Examine individual changes

'{{Other people}} {{More citations needed|date=February 2016}} {{Use British English|date=August 2014}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2017}} {{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians --> | name = Joe Meek | image = Joe Meek historic.jpg | caption = Meek at his home recording studio, c. 1960s | image_size = <!-- Only for images narrower than 220 pixels --> | background = non_performing_personnel | birth_name = Robert George Meek | alias = Robert Duke, Peter Jacobs | birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1929|4|5}} | birth_place = [[Newent]], Gloucestershire, England | death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1967|2|3|1929|4|5}} | death_place = London, England | genre = {{flatlist| *[[Experimental pop]]{{sfn|Brend|2005|p=55}} *{{nowrap|[[space age pop]]}}<ref name="Savage2006"/> *{{nowrap|[[rock and roll]]}}<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/joe-meek-and-telstars-tragic-tale-1670448.html|title=Joe Meek and Telstar's tragic tale|date=18 April 2009|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|accessdate=19 December 2017}}</ref> *[[outsider music|outsider]]<ref>{{cite book|last=Chusid|first=Irwin|title=Songs in the Key of Z: The Curious Universe of Outsider Music|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fydjCgAAQBAJ&pg=PR15|year=2000|publisher=Chicago Review Press|isbn=978-1-55652-372-4|ref=harv|authorlink=Irwin Chusid}}</ref>}}| occupation = Record producer, sound engineer, songwriter | years_active = 1954–1967 | label = UK: [[Triumph Records (UK)|Triumph]] (co-owner), [[Pye Records|Pye Nixa, Piccadilly]], [[Decca Records|Decca]], [[Ember Records (UK label)|Ember]], [[Oriole Records (UK)|Oriole]], [[Columbia Graphophone Company|Columbia]], [[Rank Organisation|Top Rank]], [[HMV]], [[Parlophone]]<br />USA: [[Tower Records (record label)|Tower]], [[London Records|London]], [[Coral Records|Coral]] | associated_acts = | website = {{url|http://www.joemeek.com/|Joe Meek}} }} '''Robert George '''"'''Joe'''"''' Meek''' (5 April 1929 – 3 February 1967)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nndb.com/people/592/000114250/ |title=Joe Meek |publisher=Nndb.com |date=3 February 1967 |accessdate=27 October 2011}}</ref> was an English record producer, sound engineer and songwriter who pioneered [[space age pop|space age]] and [[experimental pop]] music. He also assisted the development of recording practices like [[overdubbing]], [[sampling (music)|sampling]] and [[reverb]].<ref>{{cite web|author1=Fact|title=Joe Meek’s experimental pop classic I Hear A New World gets expanded reissue|url=http://www.factmag.com/2013/02/28/joe-meeks-experimental-pop-classic-i-hear-a-new-world-gets-expanded-reissue/|website=[[Fact (UK magazine)|Fact]]|date=28 February 2013}}</ref> Meek is considered one of the most influential sound engineers of all time, being one of the first to develop ideas such as the [[recording studio as an instrument]], and becoming one of the first producers to be recognized for his [[auteur|individual identity as an artist]].<ref name="tmtpat2013">{{cite web|last1=Patrick|first1=Jonathan|title=Joe Meek’s pop masterpiece I Hear a New World gets the chance to haunt a whole new generation of audiophile geeks|url=http://www.tinymixtapes.com/news/joe-meeks-pop-masterpiece-i-hear-a-new-world-gets-the-chance-to-haunt-a-whole-new-generation-of|website=[[Tiny Mix Tapes]]|date=8 March 2013}}</ref> Meek's charting singles he produced for other artists include "[[Johnny Remember Me]]" ([[John Leyton]], 1961), "[[Just Like Eddie]]" ([[Heinz Burt|Heinz]], 1963), "Angela Jones" ([[Michael Cox (singer)|Michael Cox]], 1963), "[[Have I the Right?]]" ([[the Honeycombs]], 1964), and "[[Mike Berry (actor)|Tribute to Buddy Holly]]" ([[Mike Berry (actor)|Mike Berry]], 1961). [[The Tornados]]' instrumental [[Telstar (song)|"Telstar"]] (1962), written and produced by Meek, became the first record by a British [[Rock music|rock]] group to reach number one in the [[Billboard Hot 100|US Hot 100]].<ref name="Perone2009">{{cite book|author=James E. Perone|title=Mods, Rockers, and the Music of the British Invasion|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S5UbIgKdAS4C&pg=PA72|year=2009|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0-275-99860-8|pages=72–}}</ref> It also spent five weeks at number one in the UK singles chart, with Meek receiving an [[Ivor Novello Awards|Ivor Novello Award]] for this production as the "Best-Selling A-Side" of 1962. He also produced music for films such as ''[[Live It Up! (film)|Live It Up!]]'' (US title ''Sing and Swing'', 1963), a pop music film. Meek's [[concept album]] ''[[I Hear a New World]]'' (1960), which contains innovative use of electronic sounds, was not fully released in his lifetime. His reputation for experiments in recording music was acknowledged by the [[Music Producers Guild]] who in 2009 created "The Joe Meek Award for Innovation in Production" as an "homage to [the] remarkable producer's pioneering spirit".<ref name="mpg">{{cite web|url=http://www.audioprointernational.com/news/968/Brian-Eno-wins-the-first-Joe-Meek-award |title=Brian Eno wins the first Joe Meek award |publisher=Audioprointernational.com |accessdate=27 October 2009 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090131074922/http://www.audioprointernational.com/news/968/Brian-Eno-wins-the-first-Joe-Meek-award |archivedate=31 January 2009 }}</ref> In 2014, Meek was ranked the greatest producer of all time by ''[[NME]]'', elaborating: "Meek was a complete trailblazer, attempting endless new ideas in his search for the perfect sound. ... The legacy of his endless experimentation is writ large over most of your favourite music today."<ref>{{cite web|author=Joe Meek |url=http://www.nme.com/list/the-50-greatest-producers-ever/262849/article/265277 |title=The 50 Greatest Producers Ever &#124; No. 1 Joe Meek |publisher=Nme.Com |date=23 July 2014 |accessdate=1 August 2014}}</ref> At the time of his death, Meek possessed thousands of unreleased recordings later dubbed "The Tea Chest Tapes". His commercial success as a producer was short-lived, and he gradually sank into debt and [[Major depressive disorder|depression]]. On 3 February 1967, using a [[shotgun]] owned by musician [[Heinz Burt]], Meek killed his landlady Violet Shenton and then shot himself. ==Biography== TOBY IS A NIGGA ===Childhood and early careers=== {{unreferenced section|date=March 2016}} Meek was born at 1 Market Square, [[Newent]], Gloucestershire, and developed an interest in electronics and performance art at a very early age, filling his parents' garden shed with begged and borrowed electronic components, building circuits, radios and what is believed to be the region's first working television. During his [[national service]] in the [[Royal Air Force]], he worked as a [[radar]] technician which increased his interest in electronics and outer space. From 1953 he worked for the [[Midlands Electricity Board]]. He used the resources of the company to develop his interest in electronics and music production, including acquiring a disc cutter and producing his first record. He left the electricity board to work as an [[audio engineer]] for a leading independent radio production company which made programmes for [[Radio Luxembourg (English)|Radio Luxembourg]], and made his breakthrough with his work on [[Ivy Benson]]'s ''Music for Lonely Lovers''. His technical ingenuity was first shown on the [[Humphrey Lyttelton]] jazz single "[[Bad Penny Blues]]" ([[Parlophone Records]], 1956) when, contrary to Lyttelton's wishes, Meek 'modified' the sound of the piano and compressed the sound to a greater than normal extent. The record became a hit. He then put enormous effort into [[Denis Preston]]'s Landsdowne Studio but tensions between Preston and Meek soon saw Meek leaving. During his time he recorded US actor [[George Chakiris]] for SAGA Records and it was this that led him to Major Wilfred Alonzo Banks and an independent career. He also engineered many jazz and calypso records including vocalist and percussionist [[Frank Holder (musician)|Frank Holder]] and band leader [[Kenny Graham (musician)|Kenny Graham]]. In January 1960, together with [[William Barrington-Coupe]], Meek founded [[Triumph Records (UK)|Triumph Records]]. At the time Barrington-Coupe was working at SAGA records in Empire Yard, Holloway Road for Major Wilfred Alonzo Banks and it was the Major who provided the finance. The label very nearly had a No.1 hit with Meek's production of "Angela Jones" by [[Michael Cox (singer)|Michael Cox]]. Cox was one of the featured singers on [[Jack Good (producer)|Jack Good's]] TV music show ''[[Boy Meets Girls|Boy Meets Girl]]'' and the song was given massive promotion. As an independent label, Triumph was dependent on small pressing plants, which were unable to meet the demand for product. The record made a respectable appearance in the Top Ten, but it demonstrated that Meek needed the distribution network of the major companies for his records to reach retail outlets. Its indifferent business results and Meek's temperament eventually led to the label's demise. Meek later licensed many Triumph recordings to labels such as [[Rank Organisation|Top Rank]] and [[Pye Records|Pye]]. That year Meek conceived, wrote and produced an "Outer Space Music Fantasy"' an Album ''[[I Hear A New World]]'' with a band called Rod Freeman & the Blue Men. The album was shelved for decades, apart from the release of some EP tracks taken from it. ===304 Holloway Road=== {{Listen |filename = Telstar.ogg |title = The Tornadoes – "Telstar" (1962) |description = "Telstar" featured a [[clavioline]], a keyboard instrument with a distinctive electronic sound. The piece won an [[Ivor Novello Award]] and sold over five million copies worldwide.}} Meek went on to set up his own production company known as RGM Sound Ltd (later Meeksville Sound Ltd) with toy importer Major Wilfred Alonzo Banks as his financial backer. He operated from his home studio which he constructed at 304 [[Holloway Road]], [[Islington]], a three-floor flat above a leather-goods store. His first hit from Holloway Road reached No.1 in the UK: [[John Leyton]]'s "[[Johnny Remember Me]]" (1961) written by [[Geoff Goddard]]. This "death ditty" was cleverly promoted by Leyton's manager, expatriate Australian entrepreneur [[Robert Stigwood]]. Stigwood was able to gain Leyton a booking to perform the song several times in an episode of ''Harpers West One'', a short-lived [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] soap opera<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0161152/|title=''Harpers West One (TV Series 1961–1963)'', IMDb, Undated|website=IMDb.com|accessdate=27 September 2014}}</ref> in which he was making a guest appearance. Meek's third UK No.1 and last major success was with [[the Honeycombs]]' "[[Have I the Right?]]" in 1964, which also became a number 5 hit on the American ''[[Billboard magazine|Billboard]]'' pop charts. The success of Leyton's recordings was instrumental in establishing Stigwood and Meek as two of Britain's first independent record producers. When his landlords, who lived downstairs, felt that the noise was too much, they would indicate so with a broom on the ceiling. Joe would signal his contempt by placing loudspeakers in the stairwell and turning up the volume. A privately manufactured "black plaque" (designed to ape the official [[blue plaque]]) has since been placed at the location of the studio to commemorate Meek's life and work.<ref>{{openplaque|1755}}</ref> Meek heard many up and coming bands and artists over his career, some of which he didn't see any potential for. After [[Brian Epstein]] asked his opinion of [[the Beatles]]' demo tape, Meek told him not to bother signing them. On another occasion he signed a band on the condition that they get rid of their lead singer: a 16-year-old [[Rod Stewart]]. ===Personal life=== Meek became fascinated with the idea of communicating with the dead. He would set up tape machines in graveyards in an attempt to record voices from beyond the grave, in one instance capturing the meows of a cat he believed was speaking in human tones, asking for help. In particular, he had an obsession with [[Buddy Holly]] (saying the late American rocker had communicated with him in dreams).<ref>{{Citation|last=WowtownTV|title=Joe Meek Warns Buddy Holly - Thomas Truax|date=2016-02-01|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mX0snoZpmI|accessdate=2017-12-05}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://97x.com/the-day-the-music-died-and-the-curse-of-buddy-holly/|title=The Day the Music Died and The Curse of Buddy Holly|website=97X|access-date=2017-12-05}}</ref> By the end of his career, Meek's fascination with these topics had taken over his life following the deterioration in his mental health, and he started to believe that his flat contained poltergeists, that aliens were substituting his speech by controlling his mind, and that photographs in his studio were trying to communicate with him.<ref name=":1" /> Meek was affected by [[bipolar disorder]]<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/local-news/not-a-meek-and-mild-story-922611|title=Not a meek and mild story...|last=News|first=Manchester Evening|date=2009-06-25|work=men|access-date=2018-10-13}}</ref> and [[schizophrenia]],<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/theatre-news/morans-meek-tale-set-go-1059978|title=Moran's Meek tale set go large|last=News|first=Manchester Evening|date=2005-06-30|work=men|access-date=2018-10-13}}</ref> and upon receiving an apparently innocent phone call from American record producer [[Phil Spector]], Meek immediately accused Spector of stealing his ideas before hanging up angrily.<ref>BBC Music Moguls, part 2, Melody Makers</ref> His professional efforts were often hindered by his [[paranoia]] (Meek was convinced that [[Decca Records]] would put hidden microphones behind his wallpaper to steal his ideas), depression, and extreme mood swings.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/958506647|title=Joe Meek's Bold Techniques.|last=Barry.|first=Cleveland,|date=2001|publisher=BookBaby|isbn=9780692368589|oclc=958506647}}</ref> In later years, Meek started experiencing psychotic delusions, culminating in Meek refusing to use the studio telephone for important communications due to his belief that his landlady was eavesdropping on his calls through the chimney, his belief that he could control the minds of others with his recording equipment, and that he could monitor his acts while away from the studio through supernatural means.<ref name=":1" /> Meek was also a frequent recreational drug user, with his [[Barbiturate dependence|barbiturate abuse]] further worsening his depressive episodes.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/60093592|title=The legendary Joe Meek : the Telstar man|last=1952-|first=Repsch, John,|date=1989|publisher=Woodford House|isbn=0951473808|location=London|oclc=60093592}}</ref> In addition, his heavy consumption of [[Substituted amphetamine|amphetamines]] caused him to fly into volatile rages with little or no provocation,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/feb/07/popandrock.musicdocumentary|title=Alexis Petridis on the original crazed record producer Joe Meek|last=Petridis|first=Alexis|date=2007-02-07|website=the Guardian|language=en|access-date=2018-10-13}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/artists/joe-meek-and-the-tragic-demise-of-the-maverick-who-revolutionise/|title=Joe Meek and the tragic demise of the maverick who revolutionised British pop|last=Gritten|first=David|date=2016-10-01|work=The Telegraph|access-date=2018-10-13|language=en-GB|issn=0307-1235}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/920852005|title=Great British eccentrics|last=(Steven),|first=Tucker, S. D.|isbn=9781445647708|location=Stroud, Gloucestershire|oclc=920852005}}</ref> at one point leading him to hold a gun to the head of drummer [[Mitch Mitchell]] to 'inspire' a high-quality performance.<ref name=":2" /> Meek's [[homosexuality]] – at a time when homosexual acts were illegal in the UK – put him under further pressure, and he was particularly afraid that his mother would find out about his sexual orientation.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/958506647|title=Joe Meek's Bold Techniques.|last=Barry.|first=Cleveland,|date=2001|publisher=BookBaby|isbn=9780692368589|oclc=958506647}}</ref> In 1963 he was convicted and fined £15 ({{Inflation|UK|15|1963|fmt=eq|cursign=£}}){{Inflation-fn|UK|df=y}} for "[[cottaging|importuning for immoral purposes]]" in a London [[public toilet]], and was consequently subject to [[blackmail]].<ref>{{cite book | title=Bizarrism | author=Chris Mikul | publisher=Critical Vision | year=1999 | isbn=1-900486-06-7 | page=111 }}</ref> In January 1967, police in [[Tattingstone]], Suffolk, discovered two suitcases containing [[Murder_of_Bernard_Oliver|mutilated body parts of Bernard Oliver]]. According to some accounts, Meek was afraid of being questioned by the [[Metropolitan Police Service|Metropolitan Police]],<ref>{{cite book|last=Fry|first=Colin|url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=jPtx95MScmsC&pg=PT93|title=The Krays: A Violent Business|publisher=Mainstream|location=Edinburgh|year=2011|page=93}}</ref> as it was known they were intending to interview all of the gay men in London.<ref>{{cite book|last=Bondeson|first=Jan|url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Ch38AwAAQBAJ&pg=PP362|title=Murder Houses of London|location=Stroud, Gloucs|publisher=Amberley Publishing|year=2014|page=362}}</ref> This was enough for him to lose his self-control.<ref name="Savage2006">{{cite news|last=Savage|first=Jon|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2006/nov/12/popandrock28|title=Meek by name, wild by nature|newspaper=[[The Observer]]|date=12 November 2006|accessdate=8 March 2016}}</ref> Meek always walked everywhere outside the studio wearing sunglasses, fearing recognition by local gangsters such as the [[Kray twins]], who he feared would attempt to steal his acts or blackmail him regarding his homosexuality.<ref name=":1" /> Meek's depression deepened as his financial position became increasingly desperate. French composer Jean Ledrut accused him of [[plagiarism]], claiming that the melody of "Telstar" had been copied from "La Marche d'Austerlitz", a piece from a score Ledrut had written for the 1960 film ''[[Austerlitz (film)|Austerlitz]]''. The [[lawsuit]] meant that Meek did not receive [[royalties]] from the record during his lifetime, and the issue was not resolved in his favour until three weeks after his death in 1967.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/10149111/Roger-LaVern.html | location=London | newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] | title=Roger LaVern | date=28 June 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01ndm4t | title=Telstar - The Sound of the Future | work=[[BBC Radio 2]]| accessdate=3 January 2016}}</ref> ===Murder and suicide=== On 3 February 1967,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/music/106225/Joe-Meek-Tragic-demise-of-a-gifted-musical-maverick |title=Joe Meek: Tragic demise of a gifted musical maverick |date=7 June 2009 |publisher=Sunday Express |accessdate=4 February 2017}}</ref> Meek killed his landlady Violet Shenton and then himself<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sbindependent.org/node/2540|title=Genius or Insanity? The Mind of Joe Meek|last=Abbas|first=Maha|publisher=Stony Brook Independent|date=6 November 2008|accessdate=2 June 2009|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090226033540/http://www.sbindependent.org/node/2540|archivedate=26 February 2009|df=dmy-all}}</ref> with a single-barrelled shotgun that he had confiscated from his protégé, former [[The Tornados|Tornados]] bassist and solo star Heinz Burt, at his Holloway Road home/studio. Meek had flown into a rage and taken the gun from Burt when he informed Meek that he had used it while on tour to shoot birds. Meek had kept the gun under his bed, along with some cartridges. As the shotgun had been owned by Burt, he was questioned intensively by police before being eliminated from their enquiries. Meek was subsequently buried at Newent Cemetery, [[Newent]], Gloucestershire. His black granite tombstone can be found near the middle of the cemetery. ==Legacy== {{original research|date=February 2016}} ===Recording=== Meeks' inability to play a musical instrument or write [[musical notation|notation]] did not prevent him writing and producing successful commercial recordings. For songwriting he was reliant on musicians such as [[Dave Adams (musician)|Dave Adams]], [[Geoff Goddard]] or Charles Blackwell to transcribe melodies from his vocal "demos". He worked on 245 singles, of which 45 reached the top fifty.{{citation needed|date=February 2016}} He pioneered studio tools such as multiple over-dubbing on one- and two-track machines, close [[Microphone|miking]], [[DI unit|direct input]] of bass guitars, the [[Dynamic range compression|compressor]], and effects like echo and [[Reverberation|reverb]], as well as [[Sampling (music)|sampling]]. Unlike other producers, his search was for the 'right' sound rather than for a catchy musical tune, and throughout his brief career he single-mindedly followed his quest to create a unique "sonic signature" for every record he produced.{{citation needed|date=February 2016}} At a time when many studio engineers were still wearing white coats and assiduously trying to maintain clarity and fidelity, Meek was producing everything on the three floors of his "home" studio and was never afraid to distort or manipulate the sound if it created the effect he was seeking.{{citation needed|date=February 2016}} Meek was one of the first producers to grasp and fully exploit the possibilities of the modern recording studio. His innovative techniques—physically separating instruments, treating instruments and voices with echo and reverb, processing the sound through his fabled home-made electronic devices, the combining of separately-recorded performances and segments into a painstakingly constructed composite recording—comprised a major breakthrough in sound production. Up to that time, the standard technique for pop recording was to record all the performers in one studio, playing together in real time.{{citation needed|date=February 2016}} This was substantially different from that of his contemporary [[Phil Spector]], who typically created his "[[Wall of Sound]]" productions by making live recordings of large ensembles that used multiples of major instruments like bass, guitar, and piano to create the complex sonic backgrounds for his singers.{{citation needed|date=February 2016}} In 1993, former session singer Ted Fletcher introduced the "Joemeek" line of audio processing equipment. The tribute to Meek was due to his influence in the early stages of audio compression. The name and product line were sold to the American company PMI Audio Group in 2003. The current product line includes a microphone series called "Telstar", named after Meek's biggest hit.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.joemeek.com/ |title=Joemeek.com |publisher=Joemeek.com |date= |accessdate=27 October 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://pmiaudio.com/about.html |title=PMI Audio Group |publisher=Pmiaudio.com |date= |accessdate=27 October 2011}}</ref> ==="The Tea Chest Tapes"=== After Meek's death, the thousands of recordings he hid at his studio remained unreleased and preserved by Cliff Cooper of the Millionaires. Subsequent to his suicide in 1967, Cooper is said to have purchased all of Meek's recordings for £300 ({{Inflation|UK|300|1967|fmt=eq|cursign=£}}){{Inflation-fn|UK|df=y}}. These recordings were called the "Tea Chest Tapes" among fans, as they were stored in a [[tea chest]] when Cooper took them out of his flat.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk/forest/headlines/Meek-s-Tea-Chest-Tapes-auctionarticle-305759-details/article.html | title = Meek's 'Tea Chest Tapes' go to auction|website=Thisisgloucestershire.co.uk | accessdate = 26 May 2009}}</ref> Alan Blackburn, former president of the Joe Meek Appreciation Society, catalogued all of them in the mid-1980s.<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/sep/04/joe.meek.master.tapes | title = What's on Joe Meek's master tapes? | accessdate = 26 May 2009 | newspaper=[[The Guardian]] | location=London | first=Chris | last=Cottingham | date=4 September 2008}}</ref> On 4 September 2008 these unreleased recordings were auctioned in Fame Bureau's 'It's More Than Rock 'N' Roll' auction, where they sold for £200,000.{{citation needed|date=November 2012}} They contained over 4,000 hours of music on 1,850 tapes, including recordings by [[David Bowie]] as singer and sax player with the Konrads, Gene Vincent, [[Denny Laine]], [[Billy Fury]], Tom Jones, [[Jimmy Page]], Mike Berry, John Leyton, [[Ritchie Blackmore]], [[Jess Conrad]], [[Mitch Mitchell]] and Screaming Lord Sutch. The tapes also contained many examples of Meek composing songs and experimental sound techniques. Tape 418 has Meek composing songs for the film ''[[Live It Up! (film)|Live It Up!]]''.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/5715376 | title = Joe Meek Archive The entire collection of Joe|website=Liveauctioneers.com | accessdate = 26 May 2009}}</ref> ===Artists produced by Meek=== {{unreferenced section|date=August 2014}} Meek passed up the chance to work with the then unknown [[David Bowie]], [[the Beatles]] (the latter he once described as "just another bunch of noise, copying other people's music") and [[Rod Stewart]]. John Repsch, in ''The Legendary Joe Meek'' recounts that upon hearing Stewart sing, Meek rushed into the studio, put his fingers in his ears and screamed until Stewart had left. He preferred to record instrumentals with the band he sang with – the Moontrekkers. In 1963 Meek worked with a then little-known singer [[Tom Jones (singer)|Tom Jones]], then the lead vocalist of Tommy Scott & the Senators. Meek recorded seven tracks with Jones and took them to various labels in an attempt to get a record deal, with no success. Two years later after Jones' worldwide hit "[[It's Not Unusual]]" in 1965, Meek was able to sell the tapes he had recorded with Jones to Tower (USA) and [[Columbia (EMI)|Columbia]] (UK).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.txhighlands.com/deccalisting1.htm|title=''Tom Jones' Visual Discography'', B.J. Spencer, Undated|publisher=Txhighlands.com|accessdate=27 September 2014|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120428013522/http://www.txhighlands.com/deccalisting1.htm|archivedate=28 April 2012|df=dmy-all}}</ref> {{columns-list|colwidth=20em| * [[Dave Adams (musician)|Dave Adams]] * [[Deke Arlon]] and the Offbeats * The Ambassadors * Chico Arnez * Burr Bailey and the Six Shooters * [[Chris Barber]] * [[Shirley Bassey]] * The Beat Boys * [[Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers]] * [[Mike Berry (actor)|Mike Berry]] * The [[Pete Best]] Four * Pamela Blue * [[The Blue Men]] * The Blue Rondos * The Buzz * The Cameos * [[Carter-Lewis and the Southerners]] * Andy Cavell * [[George Chakiris]] * [[Don Charles]] * The Checkmates * Chris and the Outcasts * [[Neil Christian]] * [[Petula Clark]] * Pat Reader * The Classics * [[Glenda Collins]] * [[Jess Conrad]] * [[Peter Cook (pianist)|Peter Cook]] * [[Michael Cox (singer)|Michael Cox]] * Bobby Cristo and the Rebels * [[The Cryin' Shames]] * Tony Dangerfield and the Thrills * Danny's Passion * [[Billie Davis]] * Alan Dean and his Problems * Ray Dexter and the Layabouts * The Diamond Twins * [[Lonnie Donegan]] * Silas Dooley Jr. * [[Diana Dors]] * The Dowlands * [[The Scorpions (London band)|The Ferridays]] * [[The Flee-Rekkers]] * Flip and the Dateliners * [[Emile Ford]] and the Checkmates * [[Lance Fortune]] * The Four Matadors * [[Billy Fury]] * [[Geoff Goddard]] * Kenny Graham and the Satellites * Iain Gregory * [[Heinz (singer)|Heinz]] and the Wild Boys * [[Chas Hodges]] * Kenny Hollywood * [[The Honeycombs]] * The Hotrods * The Impac * [[Peter Jay and the Jaywalkers]] * David John and the Mood * [[Tom Jones (singer)|Tom Jones]] * Johnny and Chaz and the Gunners * Joy and Dave * Charles Kingsley Creation * Roger LaVern and the Microns * Jamie Lee and the Atlantics * [[John Leyton]] * Peter London * [[Humphrey Lyttelton]] * Malcolm and the Countdowns * The Manish Boys * [[Valerie Masters]] * Jimmy Miller and the Barbecues * The Millionaires * [[The Moontrekkers]] * [[Jennifer Moss (actress)|Jenny Moss]] * [[The Outlaws (UK band)|The Outlaws]] * The Packabeats * [[Mike Preston]] * [[The Puppets]] * [[Donn Reynolds]] * Bobby Rio and the Revelles * [[The Riot Squad]] * Danny Rivers * Kim Roberts * [[The Saints (1960s band)|The Saints]] * [[Clive Sarstedt|Wes Sands]] * [[Mike Sarne]] * The Saxons * Shade Joey and the Night Owls * The Shakeouts * The Sharades * [[Anne Shelton (singer)|Anne Shelton]] * Robb Shenton * Simplicity Pattern * [[Sounds Incorporated]] * [[Freddie Starr]] and the Midnighters * [[Tommy Steele]] * The Stonehenge Men * [[Big Jim Sullivan]] * [[Screaming Lord Sutch]] and the Savages * [[The Syndicats]] * Gerry Temple * Gunilla Thorne * The Thunderbolts * [[The Tornados]] * [[Frankie Vaughan]] * Toby Ventura * [[Gene Vincent]] * [[Rick Wayne|Ricky Wayne]] and the Offbeats * Houston Wells and the Marksmen * Brian White & the Magna Jazz Band * Chris Williams and the Monsters * Yolanda * The Young Ones }} ===Charted singles=== The following Meek productions appeared on the British charts.<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">Brown, Tony, Jon Kutner & Neil Warwick, ''The Complete Book of the British Charts: Singles and Albums'', Omnibus Press, London, 2002</ref><ref> ''Telstar: The Hits of Joe Meek'', Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., London, 2006</ref> {|class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Artist ! Title ! No. ! Date ! Note(s) |- | [[Gary Miller (singer)|Gary Miller]] | "[[The Garden of Eden (song)|The Garden of Eden]]" | 14 | January 1957 | |- | Gary Miller | "[[The Story of My Life (Marty Robbins song)|The Story of My Life]]" | 14 | January 1958 | |- | [[Emile Ford| Emile Ford and the Checkmates]] | "[[What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For?]]" | 1 | October 1959 | |- | [[David MacBeth]] | [[Mr. Blue]] | 18 | October 1959 | |- |[[Lance Fortune]] | "Be Mine" | 4 | February 1960 | |- | Lance Fortune | "This Love I Have For You" | 26 |May 1960 | |- | [[John Leyton]] | "[[Johnny Remember Me]]" | 1 | August 1961 | |- | [[Mike Berry (singer)|Mike Berry]] | "Tribute to Buddy Holly" | 24 | October 1961 |backed by the Outlaws<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums" /> |- | John Leyton | "Wild Wind" | 2 | October 1961 |backed by [[The Outlaws (band)|the Outlaws]]{{sfn|Harrington|2004|p=38}} |- | John Leyton | "Son This Is She" | 40 | March 1962 | |- | John Leyton | "Lonely City" | 14 | May 1962 | |- | [[The Tornados]] | [[Telstar (song)|Telstar]] | 1 | September 1962 |also writer |- | Mike Berry | "Don't You Think It's Time" | 6 | January 1963 | |- | The Tornados | "Globetrotter" | 5 | January 1963 |also writer |- | The Tornados | "Robot" | 17 | March 1963 |also writer |- | The Tornados | "The Ice Cream Man" | 18 | June 1963 |also writer |- | [[Heinz Burt|Heinz]] | "[[Just Like Eddie]]" | 5 | August 1963 | |- | [[The Honeycombs]] | [[Have I the Right?]] | 1 | July 1964 | |- | Heinz | "Diggin' My Potatoes" | 49 | March 1965 | |- | [[The Cryin' Shames]] | [[Please Stay (Burt Bacharach song)|Please Stay]] | 26 | April 1966 | |- |} ==In popular culture== ===Biographies=== In later years, the interest in Meek's life as well as influence on the music industry, has spawned at least two documentary films, a radio play, a stage play and a feature film. *On 8 February 1991, the [[BBC]] showed a 60-minute documentary in its ''Arena'' documentary series, entitled ''The Very Strange Story of... the Legendary Joe Meek''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0324086/combined|title=IMDb: ''"Arena" The Very Strange Story of... The Legendary Joe Meek (1991)''|website=IMDb.com|accessdate=27 September 2014}}</ref> The BBC has since reprised the documentary several times. *On 26 March 1994, [[BBC Radio 4]] broadcast ''Lonely Joe'', a radio play based on the life of Meek, written by Janey Praeger and Peter Kavanagh.<ref>[https://archive.is/20130506003358/http://myiget.net/audio_books/bbc-r4---janie-prager-and-peter-kavanagh-apos-s--apos-lonely-joe-apos---joe-911088.htm] </ref> *On 2 February 2005, ''Telstar'', a stage play about Meek, written by actors [[Nick Moran]] and James Hicks, opened at the [[Cambridge Arts Theatre]] and then toured to [[York]], [[Darlington]], [[Guildford]], [[Eastbourne]] and [[Manchester]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whatsonstage.com/news/theatre/london/E8821106849367/Stars+Tour+Lord+Arthur%2C+Telstar%2C+Arsenic+%26+Old+Lace.html|title=What's on Stage, 4 February 2005: Stars Tour ''Lord Arthur'', ''Telstar'', ''Arsenic & Old Lace''|website=Whatsonstage.com|accessdate=27 September 2014}}</ref> before opening up at the [[Ambassadors Theatre (London)|New Ambassadors Theatre]] in London on 24 June 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whatsonstage.com/news/theatre/london/E8821114089689/Moran%27s+Debut+Play+Telstar+Transfers+to+West+End.html|title=Wat's On Stage, 21 April 2005: Moran's Debut Play ''Telstar'' Transfers to West End|website=Whatsonstage.com|accessdate=27 September 2014}}</ref> *On 12 April 2008, ''[[A Life in the Death of Joe Meek]]'', by US filmmakers [[Howard S. Berger]] and Susan Stahman, was shown as a work-in-progress at the [[Sensoria Music & Film Festival]] in [[Sheffield]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://2009.sensoria.org.uk/2008/film/joemeek.html|title=Sensoria 2008: ''A Life in the Death of Joe Meek''|publisher=2009.sensoria.org.uk|accessdate=27 September 2014|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140521070542/http://2009.sensoria.org.uk/2008/film/joemeek.html|archivedate=21 May 2014|df=dmy-all}}</ref> *On 19 June 2009, a film adaption of Moran's and Hick's play, ''[[Telstar: The Joe Meek Story]]'', premiered in London, directed by Nick Moran and with the star of the play, [[Con O'Neill (actor)|Con O'Neill]], continuing his portrayal of Meek.<ref>{{IMDb title|1068669|Telstar: The Joe Meek Story}}</ref> ===Tributes and references=== A number of artists have made tributes to Meek in various ways: * Franco-English pop singer-songwriter [[MeeK (musician)|MeeK]] chose his stage name as a homage to the British producer. * British punk [[Wreckless Eric]] recounts Meek's life and recreates some of his studio effects in his song "Joe Meek" from the album ''Donovan of Trash''. * [[The Marked Men]], a Texas punk band, have a song titled "Someday" with lyric: "Joe Meek wanted all the world to know about the news he found." * The [[Frank Black]] song "White Noise Maker" deals with Meek's suicide by shotgun, the white noise maker of the title. "It's been so long since my Telstar." * The Bleeder Group, a Danish alternative rock group recorded a song on their second album ''Sunrise'', called "Joe Meek Shall Inherit the Earth" * [[Matmos]], an Electronic duo, have a song on their 2006 album ''The Rose Has Teeth in the Mouth of the Beast'' called "Solo Buttons for Joe Meek". * Pluto Monkey, British left field artist, released a three track CD single on Shifty Disco featuring the tracks "Joe Meek" and "Meeksville Sound Is Dead" * [[Swing Out Sister]] include a short instrumental named "Joe Meek's Cat" on their 1997 album ''Shapes and Patterns'', inspired by Meek's 1966 ghost-hunting expeditions to Warley Lea Farm during which he allegedly captured recordings of a talking cat channelling the spirit of a former landowner who committed suicide at the farm * [[Graham Parker]]'s 1992 album ''Burning Questions'' includes the cryptic "Just Like Joe Meek's Blues" * [[Sheryl Crow]] claimed that her song "[[A Change Would Do You Good]]" was inspired by an article she read about Meek * [[Jonathan King]] recorded a song about Meek called "He Stood in the Bath He Stamped on the Floor".<ref>{{cite web|author= |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbCsq9Rx-yc |title=Video: "He Stood In The Bath He Stamped On The Floor" |publisher=Youtube.com |date=6 January 2007 |accessdate=27 October 2011}}</ref> * Johnny Stage, Danish producer and guitarist released an album in tribute of Meek, entitled ''The Lady with the Crying Eyes'' featuring various Danish artists, on 3 February 2007<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.myspace.com/joemeektribute|title=Myspace: Joe Meek Tribute|website=Myspace.com|accessdate=27 September 2014}}</ref> * [[Dave Stewart (keyboardist)|Dave Stewart]] (the keyboardist) and [[Barbara Gaskin]] recorded the song "Your Lucky Star" dealing with the life and death of Meek, released on the 1991 album "Spin". Dave Stewart also recorded a version of "Telstar" on the occasion of its 40th anniversary in 2002. This was later released on the Dave Stewart and [[Barbara Gaskin]] 2009 mini-album "Hour Moon". The album also features the duo's previously released Meek tribute "Your Lucky Star" from their 1991 album "Spin". * The Spanish label ''Spicnic'' released in 2001 a tribute CD, "Oigo un nuevo no mundo. Homenaje a Joe Meek", featuring various Spanish bands.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spicnic.com/ |title=Spicnic label website |publisher=Spicnic.com |date= |accessdate=27 October 2011}}</ref> * [[Trey Spruance]], from the band [[Mr. Bungle]], has stated that the ten-part song/instrumental "The Bends" from their album ''[[Disco Volante (Mr. Bungle album)|Disco Volante]]'' is inspired by Joe Meek's music. Specifically "[[I Hear a New World]]". * [[Thomas Truax]] regularly performed his Meek tribute "Joe Meek Warns Buddy Holly" on his 2008 tours, a song apparently about Meek's supposed warning via spirit-writing predicting Buddy Holly's death. A single and accompanying video was scheduled for release on 3 February 2009, the 50th anniversary of Holly's demise, also the date of Meek's suicide. * Robb Shenton released "Lonely Joe" as a tribute to the producer on 28 October 2008. Shenton was one of Meek's artists and was with five Meek bands between 1963 and early 1966: The Bobcats, David John and the Mood, the Prestons, the Nashpool and Flip and the Dateliners. He also sang backing vocals with many others. * "Meet Joe Meek" sometimes known as "Just Like Joe Meek" by the Babysitars sampled the BBC 2 ''[[Arena (UK TV series)|Arena]]'' documentary on Meek and their composition "Crazyhead" was said to be inspired by Meek. * In 2004 and 2006 respectively, UK record label Western Star records put together and released two volumes of Meek tributes on CD. These compilations were made up of Western Star artists all paying tribute by recording songs originally recorded or written by Meek. Then in 2012, producer, label boss and long time Meek enthusiast Alan Wilson released "Holloway Road", a song about Meek. This featured on the album ''Infamy'', by his own band The Sharks. * In 2005, Cane 141 released a B-Side called "Joe Meek Shall Inherit The Earth". ==References== {{Reflist|30em}} ==Bibliography== * {{cite book|ref=harv|last=Brend|first=Mark|title=Strange Sounds: Offbeat Instruments and Sonic Experiments in Pop|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m6KRDxYOp4UC&pg=PT58|year=2005|publisher=Backbeat|isbn=978-0-87930-855-1}} ==Further reading== * John Repsch: ''The Legendary Joe Meek'' (UK; 1989, July 2003) {{ISBN|1-901447-20-0}} * Barry Cleveland: ''Creative Music Production – Joe Meek's BOLD Techniques'' (USA; July 2001) {{ISBN|1-931140-08-1}} * Barry Cleveland: ''Joe Meek's BOLD Techniques, 2nd Edition'' (USA; December 2013) {{ISBN|978-0-615-73600-6}} * The penultimate chapter of [[Alan Moore]]'s spoken word piece "[[The Moon and Serpent Grand Egyptian Theatre of Marvels|The Highbury Working]]" concerns Meek's last moments. * Mallory Curley: ''Beatle Pete, Time Traveller'' (Randy Press, 2005) * Jon Savage: "Meek by name, wild by nature" (The Guardian, UK, 12 November, 2006.) ==External links== * [http://www.bbc.co.uk/gloucestershire/content/articles/2007/01/05/joe_meek_feature.shtml BBC Music Profile: Joe Meek] * {{IMDb name|0576089|Joe Meek}} * {{Discogs artist}} {{Electronic rock}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Meek, Joe}} [[Category:20th-century English criminals]] [[Category:Criminals from Gloucestershire]] [[Category:Murderers who committed suicide]] [[Category:People from Newent]] [[Category:Musicians from Gloucestershire]] [[Category:English audio engineers]] [[Category:English songwriters]] [[Category:English record producers]] [[Category:Gay musicians]] [[Category:LGBT musicians from England]] [[Category:Male murderers]] [[Category:Male suicides]] [[Category:People prosecuted under anti-homosexuality laws]] [[Category:Producers who committed suicide]] [[Category:Suicides by firearm in England]] [[Category:Ivor Novello Award winners]] [[Category:1929 births]] [[Category:1967 deaths]] [[Category:RPM Records (United States) artists]] [[Category:Burials in Gloucestershire]] [[Category:20th-century English musicians]] [[Category:Murder–suicides in the United Kingdom]] [[Category:LGBT producers]] [[Category:Experimental pop musicians]] [[Category:Outsider musicians]]'