''I Hear a New World'' is a

studio A studio is an artist or worker's workroom. This can be for the purpose of acting, architecture, painting, pottery (ceramics), sculpture, origami, woodworking, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, industrial design ...

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

written and produced by

Joe Meek Robert George "Joe" Meek (5 April 1929 – 3 February 1967) was an English record producer, sound engineer and songwriter who pioneered space age and experimental pop music. He also assisted in the development of recording practices like over ...

with the Blue Men, partially released as an EP in 1960 before financial issues at the

Triumph The Roman triumph (Latin triumphus) was a celebration for a victorious military commander in ancient Rome. For later imitations, in life or in art, see Trionfo. Numerous later uses of the term, up to the present, are derived directly or indirectl ...

label prevented further release of the material. In 1991, the full LP was issued by RPM Records. In 1998, ''

The Wire ''The Wire'' is an American Crime film, crime drama Television show, television series created and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon. The series was broadcast by the cable network HBO in the United States. ''The ...

'' listed the album as one of "100 Records that Set the World on Fire (When No One Was Listening)".

Production

The Blue Men were originally the West Five, a

skiffle Skiffle is a genre of folk music with influences from American folk music, blues, country, bluegrass, and jazz, generally performed with a mixture of manufactured and homemade or improvised instruments. Originating as a form in the United States ...

group from

Ealing Ealing () is a district in West London, England, west of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Ealing. Ealing is the administrative centre of the borough and is identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Plan. Ealing was histor ...

in London. In addition to ''I Hear a New World'', they also recorded under the name of Rodd, Ken and the Cavaliers for Meek. The tracks were recorded at his

Holland Park Holland Park is an area of Kensington, on the western edge of Central London, that contains a street and public park of the same name. It has no official boundaries but is roughly bounded by Kensington High Street to the south, Holland Road ...

flat and at

Lansdowne Studios Lansdowne Studios was a music recording studio in Holland Park, London, England, which operated between 1958 and 2006. Background The studio was located at Lansdowne Road, Holland Park, within Lansdowne House, a Grade II listed eight-storey bu ...

. The album was Meek's pet project. He was fascinated by the

space programme A space program is an organized effort by a government or a company with a goal related to outer space. Lists of space programs include: * List of government space agencies * List of private spaceflight companies * List of human spaceflight prog ...

, and believed that life existed elsewhere in the

Solar System The Solar SystemCapitalization of the name varies. The International Astronomical Union, the authoritative body regarding astronomical nomenclature, specifies capitalizing the names of all individual astronomical objects but uses mixed "Solar S ...

. This album was his attempt "to create a picture in music of what could be up there in outer space", he explained. "At first I was going to record it with music that was completely out of this world but realized that it would have very little entertainment value so I kept the construction of the music down to earth". He achieved this as a sound engineer by blending the Blue Men's skiffle/rock-and-roll style with a range of sound effects created by such kitchen-sink methods as blowing bubbles in water with a straw, draining water out of a sink, shorting out an electrical circuit and banging partly filled milk bottles with spoons; however, one must listen carefully to detect these prosaic origins in the finished product. Another feature of the recordings is the early use of stereophonic sound. The first, eponymous track on the album is the only one to feature conventional vocals. Most of the others are instrumentals; however, some feature high-frequency vocals in the style of

The Chipmunks Alvin and the Chipmunks, originally David Seville and the Chipmunks or simply The Chipmunks, are an American animated virtual band and media franchise first created by Ross Bagdasarian for novelty records in 1958. The group consists of three ...

Pinky and Perky ''Pinky and Perky'' is a children's television series first broadcast by BBC TV in 1957, and revived in 2008 as a computer-animated adaptation. Original series The title characters are a pair of anthropomorphic puppet pigs, named Pinky and ...

and The Nutty Squirrels. Meek also wrote

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are desce ...

for each track to set the scene for each piece; for instance, the notes for "Magnetic Field" read, "This is a stretch of the Moon where there is a strange lack of gravity forcing everything to float three feet above the crust, which with a different magnetic field from the surface sets any article in some sections in vigorous motion, and at times everything is in rhythm".

Release history

The LP was scheduled to be released by

's Triumph Records label in May 1960, but only a 4-track 7-inch EP (part 1) was released with only 99 copies circulating. Only a few demo/preview copies of the LP are known to exist. The re-releases are dubbed from these discs. A second EP was planned, but never appeared; only the sleeve was printed. This (and the cancellation of the album) was due to financial problems at the label, which resulted in Meek's leaving Triumph. The band, too, drifted away and returned to the live circuit. Four compositions from ''I Hear a New World'' were also used on the 1961 album ''Dream of the West'' by The Outlaws. The songs were retitled to fit to the theme of the album: "Orbit Around the Moon" became "Husky Team"; "Entry of the Globbots" became "Tune for Short Cowboys"; "The Bublight" became "The Outlaws" and "Valley of the Saroos" became "Spring is Near".

Legacy

It was described as having a "profound influence on artists as diverse as

Steven Stapleton Steven Peter Stapleton (born 3 February 1957) is an English musician who is best known as the only constant member of experimental improv outfit Nurse with Wound. He is often seen as one of the pioneers of the British industrial music scene, a ...

and Saint Etienne". The title song was covered by the

Television Personalities The Television Personalities are an English post-punk band formed in 1977 by London singer-songwriter Dan Treacy.Earp, Joseph.The Missing Man Of Music: A Search For The Elusive Dan Treacy Of Television Personalities. ''The Brag'', 26 July 2016 ...

Mark Sultan Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Fi ...

and

They Might Be Giants They Might Be Giants (often abbreviated as TMBG) is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years, Flansburgh and Linnell frequently performed as a duo, often accompanied by a d ...

in 2004.

Personnel

;The Blue Men * Rod Freeman (group leader) – guitar, vocals * Ken Harvey – tenor sax, vocals * Roger Fiola – Hawaiian guitar * Chris White – guitar * Doug Collins – bass * Dave Golding – drums

Track listing

1960 original

;Side 1 #Magnetic Field #Around the Moon ;Side 2 #Entry of the Globbots #Valley of the Saroos

1991 reissue

;Side 1 #"I Hear a New World" 2:44 #"Globb Waterfall" 3:15 #"Entry of the Globbots" 3:09 #"Valley of the Saroos" 2:50 #"Magnetic Field" 3:10 #"Orbit Around The Moon" 2:49 ;Side 2 #"The Bublight" 2:43 #"March of the Dribcots" 2:07 #"Love Dance of the Saroos" 2:33 #"The Dribcots' Space Boat" 2:16 #"Disc Dance of the Globbots" 2:15 #"Valley of No Return" 3:07

Releases

*The Blue Men, directed by Rod Freeman: ''I Hear A New World – Part 1'' (EP, Triumph Records RGX-ST5000, March 1960) "Entry of the Globbots", "Valley of the Saroos", "Orbit Around the Moon", "Magnetic Field" *The Blue Men, directed by Rod Freeman: ''I Hear A New World – Part 2'' (EP, Triumph Records RGX-ST5001, unreleased) "Globb Waterfall", "The Dribcots' Space Boat", "Love Dance Of the Saroos", "The Bublight" * LP, Triumph Records TRX-ST9000 scheduled for May 1960) * CD (RPM Records RPM502) Joe Meek – "I Hear a New World" (the front cover credits Meek, and the back credits Rod Freeman and the Blue Men; also includes audio and film clips of interviews with Meek)

References

Bibliography

External links

Barry ClevelandRPM Records, UK
* The Wire (magazine), The Wire's
''100 Records That Set The World On Fire (When No One Was Listening)''
{{DEFAULTSORT:I Hear A New World 1960 debut albums Concept albums Fiction set on the Moon Works about the Moon Joe Meek albums Electronic albums by British artists RPM Records (United Kingdom) albums Triumph Records (United Kingdom) albums Albums produced by Joe Meek Experimental pop albums Avant-pop albums Electronic albums by English artists