Back in the 50s, before he successfully struck out on his own to establish himself as the UK's first wholly independent record producer, JOE MEEK had served a remarkable 'apprenticeship' during the course of which he engineered, co-produced and/or produced countless sessions for many of the UK's established record companies. Joe carved out a highly impressive reputation during this period, working on dozens of hit records - including five UK No.1s - and in addition to his many and various Pop, Skiffle and R&R sessions, he also worked on copious Jazz, Folk, Blues, Calypso and even light orchestral recordings. Many RGM aficionados regard this as the most interesting phase of his oft-controversial career - certainly, it was his most commercially-successful - and this unique compilation offers a comprehensive overview of those early years. Most areas of Meek's musical spectrum are covered (although, being honest, we drew the line at light orchestral!) and this is the first time that many of these artists have been compiled in a Joe Meek context. Astonishingly, perhaps, around a third of these sides are unavailable elsewhere on CD - making this set an absolute 'must-have' for any half-serious Joe Meek fan/collector.