Joe Meek - Portrait Of A Genius. The RGM Legacy

 

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Joe Meek - Portrait Of A Genius. The RGM Legacy

Portrait of a Genius: The RGM Legacy Review by Dave Thompson.

A treasure trove for collectors, but an excellent introduction, too, for anybody captivated by the Joe Meek legend, but uncertain where to start among the myriad compilations and collections that already litter the shelves, Portrait of a Genius is the unequivocally titled box set that Meek's reputation has always demanded. The accompanying glossy booklet recounts the sheer effort that went into creating a balanced mix of the familiar, the worthy, and the rare, and the first thing that must be said is, they succeeded. Even longtime connoisseurs will stumble upon sufficient oddities to render this a worthwhile purchase, as the hitherto uncollected likes of Kenny Hollywood's "Magic Star" (a vocal version of "Telstar") rubs shoulders with the so familiar hit, a previously unreleased Gene Vincent recording meets a German-language rendition of the Honeycombs' "Have I the Right," and so on. Also notable is the attention lavished on Meek's apprenticeship -- one entire disc is given over to his work as an engineer in the late '50s, and serves up its own fair share of gems; thereafter, the discs proceed through "the classic RGM sound" (1960-1962), "Telstar" and beyond (1962-1963), and, finally, "in search of a new sound" (1964-1966), and it's impossible to play favorites among them. Meek's reputation as one of '60s pop's most innovative, if unstable, personalities has never been questioned. But still Portrait of a Genius manages to throw new light on the reasons why he deserves those epithets and, no matter what other treasures might still be exhumed from the Meek vault, it will have to be a very special collection that upstages this one.

Tracklist: Disc 1

 

Disc 1: Engineering the Hits, 1955-1959

 

01 Joe Meek - Joe Remembers, Part 1 (8:45)

02 Gary Miller - The Yellow Rose of Texas (2:16)

03 Betty Miller - The Next Train Out of Town (2:39)

04 Big Bill Broonzy - Ot Feels So Good (2:41)

05 Gary Miller - Robin Hood (2:20)

06 Edmund Hockridge - No Other Love (2:23)

07 Humphrey Lyttelton - Bad Penny Blues (2:40)

08 Kenny Graham, & His Satellites - Lullabye (2:00)

09 Anne Shelton - Lay Down Your Arms (2:50)

10 Chris Barber Jazz and Blues Band - Jailhouse Blues (4:09)

11 Frankie Vaughan - Green Door (2:46)

12 Monty Sunshine - Petite Fleur (2:43)

13 Lonnie Donegan - Don't You Rock Me Daddy-O (1:41)

14 Frankie Vaughan - Garden of Eden (2:32)

15 Eric Delaney - Rock & Roll King Cole (2:46)

16 Lonnie Donegan - Puttin' On the Syle (3:30)

17 Johnny Duncan - Last Train to San Fernando (2:26)

18 Jimmy Miller & His Barbecues - Sizzling Hot (2:11)

19 Seeger, Petersen + Marsalis - Sail Away Lady (1:44)

20 Acker Bilk - Traveling Blues (3:03)

21 Mike Preston - A House, a Car and a Wedding Ring (2:15)

22 George Melly with Mick Mulligan and John Chisolm - There'll Be Some Changes Made (2:12)

23 Terry White & The Terriers - Rock Around the Mailbag (2:26)

24 Terry White & The Terriers - Blackout (1:55)

25 Marty Wilde - Sea of Love (2:23)

26 Mike Preston - Mr. Blue (2:38)

27 Emile Ford - What Do You Want To Make Those Eyes At Me For (2:03)

28 Joe Meek - Joe's Message to Dave & Dee (3:04)

 

 

Disc 2: The Classic RGM Sound 1960-1962

 

01 Joe Meek - Joe Remembers, Part 2 (11:44)

02 The Blue Men - I Hear a New World Excerpt (1:04)

03 The Blue Men - Magnetic Field (3:21)

04 Peter Jay & The Blue Men - Just Too Late (1:37)

05 Joe Meek - It's a Triumph (Radio Luxembourg) (0:36)

06 George Chakiris - Heart of a Teenage Girl (3:08)

07 Michael Cox - Angela Jones (2:39)

08 Chick Lewis - North Wind (2:23)

09 Mike Berry & The Outlaws - My Baby Doll (1:54)

10 Danny Rivers & The Alexander Combo - Once Upon A Time (2:19)

11 Danny Rivers & The Alexander Combo - My Baby's Gone Away (2:01)

12 Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers - Try Once More (2:08)

13 Ricky Wayne & the Fleerakkers - Why Pretrend (2:17)

14 John Leyton - Johnny Remember Me (2:36)

15 Michael Cox - Sweet Little Sixteen (2:15)

16 Billy Dean - Ridin' The Rails (2:17)

17 Chris Williams & His Monsters - Kickin' Around (2:08)

18 The Outlaws - The Outlaws (1:50)

19 The Blue Men - Orbit Around the Moon (2:47)

20 The Outlaws - Husky Team (2:32)

21 The Blue Men - Entry of the Globbotts (3:06)

22 The Outlaws - Tune for Short Cowboys (2:33)

23 John Leyton - John, C'Est L'Amour- Son This Is She (2:27)

24 Don Charles - Crazy, Man, Crazy (2:49)

25 Lee Starr & The Astrals - Walkin' With My Angel (2:17)

26 The Moontrekkers - Dance Legless Russian (2:11)

27 Joy & Dave - Chahawki (2:55)

28 The Athenians - Bouzoukis (2:48)

29 John Leyton - Looking for Someone (Who Wants Johnny) (2:21)

 

Disc 3: Telstar and Beyond 1962-1963

 

01 Joe Meek - Joe Remembers, Part 3 (10:57)

02 Joe Meek - Telstar 1st Stage Demo (2:21)

03 Dave Adams - Telstar 2nd Stage Demo (1:08)

04 The Tornados - Telstar (3:14)

05 Billie Davies - Don't You Knock on My Door (1:57)

06 Pete & The Boulevards - Lover Return (2:11)

07 Lee Starr & The Astrals - Come Back to Me (2:38)

08 Pete & The Boulevards - You're My Girl (1:47)

09 Kenny Hollywood - Magic Star (2:25)

10 Joe Meek - Globetrotter Demo (1:33)

11 The Tornados - Globetrotter (2:37)

12 Wes Sands - There's Lots More Where This Came From (2:13)

13 Wes Sands - Three Cups (2:41)

14 The Checkmates - Interpol (2:57)

15 Screaming Lord Sutch & The Savages - I Ain't Mad At You (2:25)

16 Chad Carson - Fool in Love (2:46)

17 Burr Bailey & The Six-Shooters - San Francisco (2:24)

18 The Thunderbolts - March of the Spacemen (2:18)

19 The Thunderbolts - Lost Planet (3:01)

20 Heinz aus Wien - Just Like Eddie (2:40)

21 The Cameos - Powercut (1:55)

22 The Ambassadors - Surfin' John Brown (2:02)

23 The Ambassadors - Big Breaker (2:49)

24 Geoff Goddard - Sky Men (2:43)

25 Billy Dean - Live It Up (2:50)

26 Gene Vincent - Temptation Baby (1:56)

27 Jenny Moss - Please Let It Happen to Me (2:02)

28 The Dowlands - Lucky Johnny (2:06)

29 The Joe Meek Orchestra - The Kennedy March (2:31)

 

Disc 4: In Search of a New Sound, 1964-1966

 

01 Deke Arlon & The Offbeats - I'm Just a Boy (1:55)

02 Deke Arlon & The Offbeats - Can't Make Up My Mind (1:36)

03 Paul Kane - My Fair Baby's Coming for Me (3:38)

04 The Sabres of Paradise - Don't Go Away (1:54)

05 The Cameos - My Baby's Coming Home (2:01)

06 Benny Parker & The Dynamics - I Taught Her How (3:28)

07 The Puppets - Three Boys Lookin' For Love (1:38)

08 The Honeycombs - Have I the Right (2:55)

09 The Honeycombs - Hab' Ich Das Recht- Have I The Right (2:23)

10 The Saxons - It Ain't Right (2:17)

11 Houston Wells & The Masters - Little One (2:22)

12 Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers - I'm In Love With You (2:16)

13 Tony Dangerfield & The Thrills - She's Too Way Out (2:19)

14 The Strangers - My Suzanne (2:44)

15 The Blue Rondos - Little Baby (2:36)

16 The Strangers - Shirley (1:56)

17 Heinz and The Wild Boys - Don't Think Twice It's All Right (2:38)

18 The Mood - It's All Right (2:59)

19 Peter London - I'm Your Lovin' Man (2:42)

20 Joe Meek - Not Sleeping Too Well Lately (1:36)

21 The Cryin' Shames - What's News, Pussycat (2:29)

22 The Bystanders - She Comforts My Sorrow (2:24)

23 Heinz aus Wien - Movin' In (2:27)

24 The Cryin' Shames - Nobody Waved Goodbye (2:47)

25 The Birds of Prey - City Lightds (3:48)

26 The Cryin' Shames - Let Me In (2:42)

27 The Impac - Rat-Tat-Ta-Tat (1:54)

28 The Cryin' Shames - Feels Like Loving (3:09)

29 The Riot Squad - Gotta Be a First Time (3:02)

30 The Honeycombs - I Can Tell (3:32)

31 Joe Meek - Meeksville Telephone Answering Machine (0:18)

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