He pioneered studio tools such as multiple over-dubbing on one- and two-track machines, close miking, direct input of bass-guitars, the compressor, and effects like echo and reverb, as well as sampling. Unlike other producers, his search was for the "right sound" rather than for a catchy musical tune, and throughout his brief career he single-mindedly followed his quest to create a unique "sonic signature" for every record he produced.
At a time when many studio engineers were still wearing white coats and assiduously trying to maintain clarity and fidelity, Meek, the maverick, was producing everything on the three floors of his home studio and was never afraid to distort or manipulate the sound if it created the effect he was seeking. For the song "Johnny Remember Me" he placed the violins on the stairs, the drummer almost in the bathroom, and the brass section on a different floor entirely.
Meek was one of the first producers to grasp and fully exploit the possibilities of the modern recording studio. His innovative techniques -- physically separating instruments, treating instruments and voices with echo and reverb, processing the sound through his fabled home-made electronic devices, the combining of separately-recorded performances and segments into a painstakingly constructed composite recording -- comprised a major breakthrough in sound production. Up to that time, the standard technique for recordings, regardless of musical genre, was to record all the performers in one studio playing together in real time as the music was cut live to tape all at once. Joe Meek's recording techniques (as well as the recording techniques of Les Paul) did much to further the art of record production as we know it today.
Besides his idiosyncratic music production, many of Meek's character eccentricities continue to capture the imagination of people today. Although never properly diagnosed, it is believed today by many that Meek suffered from bipolar disorder type one (some even suggest further that he was paranoid-schizophrenic). Meek was obsessed with outer space, the occult and the idea of "the other side". He would set up tape machines in graveyards in a vain attempt to record voices from beyond the grave, in one instance capturing the meows of a cat he claimed was speaking in human tones, asking for help. In particular, he had an obsession with Buddy Holly (claiming the late American rocker had communicated with him in dreams). His professional efforts were often hindered by his paranoia (Meek was known to tear up his walls as he was convinced that Decca Records would put hidden microphones behind his wallpaper in order to steal his ideas), drug use, and attacks of sudden rage and depression.
Meek's homosexuality (illegal in the UK at the time) also put him under pressure during his career. He had been charged with "importuning for immoral purposes" in 1963 and was consequently subjected to blackmail. In January of 1967, police in Tattingstone, Suffolk, discovered a suitcase containing the mutilated body of Bernard Oliver, an alleged rent boy who had previously associated with Meek. According to some accounts, Meek became concerned that he would be involved in the murder investigation when the Metropolitan police stated that they would be interviewing all known homosexuals in the city. On February 3rd, 1967, the eighth anniversary of Buddy Holly's death, Meek killed his landlady Violet Shenton and then himself with a single barreled shotgun that he had confiscated from his protegé, former The Tornados' bassist and solo star Heinz Burt. Joe Meek was 37 at the time of his death.
The Garden of Eden
Joe Meek Lyrics
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In the garden of Eden
With a beautiful woman
And you know how you care
And the voice in the garden
In the Garden of Eden
Tells you she is forbidden
Can you leave her there
And she touches your hand
And your heart starts a-pounding
And you're feeling so grand
Can you leave her to heaven
And obey the command
Can you walk from the garden
Does your heart understand
When you walk in the garden
In the garden of Eden
With a beautiful woman
And you know how you care
And the voice in the garden
In the Garden of Eden
Tells you she is forbidden
Can you leave her there
When you're yearning for loving
And she touches your hand
And your heart starts a-pounding
And you're feeling so grand
Can you leave her to heaven
And obey the command
Can you walk from the garden
Does your heart understand
When you walk in the garden
In the garden of Eden
With a beautiful woman
And you know how you care
And the voice in the garden
In the Garden of Eden
Tells you she is forbidden
Can you leave her there
Can you leave her there
Can you leave her there
Can you leave her there
The lyrics of Joe Meek's song Garden of Eden describe a man's internal struggle between obeying the command of the voice in the Garden of Eden, which forbids him from being with the beautiful woman he is with, and his desire to stay with her. The lyrics are metaphorical, using the Garden of Eden as a representation of a forbidden romantic relationship. The man is torn between his desire to be with the woman and his fear of punishment for disobeying the command.
The lyrics are also reflective of the larger theme of temptation and human nature that is present in the biblical story of the Garden of Eden. The forbidden fruit in the biblical story represents the temptation of knowledge and desire, and the man's struggle to resist it echoes the lyrics of the song.
Overall, the lyrics of Garden of Eden are a poetic representation of the age-old conflict between the heart and the head, desire and duty, and temptation and morality.
Line by Line Meaning
When you walk in the garden
As you stroll through a serene paradise
In the garden of Eden
A place of pure and timeless beauty
With a beautiful woman
And you are accompanied by an alluring partner
And you know how you care
And you are aware of the depth of your affection
And the voice in the garden
Yet a warning echoes through the perfect place
In the Garden of Eden
Through every inch of the idyllic surrounding
Tells you she is forbidden
Informing you that the one you love is not meant to be yours
Can you leave her there
Will you be able to walk away without her by your side?
When you're yearning for loving
Even as you crave the passionate connection
And she touches your hand
And she reaches out and makes contact with your skin
And your heart starts a-pounding
And the pulse within you accelerates wildly
And you're feeling so grand
And you experience such a soaring sense of euphoria
Can you leave her to heaven
Will you be able to resist the temptation and only rely on divine justice?
And obey the command
And follow the mandate given by a higher power
Can you walk from the garden
Will you be able to depart from the utopia
Does your heart understand
Does your own soul comprehend what is expected of you?
Can you leave her there
Would you be able to leave her behind?
Can you leave her there
Are you capable enough of separation?
Can you leave her there
Can you bear leaving her elsewher?
Can you leave her there
Could you really say goodbye?
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Saul Hudson, Izzy Stradlin, Duff Rose Mckagan, Darren A. Reed, Matt Sorum, W. Axl Rose
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind