Portrait of a Genius: The RGM Legacy

by Dave ThompsonA treasure trove for collectors, but an excellent introduction, too, for anybody captivated by the Joe Meek legend, but uncertain where to start among the myriad compilations and collections that already litter the shelves, Portrait of a Genius is the unequivocally titled box set that Meek's reputation has always demanded. The accompanying glossy booklet recounts the sheer effort that went into creating a balanced mix of the familiar, the worthy, and the rare, and the first thing that must be said is, they succeeded. Even longtime connoisseurs will stumble upon sufficient oddities to render this a worthwhile purchase, as the hitherto uncollected likes of Kenny Hollywood's "Magic Star" (a vocal version of "Telstar") rubs shoulders with the so familiar hit, a previously unreleased Gene Vincent recording meets a German-language rendition of the Honeycombs' "Have I the Right," and so on. Also notable is the attention lavished on Meek's apprenticeship -- one entire disc is given over to his work as an engineer in the late '50s, and serves up its own fair share of gems; thereafter, the discs proceed through "the classic RGM sound" (1960-1962), "Telstar" and beyond (1962-1963), and, finally, "in search of a new sound" (1964-1966), and it's impossible to play favorites among them. Meek's reputation as one of '60s pop's most innovative, if unstable, personalities has never been questioned. But still Portrait of a Genius manages to throw new light on the reasons why he deserves those epithets and, no matter what other treasures might still be exhumed from the Meek vault, it will have to be a very special collection that upstages this one.