Went to a special screening for the Music Producers Guild with Steve Levine last night and enjoyed this documentary about Joe.
Some excellent moments though too long and a bit standard doc format (unlike VPTM!).

Adrian Kerridge was there - a legend who worked with Joe from Day One and was the key boss of Landsdowne Studios whilst I made many hits there (and engineered Just Like A Woman, produced by Ken Jones, when Ginger Baker kicked the bass drum with his broken, bandaged foot and left the session with the bandage dripping scarlet with blood).

A lovely evening (followed by an excellent Cafe Anglais dinner with Steve, who loved it there).

I'm looking forward to getting to see this film sometime. Been a long time in the making but from all I've read it promises to be very interesting... which is to be expected since Joe was a fascinating man! Glad you enjoyed it JK... makes me look forward to seeing it all the more!

I wonder what's going on with the Tea Chest tapes? They were due to be sold in an auction last month (est value

One of many classics missing from the movie - and I think one of Joe's last (and best) productions...

I prefer the singers voice to the song and production on that one. I like the chord sequences at the end of the chorus but I felt there was a better song there that could have been built around them, resolving with the same hook line.

This raises an interesting point, how many very good songs can be made from using a good hook line but not using the rest of the tune? Which would incorporate techniques from rappers, using the mash up technique into the popular song.

No disrespect to Mr Meek, as I thought his works were wonderful, but if he were here today, I do believe, he would also start to think that this song was an unfinished work.


Controversial, sorry.............

Interesting Mart; are there any other Bacharach/David songs you'd like to slag off?

Ooops...

Not really, i just don`t like the way that one was done.
It`s bitty.

"Crying Shame" is the theme song of the movie ... but in a new version by Duffy

Duffy's version doesn't have the extraordinary vocal (loved Charlie Crane's voice) or Joe's magnificent production (sorry Mart I love that weird organ and odd balance)... plus, since it's not written by Meek, why on earth use a cover as the film theme?

This will be an interesting one to watch, I still like the descending chords, but I still expect something bigger as a listener following them.

The public I imagine will be the judge of this one now.
I do love the re-attention to Joe Meeks work though and Duffy is ideal.

"Please Stay" was Joe Meek's last notable hit and one fondly recalled. Not one of my personal faves I must admit... not keen on the song or production but I do like the vocal which legend has it had Meek taunting the lead singer to get him into the state of mind he wanted to convey it.

Meek was like a manic machine, churning out discs at a furious pace. I have digital copies of about 85 percent of his entire output and I find many of my faves date from the last couple of years of his life. Though there was a lot of dross - songs that weren't quite good enough and some dire singers (ever heard Iain Gregory or Alan Dean?) there were a few gems that failed to make it.

One has to remember that by 1966, Meek was in a perilous state psychologically and the music industry were treating him less kindly thanks in part to his being outed which resulted in demonisation and blackmail plots, yet he was still coming up with some great discs. He gave "Please Stay" to Decca and he was convinced it was a number one hit so when it didn't get so high in the charts, he accused Decca of sabotaging the promotion. Meek and Decca had a rather stormy relationship!

One Meek singer worth checking out who failed to have a hit was Glenda Collins. A great singer. She and Meek did 8 singles together all of which remain hugely enjoyable. Good catchy songs and imaginative productions that deserved to be hits. Meek was deeply upset by them all flopping but stuck by Glenda right to his death. Some of his final sessions were devoted to an album by Glenda that's in the Tea Chest tapes. I hope we will get to hear it one day.

Photo at the screening...

www.kingofhits.co.uk/component/option,co...id,54/?g2_itemId=896

while we are all eulogising Joe Meek we could do well to remember he robbed a family of their mother. Had he served life in prison we might not remember him so fondly.

We're here to praise the music de-caf; let others talk morality elsewhere.

Well this morning, I have woken up with a song stuck in my head, I could not work out what it was, but I think you have probably all guessed by adding this addition to this thread what it actually is!

The melody of the Bacaharch David tune has been murmuring in and out since I awoke.