REVIEW: BIFF BANG POW! – LOVE IS FOREVER
Criminally underrated British psychedelic pop classic gets a limited edition re-issue, in a plush gatefold sleeve with bonus tracks, on Berlin’s independent label, Vollwert. Originally released on Creation Records more than two decades ago, Love is Forever still has the ability to send shivers down spines. There is generally very little known about Biff Bang Pow!, although some of its former members carved names for themselves after the group’s demise in the early ‘90s. Lead singer & guitarist, Alan McGee became a household name for signing Oasis to Creation Records, the label he started with his fellow-band member and guitarist, Richard Green in the early ‘80s. Green now runs Wichita Recordings, home of The Cribs and First Aid Kit. Philip King, bass-player on this album went on to join Lush, who enjoyed moderate chart success in the ‘90s. More recently, he played bass for the reformed Jesus and Mary Chain. McGee was so busy launching the careers of Creation bands such as Primal Scream, The Boo Radleys and Ride that he played down his own genius. He had a gift for building on his ‘60s influences to craft songs with power and depth. This is the fourth of six incredible albums Biff Bang Pow! recorded for Creation, each capturing a different mood. The reverb-soaked Love is Forever is arguably their finest, showing them as creators of beautiful, dark and yet joyous songs. Pure genius: the perfect album.
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Words: Arash Torabi
