Jet Harris & Tony Meehan on Decca

[iefje]

I am trying to complete the discographical information on Jet Harris & Tony Meehan's recordings they made for Decca Records. So far, I have gathered the following information:

Title: Besame Mucho
Duration: 2:18
Recording date: April 29th, 1962
Location: Decca Studios, London, England

Personnel: Jet Harris (electric lead bass guitar), Tony Meehan (drums and tambourine), Big Jim Sullivan (electric rhythm guitar), Joe Moretti (electric rhythm guitar), unknown (electric bass guitar and backing vocal).


Title: Chills And Fever
Duration: 2:24
Recording date: April 29th, 1962
Location: Decca Studios, London, England

Personnel: Jet Harris (electric lead guitar and lead vocal), Tony Meehan (drums and tambourine), Big Jim Sullivan (acoustic rhythm guitar), Joe Moretti (acoustic rhythm guitar), unknown (electric bass guitar, piano and backing vocal).


Title: Rave
Duration: 2:17
Recording date: April, 1962
Location: Decca Studios, London, England

Personnel: Jet Harris (electric lead bass guitar), unknown (electric lead/rhythm guitar, electric bass guitar, drums, harmonica and handclaps).


Title: Main Title Theme
Duration: 2:07
Recording date: June 5th, 1962
Location: Decca Studios, London, England

Personnel: Jet Harris (electric lead bass guitar), Tony Meehan (drums), Big Jim Sullivan (acoustic rhythm guitar), Joe Moretti (acoustic rhythm guitar), unknown (electric bass guitar, baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone and brass).


Title: Clap Your Hands Once Again
Duration: 2:58
Recording date: June 5th, 1962
Location: Decca Studios, London, England

Personnel: Jet Harris (electric lead guitar and lead vocal), Tony Meehan (drums), Big Jim Sullivan or Joe Moretti (electric rhythm guitar), unknown (electric bass guitar, harmonica, backing vocal and handclaps).


Title: Some People
Duration: 2:05
Recording date: June, 1962
Location: Decca Studios, London, England

Personnel: Jet Harris (electric lead guitar and lead vocal), Tony Meehan (drums, woodblocks and harmony vocal), unknown (acoustic rhythm guitar, electric bass guitar and backing vocal).


Title: Real Wild Child
Duration: 2:41
Recording date: June, 1962
Location: Decca Studios, London, England

Personnel: Jet Harris (electric lead guitar and lead vocal), unknown (electric bass guitar, drums, tambourine, piano, harmonica and backing vocal).


Title: Again
Duration: 2:01
Recording date: October 20th, 1962
Location: Decca Studios, London, England

Personnel: Jet Harris (electric lead bass guitar), Tony Meehan (drums), unknown (acoustic rhythm guitar, electric bass guitar, piano, strings, brass and backing vocal).


Title: Man From Nowhere
Duration: 2:28
Recording date: October 20th, 1962
Location: Decca Studios, London, England

Personnel: Jet Harris (electric lead bass guitar), Tony Meehan (drums and tambourine), unknown (electric rhythm guitar, electric bass guitar, piano, strings and backing vocal).


Title: Lonesome Part Of Town
Duration: 3:07
Recording date: October 20th, 1962
Location: Decca Studios, London, England

Personnel: Jet Harris (electric rhythm guitar and lead vocal), Tony Meehan (drums and guiro), unknown (electric bass guitar, piano, harmonica, strings and backing vocal).


Title: (Doing The) Hully Gully
Duration: 1:50
Recording date: November 16th, 1962
Location: Decca Studios, London, England

Personnel: Jet Harris (electric lead guitar and lead vocal), Tony Meehan (drums, tambourine and harmony vocal), Joe Moretti (acoustic rhythm guitar), John Paul Jones (electric bass guitar), Glenn Hughes or Chris Hughes (piano), unknown (backing vocal and handclaps).


Title: Diamonds
Duration: 2:25
Recording date: November 23rd, 1962
Location: Decca Studios, London, England

Personnel: Jet Harris (electric lead bass guitar), Tony Meehan (drums), Jimmy Page (acoustic guitar), John Paul Jones (electric bass guitar), Glenn Hughes and Chris Hughes (baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone and piano), unknown (backing vocal).


Title: Footstomp
Duration: 2:49
Recording date: November 23rd, 1962
Location: Decca Studios, London, England

Personnel: Jet Harris (electric lead guitar and lead vocal), Tony Meehan (drums, xylophone and harmony vocal), Joe Moretti (acoustic rhythm guitar), John Paul Jones (electric bass guitar), Glenn Hughes and Chris Hughes (baritone saxophone and tenor saxophone), unknown (backing vocal).


Title: Scarlett O'Hara
Duration: 2:18
Recording date: March 15th, 1963
Location: Decca Studios, London, England

Personnel: Tony Meehan (drums), Joe Moretti (electric lead bass guitar), John Paul Jones (electric bass guitar), Glenn Hughes and Chris Hughes (brass), unknown (acoustic rhythm guitar, strings and backing vocal).



Title: Applejack
Duration: 2:05
Recording date: July 24th, 1963
Location: Decca Studios, London, England

Personnel: Tony Meehan (drums and tambourine), Joe Moretti (acoustic lead guitar), John Paul Jones (electric bass guitar), Glenn Hughes and Chris Hughes (baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone, brass and piano), unknown (acoustic rhythm guitar and backing vocal).


Title: The Tall Texan
Duration: 2:16
Recording date: July 24th, 1963
Location: Decca Studios, London, England

Personnel: Tony Meehan (drums and tambourine), Joe Moretti (acoustic lead guitar), John Paul Jones (electric bass guitar), Glenn Hughes and Chris Hughes (baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone, brass and piano), unknown (acoustic rhythm guitar and backing vocal).


Title: Song Of Mexico
Duration: 2:20
Recording date: November 29th, 1963
Location: Decca Studios, London, England

Personnel: Tony Meehan (drums), John Mclaughlin (electric lead bass guitar), John Paul Jones (electric bass guitar), Glenn Hughes & Chris Hughes (baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone, clarinet and piano), unknown (acoustic rhythm guitar, strings and backing vocal).


Title: Kings Go Fifth
Duration: 1:36
Recording date: November 29th, 1963
Location: Decca Studios, London, England

Personnel: Tony Meehan (drums), John Mclaughlin (electric lead bass guitar), John Paul Jones (electric bass guitar), Glenn Hughes & Chris Hughes (baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone, clarinet), unknown (acoustic rhythm guitar, strings and backing vocal).


Title: Big Bad Bass
Duration: 2:14
Recording date: January 24th, 1964
Location: Decca Studios, London, England

Personnel: Jet Harris (electric lead bass guitar), unknown (electric rhythm guitar, electric bass guitar, drums, piano, brass and backing vocal).


Title: Rifka
Duration: 2:20
Recording date: January 24th, 1964
Location: Decca Studios, London, England

Personnel: Jet Harris (electric lead guitar), unknown (acoustic rhythm guitar, electric bass guitar, drums, brass and backing vocal).

Does anyone have any additional information, especially on personnel? Thank you in advance.

[JimN]

I am trying to complete the discographical information on Jet Harris & Tony Meehan's recordings they made for Decca Records. So far, I have gathered the following information:

[snip][

Title: Scarlett O'Hara
Duration: 2:18
Recording date: March 15th, 1963
Location: Decca Studios, London, England

Personnel: Tony Meehan (drums), Joe Moretti (electric lead bass guitar), John Paul Jones (electric bass guitar), Glenn Hughes and Chris Hughes (brass), unknown (acoustic rhythm guitar, strings and backing vocal).

Joe played an ordinary electric guitar (probably his Guild), fitted with flatwound strings (that is very obvious from the sound of the guitar). Despite the insistence of some, the recording of Scarlett O'Hara is in the key of A major and does not require the detuning of the guitar. The compass of the melody is entirely within that of a normal guitar.

[George Geddes]

I have always thought that Joe Moretti played lead on the Tony Meehan Combo single.

George

[JimN]

I have always thought that Joe Moretti played lead on the Tony Meehan Combo single.

I agree.

That's Joe Moretti, not John McLaughlin.

The guitar sound and style are identical on:

Scarlett O'Hara
Song Of Mexico
Kings Go Fifth
and
I'm Telling You Now (by Freddy & The Dreamers).

[JimN]

I fear, lefje, that apart from relative trivia such as that posted by George and myself above, you aren't going to learn much about the personnel on the Jet Harris/Tony meehan recordings.

One good source, though, is the interview in a recent "Pipeline" magazine.

[Moderne]

I believe Cyril Davies played harmonica on Rave.

[Iain Purdon]

In the video "Remembering the 2I's", Jet told the audience that Diamonds was recorded on a Gretsch. Detuned. One tone.

In subsequent live performances he used a Jaguar and played it in E.

No electric bass lead guitar in either case.

[anniv 63]

According to a recent Facebook posting, Terry Webster, Jet's friend at the time was the harmony vocalist
on Some People, not Tony Meehan.
Some time back the late Brian Parker of the Hunters, had said in an interview for Pipeline Magazine, that
both he and bass player John Rogers had been booked for the Diamonds session,
Whether they actually participated on the recording isn't clear.
I also read somewhere that John Weider a later member of the Tony Meehan Combo had played on
Diamonds, yes probably live with the group, but never on the Decca Session?

Mike

[Fenderman]

Is the recording date of Big Bad Bass correct as i thought Jet had a bad car crash at the end of 1963 and was out of action for months?

[iefje]

Is the recording date of Big Bad Bass correct as i thought Jet had a bad car crash at the end of 1963 and was out of action for months?

I have taken all recording dates from the booklet of the 1989 UK CD "Diamonds And Other Gems". Jet's third solo single "Big Bad Bass"/"Rifka" was recorded and released as a sort of comeback single.

I would like to thank you all for the additional information!