|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chanteur
Rock 'n' Roll Néo-Zélandais né Maxwell James Merritt, le 30 Avril 1941 à
Christchurch. Max Merritt est décédé le 24 Septembre 2020 à Los Angeles
(Californie).
One of the
longest-lived and most popular New Zealand bands of the early rock & roll era, Max
Merritt & the Meteors were a pioneering institution of the Kiwi scene.
Born in Christchurch on April 30, 1941, frontman Merritt quit school at the age
of 15 to work as an apprentice bricklayer; rock music made its first impact at
about the same time, and he eventually saved up enough money to buy an electric
guitar. He soon formed the first Meteors lineup
with bassist Ian Glass, pianist Peter Patene, saxophonist Ross Clancy, and
drummer Pete Snowden. Upon establishing residency at the Teenage Club, the
area's first teen venue, the band became a local phenomenon, with their success
inspiring so many like-minded performers that before long the Christchurch rock
& roll scene was matched only by the thriving musical community in Auckland
spearheaded by teen idol Johnny Devlin.
With his gritty vocals and impressive guitar skills, Merritt immediately
acquired a sizable fan base; the Meteors lineup changed constantly, but
regardless, he remained the focal point, and was even beginning to write his own
material. In late 1959, their debut single, the Merritt original "Get a Haircut,"
became a huge regional hit, as did its follow-ups "Kiss Curl" and "C'mon Let's
Go" (the latter becoming the title track of their 1960 debut LP). Though
remaining essentially a local phenomenon, Merritt & the Meteors did not suffer
the same quick fade-out experienced by the likes of Johnny
Devlin; they continued riding high as the unrivaled kings of the
Christchurch scene, even as the popularity of rock & roll diminished throughout
the nation. Finally, in 1962, they left their hometown to pursue fame in
Auckland, only to find longtime rivals Ray Columbus & the Invaders had already
beaten them to the punch and staked their own claim to the area's music fans.
The Meteors' tenure on the Auckland club circuit was largely unsuccessful --
though highly respected by other musicians, the all-important teen crowd had
already adopted Columbus' band as their new idols du jour. That left Merritt and
his band to hit the road, and in 1963 they traveled to Australia. After six
grueling months in Sydney, they returned to Auckland, which the Invaders had by
now exited for greener pastures. Signing to Viking Records, the Meteors soon
issued their first record in some months, an EP titled Giddy Up Max!; it fared
poorly on the charts, but the label was so taken by the Meteors that they were
installed as the Viking house band, playing backup to a variety of acts. They
returned to Sydney in late 1964, and early the next year their long-awaited
sophomore album, Max Merritt's Meteors, was finally issued; again, however, the
commercial reception was poor, its release overshadowed by the ascendancy of new
acts including the Easybeats.
With the addition of new drummer Bruno Lawrence, the Meteors took a turn toward
a more soulful, Motown-influenced sound. In mid-1965, they released a cover of
the Sam
Cooke classic "Shake," which became their biggest hit to date, even cracking
the Australian charts. Their follow-up, a rollicking rendition of Buster Brown's
"Fanny Mae," was also well-received. While the band's management continued to
promote the Meteors as wholesome and clean-cut, in truth they were becoming
increasingly rebellious, living the debauched rock lifestyle to the hilt. After Merritt became
obsessed with the music of Otis Redding, the bandmembers immersed themselves
completely in blue-eyed soul, further baffling audiences of the period. Despite
assembling what many fans believed to be the best Meteors lineup ever --
saxophonist Bob Bertles, bassist Yuk Harrison, and drummer Stewie Speer -- Merritt still
struggled for acceptance. They took whatever gigs were offered to them, playing
the most remote areas of Australia just to remain afloat.
It was while traveling to the tiny town of Morwell on June 24, 1967, that the
Meteors were involved in a horrific auto accident that left everyone
but Harrison seriously injured; a series of benefit gigs was soon held in the
band's honor. Ironically, the accident raised their visibility throughout
Australia, and when they tentatively hit the comeback trail in early 1968, they
began attracting real attention from the media and fans. Their fellow musicians
continued waxing enthusiastically about the Meteors' musical prowess, and as
times changed, their hedonistic lifestyle made them newly attractive to
clubgoers. By the end of the year, Merritt & the Meteors were the highest-paid
group in the land, the undisputed leaders of an Australian soul music
renaissance. In 1969, they even took over their own Melbourne pub, dubbed Max's
Place, and cut their first single in close to three years, a cover of Jerry
Butler's "Western Union Man." In early 1970, they also issued the smash Max
Merritt & the Meteors, widely regarded as among the finest Australian LPs of the
era.
Soon after, Harrison left the Meteors and was replaced by bassist Dave Russell;
this new lineup recorded the album Stray
Cats, which did not fare nearly as well as its predecessor. After a few more
unsuccessful singles, including the Merritt original "Good Feeling" and a cover
of Delaney & Bonnie's "Hello L.A., Bye Bye Birmingham," the Meteors were dropped
from their contract with RCA in 1972. Still, they forged on, traveling to
England for a series of live dates; alongside bands like Dr. Feelgood and Brinsley
Schwarz, they became pioneers of the fledgling British pub rock scene. In the
years to follow, London remained their base of operations, and they toured as an
opener for acts including Slade, the Moody Blues, and Mountain; however, the
other members of the Meteors all departed in 1974, leaving Merritt to scramble
for work as a bricklayer. By the following year, though, he was back in action
with a new, Nashville-inspired Meteors lineup, and in 1975 the group signed to
Arista, debuting on the label with the single "A Little Easier."
An LP of the same name followed; the second single, the ballad "Slipping Away,"
reached the Top Five in both Australia and New Zealand -- some 16 years after
first entering the studio, Merritt had scored the biggest hit of his career. A
triumphant return to Australia heralded the release of the Meteors' second
Arista LP, 1976's Out of the Blue; however, in Britain, the band remained a cult
act, confined to the pub circuit and a handful of opening gigs. The initial
emergence of punk had little negative effect on the Meteors -- indeed, they
regularly performed in the company of groups including the Jam, the Stranglers,
and the Vibrators; however, punk was the death knell for pub rock, and in
December 1976 Merritt dissolved the group, bringing a 20-year run to an end. He
soon relocated to Los Angeles, enjoying moderate success as a songwriter and
solo performer. During the mid-'80s, Merritt often went back to Australia,
occasionally returning to action fronting a procession of new Meteors lineups. Max
Merritt died in Los Angeles on September 24, 2020, after several years of ill
health; he was 79 years old.
https://www.audioculture.co.nz/people/max-merritt
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Merritt
Talents : Vocals, Guitar, Songwriter
Style musical : Rock 'n' Roll, Rhythm 'n' Blues
Get A
Haircut (1959)
Dixieland
Rock (1959)
Mister
Loneliness (1962)
Soft Surfie
(1963)
Little Bitty Pretty One (1964)
|
|
Years in activity :
| 1910 | 20 | 30 | 40 | 50 | 60 | 70 | 80 | 90 | 2000 | 10 | 20 |
Singles & EP
| 08/1959 | SP HIS MASTER'S VOICE 45-HR.131 (NZ) | . |
Max Merritt
& The Meteors -
Get A
Haircut
|
| 11/1959 | SP HIS MASTER'S VOICE HR.132 (NZ) | . |
Max Merritt & The Meteors - Kiss Curl / You Made Me Love You |
| 1962 | SP HIS MASTER'S VOICE HR.161 (NZ) | . | Max
Merritt & The
Meteors -
Mister
Loneliness
/ If You Want My Lovin' |
| 1962 | SP HIS MASTER'S VOICE HR.173 (NZ) | . | Max Merritt & The Meteors - Weekend / Easy To Dream |
| 1963 | SP HIS MASTER'S VOICE HR.180 (NZ) | . |
Max Merritt - The Slow One / Cossack |
| 1963 | SP HIS MASTER'S VOICE HR.195 (NZ) | . | Max Merritt & The Meteors - Valley Of The Souix / Laughing Girl |
| 1963 | SP ZODIAC Z45/1149 (NZ) | . | Max
Merritt & The
Meteors -
Soft Surfie
/
She's Everything I Wanted You To Be |
| 07/1964 | EP VIKING VE. 148 (NZ) |
 |
Dinah Lee with Max Merritt & His Meteors - Don't You Know .. Dinah Lee - Don't You Know Yockomo / Reet Petite / Kansas City / Hallelujah, I Love Him So |
| 1964 | EP VIKING VE. 149 (NZ) |
 |
Max Merritt
& His Meteors -
Giddy Up Max! - Giddy Up A
Ding Dong... Shake It Up / Almost Grown /
Little Bitty Pretty One
|
| 09/1964 | EP VIKING VE. 150 (NZ) |
 |
Dinah Lee with Max Merritt & His Meteors - Yeah, Yeah We Love... - Yeah, Yeah, We Love Them All / Rockin' Robin / The Nitty Gritty / You Don't Talk About Love |
| 1964 | EP VIKING VE. 151 (NZ) |
 |
Max Merritt & His Meteors - Good Golly Max Merritt - Good Golly Miss Molly / Everybody / Be My Baby / I Want To Hold Your Hand |
| 1964 | SP VIKING 151 (NZ) | . |
Dinah Lee with Max Merritt & His Meteors - Don't You Know Yockomo / You Don't Talk About Love |
| 1964 | SP VIKING 152 (NZ) | . | Max Merritt & His Meteors - Giddy - Up - A - Ding - Dong (....Shake - It - Up!) / Sweet And Tender Romance |
| 09/1964 | SP VIKING 153 (NZ) | . |
Dinah Lee with Max Merritt & His Meteors - Reet Petite / Yeh Yeh We Love 'em All |
| 09/1964 | SP HIS MASTER'S VOICE EA-4648 (AUS) | . |
Dinah Lee with Max Merritt & His Meteors - Reet Petite / Do The Blue Beat (The Jamaica Ska) / |
| 1964 | SP VIKING 156 (NZ) | . |
Tommy Adderley with Max Merrit & His Meteors - I Just Don't Understand / Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On |
| 1964 | SP VIKING 157 (NZ) | . |
Dinah Lee with Max Merritt & His Meteors - Do The Blue Beat - The Jamaica Ska / Kansas City |
| 1964 | SP VIKING 159 (NZ) | . | Max Merritt & His Meteors - Many Things / Thinking Of You |
| 1965 | SP RCA VICTOR 60392 (NZ) | . |
Max Merritt & The Meteors - So Long Baby / You're Treatin' Me Bad |
| 07/1965 | SP PARLOPHONE NZP.3189 (NZ) | . | Max Merritt & The Meteors - Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah / I've Been Trying |
| 11/1965 | SP PARLOPHONE NZP.3198 (NZ) | . |
Max Merritt & The Meteors - You Deserve What You've Got / I Want So Much To Know You |
| 06/1966 | SP PARLOPHONE NZP.3206 (NZ) | . | Max Merritt & The Meteors - I Can't Help Myself / Shake |
| 10/1966 | SP PARLOPHONE NZP.3213 (NZ) | . | Max Merritt & The Meteors - Fannie Mae / Baby, Come Home |
| 1966 | EP PARLOPHONE GEPO-70033 (AUS) |
 |
Max Merritt & The Meteors - Shake - I Can't Help Myself (Sugarpie, Honeybunch) / I Want So Much To Know You / Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah / Shake |
| 10/1969 | SP RCA VICTOR 101875 (AUS) | . | Max Merritt & The Meteors - Western Union Man / Home Is Where The Heart Is |
| 1970 | SP RCA VICTOR 60493 (NZ) | . | Max Merritt & The Meteors - Hey Western Union Man / Home Is Where The Heart Is |
| 01/1971 | SP RCA VICTOR 101908 (AUS) | . |
Max Merritt & The Meteors - Good Feelin' / I Can't Wait |
| 1971 | SP RCA VICTOR 101927 (AUS) | . | Max Merritt & The Meteors - Hello L.A., Bye-Bye Birmingham / Live Levi's |
| 04/1972 | SP BELL BELL 1230 (UK) | . | Max Merritt with The Meteors - Let It Slide / Dedicated To A Friend |
| 05/1972 | SP PINK ELEPHANT PE 22.622-H (NL) |
 |
Max Merritt with The Meteors - Let It Slide / Dedicated To A Friend |
| 1972 | SP FINGER / POLYDOR 2046 009 (GER) |
 |
Max Merritt with The Meteors - Let It Slide / Dedicated To A Friend |
| 09/1975 | SP ARISTA BL 303 (NZ) | . | Max Merritt & The Meteors - A Little Easier / Long Time Gone |
| 1975 | SP ARISTA 2C 010 96914 (F) |
 |
Max Merritt - A Little Easier / Long Time Gone |
| 1975 | SP EMI 1C 006-96 914 (GER) |
 |
Max Merritt & The Meteors - A Little Easier / Long Time Gone |
| 1975 | SP ARISTA 8E00696914 (POR) |
 |
Max Merritt & The Meteors - A Little Easier / Long Time Gone |
| 1975 | SP ARISTA 1 J006-96.914 (S) |
 |
Max Merritt & The Meteors - A Little Easier ((Ponme) Las Cosas Fáciles) / Long Time Gone (Después De Mucho Tiempo) |
| 1975 | SP ARISTA BL 308 (NZ) | . | Max Merritt & The Meteors - Slipping Away / I Keep Forgettin' |
| 1975 | SP ARISTA 8E 006-97273 F (POR) |
 |
Max Merritt & The Meteors - Slipping Away / I Keep Forgettin' |
| 1976 | SP ARISTA BL 319 (NZ) | . | Max Merritt & The Meteors - Let It Slide / Gotta Have Your Love |
| 04/1976 | SP ARISTA AR-11095 (AUS) | . | Max Merritt & The Meteors - Let It Slide / Whisper In My Ear / Coming Back |
| 09/1976 | SP ARISTA AR-11223 (AUS) | . | Max Merritt & The Meteors - Take Part Of Me / Blame It On The Reggae |
| 09/1976 | SP ARISTA ARISTA 68 (UK) | . | Max Merritt - Whisper In My Ear / Blame It On The Reggae |
| 1977 | SP ARISTA 2C006-98612 (F) |
 |
Max Merritt - Let It Slide / Gotta Have Your Love |
| 1977 | SP ARISTA 1C 006-99 497 (GER) |
 |
Max Merritt & The Meteors - Slipping Away / A Little Easier |
| 03/1978 | SP POLYDOR 2059 006 (UK) | . | Max Merritt - Slipping Away / Rock And Roll Hobo |
| 07/1978 | SP POLYDOR 2059 044 (AUS) | . | Max Merritt - Draggin' Chains / Wish You'd Never Come Into My Life |
| 09/1978 | SP POLYDOR 2059 062 (UK) | . | Max Merritt - Draggin' Chains / Keeping In Touch |
| 01/1979 | SP POLYDOR 2059 077 (AUS) | . | Max Merritt - Dirty Work / Fat Man |
| 05/1979 | SP POLYDOR 2059 114 (AUS) | . | Max Merritt - It's Over / Keeping In Touch |
| 11/1982 | SP AVENUE BA 223008 (AUS) | . | Max Merritt - Growing Pains / Prove It |
| 12/1986 | SP MOJO K-196 (AUS) |
 |
Max Merritt - Mean Green Fighting Machine / My Best Friend |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Albums
| 1960 | LP 12" HIS MASTER'S VOICE MCLP 6079 (NZ) |
 |
C'mon Let's Go - Max Merritt & His Meteors - I'll Take You Home Again Kathleen / Sea Cruise / I Was The One / The Way I Walk / Shine That Ring / Diamond Ring / Little Angel / Tennessee Waltz / Too Much Tequila / Hallelujah, I Love Her So / C'mon Everybody / Teen Beat |
||
| 1965 | LP 12" RCA RPL-3400 (NZ) |
 |
Max Merritt's Meteors - So Long Baby / Little Queenie / You,re Treating Me Bad / Rockin' Robin / I Believe / Heatwave / Without You / I Wish You Love / I'm Not A Bad Guy / Sticks And Things / You Don't Know Baby / The Work Song |
||
| 1970 | LP 12" RCA SL-101891 (AUS) |
 |
Max Merritt And The Meteors - Hey,Western Union Man / Fannie May / To Be A Lover / Louisiana Anna / You Touch Me / I've Been Away Too Long / Home Is Where The Heart Is / It's Just Wasting Time / Turkish Bath / Lay A Little Love On Me / You Can't Come Back |
||
| 1971 | LP 12" RCA SL-101906 (AUS) |
 |
Stray Cats - Max Merritt & The Meteors - Good Feelin' / Peace Brother Peace / I Can't Wait / Hello L.A. Bye Bye Birmingham / Twenty Four And A Half / Hey Jude / Proud Mary / Now It's Up To You / Hush / Medley : Wichita Lineman - Do What You Gotta Do / G-Goooood Fee-Feelin' |
||
| 1975 | LP 12" ARISTA ARTY 108 (AUS) |
 |
A Little Easier - Max Merritt & The Meteors - King Size Rosewood Bed / Mr. Horizontal / Wrong Turn / Coming Back / A Little Easier / Find A Home / Long Time Gone / Slipping Away |
||
| 1975 | LP 12" ARISTA SBLL 6108 (NZ) |
 |
A Little Easier - Max Merritt & The Meteors - King Size Rosewood Bed / Mr. Horizontal / Wrong Turn / Coming Back / A Little Easier / Find A Home / Long Time Gone / Slipping Away | ||
| 1976 | LP 12" ARISTA ARTY.134 (AUS) |
 |
Out Of The Blue - Max Merritt - Let It Slide / Whisper In My Ear / Monopoly / Blame It On The Reggae / Midnight Man / Rosie / Gotta Have Your Love / Tell Me Mama / Take Part Of Me / Ain't You Glad You Came |
||
| 1977 | LP 12" ARISTA ARTY.149 (AUS) |
 |
Back Home Live - Max Merritt & The Meteors - A Little Easier / Wrong Turn / Coming Back / Ain't You Glad You Came / Try A Little Tenderness / Slipping Away / Find A Home / Long Time Gone / Let It Slide / Fannie Mae |
||
| 1978 | LP 12" Polydor 2383 514 (AUS) (NZ) (UK) |
 |
Keeping In Touch - Max Merritt - Fat Man / Little Miss Demeaner / Draggin' Chains / Slipping Away / Keeping In Touch / Sure Got A Lot Of Blues / Lay Me Down Easy / Wish You'd Never Come Into My Life / It's Over / Dirty Work / Rock And Roll Hobo |
||
| 1979 | LP 12" Polydor 2383 558 (AUS) |
 |
Black Plastic Max - Max Merritt - Rocks In My Head / Red Pig / A Lovers Question / I Could Have Told You So / Someone Touched Me / Rock 'n Roll Mole / Tryin' Too Hard / More To Life Than This / Touch And Go / Last Train To Clarksville |
||
| 1986 | LP 12" Raven RVLP24 (AUS) |
 |
17 Trax Of Max - Max Merritt & The Meteors - Fannie May / Shake / I Can't Help Myself / Respect / Louisiana Anna / Good Feelin' / Home Is Where The Heart Is / Live Levis / Western Union Man / Hello L.A., Bye Bye Birmingham / Let It Slide / To Be A Lover / Try A Little Tenderness / Slipping Away / A Lover's Question / Dirty Work |
||
| 2000 | CD Raven RVCD-15 (AUS) |
 |
23 Trax Of Max (1965 - 1982) -Max Merritt & The Meteors - Fannie May / Shake / I Can't Help Myself / I Want So Much To Know You / Respect / Louisiana Anna / Good Feelin' / I've Been Away Too Long / Home Is Where The Heart Is / Western Union Man / Live Levis / Hello L.A., Bye Bye Birmingham / Let It Slide / To Be A Lover / Try A Little Tenderness (live) / Slipping Away / A Little Easier / Whisper In My Ear / Midnight Man / Ain't You Glad You Came? (live) / A Lover's Question / Dirty Work / Prove It |
||
| 2001 | CD EMI 534711 2 (NZ) |
 |
The Very Best Of Max Merritt & The Meteors - Get A Haircut / Kiss Curl / Weekend / C'mon Everybody / Sea Cruise / Tennessee Waltz / Diamond Ring / The Way I Walk / Mister Loneliness / Giddy Up A Ding Dong / Good Golly Miss Molly / Little Bitty Pretty One / Everybody / Little Queenie / Soft Surfie / So Long Baby / I Want So Much To Know You / Shake / I Can't Help Myself / Fannie Mae / Western Union Man / Louisiana Anna / Good Feelin' / A Little Easier / Slippin' Away |
||
| 2007 | 2 CD Sony / BMG 88697177952 (AUS) |
 |
The Essential Max Merritt & The Meteors - ESSENTIAL SOUL : THE RCA
RECORDINGS 1969-70 :
|
||
| 04/2012 | CD LosTraxx LTR001 (AUS) |
 |
Been Away Too Long - Max Merritt & The Meteors - Been Away Too Long [live] / I'm So Happy [live] / Gonna Send You Back [live] / Kush [live] / Louisiana Ana [live] / Western Union Man [live] / The House Will Rock [live] / Otis Redding Medley [live] |
||
| 11/2020 | CD Fanfare FANFARE388 (AUS) (NZ) |
 |
I Can Dream - Max Merritt - I Can Dream Can't I / Heart Have Mercy / Stay With Me / Medicine Man / Failing Light / The Closer I Get To You / Sunbury / Tempted / I Don't Wanna Loose You / Candy Row |
© Rocky Productions 11/12/2020
