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Christine Wanless has Died

RIP Christine Wanless, vocalist with 2 of Creation Records’ earliest bands, Biff Bang Pow! and The Revolving Paint Dream.

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Christine Wanless - Andrew Alan

RIP Christine Wanless, vocalist with 2 of Creation Records’ earliest bands, Biff Bang Pow! and The Revolving Paint Dream.

We recently got the terrible news of the death of Christine Wanless, who sang with Biff Bang Pow! – led by Creation Records’ bosses Alan McGee and Dick Green (see recent interview here) and The Revolving Paint Dream – featuring Primal Scream guitarist and songwriter Andrew Innes. Christine’s role in Creation Records was absolutely integral: she was there right at the very start, the label’s first female artist and in its latter years, working as label manager. Not much is known about Christine, we couldn’t even find out the date of her birth or passing, which is strangely fitting as her band The Revolving Paint Dream, who had the 2nd ever single released by Creation Records, the psychedelic Flowers in the Sky, were often presented by the label as an enigma.

What we do know is that she left behind a modest but achingly beautiful body of work, both with the aforementioned RPD that featured Primal Scream’s guitarist and songwriter Andrew Innes, as well as guest appearances Biff Bang Pow! whom we interviewed recently about the release of A Better Life, their career-spanning box set on Cherry Red Records.
There is also a serious lack of pictures of this wonderfully talented singer online, but here she is pictured (on the right) on stage with Creation’s boss Alan McGee (middle) and Primal Scream’s Andrew Innes (left/back of head facing the camera) And below are the record sleeves for the songs she sang on, between 1984-1989. Shortly after that, Primal Scream’s career took off, with Innes playing a major part in the band, so no more Revolving Paint Dream. Creation Records also jumped up several leagues from a cool little independent label to chart-smashing, superstar-creating, classic album makers, which also meant no more Biff Bang Pow!

Christine then went on to work for Creation, first as press and then label manager. We don’t know what she did after that, or anything about her life in more recent years, other than her apparently going on to work for other labels. Here are a few of the songs featuring her hauntingly beautiful voice, and a few quotes from former friends and band members. Rest in Peace.

The Revolving Paint Dream : In the Afternoon (1984, b-side of Flowers in the Sky, the second single released by Creation Records)

The Revolving Paint Dream : Sun, Sea, Sand (1987, from their debut album Off To Heaven on Creation Records)

Biff Bang Pow! Happiest Girl in the World (1987, from the album The Girl Who Runs the Beat Hotel, Creation Records)

The Revolving Paint Dream – Burn This House Down (1989, from their second album, Mother Watch Me Burn on Creation Records)

Frank Sweeney (multi-instrumentalist from The June Brides and Magic City Trio) played
on both albums by The Revolving Paint Dream.

“I got to know Christine around 1987, while recording the Off to Heaven LP by The Revolving Paint Dream. She was a straight-talking North Easterner, with a pretty feisty temper when things irritated her, but most of the time she was easy going with a distinct lack of pretension and a great sense of humour. The Revolving Paint Dream did a few gigs to promote the Off To Heaven LP, and she was a great person to be in a band with. She was part of the Creation Family from very early on. In The Afternoon and Sun, Sea, Sand are amongst my all time favourite songs from that era. Although I hadn’t seen her for many years, I still feel a sense of loss on hearing that she is no longer with us”.

Dick Green (Biff Bang Pow! guitarist/Creation Records boss)

“Christine was the very embodiment of the cliche of working hard and playing hard. Once she had found a role at Creation that suited her, she really got stuck in. And she had a beautiful voice, I don’t think she ever really realised how lovely her voice was.”
Ken Popple (Biff Bang Pow’s drummer, also played on the first Revolving Paint Dream
single) “There were very, very few girls/women around in the early days of Creation, just us awkward boys. I remember Christine as smart, funny and completely holding her own both in the studio and on tour. She had a wonderfully pure voice that suited the song writing perfectly, and often belied the tough northern woman she clearly was.”
Phil Wilson (singer, guitarist and songwriter of The June Brides and former Creation
Records solo artiste)

“Christine was a great singer and a wonderful person. Feisty, courageous and cool. Christine, Andrew Innes and I briefly had a band: The Revolving Brides. We played Revolving Paint
Dream and June Brides songs. It was great fun!”

Christine Wanless Discography

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Words by Arash Torabi – More writing by Arash can be found at his Louder Than War author’s archive.

Source: louderthanwar.com

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