Joe Meek, A Curious Mind - Outer Space! Horror! Death Discs! The Wild West! Demos! via Cherry Red, Telstar The Tornados!

As someone who bought Telstar when it came out I should really mention Butterboy’s excellent find of a Cherry Red Special of Joe Meek's work. An iconoclast and mysterious figure he is a legend from that time on

Joe Meek, A Curious Mind - Outer Space! Horror! Death Discs! The Wild West! Demos! [2025] 

The original Telstar The Tornados (colourised) 1962 I was 9

JOE MEEK

So, Joe Meek, A Curious Mind - Outer Space! Horror! Death Discs! The Wild West! 

Demos! 

via Cherry Red, is a proper treasure chest, three CDs, 

82 tracks, and a whopping 57 of them previously unreleased. 

That’s not just rare, that’s “never-heard-this-before” territory. 

All pulled from the legendary Tea Chest Tapes, which have been 

locked away for decades.

Disc One is where Meek’s space obsession takes flight. 

You get alternate edits of “Telstar,” 

stereo versions of Tornados deep cuts, 

and FX experiments that sound like they were beamed in from the future. 

There’s even a track called “Have You Ever Tried Living on the Moon?”, 

and yes, it’s as weird and wonderful as it sounds.

Disc Two shifts' gears into horror and Wild West themes. 

Screaming Lord Sutch is here with “Jack the Ripper” and “Monster in Black Tights,” 

plus eerie demos like “Johnny Must Be Hung” and “Darkness Fills the Sky.” 

Then suddenly you’re in cowboy land with stereo rarities like 

“Chahawki” and “Jesse James.

” It’s like Meek was scoring a haunted Western in his head.

Disc Three is the emotional heart—demos, outtakes, and alternate mixes from

 the I Hear a New World sessions. 

You’ll hear Meek’s vulnerability, his obsession with sound texture, 

and tributes like “Johnny Remember Me (‘Died’ Version)” that hit surprisingly hard.

The whole thing’s mastered by Alan Wilson and annotated by Craig Newton from

 the Joe Meek Society, so it’s not just a wild ride, it’s archivally solid. 

If you’re into sonic oddities, emotional depth, and studio wizardry,

 this box set is Meek at his most unfiltered. 

(Butterboy)

From this moment on I knew something was happening . . . . . .thanks Joe, ya weirdo!

Here from the movie Telstar

Tornados (Telstar Cast) not the band! - Telstar

*The guitarist of The Tornados is named George Bellamy and he has a son named Matthew Bellami who is the main vocalist and guitarist in a band called MUSE.

Oh and this goes to the argument about sounds bought when they came out whether it's embarrassing or cool! 

The FIRST single I ever bought (I was nine!) I adored this and it made me aware perhaps for the first time that after Rossini, Beethoven, Mahler, Mozart, Brahms, Mendelssohn, Chopin and Debussyand the gang that my generation were going to be making music that could transport you as well! If somewhat overblown as an argument you get my drift. I had grown up on 'The William Tell Overture' and Mussorgsky's 'Pictures at An Exhibition' until this moment and suddenly I heard this! 

Interesting (sic!) this first version on Youtube sounds different and maybe the mix has been tampered with so my single (and yes I still have it ) sounds like this . . .



On this day in music history: December 22, 1962 - “Telstar” by The Tornados hits #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 3 weeks. Written and produced by Joe Meek, it is the debut single and biggest hit for the London based instrumental quintet. The song (named after the AT&T communications satellite) is recorded by Meek in his home studio located in a small flat above a shop in North London. Released in the US by London Records, the single quickly breaks into the charts following its overseas success. Entering the Hot 100 at #85 on November 3, 1962, it will climb to the top of the chart seven weeks later. It is the first single by a British band to hit number one in the US, proceeding The Beatles US breakthrough with “I Want To Hold Your Hand” by nearly fourteen months. “Telstar” is also the subject of a lawsuit from French composer Jean Ledrut who claims that Meek plagiarized the tune from his composition “La Marche d’Austerlitz”. The suit is not settled until three weeks after Meek’s death in 1967. In spite of having produced numerous hits for other artists including Lonnie Donegan and The Honeycombs, by the late 60’s Meek is deeply in debt and suffering from depression. The producer kills his landlady and himself on February 3, 1967. Meek is only thirty years old at the time of his death. “Telstar” is covered by numerous artists over the years, including versions by The Ventures, The Shadows, OMD and The Ashley Hutchings Big Beat Combo. The Tornados’ original version is later featured on an episode the hit 60’s period drama “Mad Men” in 2008.

Mention should also be made of Heinz the blonde fellow in the pictures as he went on to see solo fame but when we first saw him with the Tornados we thought he was the epitome of cool! He was from Eastleigh, His mention in the Joe Meek story is full of controversy but who cared about his sexuality? We didn't!