READING: Biscuit Factory

Saturday 16th July, 2022

6:00pm

Event information

An exclusive talk by Alan Wilson(Western Star Recordings-the man who has been digitising the Tea Chest Tapes for the last two years for Cherry Red Records) Alan is the only person to have heard everything on The Chest Tapes. In music circles, these Tea Chest Tapes are a huge part of popular music history. Honoured that Alan has agreed to visit the Reading Biscuit Factory and to tell what he has discovered.

A showing of the film 'Telstar'-that tells the story of Joe Meek-featuring the likes of James Corden, Tom Burke, Ralf Little, Nigel Harman, Pam Ferris, Mathew Bayton, Justin Hawkins (the Darkness) and Carl Barat (The Libertines)
Telstar beautifully written and directed by Nick Moran

The film has not been shown in a cinema for years.

Joe Meek was a highly influential music producer, engineer, songwriter, and record label owner that operated mainly during the 1960s.

He was a self-taught electronics whizz, who amazingly produced a string of homemade hit singles in his flat above a leather shop in London.

He pioneered studio tools such as multiple over-dubbing on one-and two-track machines, close miking, direct injection of bass guitars, the compressor, and effects like echo and reverb, as well as sampling.

His biggest hits Have I the Right (Honeycombs), Just Like Eddie (Heinz),Johnny Remember me (John Leyton) and Telstar (The Tornados)

Telstar by the Tornados was the first number single in the USA and the UK.

Geoff Godard, who lived in Reading wrote many songs for Joe Meek and his acts such as The Tornados, Heinz, John Leyton, and Screaming Lord Sutch.

After his death, at the age of 37 in 19967. Thousands of unreleased tapes were discovered. These were labelled the 'Tea Chest Tapes', as they were stored in tea chests. Containing over 4000 hours of music. Including very early recordings by David Bowie, Gene Vincent, Tom Jones, Billy Fury, Jimmy Page, Ritchie Blackmore, and Mitch Mitchell.

September 2020.Cherry Red records announced that they have purchased the Tea Chest Tapes. Hence Alan Wilson has for the last two years been digitalizing the tapes in his studio in Bristol.

The first releases on Cherry Red are scheduled for this summer.

Note unreserved seated show Thanks

Venue information

READING: Biscuit Factory

0	Unit 1a Oxford Rd Broad St Mall Reading RG1 7QE
>	www.readingbiscuitfactory.co.uk
`	Reading Biscuit Factory is fully accessible and there are two accessible toilets. Screen 1 has 2 wheelchair spaces, Screen 2 and 3 have one wheelchair space.