View source for Joe Meek

{{Short description|English record producer (1929–1967)}}
{{Other people}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox musical artist  <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians -->
| name              = Joe Meek
| image             = Joe Meek historic.jpg
| caption           = Meek at his home recording studio, c. 1960s
| image_size        = <!-- Only for images narrower than 220 pixels -->
| birth_name        = Robert George Meek
| alias             = Robert Duke, Peter Jacobs
| birth_date        = {{Birth date|df=yes|1929|4|5}}
| birth_place       = [[Newent]], Gloucestershire, England
| death_date        = {{death date and age|df=yes|1967|2|3|1929|4|5}}
| death_place       = [[Holloway Road]], London, England
| genre             = {{flatlist|
* [[Experimental pop]]{{sfn|Brend|2005|p=55}}
* {{nowrap|[[space age pop]]}}<ref name="Savage2006"/>
* {{nowrap|[[rock and roll]]}}<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/joe-meek-and-telstars-tragic-tale-1670448.html|title=Joe Meek and Telstar's tragic tale|date=18 April 2009|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|access-date=19 December 2017|archive-date=20 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180220030857/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/joe-meek-and-telstars-tragic-tale-1670448.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[outsider music|outsider]]<ref>{{cite book|last=Chusid|first=Irwin|title=Songs in the Key of Z: The Curious Universe of Outsider Music|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fydjCgAAQBAJ&pg=PR15|year=2000|publisher=Chicago Review Press|isbn=978-1-55652-372-4|author-link=Irwin Chusid|access-date=30 October 2016|archive-date=17 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170217085423/https://books.google.com/books?id=fydjCgAAQBAJ&pg=PR15|url-status=live}}</ref>}}
| occupation        = {{hlist|[[Record producer]]|[[sound engineer]]|songwriter}}
| years_active      = 1954–1967
| label             = UK: [[Triumph Records (UK)|Triumph]] (co-owner), [[Pye Records|Pye Nixa, Piccadilly]], [[Decca Records|Decca]], [[Ember Records (UK label)|Ember]], [[Oriole Records (UK)|Oriole]], [[Columbia Graphophone Company|Columbia]], [[Rank Organisation|Top Rank]], [[His Master's Voice (British record label)|His Master's Voice]], [[Parlophone]]<br />USA: [[Tower Records (record label)|Tower]], [[London Records|London]], [[Coral Records|Coral]]
}}
'''Robert George '''"'''Joe'''"''' Meek''' (5 April 1929 – 3 February 1967)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nndb.com/people/592/000114250/ |title=Joe Meek |publisher=Nndb.com |date=3 February 1967 |access-date=27 October 2011 |archive-date=20 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111020173757/http://www.nndb.com/people/592/000114250/ |url-status=live }}</ref> was an English record producer and songwriter considered one of the most influential sound engineers of all time, being one of the first to develop ideas such as the [[recording studio as an instrument]], and becoming one of the first producers to be recognised for his [[auteur|individual identity as an artist]].<ref name="tmtpat2013">{{cite web|last1=Patrick|first1=Jonathan|title=Joe Meek's pop masterpiece I Hear a New World gets the chance to haunt a whole new generation of audiophile geeks|url=http://www.tinymixtapes.com/news/joe-meeks-pop-masterpiece-i-hear-a-new-world-gets-the-chance-to-haunt-a-whole-new-generation-of|website=[[Tiny Mix Tapes]]|date=8 March 2013|access-date=1 December 2016|archive-date=2 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161202035754/http://www.tinymixtapes.com/news/joe-meeks-pop-masterpiece-i-hear-a-new-world-gets-the-chance-to-haunt-a-whole-new-generation-of|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ondarock.it/speciali/joemeek.htm|title=Approfondimenti - Joe Meek - Joe Meek - Suoni da un altro mondo :: Gli Speciali di OndaRock|website=Ondarock.it|access-date=30 August 2019|archive-date=30 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190830143240/https://www.ondarock.it/speciali/joemeek.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Meek pioneered [[space age pop|space age]] and [[experimental pop]] music, and assisted in the development of recording practices like [[overdubbing]], [[sampling (music)|sampling]] and [[reverberation]].<ref>{{cite web|author1=Fact|title=Joe Meek's experimental pop classic I Hear A New World gets expanded reissue|url=http://www.factmag.com/2013/02/28/joe-meeks-experimental-pop-classic-i-hear-a-new-world-gets-expanded-reissue/|website=[[Fact (UK magazine)|Fact]]|date=28 February 2013|access-date=31 May 2016|archive-date=6 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161006061748/http://www.factmag.com/2013/02/28/joe-meeks-experimental-pop-classic-i-hear-a-new-world-gets-expanded-reissue/|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[The Tornados]]' instrumental "[[Telstar (song)|Telstar]]" (1962), written and produced by Meek, became the first record by a British [[Rock music|rock]] group to reach number one in the [[Billboard Hot 100|US Hot 100]].<ref name="Perone2009">{{cite book|author=James E. Perone|title=Mods, Rockers, and the Music of the British Invasion|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S5UbIgKdAS4C&pg=PA72|year=2009|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0-275-99860-8|page=72}}</ref> It also spent five weeks at number one in the UK singles chart, with Meek receiving an [[Ivor Novello Awards|Ivor Novello Award]] for this production as the "Best-Selling A-Side" of 1962. Charting singles Meek produced for other artists include "[[Johnny Remember Me]]" ([[John Leyton]], 1961), "[[Just Like Eddie]]" ([[Heinz Burt|Heinz]], 1963), "Angela Jones" ([[Michael Cox (singer)|Michael Cox]], 1960), "[[Have I the Right?]]" ([[the Honeycombs]], 1964), and "[[Tribute to Buddy Holly]]" ([[Mike Berry (singer)|Mike Berry]], 1961). He also produced music for films such as ''[[Live It Up! (film)|Live It Up!]]'' (US title ''Sing and Swing'', 1963), a pop music film.  Meek's [[concept album]] ''[[I Hear a New World]]'' (1960), which contains innovative use of electronic sounds, was not fully released in his lifetime.

Meek was affected by [[bipolar disorder]] and [[schizophrenia]]. His commercial success as a producer was short-lived, and he gradually sank into debt and [[Major depressive disorder|depression]]. On 3 February 1967, using a [[shotgun]] owned by musician [[Heinz Burt]], Meek killed his landlady, Violet Shenton, with whom he had argued over the loudness of his studio, which he rented from her, and then shot himself.

At the time of his death, Meek possessed thousands of unreleased recordings later dubbed "The Tea Chest Tapes". His reputation for experiments in recording music was acknowledged by the [[Music Producers Guild]] who in 2009 created "The Joe Meek Award for Innovation in Production" as a "homage to [the] remarkable producer's pioneering spirit".<ref name="mpg">{{cite web|url=http://www.audioprointernational.com/news/968/Brian-Eno-wins-the-first-Joe-Meek-award |title=Brian Eno wins the first Joe Meek award |publisher=Audioprointernational.com |access-date=27 October 2009 |url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090131074922/http://www.audioprointernational.com/news/968/Brian-Eno-wins-the-first-Joe-Meek-award |archive-date=31 January 2009 }}</ref> In 2014, Meek was ranked the greatest producer of all time by ''[[NME]]'', elaborating: "Meek was a complete trailblazer, attempting endless new ideas in his search for the perfect sound. ... The legacy of his endless experimentation is writ large over most of your favourite music today."<ref>{{cite web |author=Joe Meek |url=http://www.nme.com/list/the-50-greatest-producers-ever/262849/article/265277 |title=The 50 Greatest Producers Ever &#124; No. 1 Joe Meek |publisher=Nme.Com |date=23 July 2014 |access-date=1 August 2014 |archive-date=12 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160312004659/http://www.nme.com/list/the-50-greatest-producers-ever/262849/article/265277 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Childhood and early interests==
Meek was born at 1 Market Square, [[Newent]], Gloucestershire,<ref>{{cite web |title=Market House |work=Newent Town Council |url=https://www.newenttowncouncil.org.uk/market-house/ |access-date=21 August 2020 |archive-date=17 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170517143700/http://www.newenttowncouncil.org.uk/market-house/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and developed an interest in electronics and performance art at a very early age, filling his parents' garden shed with begged and borrowed electronic components, building circuits, radios and what is believed to be the region's first working television. During his [[national service]] in the [[Royal Air Force]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Joe Meek: Mayhem & Murder On The Holloway Road |url=https://www.thedailyconstitutional.co.uk/2020/02/joemeek.html |publisher=The Daily Constitutional |access-date=21 August 2020 |archive-date=21 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200821145013/https://www.thedailyconstitutional.co.uk/2020/02/joemeek.html |url-status=live }}</ref> he worked as a [[radar]] technician which increased his interest in electronics and outer space. From 1953 he worked for the [[Midlands Electricity Board]]. He used the resources of the company to develop his interest in electronics and music production, including acquiring a disc cutter and producing his first record.<ref name=trax>{{cite web |last1=Bennett |first1=Wayne |title=Welcome to Meeksville: The Incredible World of Joe Meek. |work=Traxploitation |date=25 October 2019 |url=https://traxploitation.co.uk/joemeek |access-date=21 August 2020 |archive-date=21 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200821145029/https://traxploitation.co.uk/joemeek |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Music career==
He left the electricity board to work as an [[audio engineer]] for a leading independent radio production company which made programmes for [[Radio Luxembourg (English)|Radio Luxembourg]],<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Irwin |first1=Mark |title=Take The Last Train From Meeksville: Joe Meeks's Holloway Road Recording Studio 1963-7 |journal=Journal on the Art of Record Production |date=2007 |issue=2 |url=https://www.arpjournal.com/asarpwp/take-the-last-train-from-meeksville-joe-meeks%E2%80%99s-holloway-road-recording-studio-1963-7/ |access-date=21 August 2020 |archive-date=18 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200718005403/https://www.arpjournal.com/asarpwp/take-the-last-train-from-meeksville-joe-meeks%e2%80%99s-holloway-road-recording-studio-1963-7/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and made his breakthrough with his work on [[Ivy Benson]]'s ''Music for Lonely Lovers''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Joe Meek |url=https://www.howlfromtheembers.com/joemeek |website=Music History Archive |publisher=Howl from the Embers |access-date=21 August 2020 |archive-date=21 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200821145029/https://www.howlfromtheembers.com/joemeek |url-status=live }}</ref>

His technical ingenuity was first shown on the [[Humphrey Lyttelton]] jazz single "[[Bad Penny Blues]]" ([[Parlophone Records]], 1956) when, contrary to Lyttelton's wishes, Meek modified the sound of the piano and [[Dynamic range compression|compressed]] the sound to a greater than normal extent.<ref>{{cite web |title=Humphrey Lyttelton And His Band – Close Your Eyes / Bad Penny Blues |url=https://www.discogs.com/Humphrey-Lyttelton-And-His-Band-Close-Your-Eyes-Bad-Penny-Blues/master/549910 |publisher=Discogs |access-date=21 August 2020 |archive-date=21 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200821145053/https://www.discogs.com/Humphrey-Lyttelton-And-His-Band-Close-Your-Eyes-Bad-Penny-Blues/master/549910 |url-status=live }}</ref> The record became a hit.

===Lansdowne Studios===
He then put enormous effort into [[Denis Preston]]'s [[Lansdowne Studios|Landsdowne Studio]] but tensions between Preston and Meek soon saw Meek leaving. During his time he recorded US actor [[George Chakiris]] for [[Saga Records|SAGA Records]] and it was this that led him to Major Wilfred Alonzo Banks and an independent career. He also engineered many [[jazz]] and [[Calypso music|calypso]] records including vocalist and percussionist [[Frank Holder (musician)|Frank Holder]] and band leader [[Kenny Graham (musician)|Kenny Graham]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Moondag and Suncat Suites |url=https://trunkrecords.greedbag.com/buy/moondog-and-suncat-suites/ |publisher=Trunk Records |access-date=21 August 2020 |archive-date=22 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130622053727/http://trunkrecords.greedbag.com/buy/moondog-and-suncat-suites |url-status=live }}</ref>

Meek was also working as a songwriter at this time, using the name "Robert Duke".  After being initially released by Eddie Silver and later by [[Tommy Steele]], the Duke composition "Put A Ring On My Finger" was recorded by [[Les Paul & Mary Ford]] in 1958, and reached number 32 on the US chart.

===Triumph Records===
In January 1960, together with [[William Barrington-Coupe]], Meek founded [[Triumph Records (UK)|Triumph Records]]. At the time Barrington-Coupe was working at SAGA records in Empire Yard, Holloway Road for Major Wilfred Alonzo Banks and it was the Major who provided the finance. The label very nearly had a No.1 hit with Meek's production of "Angela Jones" by [[Michael Cox (singer)|Michael Cox]]. Cox was one of the featured singers on [[Jack Good (producer)|Jack Good's]] TV music show ''[[Boy Meets Girls]]'' and the song was given massive promotion. As an independent label, Triumph was dependent on small pressing plants, which were unable to meet the demand for product. The record made a respectable appearance in the Top Ten,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/angela-jones/|title=Angela Jones - Michael Cox|website=Officialcharts.com|access-date=10 July 2020|archive-date=11 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200711124756/https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/angela-jones/|url-status=live}}</ref> but it demonstrated that Meek needed the distribution network of the major companies for his records to reach retail outlets.

Its indifferent business results and Meek's temperament eventually led to the label's demise. Meek later licensed many Triumph recordings to labels such as [[Rank Organisation|Top Rank]] and [[Pye Records|Pye]]. That year Meek conceived, wrote and produced an "Outer Space Music Fantasy" album titled ''[[I Hear a New World]]'' with a band called Rod Freeman & the Blue Men. The album was shelved for decades, apart from the release of some EP tracks taken from it.<ref>{{cite web |title=Joe Meek I Hear a New World |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/17864-joe-meek-i-hear-a-new-world/ |publisher=Pitchfork |access-date=21 August 2020 |archive-date=31 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200731030558/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/17864-joe-meek-i-hear-a-new-world/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===304 Holloway Road Studio===
{{Listen
 |filename     = Telstar.ogg
 |title        = The Tornadoes – "Telstar" (1962)
 |description  = "Telstar" featured a [[clavioline]], a keyboard instrument with a distinctive electronic sound. The piece won an [[Ivor Novello Award]] and sold over five million copies worldwide.}}
Meek went on to set up his own production company known as RGM Sound Ltd (later Meeksville Sound Ltd) with toy importer Major Wilfred Alonzo Banks as his financial backer. He operated from his home studio which he constructed at 304 [[Holloway Road]], [[Islington]], a three-floor flat above a leather-goods store.

His first hit from Holloway Road reached number one in the [[UK Singles Chart]]: [[John Leyton]]'s "[[Johnny Remember Me]]" (1961) written by [[Geoff Goddard]]. This "death ditty" was cleverly promoted by Leyton's manager, expatriate Australian entrepreneur [[Robert Stigwood]]. Stigwood was able to gain Leyton a booking to perform the song several times in an episode of ''[[Harpers West One]]'', a short-lived [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] soap opera,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0161152/|title=''Harpers West One'' (TV Series 1961–1963)|website=IMDb.com|access-date=27 September 2014|archive-date=15 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715160017/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0161152/|url-status=live}}</ref> in which he was making a guest appearance.

The instrumental "[[Telstar (instrumental)|Telstar]]", written and produced by Meek,<ref name="500 Number One Hits">{{cite book
| first= Jo
| last= Rice
| year= 1982
| title= The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits
| edition= 1st
| publisher= Guinness Superlatives Ltd
| location= Enfield, Middlesex
| page= 67
| isbn= 0-85112-250-7}}</ref> was recorded at the Holloway Road studio in July 1962. It was released in August 1962 and reached number one in the UK and on the US [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] in December 1962.

Meek's third UK number one and last major success was with [[the Honeycombs]]' "[[Have I the Right?]]" in 1964, written by [[Ken Howard (composer)|Ken Howard]] and [[Alan Blaikley]]. The Meek-produced track also became a number 5 hit on the American ''[[Billboard magazine|Billboard]]'' pop charts. The success of these recordings was instrumental in establishing [[Robert Stigwood|Stigwood]] and Meek as two of Britain's first independent record producers.

When his landlady, Violet Shenton, who lived downstairs, felt that the noise was too much, she would bang on the ceiling with a broom. Meek would signal his contempt by placing loudspeakers in the stairwell and turning up the volume.

A privately manufactured "black plaque" (designed to resemble the official [[blue plaque]]) has since been placed at the location of the studio to commemorate Meek's life and work.<ref>{{openplaque|1755}}</ref>

==Artistry==
Meek was one of the first producers to grasp and fully exploit the possibilities of the modern recording studio. Up to that time, pop recordings sought to "capture a live performance" by recording all the performers "live in a studio", often situated around just a few microphones.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Cliffe |first1=Laurence |title=Joe Meek's Telstar: Progressive Creativity and Imagination in Independent Music Production |url=https://lozcliffe.com/joe-meeks-telstar-progressive-creativity-and-imagination-in-independent-music-production/ |publisher=Laurence Cliffe |access-date=21 August 2020 |archive-date=1 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190701093420/https://lozcliffe.com/joe-meeks-telstar-progressive-creativity-and-imagination-in-independent-music-production/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Instead, Meek pioneered multiple over-dubbing on one- and two-track machines to combine separately recorded performances, segments, and even [[Sampling (music)|samples]], into a painstakingly constructed composite recording, long before [[the Beatles]] made some of these techniques famous with ''[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]'' (1967) or extended by [[Pink Floyd]] with ''[[The Dark Side of the Moon]]'' (1973).

By physically separating instruments, and using close miking, he could avoid "bleed", such as drum sounds appearing in vocal tracks, which freed him up to combine signals from different "takes", and allowed him to manipulate their individual signals.

He pioneered signal processing by using [[DI unit|direct input units]] on bass guitars, and treating instruments and voices with echo, reverb and [[Dynamic range compression|compression]], or his fabled home-made electronic devices. At a time when studio engineers limited themselves to maintaining clarity and fidelity, Meek was never afraid to distort or manipulate the sound if it created the effect he was seeking.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Cleveland |first1=Barry |title=Joe Meek primer for audio enthusiasts |url=https://www.fullcompass.com/gearcast/common/images/1368-1477-file.pdf |publisher=Full Compass |access-date=21 August 2020 |archive-date=21 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200821145022/https://www.fullcompass.com/gearcast/common/images/1368-1477-file.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

Unlike other producers, his search was for the 'right' sound rather than for a catchy musical tune, and throughout his brief career he single-mindedly followed his quest to create a unique "sonic signature" for every record he produced.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Shade |first1=Colette |title=I Hear a New World: Joe Meek Took Music to Space and Changed Production Forever |date=10 April 2015 |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/i-hear-a-new-world-joe-meek-producer/ |publisher=Vice |access-date=21 August 2020 |archive-date=1 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801090142/https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/r3zqxw/i-hear-a-new-world-joe-meek-producer |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Personal life==
Meek became fascinated with the idea of communicating with the dead, after reading the works about [[Electronic voice phenomenon|EVP]] of Friedrich Jurgenson (1903–1987) and [[Konstantins Raudive]] (1909–1974). He would set up tape machines in graveyards in an attempt to record voices from beyond the grave, in one instance capturing the meows of a cat he believed was speaking in human tones, asking for help. In particular, he had an obsession with [[Buddy Holly]] (saying the late American rocker had communicated with him in dreams).<ref>{{Citation|last=WowtownTV|title=Joe Meek Warns Buddy Holly - Thomas Truax|date=2016-02-01|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mX0snoZpmI|access-date=2017-12-05|archive-date=21 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200821145037/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mX0snoZpmI|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://97x.com/the-day-the-music-died-and-the-curse-of-buddy-holly/|title=The Day the Music Died and The Curse of Buddy Holly|website=97X|date=3 February 2016 |access-date=2017-12-05|archive-date=6 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171206074634/http://97x.com/the-day-the-music-died-and-the-curse-of-buddy-holly/|url-status=live}}</ref> By the end of his career, Meek's fascination with these topics had taken over his life following the deterioration in his mental health, and he started to believe that his flat contained [[poltergeist]]s, that aliens were substituting his speech by controlling his mind, and that photographs in his studio were trying to communicate with him.<ref name=":1" />

===Mental health===
Meek was affected by [[bipolar disorder]]<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/local-news/not-a-meek-and-mild-story-922611|title=Not a meek and mild story...|work=Manchester Evening News|date=2009-06-25|access-date=2018-10-13|archive-date=14 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181014053028/https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/local-news/not-a-meek-and-mild-story-922611|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[schizophrenia]],<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/theatre-news/morans-meek-tale-set-go-1059978|title=Moran's Meek tale set go large|work=Manchester Evening News|date=2005-06-30|access-date=2018-10-13|archive-date=14 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181014053038/https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/theatre-news/morans-meek-tale-set-go-1059978|url-status=live}}</ref> and, upon receiving an apparently innocent phone call from American record producer [[Phil Spector]], Meek immediately accused Spector of stealing his ideas before hanging up angrily.<ref>BBC Music Moguls, part 2, Melody Makers</ref> His professional efforts were often hindered by his [[paranoia]] (Meek was convinced that [[Decca Records]] would put hidden microphones behind his wallpaper to steal his ideas), depression, and extreme mood swings.<ref name="auto">{{Cite book|title=Joe Meek's Bold Techniques.|last=Barry.|first=Cleveland|date=2001|publisher=BookBaby|isbn=9780692368589|oclc=958506647}}</ref> In later years, Meek started experiencing psychotic delusions, culminating in his refusal to use the studio telephone for important communications due to his belief that his landlady was eavesdropping on his calls through the chimney, that he could control the minds of others with his recording equipment, and that he could monitor his acts while away from the studio through supernatural means.<ref name=":1" />

Meek was also a frequent recreational drug user, with his [[Barbiturate dependence|barbiturate abuse]] further worsening his depressive episodes.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite book|title=The legendary Joe Meek : the Telstar man|author=Repsch, John|date=1989|publisher=Woodford House|isbn=0951473808|location=London|oclc=60093592}}</ref> In addition, his heavy consumption of [[Substituted amphetamine|amphetamines]] caused him to fly into volatile rages with little or no provocation,<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|title=Great British eccentrics|last=(Steven)|first=Tucker, S. D.|year=2015|isbn=9781445647708|location=Stroud, Gloucestershire|oclc=920852005}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/feb/07/popandrock.musicdocumentary|title=Alexis Petridis on the original crazed record producer Joe Meek|last=Petridis|first=Alexis|date=2007-02-07|website=The Guardian|language=en|access-date=2018-10-13|archive-date=25 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190125194738/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/feb/07/popandrock.musicdocumentary|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/artists/joe-meek-and-the-tragic-demise-of-the-maverick-who-revolutionise/|title=Joe Meek and the tragic demise of the maverick who revolutionised British pop|last=Gritten|first=David|date=2016-10-01|work=The Telegraph|access-date=2018-10-13|language=en-GB|issn=0307-1235|archive-date=1 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180801003719/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/artists/joe-meek-and-the-tragic-demise-of-the-maverick-who-revolutionise/|url-status=live}}</ref> at one point leading him to hold a gun to the head of drummer [[Mitch Mitchell]] to 'inspire' a high-quality performance.<ref name=":2" />

===Sexual orientation===
Meek's [[homosexuality]] – at a time when [[LGBTQ rights in the United Kingdom#Homosexuality as an offence|homosexual acts were illegal in the UK]] – put him under further pressure and he was particularly afraid that his mother would find out about his sexual orientation.<ref name="auto"/> In 1963 he was convicted and fined £15 ({{Inflation|UK|15|1963|fmt=eq|cursign=£}}){{Inflation-fn|UK|df=y}} for "[[cottaging|importuning for immoral purposes]]" in a London [[public toilet]], and was consequently subject to [[blackmail]].<ref>{{cite book | title=Bizarrism | author=Chris Mikul | publisher=Critical Vision | year=1999 | isbn=1-900486-06-7 | page=111 }}</ref> In January 1967, police in [[Tattingstone]], Suffolk, discovered two suitcases containing the [[Murder of Bernard Oliver|remains of Bernard Oliver]]. According to some accounts, Meek was afraid of being questioned by the [[Metropolitan Police]],<ref>{{cite book|last=Fry|first=Colin|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jPtx95MScmsC&pg=PT93 |title=The Krays: A Violent Business |publisher=Mainstream |location=Edinburgh |year=2011 |page=93 |isbn=9781845968076 |access-date=8 March 2016 |archive-date=10 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310203644/https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=jPtx95MScmsC&pg=PT93 |url-status=live}}</ref> as it was known they were intending to interview all of the gay men in London.<ref>{{cite book|last=Bondeson|first=Jan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ch38AwAAQBAJ&pg=PP362|title=Murder Houses of London|location=Stroud, Gloucs|publisher=Amberley Publishing|year=2014|page=362|isbn=9781445614915|access-date=8 March 2016|archive-date=10 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310203827/https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Ch38AwAAQBAJ&pg=PP362|url-status=live}}</ref> This was enough for him to lose his self-control.<ref name="Savage2006">{{cite news|last=Savage|first=Jon|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2006/nov/12/popandrock28|title=Meek by name, wild by nature|newspaper=[[The Observer]]|date=12 November 2006|access-date=8 March 2016|archive-date=9 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160309082525/http://www.theguardian.com/music/2006/nov/12/popandrock28|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Decline===
Meek always walked everywhere outside the studio wearing sunglasses, fearing recognition by local gangsters such as the [[Kray twins]], whom he feared would attempt to steal his acts or blackmail him regarding his homosexuality.<ref name=":1" />

Meek's depression deepened as his financial position became increasingly desperate. French composer Jean Ledrut accused him of [[plagiarism]], claiming that the melody of "Telstar" had been copied from "La Marche d'Austerlitz", a piece from a score Ledrut had written for the film ''[[Austerlitz (1960 film)|Austerlitz]]'' (1960). The [[lawsuit]] meant that Meek did not receive [[royalties]] from the record during his lifetime, and the issue was not resolved in his favour until three weeks after his death in 1967.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/10149111/Roger-LaVern.html | location=London | newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] | title=Roger LaVern | date=28 June 2013 | access-date=3 April 2018 | archive-date=27 December 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171227185359/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/10149111/Roger-LaVern.html | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01ndm4t | title=Telstar - The Sound of the Future | work=[[BBC Radio 2]] | access-date=3 January 2016 | archive-date=15 March 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315103436/http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01ndm4t | url-status=live }}</ref>

===Murder and suicide===
On 3 February 1967, Meek killed his landlady Violet Shenton and then himself, at his Holloway Road residence.<ref name="auto1">{{cite news |url=http://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/music/106225/Joe-Meek-Tragic-demise-of-a-gifted-musical-maverick |title=Joe Meek: Tragic demise of a gifted musical maverick |date=7 June 2009 |newspaper=Sunday Express |location=London |access-date=4 February 2017 |archive-date=4 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170204044401/http://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/music/106225/Joe-Meek-Tragic-demise-of-a-gifted-musical-maverick |url-status=live |quote=He blasted a hole in Violet Shenton’s back before turning the shotgun on himself and blowing off his face.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=BBC Radio 2 - Sounds of the 60s with Tony Blackburn - Joe Meek |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/2NjdlTQmQR1NwYC2WdQY1yS/joe-meek |access-date=2024-09-18 |website=BBC |language=en-GB}}</ref> The weapon used was a [[shotgun|single-barrelled shotgun]] which he had confiscated from his protégé, former [[The Tornados|Tornados]] bassist [[Heinz Burt]]. Meek and Shenton had argued over his noise levels and the rent that he still owed, before Meek picked up the gun.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/gloucestershire/content/articles/2007/01/05/joe_meek_feature.shtml|title=Joe Meek (1929–1967)|website=Bbc.co.uk|access-date=9 May 2021}}</ref> Burt had informed Meek that he had used the gun to shoot birds while on tour, at which point Meek had taken it. Meek had kept the gun under his bed, along with some cartridges. As the gun owner, Burt was questioned intensively by police before being eliminated from their enquiries.<ref>{{cite web |title=Part 11: I'm Going Now |url=http://www.joemeekpage.info/essay_11_E.htm |publisher=Joe Meek Info |access-date=21 August 2020 |archive-date=16 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200216103540/http://www.joemeekpage.info/essay_11_E.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Meek was buried at Newent Cemetery, [[Newent]], Gloucestershire.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Pearce |first1=Pam |title=Sixties pop pioneer Joe Meek paved the way for music production techniques used today |date=12 May 2017 |url=https://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/news/history/joe-meek-born-gloucestershire-became-57360 |publisher=Gloucestershire Live |access-date=13 August 2020 |archive-date=14 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171114194907/http://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/news/history/joe-meek-born-gloucestershire-became-57360 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Legacy==
===Recording===
[[File:Joe Meek VC3 0212.jpg|thumb|A Joemeek VC3 pre-amp / compressor / exciter]]

Meek's inability to play a musical instrument or write [[musical notation|notation]] did not prevent him writing and producing successful commercial recordings. For songwriting, he was reliant on musicians such as [[Dave Adams (musician)|Dave Adams]], [[Geoff Goddard]] or Charles Blackwell to transcribe melodies from his vocal demos. He worked on 245 singles, 45 of which reached the top fifty.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Utton |first1=Dominic |title=Joe Meek: The tortured life of Telstar genius |url=https://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/music/762597/joe-meek-the-telstar-man |access-date=21 August 2020 |work=Express |date=3 February 2017 |archive-date=2 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190802223236/https://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/music/762597/joe-meek-the-telstar-man |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1993, former session singer Ted Fletcher introduced the "Joemeek" line of audio processing equipment. The tribute to Meek was due to his influence in the early stages of audio compression. The name and product line were sold to the American company PMI Audio Group in 2003. The current product line includes a microphone series called "Telstar", named after Meek's biggest hit.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.joemeek.com/ |title=Joemeek.com |publisher=Joemeek.com |access-date=27 October 2011 |archive-date=9 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111109105032/http://www.joemeek.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://pmiaudio.com/about.html |title=PMI Audio Group |publisher=Pmiaudio.com |access-date=27 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111104032847/http://pmiaudio.com/about.html |archive-date=4 November 2011 |url-status = dead}}</ref>

==="The Tea Chest Tapes"===
[[File:Joe Meek plaque, London.jpg|thumb|The Joe Meek black plaque at his studio at 304 [[Holloway Road]]]]
After Meek's suicide, Cliff Cooper of the Millionaires is said to have purchased the thousands of recordings Meek had hidden at his studio, for £300 ({{Inflation|UK|300|1967|fmt=eq|cursign=£}}).{{Inflation-fn|UK|df=y}}.<ref name=tchest>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/sep/04/joe.meek.master.tapes|title=What's on Joe Meek's master tapes?|first=Chris|last=Cottingham|newspaper=The Guardian |date=4 September 2008|via=www.theguardian.com}}</ref> These recordings were called the "Tea Chest Tapes" among fans, as they had been stored in [[tea chest]]s in Meek's flat.<ref>{{cite web |title=Joe Meek and the Legendary Tea Chest Tapes |url=https://recordcollectormag.com/articles/joe-meek-and-the-legendary-tea-chest-tapes |publisher=Record Collector |access-date=21 August 2020 |archive-date=7 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191207232624/https://recordcollectormag.com/articles/joe-meek-and-the-legendary-tea-chest-tapes |url-status=live }}</ref> Alan Blackburn, former president of the Joe Meek Appreciation Society, catalogued all of them in the mid-1980s, but they remained unreleased.<ref name=tchest/>

On 4 September 2008, these unreleased recordings were auctioned in Fame Bureau's "It's More Than Rock 'N' Roll" auction. They were reportedly sold for £200,000<ref>{{cite web |last1=Elson |first1=Mark |title=Meek tribute show boosts town charity |date=6 September 2017 |url=http://www.theforestreview.co.uk/article.cfm?id=107302&headline=Meek%20tribute%20show%20boosts%20town%20charity&sectionIs=news&searchyear=2017 |publisher=Forest of Dean and Wye Valley Review |access-date=21 August 2020 |archive-date=21 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200821145025/http://www.theforestreview.co.uk/article.cfm?id=107302&headline=Meek+tribute+show+boosts+town+charity&sectionIs=news&searchyear=2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> but, in a 2021 interview for the BBC, Cooper states that they had failed to sell on that occasion.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Haider |first1=Arwa |title=The greatest 'lost tapes' ever found? |url=https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20210528-the-discovery-of-mythical-lost-tapes |website=BBC Culture |access-date=12 June 2021 |language=en |date=2 June 2021}}</ref> They contained over 4,000 hours of music on approximately 1,850 tapes, including recordings by [[David Bowie]] as singer and sax player with [[the Konrads]], [[Gene Vincent]], [[Denny Laine]], [[Billy Fury]], [[Tom Jones (singer)|Tom Jones]], [[Jimmy Page]], Mike Berry, John Leyton, [[Ritchie Blackmore]], [[Jess Conrad]], [[Mitch Mitchell]] and [[Screaming Lord Sutch]]. The tapes also contained many examples of Meek composing songs and experimental sound techniques. Tape 418 has Meek composing songs for the film ''[[Live It Up! (film)|Live It Up!]]''<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/5715376| title = Joe Meek Archive The entire collection of Joe| website = Liveauctioneers.com| date = October 2008| access-date = 26 May 2009| archive-date = 24 December 2009| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091224125336/http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/5715376| url-status = live}}</ref>

On 2 September 2020, [[Cherry Red Records]] announced that they had purchased the tapes from Cooper and would begin the process of digitising the archive with a view to releasing the material, subject to rights clearance.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cherryred.co.uk/cherry-red-records-have-acquired-legendary-producer-joe-meeks-tea-chest-tapes/ |title=Cherry Red Records acquire Tea Chest Tapes |website=Cherry Red Records |date=2 September 2020 |access-date=3 September 2020 |archive-date=3 September 2020 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200903232639/https://www.cherryred.co.uk/cherry-red-records-have-acquired-legendary-producer-joe-meeks-tea-chest-tapes/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The first release was ''The Telstar Story'' in 2022,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.cherryred.co.uk/the-telstar-story-joe-meeks-tea-chest-tapes-10-vinyl-edition | title=The Telstar Story - Joe Meek's Tea Chest Tapes, 10" Vinyl Edition }}</ref> and the series has since run to a dozen volumes.

===Artists produced by Meek===
In 1963 Meek worked with a then little-known singer [[Tom Jones (singer)|Tom Jones]], then the lead vocalist of Tommy Scott & the Senators. Meek recorded seven tracks with Jones and took them to various labels in an attempt to get a record deal, with no success. Two years later after Jones' worldwide hit "[[It's Not Unusual]]" in 1965, Meek was able to sell the tapes he had recorded with Jones to Tower (US) and [[Columbia (EMI)|Columbia]] (UK).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.txhighlands.com/deccalisting1.htm|title=''Tom Jones' Visual Discography'', B.J. Spencer, Undated|publisher=Txhighlands.com|access-date=27 September 2014|url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120428013522/http://www.txhighlands.com/deccalisting1.htm|archive-date=28 April 2012|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

{{columns-list|colwidth=20em|
* [[Dave Adams (musician)|Dave Adams]]
* [[Deke Arlon]] and the Offbeats
* [[Chris Barber]]
* [[Shirley Bassey]]
* [[Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers]]
* [[Mike Berry (actor)|Mike Berry]]
* The [[Pete Best]] Four
* [[Tam White|The Buzz]]
* [[Carter-Lewis and the Southerners]]
* [[George Chakiris]]
* [[Don Charles]]
* [[Neil Christian]]
* [[Petula Clark]]
* [[Glenda Collins]]
* [[Jess Conrad]]
* [[Michael Cox (singer)|Michael Cox]]
* [[The Cryin' Shames]]
* [[Billie Davis]]
* [[Lonnie Donegan]]
* [[Diana Dors]]
* [[The Flee-Rekkers]]
* [[Emile Ford]] and the Checkmates
* [[Lance Fortune]]
* [[Billy Fury]]
* [[Geoff Goddard]]
* [[Ian Gregory|Iain Gregory]]
* [[Heinz (singer)|Heinz]] and the Wild Boys
* [[Chas Hodges]]
* [[The Honeycombs]]
* [[Peter Jay and the Jaywalkers]]
* [[Tom Jones (singer)|Tom Jones]]
* [[John Leyton]]
* [[Humphrey Lyttelton]]
* [[Valerie Masters]]
* [[The Moontrekkers]]
* [[Jennifer Moss (actress)|Jenny Moss]]
* [[The Outlaws (UK band)|The Outlaws]]
* [[Mike Preston]]
* [[The Puppets]]
* [[Donn Reynolds]]
* [[The Riot Squad]]
* [[The Saints (1960s band)|The Saints]]
* [[Clive Sarstedt|Wes Sands]]
* [[Mike Sarne]]
* [[Anne Shelton (singer)|Anne Shelton]]
* [[Sounds Incorporated]]
* [[Freddie Starr]] and the Midnighters
* [[Tommy Steele]]
* [[Big Jim Sullivan]]
* [[Screaming Lord Sutch]] and the Savages
*  The Blue Rondos
* [[The Syndicats]]
* [[The Tornados]]
* [[Frankie Vaughan]]
* [[Gene Vincent]]
* [[Rick Wayne|Ricky Wayne]] and the Offbeats
* [[Houston Wells and the Marksmen]]
}}

===Charted singles===
The following Meek productions appeared on the British charts.<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">Brown, Tony, Jon Kutner & Neil Warwick, ''The Complete Book of the British Charts: Singles and Albums'', Omnibus Press, London,  2002</ref><ref>''Telstar: The Hits of Joe Meek'', Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., London, 2006</ref>

{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Artist
! Title
! No.
! Date
! Note(s)
|-
| [[Gary Miller (singer)|Gary Miller]]
| "[[The Garden of Eden (song)|The Garden of Eden]]"
| 14
| January 1957
|
|-
| Gary Miller
| "[[The Story of My Life (Marty Robbins song)|The Story of My Life]]"
| 14
| January 1958
|
|-
| [[Emile Ford| Emile Ford and the Checkmates]]
| "[[What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For?]]"
| 1
| October 1959
|
|-
| [[David MacBeth]]
| "[[Mr. Blue]]"
| 18
| October 1959
|
|-
| [[Lance Fortune]]
| "Be Mine"
| 4
| February 1960
|
|-
| Lance Fortune
| "This Love I Have for You"
| 26
| May 1960
|
|-
| [[John Leyton]]
| "[[Johnny Remember Me]]"
| 1
| August 1961
|
|-
| [[Mike Berry (singer)|Mike Berry]]
| "[[Tribute to Buddy Holly]]"
| 24
| October 1961
|backed by the Outlaws<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums" />
|-
| John Leyton
| "[[Wild Wind]]"
| 2
| October 1961
|backed by [[The Outlaws (band)|the Outlaws]]<ref>{{cite web |title=John Leyton |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/artists/4486b1d3-d648-4a79-acbb-aa61da629813 |publisher=BBC |access-date=21 August 2020 |archive-date=5 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190705170518/https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/artists/4486b1d3-d648-4a79-acbb-aa61da629813 |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| John Leyton
| "Son This Is She"
| 15
| December 1961
|
|-
| [[Ian Gregory|Iain Gregory]]
| "Can't You Hear the Beat of a Broken Heart"
| 39
| January 1962
|-
| John Leyton
| "Lonely City"
| 14
| May 1962
|
|-
| [[The Tornados]]
| "[[Telstar (instrumental)|Telstar]]"
| 1
| September 1962
|also writer
|-
| Mike Berry
| "Don't You Think It's Time"
| 6
| January 1963
|
|-
| The Tornados
| "Globetrotter"
| 5
| January 1963
|also writer
|-
| The Tornados
| "Robot"
| 17
| March 1963
|also writer
|-
| The Tornados
| "The Ice Cream Man"
| 18
| June 1963
|also writer
|-
| [[Heinz Burt|Heinz]]
| "[[Just Like Eddie]]"
| 5
| August 1963
|
|-
| [[The Honeycombs]]
| "[[Have I the Right?]]"
| 1
| July 1964
|
|-
| Heinz
| "Diggin' My Potatoes"
| 49
| March 1965
|
|-
| [[The Honeycombs]]
| "That's the Way"
| 12
| July 1965
|
|-
| [[The Cryin' Shames]]
| "[[Please Stay (Burt Bacharach song)|Please Stay]]"
| 26
| April 1966
|
|}

==In popular culture==
===Biographies===
In later years, the interest in Meek's life as well as influence on the music industry, has spawned at least two documentary films, a radio play, a stage play and a feature film.
* On 8 February 1991, the [[BBC]] showed a 60-minute documentary in its ''Arena'' documentary series, entitled ''The Very Strange Story of... the Legendary Joe Meek''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0324086/combined|title=IMDb: ''"Arena" The Very Strange Story of... The Legendary Joe Meek (1991)''|website=IMDb.com|access-date=27 September 2014|archive-date=21 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200821145059/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0324086/reference|url-status=live}}</ref> The BBC has since repeated the documentary several times.
* On 26 March 1994, [[BBC Radio 4]] broadcast ''Lonely Joe'', a radio play based on the life of Meek, written by Janey Praeger and [[Peter Kavanagh (writer)|Peter Kavanagh]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://myiget.net/audio_books/bbc-r4---janie-prager-and-peter-kavanagh-apos-s--apos-lonely-joe-apos---joe-911088.htm|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130506003358/http://myiget.net/audio_books/bbc-r4---janie-prager-and-peter-kavanagh-apos-s--apos-lonely-joe-apos---joe-911088.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=2013-05-06|title=BBC R4 - Janie Prager and Peter Kavanagh's 'Lonely Joe' |publisher=BBC|access-date=21 August 2020}}</ref>
* On 2 February 2005, ''[[Telstar: The Joe Meek Story|Telstar]]'', a stage play about Meek, written by actors [[Nick Moran]] and James Hicks, opened at the [[Cambridge Arts Theatre]] and then toured to [[York]], [[Darlington]], [[Guildford]], [[Eastbourne]] and [[Manchester]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Telstar - the Joe Meek Story |url=https://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/telstar-rev.htm |publisher=British Theatre Guide |access-date=21 August 2020 |archive-date=20 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120120095631/http://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/telstar-rev.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> before opening up at the [[Ambassadors Theatre (London)|New Ambassadors Theatre]] in London on 24 June 2005.<ref>{{cite web |title="Telstar" by Nick Moran at the New Ambassadors from 21 June 2005 |date=8 June 2016 |url=https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatre-news/news/telstar-by-nick-moran-at-the-new-ambassadors-from-21-june-2005 |publisher=LOndon Theatre |access-date=21 August 2020 |archive-date=21 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200821145801/https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatre-news/news/telstar-by-nick-moran-at-the-new-ambassadors-from-21-june-2005 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* On 12 April 2008, ''[[A Life in the Death of Joe Meek]]'', by US filmmakers [[Howard S. Berger]] and Susan Stahman, was shown as a work-in-progress at the [[Sensoria Music & Film Festival]] in [[Sheffield]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://2009.sensoria.org.uk/2008/film/joemeek.html|title=Sensoria 2008: ''A Life in the Death of Joe Meek''|publisher=2009.sensoria.org.uk|access-date=27 September 2014|url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140521070542/http://2009.sensoria.org.uk/2008/film/joemeek.html|archive-date=21 May 2014|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
* On 19 June 2009, a film adaption of Moran's and Hick's play, ''[[Telstar: The Joe Meek Story]]'', premiered in London, directed by Nick Moran and with the star of the play, [[Con O'Neill (actor)|Con O'Neill]], continuing his portrayal of Meek.<ref>{{IMDb title|1068669|Telstar: The Joe Meek Story}}</ref>

===Tributes and references===
{{more citations needed|section|date=March 2022}}
A number of artists have made tributes to Meek in various ways:
* Franco-English pop singer-songwriter [[MeeK (musician)|MeeK]] chose his stage name as a homage to the British producer.
* British punk [[Wreckless Eric]] recounts Meek's life and recreates some of his studio effects in his song "Joe Meek" from the album ''Donovan of Trash''.
* [[The Marked Men]], a Texas punk band, have a song titled "Someday" with lyric: "Joe Meek wanted all the world to know about the news he found."
* The [[Frank Black]] song "White Noise Maker" deals with Meek's suicide by shotgun, the white noise maker of the title. "It's been so long since my Telstar."
* [[Matmos]], an Electronic duo, have a song on their 2006 album ''The Rose Has Teeth in the Mouth of the Beast'' called "Solo Buttons for Joe Meek".
* In 1995, the record label [[Razor & Tie]] released the [[compilation album]] ''[[It's Hard to Believe It: The Amazing World of Joe Meek]]'', consisting of twenty songs Meek had produced.
* [[Swing Out Sister]] include a short instrumental named "Joe Meek's Cat" on their 1997 album ''Shapes and Patterns'', inspired by Meek's 1966 ghost-hunting expeditions to Warley Lea Farm during which he allegedly captured recordings of a talking cat channelling the spirit of a former landowner who committed suicide at the farm.
* [[Graham Parker]]'s 1992 album ''Burning Questions'' includes the cryptic "Just Like Joe Meek's Blues"
* [[Sheryl Crow]] claimed that her song "[[A Change Would Do You Good]]" was inspired by an article she read about Meek.
* [[Jonathan King]] recorded a song in 2007 about Meek Titled "He Stood in the Bath He Stamped on the Floor".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbCsq9Rx-yc |title=Video: "He Stood In The Bath He Stamped On The Floor" |publisher=Youtube.com |date=6 January 2007 |access-date=27 October 2011 |archive-date=24 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140824165225/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbCsq9Rx-yc&gl=US&hl=en |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=He Stood In the Bath and He Stamped On the Floor by Jonathan King on Apple Music |date=2007-01-22 |url=https://music.apple.com/us/song/he-stood-in-the-bath-and-he-stamped-on-the-floor/213144426 |access-date=2024-09-18 |language=en-US}}</ref>
* Johnny Stage, Danish producer and guitarist released an album in tribute of Meek, entitled ''The Lady with the Crying Eyes'' featuring various Danish artists, on 3 February 2007.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.myspace.com/joemeektribute|title=Myspace: Joe Meek Tribute|website=Myspace.com|access-date=27 September 2014|archive-date=26 May 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140526103709/https://myspace.com/joemeektribute|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Dave Stewart (musician, born 1950)|Dave Stewart]] (the keyboardist) and [[Barbara Gaskin]] recorded the song "Your Lucky Star" dealing with the life and death of Meek, released on the 1991 album "Spin". Dave Stewart also recorded a version of "Telstar" on the occasion of its 40th anniversary in 2002. This was later released on the Dave Stewart and [[Barbara Gaskin]] 2009 mini-album "Hour Moon". The album also features the duo's previously released Meek tribute "Your Lucky Star" from their 1991 album "Spin".
* The Spanish label ''Spicnic'' released in 2001 a tribute CD, "Oigo un nuevo no mundo. Homenaje a Joe Meek", featuring various Spanish bands.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.spicnic.com/ |title=Spicnic label website |work=Spicnic.com |access-date=27 October 2011 |archive-date=8 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111008180946/http://www.spicnic.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Trey Spruance]], from the band [[Mr. Bungle]], has stated that the ten-part song/instrumental "The Bends" from their album ''[[Disco Volante (Mr. Bungle album)|Disco Volante]]'' is inspired by Joe Meek's music. Specifically "[[I Hear a New World]]".
* [[The Coral]]'s British Top 10 hit "[[Magic and Medicine|Don't Think You're the One]]" (2003) is a musical homage to Meek.<ref>{{cite tweet|author=The Coral|user=thecoralband|number=1263923413296517122|title=Don't Think You're the First We loved Joe Meek. He wrote about piers, love, haunted funfairs, the occult and murder. This is the trademark Joe Meek rhythm.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200522201225/https://twitter.com/thecoralband/status/1263923413296517122|archive-date=22 May 2020|date=22 May 2020|access-date=15 November 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite tweet|author=The Coral|user=thecoralband|number=1263923526878343169|title=Lee using odd parts of his guitar to make strange Mekon percussion sounds.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200522201251/https://twitter.com/thecoralband/status/1263923526878343169|archive-date=22 May 2020|date=22 May 2020|access-date=15 November 2022}}</ref>
* [[Thomas Truax]] regularly performed his Meek tribute "Joe Meek Warns Buddy Holly" on his 2008 tours, a song apparently about Meek's supposed warning via spirit-writing predicting Buddy Holly's death. A single and accompanying video was scheduled for release on 3 February 2009, the 50th anniversary of Holly's demise, also the date of Meek's suicide.<ref name="auto1"/>
* Robb Shenton released "Lonely Joe" as a tribute to the producer on 28 October 2008. Shenton was one of Meek's artists and was with five Meek bands between 1963 and early 1966: The Bobcats, David John and the Mood, the Prestons, the Nashpool and Flip and the Dateliners. He also sang backing vocals with many others.
* In 2004 and 2006 respectively, UK record label Western Star records put together and released two volumes of Meek tributes on CD. These compilations were made up of Western Star artists all paying tribute by recording songs originally recorded or written by Meek. Then in 2012, producer, label boss and long time Meek enthusiast Alan Wilson released "Holloway Road", a song about Meek. This featured on the album ''Infamy'', by his own band The Sharks.
* In 2005, Cane 141 released a B-Side called "Joe Meek Shall Inherit The Earth". The name is a pun on Joe Meek's name and the [[Bible]] verse [[Matthew 5:5]] where [[Jesus]] (during the [[Sermon on the Mount]]) is quoted as saying "Blessed are the [[Meekness|meek]]: for they shall inherit the earth."
* Deadbeat Poets recorded "Staircase Stomp" in 2010; the title is a reference to the [[The Honeycombs|Honeycombs]] song "[[Have I the Right?]]", and the song has many references to Meek.
* [[Standing on the Corner (band)|Jasper Marsalis]], of the music performance piece [[Standing on the Corner (band)|Slauson Malone 1]], performed a cover of Meek's "[[I Hear a New World]]" on his 2023 album ''EXCELSIOR'' and at live performances preceding its release. Marsalis credits the original song with inspiring him to continue his music career during the making of ''EXCELSIOR'', stating the following during a [[Bandcamp]] online listening party: "Originally this album was only supposed to be two songs and after that I was going to stop making music then my friend Rahill played me the song ‘I Hear A New World’ by Joe Meek. I just felt so inspired by listening to it. I wanted to do a cover to learn how the song was made and it inspired me to develop an entire album around this one song."

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book|last=Brend|first=Mark|title=Strange Sounds: Offbeat Instruments and Sonic Experiments in Pop|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m6KRDxYOp4UC&pg=PT58|year=2005|publisher=Backbeat|isbn=978-0-87930-855-1}}

==Further reading==
* John Repsch: ''The Legendary Joe Meek'' (UK; 1989, July 2003) {{ISBN|1-901447-20-0}}
* Barry Cleveland: ''Creative Music Production – Joe Meek's BOLD Techniques'' (US; July 2001) {{ISBN|1-931140-08-1}}
* Barry Cleveland: ''Joe Meek's BOLD Techniques, 2nd Edition'' (US; December 2013) {{ISBN|978-0-615-73600-6}}
* The penultimate chapter of [[Alan Moore]]'s spoken word piece "[[The Moon and Serpent Grand Egyptian Theatre of Marvels|The Highbury Working]]" concerns Meek's last moments. Meek is also mentioned in the epilogue of Moore's novel ''[[The Great When]]'' (2024), and the title announced for the next novel of the series, ''[[I Hear A New World]]'', is a reference to one of Meek's albums
* Mallory Curley: ''Beatle Pete, Time Traveller'' (Randy Press, 2005)
* Jon Savage: "Meek by name, wild by nature" (The Guardian, UK, 12 November 2006)

==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline}}
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/gloucestershire/content/articles/2007/01/05/joe_meek_feature.shtml BBC Music Profile: Joe Meek]
* {{IMDb name|0576089|Joe Meek}}
* {{Discogs artist}}

{{Portal bar|Crime|England|LGBTQ|London|Pop music|Rock music}}
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{{Electronic rock}}

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