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| HTD Records HTD CD 25 (CD, UK, 1994) |
Telstar was, originally a 1962 instrumental record by The Tornados (spelt The Tornadoes in the U.S).The name and sound of this novelty record was intended to invoke the dawn of the space
age, with sound effects meant to sound "space-like". A story common when the number was first a hit said that the distortions
and background noise on the record was from sending the signal up to the Telstar satellite and then re-recording it back on
earth, but it actually seems to have been done in the recording studio. More plausible stories say that the sounds intended
to symbolize radio signals were actually produced by Meek by running a pen around the rim of an ashtray, and the "rocket blastoff"
was a flushing a toilet, in both cases the recordings of mundane sounds made to sound exotic by playing the tape in reverse
at various speeds.
The tune was a hit quickly after its release on August 17, 1962, staying on the UK pop charts for twenty-five
weeks, five of them at number one, and in the USA charts for sixteen weeks. It is also a favourite of the former British Prime
Minister Margaret Thatcher !!!!; and chosen by her on her appearance on BBC radio show Desert Island Discs.
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song writer and
producer extraordinare,
and composer of Telstar
the first active communications
satellite, the first satellite
designed to transmit telephone
and high-speed data communications,
as well as the first privately owned
satellite, and, of course, it has its
own Wikipedia page
a 1962 instrumental record by
The Tornados. It was the first
record by a British group to go
to number one on the U.S.
Billboard Hot 100. It is named
for the AT&T communications
satellite Telstar. It was written
instrumental group of
the 1960s, who acted
as the in-house back-up
group for many of
Joe Meek's productions
twangy rock meets
foot tappin' folk on our
Jam Sandwiches music website
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