the of mirror eye

* john leyton: wild wind (2 mb) | son this is she (2.5 mb)
* the blue rondos: little baby (2.5 mb)
* screaming lord sutch: jack the ripper (2.5 mb)
from joe meek - the alchemist of pop : sanctuary records group : cmedd496

and so continues our look at joe meek. the previous post had me highlighting his instrumental works. today we’ll hear some of his male vocal productions. joe meek had a knack for coaxing incredible performances from his vocalists. just listen to mickey stubbs of the blue rondos tear his way through little baby. he sounds fantastic despite the fact that he’s only 17 years of age. the backing music is, of course, stellar as well.

screaming lord sutch (r.i.p.) also puts on an excellent performance with jack the ripper but honestly, did we expect anything else from him? screaming lord sutch is probably the most facinating fellow that joe meek worked with. i remember reading about him first in the ugly things interview (here) and just thinking: “what the hell?!?! this is one crazy dude.” lord sutch, after founding the official monster raving looney party in ‘64, became the leader of the looniest political party in the united kingdom. he ran for over 40 elections and, while never winning, always pulled in a respectable vote. unfortunately, he suffered from bipolar disorder and commited suicide in 1999.

for some reason, when i think of joe meek, i most often also think of john leyton. maybe it’s because his his strong baritone was the perfect foil for the wild and offbeat signature of meek productions. john worked very closely with joe meek and had a number of hit songs with him. wild wind and son this is she both had john leyton in great form. i love the angelic vocals soaring over his strong vocals. great stuff.

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