de negociar derechos y licencias en Estados Unidos, por ejemplo) y de inflar y especular con el valor de su propio sello para su posterior venta. "¡Ya soy multimillonarios!", grita McGee en un momento dado, triunfal.
Durante la lectura, trufé el libro con subrayados con la idea de hacer un post largo para el blog solo con las palabras de McGee, que fueran ellas las que lo describieran como personaje, algo que ahora me parece un tremenodo coñazo. Me cansé de subrayar frases en las que hablaba de todo lo que se drogaba y de lo que sufría su cuerpo con ello. Me cansé de subrayar frases en las que hablaba del dinero y que iba a convertirse en multimillonario. Uno tiene sus límites: el mío está en leer sus anodinas anécdotas con Tony Blair. He de confesar que no acabé este libro: al 65%, la historia de Creation echó el cierre. Atrás quedó un acuerdo millonario con Sony. Su último disco fue uno de mis discos favoritos de todos los tiempos, ‘XTRMTR’. Lo que vino después, según lo he hojeado, fue un nuevo sello, Poptones, una nueva época, el siglo XXI, y una nueva superbanda en la que centrarse, The Libertines, lo dejo para cuando recupere algo las ganas. Es casi la mitad del libro.
Pero, eh: ha habido cosas importantes que he hecho durante estas páginas. He descubierto o profundizado en grupos como The House of Love o Felt, que resulta que no están tan alejados de mis gustos ochenteros (de la rama Cocteau Twins). He recuperado discos de shoegaze que aún no tenía y me he enterado de por qué la trayectoria de Ride fue tan errática. Y me ha servido para escuchar después de algunos años el primer disco de Oasis, que justifica por si solo la existencia y la estupidez y el devenir y la decadencia de los hermanos Gallagher. Adoro cómo suena ese disco.
Y he elegido una cita que creo que podría resumir el libro y el ego de McGee y resumir también su labor en Creation durante sus años de vida:
“I’d always love Malcolm [McLaren]. I’d even tried to ‘be’ him for a while when I was managing the Jesus and Mary Chain. We’d met first in 1996 when we’d done an interview together por ‘Punch’ and I pulverized him in it. I was a right cunt. I said if I’d had the Sex Pistols they’d still be going, I’d have sold 60 millons records. He couldn’t really answer back about that, because I had the biggest group in the world by then in Oasis.
Of course, to be fair, with the Sex Pistols he changed culture and I never did. Unless you count inventing Shoegazing”.
1)"Alan McGee". El capo que se ponía hasta las cejas en fiestas, con algunos de los grupos más “peligrosos” de la época, se va convirtiendo a medida que pasan las páginas en una diva calva con claros síntomas de 'attentionwhorismo'. Y, en serio, sus batallitas son lo peor entre mucha, mucha paja de líos familiares, amorosos, sus problemas con las drogas, sus viajes transatlánticos, sus salidas de tono con personalidades y medios de comunicación, alguna pelea, la preocupación por la imagen que cree que todos tienen de él como escocés de acento y modales poco delicados. Poco a poco, McGee aparece dibujado como un tipo que va perdiendo interés en la música y de pertenecer al mundo de rock’n’roll en el papel que sea (con su propia banda, con su propio sello, ejerciendo de manager) e incluso va perdiendo el interés en sus propios grupos: para cuando pilla a Super Furry Animals, que él considera la última gran banda de Creation, allá por 1996, ya reconoce que apenas tiene nada que ver en los asuntos del sello. Lo que vendría después sería cuesta abajo.
2)"Creation Stories". Aquí debería estar lo bueno. En el backstage, en las negociaciones, en las relaciones que cualquier sello establece con sus grupos. La mirada de McGee hacia ellos suele ser terriblemente condescendiente, del tipo yo-lo-sabía-pero-no-me-escuchasteis, o bien del todo triunfalista (del tipo sois-lo-que-sois-gracias-a-mí), aunque durante esos años la cosa bascula entre una dictadura y la complicidad mutua, como un Tony Soprano que sabe cuidar de los suyos y sabe cuándo tiene que atar en corto o soltar las riendas para que los grupos no terminen frustrados. Depende de quién seas, claro: no es lo mismo ser Primal Scream, un grupo con el que en todo momento se establece una relación de igual a igual (McGee y Bobby Gillespie fueron juntos al cole), que Ride (creo que es de ellos de los que llega a decir algo así como que “es raro que tuvieran éxito cuando todos sus miembros eran tan feos”) o incluso My Bloody Valentine, a los que parece que tiene que soportar como se soporta a un familiar loco. El libro es abundante en lo que quiere, en anécdotas con las bandas grandes, aunque casi siempre centradas en los escándalos, las drogas y en resaltar que, por sus orígenes, McGee se ha sentido siempre mejor entre macarras que entre “genios” como Kevin Shields. Por cierto, aunque personaje cretinesco, McGee fue un genio en muchos aspectos, uno de ellos fue manejando a la prensa, a la que sabía contar buenas historias (aunque no fueran del todo ciertas) y con la que ha terminado ganándose una imagen bien merecida como cretino. Con todo, se aprecia que de vez en cuando reconozca sus propios errores.
3) "Riots, raves and running a label". Bueno: “riots” hay aquí pocas, quizá más en la época de J&MC, cuando el grupo conseguía que su público destrozara los locales y todo el mundo terminara en el hospital con algo roto. Eso mola. Las “raves” de aquí son las que se pegó McGee durante su época más flipada, en la que viajaba a menudo a Manchester, carentes de interés musical, más allá del yo-fui-quien-abrí-la-mente-de-Primal-Scream-a-las-raves y de lo que supuso en ese contexto un disco como ‘Screamadelica’, que supo conjugar rock y música de baile. El resto, el “running a label”, se resume, en los primeros años, en los sucesivos amagos de quiebra y de posterior recuperación económica, casi siempre debido a golpes de suerte (ya se sabe: grupos que venden mucho ayudan a que los que no venden tanto puedan editar sus trabajos) y, en los últimos tiempos, en un intento desesperado por llegar a un acuerdo con una major a la que vender Creation. A veces, como lector, dudo de si no fue esa la intención inicial de McGee: especular con la música, con las bandas (como lo hizo a la hora de negociar derechos y licencias en Estados Unidos, por ejemplo) y de inflar y especular con el valor de su propio sello para su posterior venta. "¡Ya soy multimillonarios!", grita McGee en un momento dado, triunfal.
Durante la lectura, trufé el libro con subrayados con la idea de hacer un post largo para el blog solo con las palabras de McGee, que fueran ellas las que lo describieran como personaje, algo que ahora me parece un tremenodo coñazo. Me cansé de subrayar frases en las que hablaba de todo lo que se drogaba y de lo que sufría su cuerpo con ello. Me cansé de subrayar frases en las que hablaba del dinero y que iba a convertirse en multimillonario. Uno tiene sus límites: el mío está en leer sus anodinas anécdotas con Tony Blair. He de confesar que no acabé este libro: al 65%, la historia de Creation echó el cierre. Atrás quedó un acuerdo millonario con Sony. Su último disco fue uno de mis discos favoritos de todos los tiempos, ‘XTRMTR’. Lo que vino después, según lo he hojeado, fue un nuevo sello, Poptones, una nueva época, el siglo XXI, y una nueva superbanda en la que centrarse, The Libertines, lo dejo para cuando recupere algo las ganas. Es casi la mitad del libro.
Pero, eh: ha habido cosas importantes que he hecho durante estas páginas. He descubierto o profundizado en grupos como The House of Love o Felt, que resulta que no están tan alejados de mis gustos ochenteros (de la rama Cocteau Twins). He recuperado discos de shoegaze que aún no tenía y me he enterado de por qué la trayectoria de Ride fue tan errática. Y me ha servido para escuchar después de algunos años el primer disco de Oasis, que justifica por si solo la existencia y la estupidez y el devenir y la decadencia de los hermanos Gallagher. Adoro cómo suena ese disco.
Y he elegido una cita que creo que podría resumir el libro y el ego de McGee y resumir también su labor en Creation durante sus años de vida:
“I’d always love Malcolm [McLaren]. I’d even tried to ‘be’ him for a while when I was managing the Jesus and Mary Chain. We’d met first in 1996 when we’d done an interview together por ‘Punch’ and I pulverized him in it. I was a right cunt. I said if I’d had the Sex Pistols they’d still be going, I’d have sold 60 millons records. He couldn’t really answer back about that, because I had the biggest group in the world by then in Oasis.
Of course, to be fair, with the Sex Pistols he changed culture and I never did. Unless you count inventing Shoegazing”.
December 19, 2021
Alan McGee’s story really is quite interesting, but I do not think he did himself justice in writing this book. Maybe he needed a better ghostwriter, because what should have been a fascinating book was just a reeling off of highs and lows and names.
I know I am being hard on this book, but I have read parts of McGee’s story from a different perspective and found it really interesting. I figured it would be great to hear it from the horse’s mouth, so to speak.
Now, I understand that McGee is pretty no nonsense and maybe that is exactly what this account of his life is. I am not sure. It just did really do much for me.
Creation Records were a phenomenon in the 90s, synonymous with Oasis and some other decent 90s bands like Primal Scream. In a way they were a part of my youth, Alan McGee with it. This was the reason that I picked this up.
Oddly, the bits that I found most interesting in the book were his early years in Glasgow and the final years with The Libertines and into his stepping back from the music business. Those middle years, spanning the 90s especially, was a bit of a mess, both for him in his life and the book. Maybe art does reflect life, I am not sure, but it did not flow well at all. I found it very jarring and disjointed.
Of course, the man is free to tell his story whichever way he wants. I just feel that there were opportunities missed here and I found that incredibly frustrating. Hence I am being hard on this one.
Disappointing, but there were interesting bits and McGee’s life is a story worth telling.
I know I am being hard on this book, but I have read parts of McGee’s story from a different perspective and found it really interesting. I figured it would be great to hear it from the horse’s mouth, so to speak.
Now, I understand that McGee is pretty no nonsense and maybe that is exactly what this account of his life is. I am not sure. It just did really do much for me.
Creation Records were a phenomenon in the 90s, synonymous with Oasis and some other decent 90s bands like Primal Scream. In a way they were a part of my youth, Alan McGee with it. This was the reason that I picked this up.
Oddly, the bits that I found most interesting in the book were his early years in Glasgow and the final years with The Libertines and into his stepping back from the music business. Those middle years, spanning the 90s especially, was a bit of a mess, both for him in his life and the book. Maybe art does reflect life, I am not sure, but it did not flow well at all. I found it very jarring and disjointed.
Of course, the man is free to tell his story whichever way he wants. I just feel that there were opportunities missed here and I found that incredibly frustrating. Hence I am being hard on this one.
Disappointing, but there were interesting bits and McGee’s life is a story worth telling.
February 16, 2018
Enjoyed this one a lot. Creation is my favorite record label of all-time and I was 20 and living in England when Psychocandy came out; the perfect age and time to catch the JAMC bug. I remember skipping a morning lecture at the Univ. of Essex, where I was studying, to take a bus into town and buy the album on the day it was released. But as great as Alan's stories are about JAMC, Primal Scream, and House of Love among others, what grabbed me were the candid accounts of his rough childhood in Glasgow and his battles with drug addiction. I have been sober for 16 months now and found those sections of the book to be helpful to me on a personal level, like I wasn't alone in what I am going through.
May 11, 2019
Reading this book was like having a conversation with McGee himself. OK, a one-sided conversation, but a conversation nonetheless. I always thought he was a crazy and funny guy and it really comes across in this book.
It's a super interesting telling of his involvement in the music industry told with an acid wit and razor-sharp humor. I'm biased since I am in general a huge fan of pretty much all the stuff Creation put out, but the book is a quick, conversational read and well worth the time.
It's a super interesting telling of his involvement in the music industry told with an acid wit and razor-sharp humor. I'm biased since I am in general a huge fan of pretty much all the stuff Creation put out, but the book is a quick, conversational read and well worth the time.
March 21, 2021
Back in the day many of the bands I was into (and still am into!) were on Creation. I remember the music papers and the national press lapped up the antics of these bands and their notorious pied piper, McGee. This is a funny, honest memoir, chock-full of wonderful unvarnished anecdotes and all told with a typical Scottish openness and acerbity. If these were the stories that could be put down on paper, you can only imagine the more litigious tales that were left out. Really took me back to my youth. Brilliant.
June 2, 2021
I won't be reviewing this on the blog.
Really this book was just a palate cleanser. It's about Alan McGee setting up Creation and his mad escapades. Then there's a few chapters on what he did after.
Not an essential rock bio but a light read.
Really this book was just a palate cleanser. It's about Alan McGee setting up Creation and his mad escapades. Then there's a few chapters on what he did after.
Not an essential rock bio but a light read.
July 31, 2021
Absolute nonsense, hype, embellishments , and the odd truth. I went to King’s Park it wasn’t that violent , I occasionally work at Primal Scream gigs, I’m still in touch with Jim “12 string” Beattie .
McGee’s sister Laura got me my first Celtic strip with printing on the back, discounted from Robert’s Store on the Trongate where she worked.
Mainly nonsense but good nonsense.
McGee’s sister Laura got me my first Celtic strip with printing on the back, discounted from Robert’s Store on the Trongate where she worked.
Mainly nonsense but good nonsense.
May 9, 2019
There’s a great story here but the book is in dire need of a ghost writer. The story telling is non existent beyond ‘and then I did this and then I did that’
A real shame as it should have been a great read. Instead fascinating moments are rendered nothing by listless narration
A real shame as it should have been a great read. Instead fascinating moments are rendered nothing by listless narration
July 21, 2017
A real mixed bag this book.
The chapter about the Libertines and Babyshambles was excellent and a real insight in to the toxic relationships between the main two guys in The Libertines.
The chapters about Alan growing up were rather harrowing and provide an explanation to his addictive personality as an adult.
However other chapters appeared merely to be name dropping for the sake of it and stopped the book being given 4 or 5 stars.
The chapter about the Libertines and Babyshambles was excellent and a real insight in to the toxic relationships between the main two guys in The Libertines.
The chapters about Alan growing up were rather harrowing and provide an explanation to his addictive personality as an adult.
However other chapters appeared merely to be name dropping for the sake of it and stopped the book being given 4 or 5 stars.
September 28, 2015
Not sure why I read stuff like this as the usual deal is that the "author" recounts stories into a tape recorder which the ghost writer, in this case Luke Brown, turns into a book. I get irritated by the stuff that's clearly wrong. As early as page 9 McGee recounts how his parents were fans of Tony Christie and sang along with his "Knock three times" which in fact was by Tony Orlando and Dawn. From then on I doubted the accuracy of any of the stories. I did not think I had any records with which McGee had been involved as I never liked Oasis and have never even heard any records by Ride or My Bloody Valentine but surprisingly I do have some music he released on poptones after Creation finished. It's actually an entertaining read and McGee seems to acknowledge that he was not a nice guy. Not sure how much I believe though!
December 11, 2014
As someone who loves the music industry as much as I do, some of the books I have read about the subject have bored me to tears. This was one of them.
The bands that McGee is involved in are some of my favourite bands, yet he couldn't seem to grab my attention and after two weeks I have decided to give it up as a bad job.
The bands that McGee is involved in are some of my favourite bands, yet he couldn't seem to grab my attention and after two weeks I have decided to give it up as a bad job.
March 16, 2015
As expected from a record label boss, there's plenty of name dropping in this book. Though pivotal to the music scene, the man cannot write to save his life. How many times can u dig hearing he was off his head on drugs when with his new favourite band? I was bored. I love Creation Records & most of the bands under that label. Alan McGee the writer? Not so much.
July 3, 2016
A cracking tale, hilarious and at times touching. It's not often I finish a book in a couple of days, but found this genuinely hard to put down. What a life he's had so far!
September 24, 2016
Recommended by a friend but could only make it half way through before giving up. Very drug centered with McGee always sneaking in how hard he is.
very disappointed
very disappointed
September 29, 2016
An excellent insight into the shenanigans of Creation Records been created!
Very enjoyable indeed!
Very enjoyable indeed!
October 13, 2016
Drugs are good. Rock and roll is good. Bobby Gillespie is my pal. Drugs are bad. Money cant buy you happiness. (repeat)
April 22, 2024
When it comes to UK indie record label, Tony Wilson is my favorite hero. He was a TV host who ran Factory Records and has charming as well as charismatic personality to inspire local artist. However, he was an awful businessman since his label had notoriously awful financial management that led to the end of Factory. Still, he looks badass and inspiring for me to create a history, not money, as what the man said. However, I recently finish reading a book called "Creation Stories: Riots, Raves and Running a Label" by Alan McGee...and I'm sorry to say that Alan McGee is my hero instead since he's as visionary as Tony, but he was also a WAY better at management.
.
Creation Stories is a story of Alan from his childhood to his comeback in music business. His life was never easy. He grew up in troublesome city and abusive family. This led him to find passion in music and, later on, managing party events called "The Living Room", which inspired him to start a record label called Creation Records. Of course, it wasn't that easy....
.
Getting fired from a famous band that he managed, his failed joint venture with big record company, his divorce, his mother's death, label financial problem, (in)famous bands that almost broke Creation during recording sessions, an upcoming band that became disillusioned and performing poorly due to fame and money, authoritarian attitude from the big label that purchased a share in his company, his health condition, etc.
.
These are things that he went through during the 16 years of Creation Records. We learn that Alan is an ideal type of businessman: letting the band creating that art in the way they want, yet being serious about the financial situation of the company as well. He also has fantastic negotiation skills that led to a huge sum of money that was necessary for running the label as well.
.
But as I mentioned before, he went through a lot of hell during this timeframe, both personal and his company issues. It somehow comforts me that everyone has problems to face in one way or another...it's up to us on how to deal with it. Alan demonstrates this point by either talking to friends to find support (which is a good thing to do) or taking too many drugs to forget about everything (which is NOT a good thing to do, as he had to recover for months). Finding out how our protagonist deal with the downfall is always the main thing I usually look in music biography...and this one does the job perfectly. He doesn't try to make himself looks to cool or too stupid. It's a Drama/Comedy story that's surprisingly inspiring and focuses less on the story of the bands and more about the man behind them.
.
I'm not gonna lie here. This is probably the BEST book I've read in 2022. I'm not kidding. Not only do I play A LOT of Creation songs during and after readingit, the book also teaches me a lot of valuable life lessons in business, dealing with people, and dealing with life. Besides the awful book cover, I strongly recommend this book to anyone who's interest in UK music business or 80's-90's indie music as well as those who want to learn how-to sucessful story from the guy who gave Oasis a career! He proves that you can make a history AND a money at the same time!
===========================
Quotes from Alan McGee...
.
"If someone tells you they’re going to hit you, they’re probably not going to. Don’t worry about the ones who threaten you. It’s probably all they’ll do."
.
"Success can be as dangerous as failure. Going to the top of the ladder gives you much further to drop."
.
"You need people in a company who don’t give a fuck, who are outspoken and brave. It was being fearless that was the key to my success, I’ve always believed that. The punk spirit."
.
Creation Stories is a story of Alan from his childhood to his comeback in music business. His life was never easy. He grew up in troublesome city and abusive family. This led him to find passion in music and, later on, managing party events called "The Living Room", which inspired him to start a record label called Creation Records. Of course, it wasn't that easy....
.
Getting fired from a famous band that he managed, his failed joint venture with big record company, his divorce, his mother's death, label financial problem, (in)famous bands that almost broke Creation during recording sessions, an upcoming band that became disillusioned and performing poorly due to fame and money, authoritarian attitude from the big label that purchased a share in his company, his health condition, etc.
.
These are things that he went through during the 16 years of Creation Records. We learn that Alan is an ideal type of businessman: letting the band creating that art in the way they want, yet being serious about the financial situation of the company as well. He also has fantastic negotiation skills that led to a huge sum of money that was necessary for running the label as well.
.
But as I mentioned before, he went through a lot of hell during this timeframe, both personal and his company issues. It somehow comforts me that everyone has problems to face in one way or another...it's up to us on how to deal with it. Alan demonstrates this point by either talking to friends to find support (which is a good thing to do) or taking too many drugs to forget about everything (which is NOT a good thing to do, as he had to recover for months). Finding out how our protagonist deal with the downfall is always the main thing I usually look in music biography...and this one does the job perfectly. He doesn't try to make himself looks to cool or too stupid. It's a Drama/Comedy story that's surprisingly inspiring and focuses less on the story of the bands and more about the man behind them.
.
I'm not gonna lie here. This is probably the BEST book I've read in 2022. I'm not kidding. Not only do I play A LOT of Creation songs during and after readingit, the book also teaches me a lot of valuable life lessons in business, dealing with people, and dealing with life. Besides the awful book cover, I strongly recommend this book to anyone who's interest in UK music business or 80's-90's indie music as well as those who want to learn how-to sucessful story from the guy who gave Oasis a career! He proves that you can make a history AND a money at the same time!
===========================
Quotes from Alan McGee...
.
"If someone tells you they’re going to hit you, they’re probably not going to. Don’t worry about the ones who threaten you. It’s probably all they’ll do."
.
"Success can be as dangerous as failure. Going to the top of the ladder gives you much further to drop."
.
"You need people in a company who don’t give a fuck, who are outspoken and brave. It was being fearless that was the key to my success, I’ve always believed that. The punk spirit."
September 17, 2021
The autobiography of the founder of the most important record label in my lifetime - the music released by Creation Records genuinely changed my life.
McGee lived life at full throttle, but his book never dives too deep - we hear about his ambition, his bloody-mindedness, his fraught relationship with his dad, and his drug problems, but each section passes quickly, then we're onto the next stage.
The supporting cast also rarely steps out of the shadows - for a man who has spent time with the Gallaghers, Primal Scream, Tony Blair, Lisa Marie Presley and countless others, we're never given much more than a quick glimpse of their characters.
Worth a read for the background story of Creation, but it's also worth supplementing with other books covering the same period - especially John Harris' The Last Party and David Cavanagh's The Creation Records Story - both of which benefit from being slightly distanced from the events covered.
McGee lived life at full throttle, but his book never dives too deep - we hear about his ambition, his bloody-mindedness, his fraught relationship with his dad, and his drug problems, but each section passes quickly, then we're onto the next stage.
The supporting cast also rarely steps out of the shadows - for a man who has spent time with the Gallaghers, Primal Scream, Tony Blair, Lisa Marie Presley and countless others, we're never given much more than a quick glimpse of their characters.
Worth a read for the background story of Creation, but it's also worth supplementing with other books covering the same period - especially John Harris' The Last Party and David Cavanagh's The Creation Records Story - both of which benefit from being slightly distanced from the events covered.
April 30, 2019
I really liked this book it has a down to earth style. He is very frank and honest about his lifestyle, blunders and successes. His early days in Glasgow and in London are really struck a chord with me too. His style of writing is quite reflective and he generally has good things to say about people. I’m a big primal scream fan and it’s nice to read about the early days and how they all fit together. Reading it made me realise I have no interest in oasis which kind of surprised me and I wonder if it’s because McGee isn’t all that involved with them that the story doesn’t have the same depth.
There’s lots of name dropping in the story telling though and perhaps the later years might be a better read if they were more about real relationships rather than the Hollywood and political name dropping anecdotes.
There’s lots of name dropping in the story telling though and perhaps the later years might be a better read if they were more about real relationships rather than the Hollywood and political name dropping anecdotes.
July 27, 2021
This was a nice, light read and quite interesting and funny in some parts. I feel he needed an editor or proofreader for some spelling errors and at least one incorrect fact where he mentions the song "Knock Three Times". It was Tony Orlando & Dawn who sang it not Tony Christie. Alan McGee's journey in the music business was something. It wasn't always easy. You do deal with many types of people with different attitudes and needs. He mentions drugs and alcohol a lot. Honestly I read this book because I wanted to see what he had to say about Oasis and dealing with the Gallagher brothers.I kind of wish there had been a little more of that, but then again maybe it would have taken away from the real reason why Alan McGee wrote this book.
December 27, 2018
For some reason I had not read this one yet. Now I finally have and I loved every page. What a fantastic story, about Creation Records, the label that wasn't Britpop in the Britpop era: it was rock 'n roll. It's the story of The Jesus And Mary Chain, Primal Scream, House Of Love, My Bloody Valentine, Ride, the young Oasis and an absolutely unbelievable amount of drugs. Creation was totally dysnfunctional, yet it worked. Thank God for that record label and thank God for this wonderful book. The spirit of the 1990s underground captured.
April 5, 2021
As a teenager of the 90s who loves Oasis, Primal Scream and the Libertines this had to be the book to read, and it didn’t disappoint.
Alan McGee was a pivotal player in those halcyon days and he recalls a fantastic time in the UK’s music culture with some great anecdotal stories and tales. He lived it like he was a r&roller and fair play who wouldn’t have done if you owned a successful record label at the end of the last century.
He comes across as a lunatic, a genius and a c*nt. Exactly what puts the Great into Britain. More McGee please!
Alan McGee was a pivotal player in those halcyon days and he recalls a fantastic time in the UK’s music culture with some great anecdotal stories and tales. He lived it like he was a r&roller and fair play who wouldn’t have done if you owned a successful record label at the end of the last century.
He comes across as a lunatic, a genius and a c*nt. Exactly what puts the Great into Britain. More McGee please!
February 9, 2025
this is a recommended read from the man who invented Creation Records, managed the Jesus and Mary Chain, Primal Scream and the Libertines and introduced the world to Oasis, and whatever followed on from that.. tbh I was more interested in the early days of Creation, when McGee was juggling the likes of the House of Love, My Bloody Valentine and Ride (while not mentioning The Bodines, my personal faves from the C86 period, and originators of the Therese and Heard it All singles, on Creation) than the later Oasis / Tony Blair period, but there's enough in this for everyone.
December 23, 2018
Most people will buy this looking for some
Insights into the debauchery of the mate 80’s and 90’s. There are stories a plenty and it’s one of those if you have a spare day you could easily read this in one sitting and come away feeling slightly better for doing so. McGee is underrated for what He achieves in popular British music culture. Definitely put on your list if you want some stories about primal scream, oasis or others!
Insights into the debauchery of the mate 80’s and 90’s. There are stories a plenty and it’s one of those if you have a spare day you could easily read this in one sitting and come away feeling slightly better for doing so. McGee is underrated for what He achieves in popular British music culture. Definitely put on your list if you want some stories about primal scream, oasis or others!
January 15, 2020
One of the most boring music books I’ve ever read. The writing style is bland (cannot be emphasized enough- horribly bland!) and not very self-reflective. Offers no grand or new insights into the Creation bands. Very surprised this book was not fun to read. Expected a more Peter Hook How Not to Run A Club candidness but with gravely, gallows Scottish humor and insights about Scotland/music scene in 80s-90s. Blergh. Skip!
March 28, 2021
McGee you magnificent bastard. The guy is a legend and his perceived personality comes through on the page. I could have gone for more Oasis stories, but McGee was out of commission during Def Maybe.
He loved Primal Scream. And Gillespie has a book coming later this year. Now if only an American company or streamer would buy the film version (featuring Spud from Trainspotting) of Creation Stories, all would be right with the world.
He loved Primal Scream. And Gillespie has a book coming later this year. Now if only an American company or streamer would buy the film version (featuring Spud from Trainspotting) of Creation Stories, all would be right with the world.
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