Album review: JOE MEEK’S TEA CHEST TAPES – From Taboo To Telstar (3CD Anthology)

Cherry Red [Release date 16.08.24]

Legendary British Music producer, Joe Meek, cut his electronics’ teeth in the 1950s, operating and maintaining the complexities of the RAF’s radar equipment.

His transition to recording studio maestro led to a groundbreaking series of record releases from the years 1962 to 1966. The fact that his studio was his living room, kitchen, hall and bathroom is well documented online.

Meek took DIY music recording to a new level, inventing techniques that were initially derided, eventually becoming common practice.

This anthology is an ambitious, indeed commendable step by UK label, Cherry Red, in anthologising Meeks considerable body of work chronologically, year by year.

“The Joe Meek” movie (2009) was described in the UK press as a “dizzying whirl of sex, drugs and rock’n’roll”.

We can’t quite paint that picture, so we’ll just focus on the music.

We begin in 1962. It was different then. Publicity was hard to come by. Pop music didn’t have a multiplicity of radio stations waiting for the next big release. Post-war pop was still very much finding its way.

Meek had an aptitude for discovering talent. In the previous year he had produced two massive selling hits for John Leyton, ‘Johnny Remember Me’ and ‘Wild Wind’. Both written by another Meek protege, Geoff Goddard (Goddard and Ray Dexter – artists in their own right – were Meek’s “go to” songwriters). Leyton’s less high flying hit singles (both top 40), ‘Lonely City’ and ‘Lone Rider’, are here.

He was backed by talented UK band, The Outlaws, who had some UK chart success as Mike Berry’s backing band. Both have been given significant airtime, deservedly, in this anthology.

And of course, The Tornados and ‘Telstar’, a worldwide phenomenon, a 5 million selling no.1 hit in the UK and the USA.

Written and produced by Meek, it was the apotheosis of his songwriting talent and DIY studio prowess.

Two different versions are here.

And for those who think Meek’s success was confined to Leyton and The Tornados, there are many here whose single releases hit the charts a glancing blow, like Billie Davis, Cliff Bennett and The Rebel Rousers, Peter Jay and The Jaywalkers, Danny Rivers, Neil Christian and Michael Cox (in fact, Cox had two Top Forty hits in the early sixties).

These artists might just scrape into “household names” category back then. Equally, many still resonate today with anyone who has an interest in UK Pop history.

What might catch the eye of afficionados are the many previously unreleased songs, spread across these 3 discs, from Meeks’ musical family.

As is the way of things, Meek’s personal life cast a shadow over his unique abilities as a writer and producer.

His music should have been nothing less than a cause for celebration.

This Anthology goes a long way to confirming that. ***

Review by Brian McGowan

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