Customer Reviews

It's Hard To Believe It: The Amazing World Of Joe Meek

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If I had to put together a 20 song sampler to introduce the uninitiated to Joe Meek's music, I would include most of the tracks found on this disc. I would leave off a few such as "Hot Chick-a-Roo" which is lame and forgettable. I would also leave off "Paradise Garden" which is amusingly overblown but just not in the first rank of Meek work. I would definitely include "Little Baby" by the Blue Rondos, recognized by ALL Meek freaks as one of his great classics. As much as I love "Something I've Got to Tell You" by Glenda Collins, I would probably favor her "I Left My Heart at the Fairground" for this introductory offering. I would include something by the Flee-Rekkers in preference over one of the instrumentals included here. I would not have included two tracks from "I Hear a New World;" one is sufficient. Famous as he was, Screaming Lord Sutch wasn't much to listen to, so I would have left him off.

So, what is my point? Buy this disc and begin the astonishing journey into the paraworld of Joe Meek, but bear in mind that there is MUCH MORE great stuff out there in this man's prolific catalogue...

Razor & Tie have done a pretty decent job of selecting material, giving the obvious choices for the American market, the stateside hits "Telstar" and "Have I the Right" and the uncontestable classics unknown to the U.S. "Johnny Remember Me" and "Tribute to Buddy Holly." They include one of the underrated Riot Squad sides. They have done a fair job of exhibiting the wide range of music promulgated by Meek's little DIY studio, except for the later mid-60s material which gets a bit of a short shrift here.

Buy this disc and have fun. Joe Meek is the man who got people in the studio to think of doing the things that made records like "Sgt. Pepper" possible.

For other good collections of individual Meek artists, check Amazon's listings for The Outlaws (scroll way down past the entries for the later American group of the same name), The Flee Rekkers, Glenda Collins, Heinz, Michael Cox, Houston Wells, Mike Berry, The Dowlands. Be aware that some of these collections may no longer be available but buy them if you can.

Joe Meek was the most important figure in British music in the 1960's, bar none. Without his innovative recording tecniques, thousands of bands would never have existed. This album contains a tiny fraction of his output, most recorded in his two floor flat on London's Holloway Road, with accoustics often eminating from the bathroom. This is true genius, and individuality, forget the songs, just remember the huge potential this tortured figure unleashed before his tragic death on the anniversary of Buddy Holly's death in 1967. Rest in peace Joe, dreams do come true.

This is THE place to start for those interested in Joe Meek productions. Most Meek productions have a punchy, eerie, haunting quality to them that continues to resonate. Meek's productions were so interesting in themselves that he's able to make the occasional lesser material shine. Joe Meek was no ordinary record producer-he constantly experimented with all aspects of music production.

Incidently, the very first New Wave record production (Though not on this disc) is perhaps Meek's production of "Can't Get Through To You" by The Honeycombs, released as a B-side in 1965. Fascinating.

Joe Meek was an eccentric English record producer. His records reflected his obsessions: outer space, horror movies, Buddy Holly, good looking young men, etc. He produced some great records, but he also managed to produce a lot of lousy records. This CD contains 20 tracks that lean more towards the "great" side. All two of his US hits are here("Telstar" by the Tornados and "Have I the Right" by the Honeycombs). A few of the other songs managed to become UK hits, but most of them flopped. Regardless of that, all the tracks here are at least interesting, and some of them achieve greatness. This is probably the place to start, if you want an introduction to the music of Joe Meek.

Joe Meek was one of the most eccentric characters in modern pop music (and that's saying a lot); a movie should be made of his life. That said, this is a nifty little time capsule to the late 50s-early 60s, and a good introduction to the wacky, spaced-out world of this musician-producer. The liner notes provide plenty of information about the man and the music for the uninitiated, and the songs mostly have simple appeal of low-budget drive-in movies. More fun than finding crashed saucer parts in grampa's backyard bomb shelter.

Joe Meek seems to be quite a character. And this disk seems to do a good job of outlining and telling his story. I really like Razor and Tie disks, and this one is no exception. The notes provided are witty and incredible. I can't say I love every one of his songs, but I can say that I admire and respect the work he did and the boldness he possessed back in the heyday of bubblegum pop rock. He did his own thing. I especially like the Buddy Holly tributes he provides. Recommended, for adventurous types.

The bands themselves here, with a few exceptions, are dated and kitschy. However, the genius of Meek made the songs here sound wonderful. He could take a boring pop song and turn it into a masterpeice utilizing his homemade recording studio. He would add a variety of bizarre effects to the music, such as recording a toilet flushing, and playing it backwards to give it the sound of a rocket launching. Like all geniuses, he was a bit demented. He would often hold seances to try to raise the specter of Buddy Holly. Due to his lack of financial sucess (the song "Telstar" should've made him a millionare, but it got him in a lawsuit with a french musician who claimed he stole the melody from him), he eventually took his own life and his landlady's on February 3rd, 1967, exactly eight days after the death of Buddy Holly. Some people compare him to Phil Spector, and while this is true in some ways, Meek was too unique to be considered a British version of Spector. The true talent of Meek was that he could take a bland teen idol song (such as "My Friend Bobby" or "Johnny Remember Me") and turn it into a masterpeice with the aid of his independent studio. His studio was located in a room in his flat. His biggest hit, the Tornados' "Telstar", was written by him and he picked out all the effects to add in. All of the song's briliance was from Meek (the band themselves hated it). If you can find a used copy, this is a perfect introduction to the world of Meek.

A well-done compilation covering some of the 1960s reclusive British producer/engineer's great work.Haunting and eerie pop and instrumentals are these 20 tracks.Great liner notes take a stab at explaining all this.

I first heard of Joe Meek through a music magazine. At the end of the article it mentioned this cd so i bought it. The article was the thing that drew me to the cd rather than the music first.

Meek was a huge Buddy Holly fan. As others have mentioned he died on the 8th anniversary of Buddy's death, that was after he shot his landlady. He used seances for song ideas, predict accurate chart positions, and predicted holly's death. He was a bit spacey!

He recorded these songs in his apartment! The solo guitar on "telstar" was a backwards flushing toilet with electronically distorted vocals followed by the guitar and out again! Jeff lynne was quoted saying it was the best guitar solo he ever heard, The kind he dreamed of. Joe claims someone from the Dave Clark Five stole his "foot stomp" idea on the song "Have I the right". He was extremely paranoid about others taking his ideas.

Since he was a child he fooled around with electronics. As an adult he brought this attitude into the studio and this cd demonstrates the extreme processing he invented! In fact a company long after his death was inspired to come out with their own line of processors named after him!

This was all pre Sgt. Pepper. He was way ahead of his time and is an inspiration to independent musicians and producers everywhere.

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