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The Honeycombs weren't quite a one-hit wonder. The stomping "Have I the Right?" established the group, under the aegis of maverick producer Joe Meek, when it topped the U.K. Singles Chart in the summer of 1964. But its follow-ups barely squeaked into the top 40, and a No. 12 placement for "That's the Way" was too little, too late to bolster the group's fortunes. These showings, however, were no reflection on the band's quality. For one of its final releases, Cherry Red's RPM imprint has collected The Honeycombs' Complete '60s Albums and Singles in a 3-CD box set. In effect, this is The Complete Honeycombs, save the various reunions of one or more original members which have continued through the 2010s.

The Sheratons - a.k.a. Martin Murray (rhythm guitar), Denis D'ell (lead vocals), Allan Ward (lead guitar), John Lantree (bass), and Anne "Honey" Lantree (drums) - were playing the Mildmay Tavern when they were spotted by songwriters Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley. The pair offered the band "Have I the Right?" and they brought it to independent producer Joe Meek ("Telstar," "Just Like Eddie") with whom they had already arranged an audition. Meek applied his trademark studio wizardry, and while the finished product was still unusual enough to be rejected by labels including HMV, Pye took a chance on it. The label also rechristened the band The Honeycombs and declared that Anne Lantree, a rare female drummer, should be known as Honey. Pye's gamble paid off when the urgent "Have I the Right?" reached No. 1 in England. It would also make it to No. 5 in America on Vee-Jay's Interphon imprint.

The Honeycombs' subsequent self-titled LP was largely populated by Howard/Blaikley originals plus a couple of Joe Meek's compositions and a handful of covers such as Leiber and Stoller's "I Want to Be Free," and a revival of the Gershwins and DuBose Heyward's Porgy and Bess standard "It Ain't Necessarily So." Shortly after the LP's release, Pye issued "Is It Because?" on 45 but the song failed to capture listeners' imaginations in the way its predecessor did. Third single "Eyes" fared even more poorly, and then a chain of events conspired to end The Honeycombs' career. Martin Murray, who had broken his arm and leg fighting off a wild crowd, clashed with his bandmates and announced his exit in December 1964. He was replaced by Peter Pye. The band persevered, though, recording some exclusive material for the Japanese market (including the In Tokyo set on CD 3 of this box) and then a second studio album with Meek (All Systems Go! on CD 2). Denny D'ell was next to go, though, followed by Peter Pye and Allan Ward. The three were replaced by Colin Boyd, Rod Butler, and Eddy Spence, respectively. Then, on February 3, 1967, Joe Meek died at the age of 37 in an apparent murder-suicide in which he killed his landlady and then himself. The details of his death, however, are still shrouded in some degree of mystery today.

The 3-CD, 78-song box has both of the band's original albums in mono plus non-LP sides, the rare U.S. single version of "I Can't Stop," German language and instrumental versions of "Have I the Right?," their live albums and singles from Japan, two initially-unreleased outtakes recorded before Meek's death in 1967, and solo singles from group members. It's a diverse and entertaining body of work, also including studio and live renditions of such familiar songs as "Our Day Will Come," "Kansas City" and "She's About a Mover." A 24-page booklet has Paul R. Moy's detailed retelling of The Honeycombs' story, and each disc is housed in a paper sleeve. Simon Murphy has handled the remastering. It adds up to a fine tribute to an all-too short-lived group and its visionary, if troubled, producer.

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Cherry Red's SoulMusic imprint, meanwhile, has celebrated one of the hippest (and most sampled) bands of all time with The Meters' Getting Funkier All the Time: The Complete Josie/Reprise and Warner Recordings. This 6-CD set, which like The Honeycombs' collection is housed in a compact clamshell case, has eight full albums from the smokin' New Orleans outfit plus a number of bonus tracks.

Allen Toussaint knew talent when he spotted it, and so when he saw singer-keyboardist Art Neville and The Neville Sounds - guitarist Leo Nocentelli, bassist George Porter Jr., and drummer Joseph "Zigaboo" Modeliste - playing at Bourbon Street club The Ivanhoe, he invited them to form the house band for his Sansu Records. Toussaint's business partner Marshall Sehorn took on the four-piece as their manager, and Toussaint renamed them The Meters. As instrumentalists, they had a distinctive style: greasy and funky, sure, but with an insouciant, laid-back New Orleans touch and "second line" syncopations. ("Second line" had its roots in New Orleans marching bands, in which rhythmic licks would be played between the beats.) Sehorn placed The Meters with Josie Records, an imprint of Jubilee, and they had two crossover hits right out of the gate: "Sophisticated Cissy" and "Cissy Strut." As co-producer with Sehorn, Toussaint brought his effortless elegance to the band's lithe, slinky melodies (almost all of which were group-written). The Meters and Look-ka Py-Py both fared well on the R&B albums chart.

By the time of their third Josie long-player, 1970's Struttin', The Meters began to incorporate vocals on such tracks as a reworking of Jimmy Webb's timeless ballad "Wichita Lineman" and Toussaint's "Ride Your Pony," on which The Meters had originally backed singer Lee Dorsey in the studio. In 1971, though, Jubilee folded, and the band followed Allen Toussaint to the Warner-owned Reprise label. For their major-label debut, Cabbage Alley, The Meters expanded their sound further, showcasing Art Neville's vocals more and adding broader instrumentation. With Toussaint pursuing his own solo career, he largely stayed out of the studio despite retaining a co-production credit with Sehorn. Rock and jazz flavors graced the funk on Cabbage Alley, and The Meters even tipped their hats to Reprise labelmate Neil Young with a cover of his "Birds."

A horn section and background vocalists appeared on their sophomore Reprise LP, the aptly-titled Rejuvenation. Though it's now acclaimed as one of The Meters' finest hours, the album might have been a step too far for listeners of the day, and certainly for the label's promotion staff. They wouldn't look back, however. Art Neville's younger brother Cyril joined the group full-time on percussion, and he helped propel 1975's Fire on the Bayou which demonstrated their full immersion into rock and soul. They caught the attention of Paul McCartney (who had been recording at Toussaint and Sehorn's new studio, Sea-Saint) and The Rolling Stones, and the latter band took them out on tour. The raised profile afforded by the Stones tour gave Rejuvenation a boost, and it sold moderately well.

1976's Trick Bag featured a cover of the Stones' "Honky Tonk Women" but gained more attention for its embrace of the new dancefloor sound on "Disco Is the Thing Today." Still, they endeavored to retain their longtime audience by revisiting a pair of 1971 and 1972 non-LP singles and celebrating their New Orleans legacy with a new interpretation of Toussaint's classic "All These Things." The album's eclectic nature also saw renditions of songs by James Taylor and film composer Dominic Frontiere. After Trick Bag, The Meters were switched - along with most of the Reprise roster - to the parent Warner Bros. label. Their final album, New Directions, is their only album without Toussaint and Sehorn at the helm. (They did record one Toussaint composition on it, however.) The Tower of Power horn section appeared, and Rubinson delivered a slick, commercial effort. But when Art and Cyril Neville announced their intention to leave The Meters to work with their brothers, the band was effectively over.

Their music lived on, though. The Meters have been sampled over 500 times by hip-hop's biggest names, and listening to the six discs here, it's not hard to see why. These grooves are as irresistible today as they were when originally recorded. SoulMusic's box has over 30 bonus tracks (including the CD debut of the extended mix of "Disco Is the Thing Today"), most of which have been drawn from Rhino's past expanded editions. A 40-page booklet has Charles Waring's comprehensive essay on The Meters' history including new quotes from Cyril Neville, George Porter Jr., and Leo Nocentelli. Everything has been remastered by Nick Robbins.

Both The Honeycombs and Meters releases are available now from Cherry Red Records at the links below.

The Honeycombs, Have I the Right? The Complete '60s Albums and Singles (Cherry Red/RPM QRPMBX548. 2020) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Track 14 from Warner Bros. single 8434, 1977