The Creek

After the release of ?Rock the Night away? Sugarcreek had felt it was time to change their name, they decided on "The Creek" because they wanted to change it without alienating old fans. Most of the fans used this name anyway! "The Creek" is very much like "Rock The Night Away"' a touch better (but only just), and it has to be said that opener "Six Days To Sunday" is prime time pomp rock... In fact the guitars and keyboards interplay quite nicely throughout the whole of side one and the endearing vocal touches of Tim Clark shine through.

"The Creek" is very much like "Rock The Night Away"' a touch better (but only just), and it has to be said that opener "Six Days To Sunday" is prime time pomp rock... In fact the guitars and keyboards interplay quite nicely throughout the whole of side one and the endearing vocal touches of Tim Clark shine through. On its original release the album was actually given five "K's" in Kerrang, praise indeed! The album has some great tunes, there's no doubting that, songs like "Love Will Stay" and "Reach and Touch" have great choruses, singing along to them is easy. "Arthur Whiteside" is very much a poppy effort and was the band's best choice for a single release. Overall the album was a great extension of Sugarcreek, but things did quieten down a touch after the release of the album and the "Creek" fever was starting to sweat itself out.

It was another three years before they resurfaced again, this time with the support of their local label (Beaver). "Storm the Gate" was upon us, CD format was here and "The Creek" were to have another shot. The artwork was much more in keeping with the early days, a blaze of colour no less. Yes, strong hints at the pomp and glory of "Fortune", the material here much stronger than the self-titled album. Magnificent hooklines are the order of the day with the keyboards giving them a run for the money. "Passion", for example, is a great song; an acoustic start that ripples between the speakers backed up with passionate lead vocals. A winner from start to finish, and that goes for numbers like "Girl Is Crying", "On the Way" and "Bad Light". "On The Way" is a later track on the album and has some great pompous moments, especially in the midsection where it becomes almost dis-jointed. It's sad that the song has to finish at all. As well as these gut-crunching tunes there are odd light-hearted moments, the song "Hanky Panky" is one such outing that springs to mind. It's a fun song, and it's nice to see the band take a risk now and again! Generally, you would be hard pushed to find a pomp album as good as this in the late eighties.

The Creek did release a cassette sometime after ?Storm the Gate? with a slightly different line-up, these tracks are included as bonuses, and are from the ?Loaded and Lethal? The bonus cuts feature Jay Willard on lead vocals (from the band "Illusion "- and the Creek was now minus Tim & Jerry. Of course they are digitally re-mastered and sound just as fresh as the other songs. This is an essential companion to the Sugarcreek triple pack??who knows the Creek may rise once more!