Technotronic Lad: Shawn Phillips, Alien Soundtracks and Half Machine Lip Moves

Creed: “We were really inspired by Pink Floyd, from Syd Barrett all the way to Meddle, and by early Hawkwind. But we weren’t hippies. It was something else.” Another element that came through when Creed himself sang was the influence of the post-psychedelic folk singer Shawn Phillips, especially the albums Contribution and Second Contribution. You can hear it especially on the amazing track “Pygmies in Zee Park”. Creed: “That’s left over from my folk days – that’s the way I used to sing. Shawn Philips was a big inspiration. He did a lot of lyrics for Donovan. Hehad the most incredible voice and the most incredible range, and me and my friends all tried to sing like him.” (from the the footnotes to Rip It Up and Start Again).