Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Who is Joe Meek and what is that strange sound?



Over the years I've heard the name Joe Meek over and over, mostly in reference to guitar effects pedals. The reputation the name evoked was high but I never thought further about who he was until recently when I discovered that he wrote and produced the fabulous 1962 single "Telstar" by the Tornados and also produced the 1964 British Invasion group The Honeycombs' song, "Have I The Right".

After further investigation I discovered that Joe Meek was considered to be on par with Phil Spector in England, with a reputation for strange behavior and even stranger records which he produced bucking British recording industry conventions by having his own "home" studio, and making enemies in the process.

The record that "made his reputation" in England was a song written for a television actor called John Leyton who became a pop sensation with "Johnny Remember Me".


If you are interested, download the BBC Documentary called
"The Strange Story of Joe Meek" here! (be patient, it's a LARGE FILE!)

Also, check out this article by Lenny Kaye for more inside info on the stange sounds of Joe Meek.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I've been lookin for "I Hear A New World" for years! Thankyou thankyou thankyou for sharing it!~ Also for the Documentary, a little dry in spots (BBC after all) but VERY informative. I never knew he was so obsessed with Buddy Holly and killing himself on the anniversary of his death, strange....