Record producer tape deal fails

Record producer Joe Meek died in London in 1967

A deal to buy original music master tapes recorded by the legendary producer, Joe Meek, has fallen through.

The recordings, including early works by David Bowie, Tom Jones and John Leyton, initially failed to sell at auction with a £300,000 reserve price.

Negotiations for the Gloucestershire- born man's tapes had started with a private buyer but that deal is now off.

The man who owns the tapes, Cliff Cooper, is still looking for a buyer and they may go to auction again.

The sale of thousands of tapes does not include the copyright to release the material.

Newent-born Meek, who died in 1967, was responsible for 1960s hits like Telstar by the Tornados.

Some 2,000 recordings, including works by David Bowie and Tom Jones, were put up for sale at the Idea Generation Gallery in London's Shoreditch in September.