1962 From Taboo To Telstar - Hits, Misses, Outtakes, Demos And More (Clamshell Box)

世界的なヒット作「テルスター」に至ったジョー・ミークの 1962年の作品の徹底した探求。ジョン・レイトン、ザ・トルネード、マイク・ベリー、ザ・アウトローズ、マイケル・コックス、ジェフ・ゴダード、レイ・デクスターなどが参加。52の未公開録音──ステレオ バージョン、別テイクとミックス、デモ、未発表曲を収録。詳細な年表、スリーブノート、ティーチェストテープノート付き。
すべての素材はオリジナルのテープから、Western Star の Alan Wilson によって復元およびマスタリングされました。ビートルズ以前のブリティッシュ ポップが、まさにジャンルや音楽アイデアの寄せ集めだった時代、ジョーミークは提供されるほぼすべてのものをサンプリングしました。斬新なヒット曲から効果音たっぷりの傑作、ストレートなプレビートポップや軽いインストゥルメンタルから映画のようなバラードまで、ジョン・レイトンやマイク・ベリーなどの優れたシンガー、そしてジェフ・ゴダードやレイ・デクスターなどの才能ある作家との作品を生み出したミークのスタジオ技術は、多くの大手商業スタジオよりもまだ何年も先を行っていました。「FROM TABOO TO TELSTAR」は、ミークのスタジオでの作品を年ごとに記録した時系列セットシリーズの最初のものです。
シングルと B 面に加えて、別のバージョン、デモ、録音されているが未発表のトラックを収録したこの作品は、一人の男によって可能になった信じられないほどの創造性と、彼の実験のビジョンを表現します。

The famed Tea Chest Tapes acquired, remastered, and organized by Cherry Red overflowed with so many treasures from Joe Meeks archives that the label presented not only in-depth sets of his work with artists like Glenda Collins and Heinz, but extensive collections of the recordings he made at 304 Holloway Road each year. Joe Meek: 1962 - From Taboo to Telstar, Hits, Misses, Outtakes, Demos and More profiles an especially fateful time in Meeks career. That September, he achieved his biggest success with the Tornados "Telstar," a soaring love letter to the space age that topped the U.K. Singles Chart and became the first British song to reach number one on the U.S. Hot 100 Singles Chart. The producers signature song is well-documented here: An alternate edit brims with the strange, hopeful majesty that makes it the sets most exciting track; on "Telstar (Demo)," Meek gropes for the songs melody with his voice, falling between jazzy scatting and rockabillys rhythmic vocalizations. "Magic Star," which sets "Telstar"s tune to crooning vocals, falls short of the original but offers fascinating insight into how thoroughly Meek explored his ideas. "Telstar"s echoes also surface on the sawing strings and gale-force backing vocals of Mark Douglas "Riding the Rails (Stereo)" and on Houston Wells and the Marksmens "North Wind," which, with its galloping beat, frenetic keyboards, and copious reverb, could be a murder ballad sung by a space cowboy. At a comprehensive 90 songs long, From Taboo to Telstar is a reminder that 304 Holloway was a pop song factory as well as an experimental laboratory of sound. In that regard, the collection provides a unique perspective on how early-60s British pop music searched for a voice of its own (a call that the Beatles and the rest of the bands associated with the British Invasion soon answered resoundingly). Many of the collections songs are in the mold of American artists like Meeks hero Buddy Holly, whom he channels on John Leytons "It Would Be Easy" and Mike Berrys "Its Just a Matter of Time." The handful of songs with female vocalists also feel familiar, with Billie Davis "Merry Go Round" evoking Linda Scotts "I Told Every Little Star" and the unknown vocalist on "Say Baby" calling to mind Brenda Lees "Sweet Nothins." As well-crafted as these tracks are, its the novelty songs and instrumentals that bring From Taboo to Telstar to life. Skiffle-tinged tracks like Alan Kleins "Striped Purple Shirt" are so square theyre odd, while the Moontrekkers "Something at the Bottom of the Well (Extended)" shows Meek hadnt forsaken the tweaked vocals and bubbling electronics of I Hear a New World. His gift for creating new sounds -- and combining old ones in outlandish ways -- shines on the Esquivel-esque lounge of the Charles Blackwell Orchestras "Midnight in Luxembourg (Alternate)," the jazz-surf fusion of the Packabeats "Theme from The Traitors," and the Stonehenge Mens fittingly named "Outcast," which floats in a twilight zone between surf, rockabilly, and country. Boasting 52 previously unreleased recordings, Joe Meek: 1962 - From Taboo to Telstar, Hits, Misses, Outtakes, Demos and More is just as lovingly curated and packaged as the other Tea Chest Tapes collections, and its comprehensive look at Meeks work during this pivotal year will delight his biggest fans. ~ Heather Phares