Glowing Trees

There's been some discussion over the last couple of days at The Flightpath Estate (A Facebook group for Weatherall enthusiasts) about this 12" single from 1994, a one off under the pseudonym Meek. It came out on Conemelt's New Ground Dance Division and was limited to 500 copies- I only got a copy a few years back, via Discogs, but remember hearing it at a friend's flat in Liverpool, late one night after clubbing. I've posted both sides before but that was back in 2012, decades ago in blogging terms.

Glowing Trees is a long, abstract piece of experimental ambient-techno- whirring clocklike noises, some echo, a little melody box type refrain, a soft padding bassline- all quite dreamy and drifting.

Glowing Trees Part 1

Part 2 adds a kick drum and some extra rhythmic intent, propelling it forward. Very Sabres Of Paradise-esque (not surprisingly). 

Glowing Trees Part 2

On the label at the centre of the record there is an inscription, reading 'with a head like a burnt candle'.

Dig in Webbie.

Mild

Joe Meek was the 60s most experimental and infamous producer. He recorded all kinds of odd records in his flat at 304 Holloway Road while also hitting the number 1 spot with The Tornados otherworldly song Telstar (Margaret Thatcher's favourite record but don't let that put you off). There are various compilations of his stuff on the racks, you should have at least one. Meek was a somewhat troubled person, obsessed with the occult, and paranoid that the Metropolitan police were interviewing every gay man in London with the intention of getting him. He shot himself in 1967 after first shooting his landlady Violet Shenton. I remember reading about Meek back in 2000, trapped in the Bone Marrow Unit of Manchester Childrens' Hospital. I went out at some point and bought I Hear A New World, Meek's sci-fi  album done partly to test new stereosonic sound. Listening to it in the cubicle we were pretty much locked up in was bizarre- some of the album is amazing, some of it marred by squeeky-voiced Smash style aliens. I got a more than a few quizzical looks from the nursing staff.

Our old friend Andrew Weatherall named a 1994 12" single after Joe Meek. I posted the A-side the other day. Ctel hadn't heard it so here's the flipside, similar but slightly different.

Glowing Trees Part 2

While we're in Weatherall territory there's a set he did for Dalston Superstore available for free download at Soundcloud, very much in the A Love From Outer Space/Masterpiece compilation vein.

Meek

Way back in 1994 I heard this record late at night in a friend's flat after an excursion to a nightclub. It sounded great and I was already a Weatherall anorak with a mental checklist of records to get and tick off. Over the course of two sides of 12" vinyl (ten minutes per side) Andrew Weatherall noodles around and invokes the head-nod. It's very aimless, and really stoned, and doesn't go anywhere but goes there very nicely. Released in '94 this was Meek, a Weatherall pseudonym and tribute to Joe Meek, for this one-off, limited to 500 copies (I think), hardly any of which seemed to make their way northwards. As a result it became one of those holy grail records. I searched for donkeys, never getting even a sniff. Sometime around 2006/7 I discovered STX's standard setting Audio/Out blog and he very kindly obliged me with an mp3. A year or two later I got hold of a copy of the 12" off Discogs; not in especially good nick, but a real, actual copy. It had only taken me fourteen years. Was it worth the wait? Of course it was.

Glowing Trees Part 1

At the top is Pablo Picasso by Man Ray. Not used to seeing him with hair.