Heinz : The White Tornado : Joe Meeks Tea Chest Tapes : 5CD Box Set Review

Rediscovering the 60s: Heinz, the White Tornado, and the Holloway Sessions
There's a certain allure that resides within the realms of yesteryear, particularly when it comes to music. Today, I wish to travel far beyond the confines of the 70s; we're journeying back to the 60s, a time when my own grasp of music was only starting to take shape.
Why this particular era? The answer lies with Heinz, an artist known as the White Tornado and his work from 1963 to 1966: the Holloway sessions. Comprising a five CD set, this collection sheds light on a fantastic 60s artist and the ingenious man behind his music: Joe Meek.
You may be wondering, why Joe Meek? As an ardent fan, I often find that there's always a way of connecting to Deep Purple, if you look deeply enough. This connection is personified by Richie Blackmore, a session artist for Joe Meek, who features on these recordings. His contribution may not emulate his performance on "Child In Time," but its significance is not to be underestimated.
My appreciation for these sessions is rooted in my fandom for Richie Blackmore. However, many music lovers will appreciate this collection for its homage to Joe Meek and the 60s music. There's something uniquely captivating about the way music was crafted back then.
The box set, 'Heinz the White Tornado, the Holloway Road Sessions 1963 to 1966,' is a treasure trove of album singles, sessions, outtakes, demos, and more, released by Cherry Red Records. Among its vast content, the collection boasts an estimated hundred unreleased tracks, making it a truly remarkable offering.
Delving into this package, you'll discover a comprehensive booklet brimming with informative text, rare photographs, and memorabilia from the time, making it a fantastic snapshot of UK pop history. Further, the CDs themselves are a testament to the wealth of material within, featuring a diverse range of tracks.
The box set even includes a tribute to Eddie Cochran, with some iconic tracks like "20 Flight Rock" and "Summertime Blues". The artwork mimics original tape boxes, enhancing its vintage appeal while providing a visual treat.
The highlight of this collection, however, is the remarkable quality of the music. The tracks are sharp and vibrant, making for a refreshing and exciting listening experience. Even though it comprises demos and takes, it manages to steer clear of sounding muffled or repetitive. Instead, you feel as though you're eavesdropping on another era, making for a truly immersive experience.
This collection is essential for any Joe Meek fan. It offers an unprecedented journey into the 60s, transporting you to an era of music that you may not often traverse. If you appreciate music from this time and admire Joe Meek, you will find this collection absolutely essential.
The collection comes complete with detailed notes that reveal the extraordinary depth of the sessions, with an array of albums, single tracks, recorded instrumentals, backing tracks, alternative versions, demos, and even an interview and a live rehearsal recording. All these tracks are carefully restored from the legendary tape archive, offering your ears a sonic feast of nostalgia.
Kudos to Cherry Red Records for investing the time and effort into creating such a comprehensive package. They have indeed catered to music enthusiasts who treasure physical music, albeit a niche market. This collection, however, caters to a niche within a niche, making it even more special.
To conclude, the 'Heinz the White Tornado' 5CD box set, currently available on Cherry Red Records, is indeed worth exploring. Its rich content, nostalgic appeal, and immersive experience
Phil Aston | Now Spinning Magazine
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[@tonyjoint9465]

Joe meek was a genius in the studio, mad as brush but still a genius! The recent cherry red release of Telstar is excellent, check it out if you can👍

[@backrowbrighton]

Great stuff again Phil. Glad you have discovered this. Actually the works of Joe Meek and the acts he was involved with have always been well represented and easily available. I have several double CD sets purchased over the years. Very much deserving of the Cherry Red treatment. I remember Heinz being promoted as a pop idol at the time and he appeared on TV quite a few times. Usual sad story though, his time in the spotlight was brief and he never made any money. He was very ill in later life and died in 2000 with just £18 to his name. Glad he is getting a fitting tribute with this set.

[@NowSpinningMagazine]

Thank you for sharing the extra info - Phil

[@Heavenly_Picture_Studio]

Great review, Phil...my wife and I visit Joe's Holloway studio flat whenever we visit London...on our last visit 5 years ago, we almost asked a cleaner to let us in to look at the premises (when she was hoovering the famous staircase) but we decided not to🙃
Joe's illness (and the needless events as a result of it) is one of music's saddest tragedies...he was obviously twisted into great mental agony as he produced such wonderful tracks...in a real sense, Joe was a brave man to achieve what he did
We also must remember Violet Shenton, who was caught up in Joe's reality that day
Blackmore's work during the Meek years is wild and precise and unmistakable....surely he foretells what he'd do in Deep Purple, etc
So happy that Cherry Red is getting these Tea Chest tracks out so quickly and eloquently with expert packaging and tender loving care
cheers and best wishes from
this Joe Meek/Heinz fan in California USA

[@NowSpinningMagazine]

Thank you for sharing your story, very interesting - Phil

[@jonathanpearman1052]

As soon as I saw you were reviewing the Heinz/Meeks box set I thought "there's a Ritchie lead here". I then remember seeing a biopic from 2008 called Telstar about Meeks and Heinz and in the background there was a young Ritchie Blackmore played spot on by Mathew Baynton. The box set sounds like an interesting sort of time capsule experience. The packaging looks fantastic and Cherry Red still seem to be on top of their game so I might get it just for that. Glad you reviewed it!

[@NowSpinningMagazine]

Thank you 🙏

[@noudsmeets]

Blackster has recorded hundreds of sessions with Meek but we will never know because Meek did not write down who is on the records and mixed a lot of sessions. Its time to make a complete list

[@69waveydavey]

Good music is good music no matter who it is or when it was recorded.

[@garyh.238]

Nice box set Phil! Ritchie Blackmore's early recorded works in it! Like you, I have to have everything Ritchie has ever done!! I have a few of those songs on a double CD compilation set entitled " RITCHIE BLACKMORE - GETAWAY - GROUPS & SESSIONS". Among some of the artists / sessions Ritchie plays on here are: The Ritchie Blackmore Orchestra; The Outlaws; Chad Carson; Burr Bailey & the Six Shooters; Silas Dooley Jr.; Heinz; Gene Vincent; Heinz & the Wildboys; Screaming Lord Sutch & The Savages; Neil Christian & The Crusaders; Green Bullfrog, and several others.

[@NowSpinningMagazine]

Thank you for the extra info - Phil

[@noudsmeets]

I have them almost all on origional 45 vinyl but Blackster has recorded hundreds of sessions for Meek but we will never know all the titled

[@ChristinaM69]

Hi Phil, I noticed that Cherry Red has released a ton of these box sets. I'd like add some of these to my collection but don't really know where to start. I've known about the connection to Blackmore with the Outlaws but I'm not really familiar with the other artists. Can you recommend a good place to start?

[@NowSpinningMagazine]

I have not bought them all but concentrated on the ones with a Blackmore connection - Phil

[@jgabor67]

Are you going to review the Tornados Box Set? 😌

[@NowSpinningMagazine]

Sorry no - Phil

[@diegorivas1991]

Hi Phil
Just wondering, how many box sets do you currently own at the moment?

[@NowSpinningMagazine]

More than I have room for !

[@Janster59]

I really hope the performers get some money from this...

[@noudsmeets]

Blackster has recorded hundreds of sessions with Meek but we will never know because Meek did not write down who is on the records and mixed a lot of sessions. Its time to make a complete list