TheFeldster
Mr Kite
Official Website
C'Mon Let's Go (Viking, 1960)
Giddy Up Max! EP (Viking, 1964)
Good Golly Max Merritt EP (Viking 1964)
Max Merritt's Meteors (RCA, 1965)
Shake EP (Parlophone, 1966)
Max Merritt and the Meteors (RCA, 1970)
Stray Cats (RCA, 1971)
A Little Easier (Arista, 1975)
Out of the Blue (Arista, 1976)
Back Home Live (Arista, 1977)
Keeping in Touch (Polydor, 1979)
Black Plastic Max (Polydor, 1980)
17 Trax of Max! (Raven, 1986)[5] re-issued with six added tracks as 23 Trax of Max! (Raven, 1991)
The Very Best Of Max Merritt & The Meteors (EMI NZ, 2001)
The Essential Max Merritt & The Meteors (Sony-BMG, 2007)
Been Away Too Long (LosTraxx, 2012)
Max Merritt and the Meteors are a band that originated in Christchurch, New Zealand in the mid-1950's. A rock 'n roll/R&B band, with a hint of soul, the Meteors featured a revolving door of musicians, but some of the more recognizable members include jazz drummer turned rock 'n roller Stewie Speer, and saxophonist Bob Birtles.
After making a name for themselves in their home country, and rising to be the second most popular act in New Zealand, Merritt and his band turned their attention to the more lucrative circuits in Australia.
Never one to record his music, Max Merritt and the Meteors made most of their reputation on the road, performing their music live for fans.
This trend was so large, that in one particular incarnation of the band, the line-up only ever recorded one song - a cover of the Disney classic "Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah"
Unfortunately, as mentioned above, Merritt often struggled to keep his band members with the band. A couple of Meteors were recruited by competing R&B artist Billy Thorpe and became Aztecs, and one member of the band quit after recording Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah, believing the band was turning into a cabaret act.
However, after one mass exodus, the Meteors focused more on the soul element of their act, recruiting a jazz drummer Stewie Speer and saxophonist Bob Birtles - who both became close friends and bandmates of Merritt for many year.
A major turning point in the career of Max Merritt and the Meteors came while on the road in the state of Victoria in 1968, when the band suffered a serious car crash near the town of Bunyip. Birtles broke his leg. Speer, 20 years older than his bandmates, had both his legs crushed, broke both arms and had to have several fingertips amputated. Merritt himself suffered severe facial injuries, even damaging his right eye.
The result of this was that the band went out of action for almost a year before returning to the stage. When they returned from their hiatus, they'd created their second biggest hit of all time. Titled "Hey, Western Union Man", it was a cover of an old Jerry Butler hit, but has, in Australia, had more longevity than it's original counterpart.
After this success, the Meteors again made a change of circuit, deciding to move to the UK to seek opportunities there. Among other achievements, they were a support act for the Moody Blues during a tour of the UK. However, many of the Meteors again left the band, including Birtles. This left only Merritt and Speer of the band who'd been involved in the horrific accident.
With a new line-up, the band scored their biggest ever hit. Titled "Slippin' Away", it has been Merritt's signature tune since it's release in the mid-70's. It reached #2 on the Australian charts, and #5 in the New Zealand charts, despite Merritt being based in the UK at the time.
*this video also contains the best footage I can find of Stewie Speer, the drummer. Doesn't look like much of a jazz guy, eh?
The band never really found major success in the later years, and Merritt tried unsuccessfully to break into the Los Angeles market.
In 1986, Stewie Speer, at 58 years of age, died of a heart attack.
Merritt slowly faded into obscurity in the media, but he wasn't forgotten in the music industry. In the early 21st century, Merritt returned to Australia and began touring again.
In 2007, it was revealed that Merritt was suffering from a rare autoimmune disorder called Goodpasture's syndrome. To raise funds to find a cure for this illness, members of the Australian music industry held the Concert for Max in Melbourne. AU$200,000 was raised. The event wasn't filmed as far as I'm aware, but reports state that the tribute brought the old, hardened rocker to tears.
Also in 2007, Merritt made a rare television appearance, on Australian music quiz show, RocKwiz. He closed the show with a duet of Slippin' Away with country singer Catherine Britt. He dedicated the appearance to Stewie Speer.
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The distribution company in the UK missed the boat.
