Heinz - Just Like Eddie

Joe Meek’s platinum-blonde protégé compiled

Joe Meek told Melody Maker that Heinz would be the biggest star in pop. Instead, he was pelted with tins of baked beans on tour and became notorious as the owner of the shotgun with which Meek killed himself and his landlady in 1967.

Five years earlier, Meek had assembled The Tornados around Heinz, after failing to secure him a place in Holloway Road house band The Outlaws. Following the worldwide success of Telstar, Heinz was groomed for solo success, but was hindered by a lack of any particularly great talent. What he did have, however, was the benefit of Meek’s distinctive production, the regular backing of Ritchie Blackmore, and a memorable Top Five hit in Just Like Eddie.

The songs that followed that tribute to the late Eddie Cochran were never as successful, though many were equally good or, in some cases, even better. The likes of Big Fat Spider and Dreams Do Come True illustrate just what Meek could do, given the right muse. This twodisc set includes everything the producer recorded with Heinz as a solo artist. It’s a worthwhile addition to Castle’s impressive and ongoing Joe Meek Collection, and not to be confused with the 1995 Hallmark compilation of the same name.

Castle | CMEDD 1460 (2-CD)

Reviewed by Simon Hugo
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