MEEK’S WALL OF SOUND

Re Roy Wadham’s views on Spector v. Meek: Whilst I agree that Phil Spector really hits the spot with The Ronettes Walking in the Rain, Do I Love You, When I Saw You and The Crystals’ Little Boy, just listen to the phenomenal power of The Tornados’ Love And Fury and Ragunboneman, the perfection of Monte Carlo and the way they belt out Blackpool Rock.

‘Wall Of Sound’? - how about The Packabeats swirling deep instrumental The Traitors or The Blue Rondos What Can I Do?. Also, Joe Meek did ‘angst’ better - try Bobby Rio’s When Love Was Young with its frustrated drumming, or Mike Berry’s Loneliness for pure pathos, and Phil never produced anything as narcissistically weird as The Millionaires Wishing Well. Joe Meek produced about 730 tracks in seven years of which some are dire - try The Checkmates You Got To Have A Gimmick Today, but at least 100 are mind-blowing and well worth listening to, an output the great Phil Spector just hasn’t matched!

by Richard Anscombe
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