SPECTOR AND MEEK: CHEEK BY CHEEK?

SPECTOR AND MEEK: CHEEK BY CHEEK?

The Joe Meek feature (RC 333) was a fascinating slice of history but aren’t you going way over the top when you call him ‘Britain’s Phil Spector’? It’s true that both men were strange and charismatic characters working in the late 50s and early 60s, who set up their own labels and made innovative use of recording techniques. But The Honeycombs were not The Ronettes. Telstar was a great novelty record but it was not You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling. Johnny Remember Me is a good bit of gothic pop but can it be compared to the overwhelming River Deep Mountain High?

How can you compare the epic grandeur and emotional power of Spector’s Wall Of Sound with the tinny DIY effects that Meek knocked out in a flat above the Holloway Road? Meek was a colourful if troubled character who made a handful of catchy pop records. But Spector created a body of masterworks and showed that Pop could be Art. The only thing they have in common is that Joe came to a tragic end and sadly it looks as if Spector may be headed the same way. Joe deserves to be remembered but you do him a disservice in exaggerating his importance. Keep a sense of perspective, chaps.

by Ray Wadham
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