Creative Music Production: Joe Meek's Bold Techniques

Legendary British producer and technical innovator Joe Meek–the man behind the hits "Telstar" and "Have I the Right?"–has become a cult figure since his death in 1967, with fan clubs, CD collections, and retrospectives growing in popularity every day. Although much attention has been paid to his unusual life story and tragic passing, "Creative Music Production: Joe Meek’s Bold Techniques" is the first book that gives the details on the methods that led to Meek’s influential hits. Written by veteran music journalist Barry Cleveland, this book takes an industry perspective on Meek’s life. It explores his 12-year professional career in great depth, with special attention paid to the equipment he used and the effect that his work had on the people around him. Also included is an audio CD containing Meek’s "I Hear a New World" album, not available in its original form since 1961!

Barry Cleveland's guitar playing combines psychedelic, progressive rock, ambient, electronic, jazz, funk, and a host of "world" music styles with unusual sounds created using unorthodox playing techniques and electronic processing.

Cleveland released his first commercial album on Larry Fast's Audion Recording Company label in 1986. Mythos combined layers of guitar with Bob Stohl and Kat Epple's woodwinds, synthesizers, and light percussion; and Michael Masley's otherworldly bowhammer cymbalom. The CD received glowing reviews in Option, Jazziz, Stereo Review and CD Review, and was chosen as one of the 25 Best New Age CDs in the 1987 Stereo Review Compact Disc Buyer's Guide (in the company of such other "new age" recordings as Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon).

Voluntary Dreaming, released on Scarlet Records in 1989, also met with critical acclaim. The music had an electronic edge-Cleveland played samplers and synths in addition to electric and acoustic guitars-but also encroached upon "world music" territory with the addition of Michael Pluznick's African and Middle Eastern percussion. Michael Masley's bowhammer cymbalom, and Robert Powell's pedal steel guitar, added exotic harmonic and melodic touches.

During the '90s Cleveland began a parallel career in journalism. Between 1996 and 2002 he worked in various editorial capacities and wrote dozens of articles and product reviews for Mix, Electronic Musician, and Onstage magazines. In mid-2002 he joined the staff of Guitar Player magazine, where he continues to serve as an associate editor. Cleveland's first book, Creative Music Production: Joe Meek's Bold Techniques, was published by MixBooks in the Fall of 2001.

The '90s were a busy time musically as well. Cleveland performed with the improvisational quintet Cloud Chamber, a group which included multi-instrumentalist Michael Masley, bassist Michael Manring, cellist Dan Reiter, and percussionist Joe Venegoni. Cloud Chamber perform