Screaming Lord Sutch and The Savages, The Tornados, The Honeycombs, The Syndicats, The Buzz, Mike Berry, The Outlaws, The Moontrekkers, Gene Vincent, Billy Fury, David John and The Mood, John Leyton, Geoff Goddard, Petula Clark, Lonnie Donegan, Humphrey Lyttelton, Diana Dors, Hayley Mills, The Blue Men, Tom Jones, Tony Dangerfield and the Thrills, Heinz and The Wild Boys, Dave Adams, Joy and Dave, Chico Arnez, Jimmy Miller and the Barbeques, Mike Preston, Emile Ford and the Checkmates, Chris Williams and the Monsters, Lance Fortune, Peter Jay and the Jaywalkers, Yolanda, Big Jim Sullivan, Ricky Wayne, George Chakiris, Michael Cox, Frankie Vaughan, Iain Gregory, Danny Rivers, Gerry Temple, Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers, The Charles Blackwell Orchestra, Don Charles, The Stonehenge Men, Andy Cavell, The Dowlands, Houston Wells and the Marksmen, The Packabeats, Jenny Moss, Burr Bailey and the Six Shooters, The Checkmates, The Saints, The Cameos, Sounds Incorporated, The Puppets, The Beat Boys, Mike Sarne, The Ambassadors, Pamela Blue, Glenda Collins, The Sharades, Roger LaVern and the Microns, Gene Pitney, Gunilla Thorne, Kim Roberts, Billie Davis, Freddie Starr and the Midnighters, Shade Joey and the Night Owls, Flip and the Dateliners, Valerie Masters, Alan Dean and His Problems, The Blue Rondos, Peter Cook, Jess Conrad, The Saxons, The Shakeouts, Bobby Rio and The Revelles, Peter London, The Four Matadors, The Cryin' Shames, The Riot Squad, The Millionaires, The Impac, Shirley Bassey, Anne Shelton, Kenny Graham and The Satellites, Tommy Steele, Chris Barber, The Fabulous Flee-Rakkers, Carter-Lewis and The Southerners, Brian White & The Magna Jazz Band, The Scorpions, Ray Dexter and The Layabouts, Neil Christian, Kenny Hollywood, Jamie Lee and The Atlantics, Toby Ventura, Wes Sands, The Thunderbolts, Silas Dooley Jr., Bobby Cristo and The Rebels, Malcolm and The Countdowns, The Diamond Twins, The Hotrods, Charles Kingsley Creation and Joe Meek himself...
Great article on Joe and our documentary in the January 2008 (Vol.2, Issue 57) issue of DAZED AND CONFUSED!
A Life In The Death Of JOE MEEK
This feature documentary chronicles the rise, fall and resurrection of Joe Meek, Britain's first independent pop record producer. It explores how Joe, due in equal measures to his pioneering DIY recording techniques, hit-making philosophy and a life full of social, psychological and sexual hardships, managed to leave an indelible stamp – over 40 years after his tragic death -- not just on the recording industry, but on modern pop culture as well.
“Joe Meek has two legends. One is his own life, which was a bit fragmented and quite sad and would make a very good movie story and the other really is he was a totally innovative producer.”
-Simon Napier-Bell, Manager of The Yardbirds and Author of "Black Vinyl, White Powder"
Joe was born in the small country town of Newent, England in 1929. Growing up he didn’t quite fit in with his rough and ready brothers, “Joe was an indoor boy”, “times were rough”. Joe had to pitch in with the family’s cherry orchard, although he would have much rather been “tinkering with his electrical goods” in his shed. Joe was obsessed with all things technical, even going so far as to build the first TV set in Newent. He collected old gramophones and records and set up what might have been “the first mobile disco in the UK”, amplifying the music at all the local dancehalls and church fetes. “Exhausting what he could do locally”, Joe soon “made the plunge and moved to London” to further his interest in recording.
It didn’t take long for Joe to become one of most requested recording engineers at IBC and Lansdowne Studios, fashioning top hits for Humphrey Lyttelton, Chris Barber, Lonnie Donegan, Acker Bilk, Diana Dors, Hayley Mills and Petula Clark. But Joe’s successes were marred by his reputation for being a maverick. He didn’t just capture the sounds that were being played in the studio; he altered them, which went against every rule of recording at that time. Joe often butted heads with IBC General Manager Allen Stagg - “Joe was a monster if he didn’t get his way” and in the end he decided to break away and set up his own recording studio in his apartment. This was nothing new for Joe; he had been feverishly recording at home in Arundel Gardens at night while working at the studios by day. In fact, around 1959 he recorded a “stereo space concept album” called “I Hear A New World”. It still baffles the experts on how the “stereo” aspects were achieved as the technology was scarcely used.
Joe was happy with his new set-up at 304 Holloway Road in North London, he could put as much compression on the records as he wanted but Abbey Road it wasn’t - “it looked like your grandfather’s shed”, “it was a bit of a dump really”, “I thought this is a bit Mickey Mouse, how the devil does anybody record here?” Despite this, Joe went on to write and produce many top 5 hit songs by artists such as John Leyton, The Honeycombs and The Tornados whose “Telstar” went to number 1 in the US in 1962, a first for a British group.
Joe’s studio became the place for young musicians to break in during the early to mid 1960’s and Jimmy Page, Rod Stewart, David Bowie, Tom Jones, Steve Howe and Ritchie Blackmore all passed through 304 at one time with various results!
Joe truly became the first independent pop producer by recording the songs his way and then leasing them to the record labels. But it wasn’t easy for Joe who was “the worst businessman in the world", "he had no value for money".
However by far Joe’s biggest struggle was with himself and his deteriorating mental condition. Coping with being gay at a time when it was illegal took its toll on him especially after being arrested and fueled his already present paranoia. He was known to have a short, violent temper which was enhanced no doubt by his reliance on pill popping -- and his obsession with the cosmos and the occult "he was kind of tuning into the music of the spheres – of some world out there in space or beyond the grave – that ethereality of his world,” as crime author Jake Arnott puts it, led to some very strange occurrences and imaginative recordings.
On February 3rd, 1967 (ironically 8 years to the day of the death of Joe's idol, Buddy Holly) Joe accidentally shot his landlady, Mrs. Violet Shenton, and then turned the gun on himself, according to the only witness, Patrick Pink. A senseless end to a brilliant and still-promising career.
Forty years after this tragedy, Joe Meek continues to fascinate, inspire and influence not only generation after generation of musicians, record producers and recording engineers, but also anyone in search of the independent spirit.
Some of the people we’ve interviewed are Joe's family, friends and colleagues at IBC and Lansdowne Studios, musicians Joe recorded including members of The Tornados (Clem Cattini, Roger LaVern, Roger and Peter Holder, Dave Watts, Rob Huxley), The Honeycombs (Anne and John Lantree, Dennis D'ell), The Syndicats (Steve Howe), The Blue Men (Dave Golding, Doug Collins), The Outlaws (Chas Hodges, Reg Hawkins, Billy Kuy, Bobby Graham), The Moontrekkers (Gary LePort, Ron Winskill), The Savages (Tony Dangerfield). Also, Big Jim Sullivan, John Leyton, Joy and Dave Adams, David John, Humphrey Lyttelton, Mike Berry, Jason Eddie, Guy and Ted Fletcher, Ricky Winter, Robbie Duke aka Patrick Pink, Meek authors Barry Cleveland, John Repsch and Duncan Eaton, Meek experts Mike Stax, John Cavanagh, Alec Palao, Kim Lowden, Mark Newson and Richie Unterberger and Meek fans Alex Kapranos (Franz Ferdinand), Keith Strickland (The B-52s), Huw Bunford (Super Furry Animals), Edwyn Collins, Graham Parker, Jennifer Gentle, author Jake Arnott, Liam Watson of Toe Rag Studios and the list goes on…
Joe Meek was above all else original, he couldn't help himself! Let's spread the word about this musical pioneer who turned down the Beatles but embraced Lord Sutch! Why? Sutch like Meek were way ahead of their time. The Beatles were still a coverband. I think Meek invented techno and electronic music. The acts he established paved the way for others. Long live Meek's legacy!
