Music from Meeksville

After going on a Joe Meek kick in the 90's, I decided to once again jump into the world of Meek compilations. So off I went to Vintage Sounds to see what I could find.

I initially read about Joe Meek Freakbeat: You're Holding Me Down: 30 Freakbeat, Mod and R & B Nuggets [Castle CMQCD1415] and thought it sounded interesting, but like many, I was dismissive of Meek's forays with the beat groups. It seemed to me that his later productions lacked the stylistic quirks of his earlier and better known hits. Try as I might, every spin of RGM Rarities Vol 2: The Beat Group era went in one ear and out the other. Freakbeat, however, made a good case for reassessment as it is better organized with a stronger selection of tracks than the earlier RGM collection. Standouts include The Buzz's You're Holding Me Down, The Syndicats (featuring a young Steve Howe) have a couple of stompers, and an outstanding track from Tornadoes '66: No More You and Me. Thirty tracks in total with liner notes and photos. It's good place to start if you are interested in rock, but not Meek's teen idol and pop productions.

My second purchase was the budget double set Telstar: The Hits of Joe Meek [Castle Pulse PDSCD 651]. It has a couple of obvious hits by The Tornados, John Leyton, Heinz and The Riot Squad, all of which have appeared on other sets, but it does include a couple of new cuts not previously familiar, at least to me: The Athenians' Bouzoukis and a number of doubleplusgood instros from The Tornados: Robot, Globetrotter and of course the obligatory Telstar. But there are some duds, the unintentionally hilarious and overwrought Garden of Eden by Gary Miller, and the Vegas-lite of Betty Miller's The Next Train Out of Town. Not the best inroduction to Meek, but at $10.99 the price is right.

Still the best place for a Meek introduction/overview is the out of print It's Hard to Believe It: The Amazing World of Joe Meek [Razor and Tie], but The Alchemist of Pop: Home Made Hits and Rarities 1959-1966 [Castle Music]would do in a pinch.