Joe Meek & Various Artists: 1962 - From Taboo To Telstar, Hits, Misses, Outtakes, Demos and More, 3CD Clamshell Box

• AN IN-DEPTH EXPLORATION OF JOE MEEK’S 1962 WORK, CULMINATING IN THE GLOBAL HIT ‘TELSTAR’.

• FEATURING JOHN LEYTON, THE TORNADOS, MIKE BERRY, THE OUTLAWS, MICHAEL COX, GEOFF GODDARD, RAY DEXTER AND MORE.

• INCLUDES 52 PREVIOUSLY UNHEARD RECORDINGS – STEREO VERSIONS, ALTERNATE TAKES AND MIXES, DEMOS AND PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED SONGS. WITH A DETAILED CHRONOLOGY, SLEEVENOTES AND TEA CHEST TAPE NOTES.

• ALL MATERIAL TAKEN FROM THE ORIGINAL TAPES AND RESTORED AND MASTERED BY ALAN WILSON AT WESTERN STAR.

In the pre-Beatle era, when British pop was a veritable smorgasbord of genres and musical ideas without a dominant narrative, Joe Meek sampled almost everything on offer. From novelty hits to sound effect laden masterpieces, straight forward pre-beat pop and light instrumentals to cinematic ballads, his work with excellent singers such as JOHN LEYTON and MIKE BERRY, alongside talented writers like GEOFF GODDARD and RAY DEXTER, always carried his signature studio techniques, still years ahead of many major commercial studios.

‘FROM TABOO TO TELSTAR’ is the first in a series of chronological sets charting work at Meek’s studio year-by-year. Featuring singles and B-sides (many heard in stereo for the first time), alongside alternate versions, demos and tracks recorded but unreleased, this is not only a document of a world about to be hit by a mop-topped tsunami but a window into the incredible creativity enabled by one man and his vision of independence and experimentation. Hear the gestation of ‘TELSTAR’, marvel at the majesty of ‘LONE RIDER’ and wonder at the kitchen sink humour of ALAN KLEIN’S ‘THE CAT’. Meanwhile, a light is shone on the genius of GEOFF GODDARD through several unreleased tracks, while JENNY MOSS, BILLIE DAVIS, GERRY HARLOW et al stand up and shout for the girls. THE MOONTREKKERS, CLIFF BENNETT, ANDY CAVELL, TONY VICTOR, HOUSTON WELLS, PETER JAY, RICKY WAYNE, KENNY HOLLYWOOD… they’re all heard here as they’ve never been heard before, straight off the tapes.

A must for fans of Meek and his artists, as well as historians of British pop, students of the 1960s and anybody who harks back to that simpler, pre-Fab black and white world.