A memory so worn I'm sure I'm misrepresenting, nevertheless - during one of my first visits to the indispensible True Vine record store in Baltimore, Jason, the store's owner, counted off on his fingers a list that has remained in my brain... although its context eludes me. The four best artists of all time? His four essential artists? I can't remember, nor can I recall the fourth name, just Sun Ra, Moondog, and... Mr. Joe Meek. [This prefatory statement meant as a gesture of respect for such a kind and giving individual - please give back by patronizing his store when you're around.]
Althrough I've pretty much stayed on the surface of the general obsession surrounding Mr. Meek, I never tire of this recording (I also recommend the compilation of his girl group productions, featuring one of my favorite fractured bubble gum tracks, available just below...)
...but that's another story. "I Hear a New World", credited to Rod Freeman & the Blue Men, has to be one of the curios of the oxymoronic genre "underground pop". Shifting from dreamy exotica melodies to some of the eeriest "wasteland" drones I've ever heard (without the use of synthesizers - correct me if I'm wrong), it's always a singular, captivating listen. I hope you enjoy it if you've never had the pleasure.
Get it here, complete with interview tracks! (.m4a files again, let me know if this is a problem)
