Joe Meek - Vampires, Cowboys, Spacemen and Spooks; The Very Best Of Joe Meek's Instrumentals (@320)

 

Joe Meek - Vampires, Cowboys, Spacemen and Spooks; The Very Best of Joe Meek's Instrumentals

Vampires, Cowboys, Spacemen and Spooks: The Very Best of Joe Meek's Instrumentals Review by Richie Unterberger.

It might be subtitled "The Very Best of Joe Meek's Instrumentals," but this isn't the most selective compilation of instrumentals overseen by the British semi-genius producer, the two discs including a whopping 60 tracks. That's not to say, however, that's it's not selective at all, considering just how many instrumentals the prolific Joe Meek cut in the early to mid-'60s. For those who like Meek a lot, but don't want to go to the insane extent of trying to track down everything he did in the studio, this is a very good-value distillation of his work in the instrumental rock realm. Also, Meek's instrumentals weren't as prone to sappy pop as his efforts with vocal artists from the era, and more likely to delve into purer rock. That hardly means that everything here is brilliant, and it might try the patience of those for whom a little Meek goes a long way. If you do like Meek to a significant degree, however, you'll find much to enjoy, as all the tracks -- even the ones of more marginal quality -- are stuffed with his sonic trademarks, including eerie out-of-this-world (if cheesy) electronic keyboards, crunchy compression, heavenly orchestration, twangy surf-country guitars, and numerous shades of weird and unclassifiable sounds, percussion, and miscellaneous tinkles. True, if you collect Meek to any extent, you're likely to already have some of these cuts, particularly those by the Tornados, though at least this includes several uncommon variations of Tornados tracks (a stereo version of "Telstar," a previously unissued "undubbed" version of "Exodus," the U.K. version of "Ridin' the Wind," the German version of "Life on Venus," etc.). It's also true that the best Tornados tracks tend to also be among the very best items on the anthology, as the production generally outpaces the tunes. Nevertheless, there are a few cuts that are both excellent and relatively unknown, like the Packabeats' "Theme from the Traitors" (which recalls the Shadows at their best), the Original Checkmates' creepy "The Spy" (with some great organ work), the Moontrekkers' devastating, lurching horror-rock classic "Night of the Vampire," and the same group's peculiar "Hatashiai (Japanese Sword Fight)." David Wells' liner notes are typically excellent and thorough.

 

Tracklist:

 

Disc 1:

 

01.Night Of The Vampire - (with The Moontrekkers)

02.Ridin' The Wind - (UK Version, with The Tornados)

03.Theme From The Traitors - (with The Packabeats)

04.Spook Walks, The - (with The Spooks)

05.Green Jeans - (with Fabulous Flee-Rakkers)

06.Surfin' John Brown - (with The Ambassadors)

07.Oo La La - (with Peter Jay & The Jaywalkers)

08.Moon Rocket - (previously unreleased, with Roger Lavern & The Microns)

09.Dance Legless, Russian - (with The Moontrekkers)

10.Husky Team - (with The Saints)

11.Swingin' Low - (with The Outlaws)

12.Life On Venus - (with The Tornados)

13.Taboo - (with The Charles Blackwell Orchestra)

14.Cry My Heart - (with The Joe Meek Orchestra)

15.March Of The Spacemen - (with The Thunderbolts)

16.Hatashiai (Japanese Sword Fight) - (with The Moontrekkers)

17.Jackson's Jump - (previously unreleased, with Roger Lavern & The Microns)

18.Just For Chicks - (with The Ramblers)

19.Union Pacific - (with The Original Checkmates)

20.Keep Moving - (with Sounds Incorporated)

21.Robot - (with The Tornados)

22.Monster, The - (with Chris Williams & The Monsters)

23.Pinto - (with Stonehenge Men)

24.Valley Of The Sioux - (with The Outlaws)

25.Saxon War Cry - (with The Saxons)

26.Exodus - (previously unreleased, with The Tornados)

27.Yashmak - (with Chico Arnaz & His Latin American Orchestra)

28.Can Can 62 - (with Peter Jay & The Jaywalkers)

29.Kennedy March, The - (with The Joe Meek Orchestra)

30.Jungle Fever - (with The Tornados)

 

Disc 2:

 

01.Telstar - (with The Tornados)

02.Sunday Date - (with The Flee-Rakkers)

03.Totem Pole - (with Peter Jay & The Jaywalkers)

04.Ambush - (with The Outlaws)

05.Lost Planet - (with The Thunderbolts)

06.Besame Mucho - (previously unreleased, with Dave Rowland)

07.Tom Tom Cat - (with Tom Cats)

08.Globetrotter - (with The Tornados)

09.Dodge City - (with The Ramblers)

10.Lass Of Richmond Hill - (with Chris & The Students)

11.Big Breaker - (with The Ambassadors)

12.West Point - (with The Checkmates)

13.Wipeout - (with The Saints)

14.Order Of The Keys - (with Sounds Incorporated)

15.Reindeer Ride - (with Roger Lavern & The Microns)

16.Theme Of Freedom, The - (with The Joe Meek Orchestra)

17.Big Feet - (with Stonehenge Men)

18.Dragonfly - (with The Tornados)

19.There's Something At The Bottom Of The Well - (with The Moontrekkers)

20.Poet & Peasant - (with Peter Jay & The Jaywalkers)

21.Last Stage West - (with The Outlaws)

22.Spy, The - (with The Original Checkmates)

23.Ice Cream Man, The - (with The Tornados)

24.Evening In Paris - (with The Packabeats)

25.Kickin' Around - (with Chris & The Students)

26.Midnight In Luxembourg - (with The Charles Blackwell Orchestra)

27.Christmas Stocking - (with Roger Lavern & The Microns)

28.Shenandoah - (previously unreleased, with The Dauphine Street Six)

29.Phantom Hussar, The - (previously unreleased, with Brass Band)

30.Return Of The Vampire (The Bogey Man) - (with The Moontrekkers)

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