Upside Down - The Creation Records Story
Rating: 6/10
Cast: Alan McGee, Oasis, Primal Scream, The Jesus and Mary Chain
Director: Danny O'Connor
For those in the know, Creation Records will be responsible for many a favourite band and an exceptional tune.
And even for those not in the know, it's likely you'll have heard of the likes of Oasis, Primal Scream to name but two.
This doco focuses on the label's founder, ginger haired Scot Alan McGee, who was instrumental in shaping a lot of the early music scene of the late 80s and early 90s.
Using the standard talking head format of the doco genre, it mixes in a heady cocktail of archive footage of the early days in Scotland, the rock and roll sounds of the suburbs and interviews with the bands involved.
O'Connor's style is to leap about from one thing to the next as he charts the rise of the label and its successes in the UK and abroad.
Thankfully, he's got a charming and rogueish central character, McGee, which keeps you relatively engaged throughout and makes for an intriguing look at the record industry and the times which it helped create (the likes of Britpop and the shoegazing music scene).
It's a very traditional documentary and really offers nothing new on that front, but fans of the music of the time will be drooling at the insights into why the label imploded, why McGee was such a trendsetter and why many bands are so grateful they got the start they needed and wanted.
As a piece of music history, Upside Down - The Creation Records Story is one for fans and perhaps a few non fans alike to relish.
